Parents can register their interest using our online enquiry form, which will put you in touch with a member of our admissions team.

Alternatively, parents can contact the team directly by emailing admissions@rydalpenrhos.com or phoning 01492 530 155.

Once an enquiry has been made, prospective parents and pupils are encouraged to visit the school and take a one-to-one tour.

At the end of your tour, you will take away a Registration Form to move your application onto the next stage. Alternatively, the Registration Form can be accessed here.

To be considered for a place at Rydal Penrhos, parents are asked to complete and return the school’s Registration Form.

The form captures not only key information such as contact details, health information and any Additional Learning Needs requirements, but also other details that help us get a sense of the child as an individual.

As part of the registration process, parents are asked to send in two of the child’s recent school reports and a copy of their birth certificate. Parents will also be invoiced for the £100 non-refundable Registration Fee.

Once a child is registered, they will often complete one or more taster sessions at school.

These sessions not only help pupils acclimatise, but also allow teachers and staff to learn more about a child and determine whether Rydal Penrhos is the right school for them. For this reason, taster sessions are mandatory in certain age groups.

Pupils entering the school prior to Year 7 are not formally assessed prior to joining. Instead, teachers informally evaluate a child to determine whether Rydal Penrhos is a good fit and how the school might support them as an individual.

All pupils entering in Year 7 or above are required to participate in a 90-minute Cognitive Ability Test, or ‘CAT test’ as we call it.

The CAT test evaluates a child’s ability across a number of different types of intelligence; from verbal to quantitative, spatial to reasoning. The test is not knowledge-based, meaning it cannot be prepared for.

While we typically invite candidates to sit their CAT test in school, its online format means we can conduct the assessment remotely if necessary. Pupils applying for a Fully Funded Place must attend the school’s Assessment Day in January.

In addition to the interview, pupils may also be required to participate in a fifteen-minute interview with a senior member of staff, especially in cases where the pupil is not known to staff.

Once the CAT test and interview have taken place, results will be shared with parents.

Once the preceding steps are complete, the school may decide to offer a place at the school or reject the application.

In the case of a successful application, parents will receive an offer letter and Acceptance Form that must be completed and returned in order to secure the place.

As part of the offer letter, the scholarship awards that the child has secured will be specified, if any.

A welcome pack will be sent prior to the start date of the child. which will include all the essential information that families will need to get started.

All pupils are allocated pupil buddies on arrival to welcome them to Rydal Penrhos and help them settle in quickly.