Welcome
Welcome to Pitsford School and to our Open Day page! We are looking forward to showing you around!
If you would like to attend Open Day on the 4th March 2023 please fill in the form below and let us know a little about the age range you are looking for so we can ensure you get to see everything that you are interested in.
Pitsford School was founded in 1989 to be an affordable and excellent independent day school, serving the county of Northamptonshire and beyond. Since then, it has remained true to its founding mission but has widened its reach by opening its doors to girls in 1998 and by including a dynamic new Junior school on site.
Although housed in magnificent historic buildings, what makes Pitsford School so special is the relationships that are built within it; the bricks and mortar, lovely though they are, are just a shell for the real school which is the interactions between of all its members. Warm, friendly, humane and human, our students and staff work together in an open, energetic and creative way. At Pitsford there is no division between the pastoral and the academic as we educate the whole child, to ensure that they are known, valued for who they are, safe and happy.
Come and see for yourselves, we look forward to showing you around.
Craig Walker (Headmaster)
Get in Touch
FAQs
How do I register?
You can register your child by simply completing the contact form above and providing payment of £75 per family (if you have more than one child with us, you only pay once). Places can be popular so we recommend that you register early to avoid any disappointment.
Do you do taster days?
Yes, your child is welcome to join us for a day. It will give both your son or daughter, and us, the opportunity to experience a typical school day and to get to know each other.
Pupils wishing to attend Sixth form can attend an induction evening, often in the Spring term, with a further opportunity for induction late in the summer term.
What does your entrance assessment involve?
As well as seeing if your child enjoys school life at Pitsford, the taster day also forms part of our assessment for the younger children. Spending time with us allows the teachers the opportunity to complete informal assessments with the KS1 children (Reception – year 2), whilst the older children within the Junior school complete a more formal (but not scary) literacy and numeracy assessment. We would also ask for a report from their previous school.
Assessment in the senior school can also take place on the taster day. Your son or daughter will spend a morning with their peers before completing a computer based (CAT) assessment. This isn’t too onerous and requires no revision or preparation.
Most year 7 entrants will attend a specific day in November or March where they can experience the school before going on to complete the assessment, but individual arrangements can be made throughout the year for any age.
Following a successful visit, assessment and a satisfactory report from the previous school, we will then make a formal offer of a place. To secure this place, a deposit of £600 is paid, which will be reimbursed when the pupil leaves.
Pupils are admitted to the Sixth Form subject to satisfactory attainment and potential, as well as a satisfactory report from the Head of their previous school(s). Our normal minimum requirements for entry into the Sixth Form will be predicted grades of at least six GCSE grades 9-6. In addition a grade 7 will normally be expected in each GCSE subject to be continued at A Level.
After registering, candidates will be invited in for an interview with the Headmaster. The offer of a place is subject to the prospective pupil’s successful interview and achievement of the required GCSE grades.
Do you offer any learning support ( SEN support)
Absolutely, we have specialists in both the Junior and the Senior school who will help with any additional learning needs that are identified. Every child is treated as an individual and so the best way to support those children can vary greatly. As such we always work together with you, your child and any other experts necessary to establish the best learning support programme that works for your child.
Do you offer scholarships?
Bursaries are awarded from our limited bursary fund and are based on financial need. However, they also take into account what the individual child may be able to offer the School.
Once awarded, a bursary will usually continue until either the completion of Year 11, or the Upper Sixth, assuming there is no change to the financial circumstances of the family and that satisfactory progress is made by the pupil.
Sixth Form scholarships are available to external candidates in Year 11 who will have achieved at least an average of at least seven grade 6s in mock GCSE examinations, with a grade 7 or above in the subjects wishing to be studied.
These Scholarships are aimed at pupils who show excellence in specific areas: Academic, Art, Music, Science & Engineering (Keith Duckworth Scholarship)
What are your fees and what is included in your fees?
Please visit our fees page here.
Should you have any queries please contact the Registrar on registrar@pitsfordschool.com or call 01604 880306
Do you have school buses?
Yes we do! We have several bus services running across the county:
- Kettering via Walgrave,
- Market Harborough via Brixworth,
- Northampton Town Centre,
- Northampton & wider villages (inc Moulton and Weston Favell)
Buses arrive at School in time for 8.40am registration and depart at 5.30pm after extra-curricular activities.
We try to ensure that as many locations are covered by our bus routes as possible in order to help with transportation. The routes are run according to interest and location and current routes are amended at the start of the academic year, as pupils’ requirements change. They are also planned to ensure that collection and deposit points are located in convenient and safe places for your child. Other bus routes will be considered if numbers permit.
Pupils can take single or return journeys and select which days they travel. Pupils must be in Key Stage 2 or above to use the School Bus Network.
