Senior School Placement
Helping you select, apply for and secure a place at your favoured day or boarding senior school
Moving up from a UK prep school to a senior school, or joining the British school system at 11+ or 13+ from overseas, can be complicated and stressful. UK senior schools, both day and boarding, are some of the most admired, and difficult to get into, in the world.
Our dedicated senior school placement team works with you and your family to select a strong shortlist of senior schools that suits your child’s individual needs, abilities and academic potential. Our skilled, experienced consultants are invaluable in helping you choose which type of school is right for your child. We enjoy an unrivalled network of personal relations with schools and we use our first-hand knowledge to advise on the nature of the school, what they are looking for in potential students, and how to make the most of your application.
We can organise for you to visit your chosen schools, with your consultant if you wish, ensuring you have the best chance of making the right decision for your family and increasing your chance of securing a place at your chosen school.
The entry process for highly competitive schools is lengthy and academically demanding. We combine strategic advice with interview preparation practice, as well as arranging for any necessary professional help to maximise the chances of success.
We are most proud when we know that we have found the right school for the right child. Our clients return to us because our aim is to place children in the best possible schools for them.
Sixth Form Entry
Entry at 16+ into the last two years of school, or the Sixth Form in British schools, is common. Boarding in these final years can be good preparation for university. A potential elite athlete might be attracted by the ease of access to state of the art sports facilities, an artist to superb studios, or a strong academic to the rigorous teaching and individual attention.
The highly specialised nature of the curriculum can be surprising for many overseas families. Potential pupils are faced with a choice of A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, BTECs or the Pre-U. Entry tests to many schools at this level are based on these subject choices. Norton Alexander’s advisors will help your child consider these options and offer guidance on the most appropriate route for your child’s ambitions and prepare him or her for the competitive selection process. Norton Alexander’s care will ensure your child settles into the most appropriate school to prepare her or him for the crucial next steps on leaving school.
Getting started
We start with getting to know you – we talk to you and, if appropriate, your child, and ask them to take assessments if necessary. Once we know your child’s current academic level, their interests, talents and future ambitions, we will then put together an individual, tailor-made programme for you, detailing our expertise and successes, the strategies we use and how we can help you on your journey. This will give you a number of options to consider before you make a decision on how to proceed.
Thanks to Paul’s support, my daughter is now in a school that has enabled her to grow and become a high achieving student. Paul was very attentive, understanding and positive. He spent quality time with my daughter discussing her aspirations and considerations with regards to moving to a new school. Without Paul’s continued assistance and encouragement, the process would have been much more complex, and may not have had such a positive result for my daughter’s future.
The next day we had the visit to the School. Here we had the interview with the Head of Admissions. Both me and my husband, but especially Claudia, would like to express our thanks for the practice interview Claudia had with Paul. It was very, very helpful. Many of the questions she received were exactly those from the practice of the day before. Thus, she was better prepared and we were able to avoid the mistakes that we could have done if we had not gone through this experience.