Moving to Senior School

Moving to Senior School

At Ipswich School and Ipswich Preparatory School, each stage is tailored to provide pupils with the best possible preparation for the next phase in their development and their academic life. This includes the transition from Prep to Senior School.  Over the course of recent years, children from the Prep have been awarded an increasing number of scholarships to the Senior School.  It is assumed that a pupil in Year 6 at Ipswich Preparatory School will be working at the level required for the Senior School and as a result, all children should continue automatically into the Senior School, unless it is felt that an individual child would not benefit from the educational opportunities on offer in a way which would allow them to be both happy and successful there.  This judgement will be based on the school’s knowledge of an individual pupil’s aptitudes, their performance in school assessments and their willingness and ability to contribute positively to the life of the school.

There is no formal ‘pre-test’ for Prep School pupils moving on to the Senior School.  The decision on whether to offer a place is determined by careful monitoring of academic progress in Year 5.  Pupils are expected to satisfy the same academic criteria as external candidates, the main difference being that assessment is an on-going process rather than a one-off test.  It is anticipated that the rounded nature and delivery of the Prep School curriculum will give all internal candidates an excellent opportunity to meet, or significantly exceed, the minimum academic standard expected for entry into the Senior School.

All children take the entrance exam for Senior School in January or February of Year 6.  This allows for benchmarking and for the selection of the interview shortlist candidates for academic scholarships and other awards.

Pupils in the Prep School are usually offered a place into the Senior School at the end Year 5 on recommendation to the Headmaster by the Prep Head. If a pupil has not met the entrance criteria a probationary place may be offered. Any probationary place, or where no offer is recommended by the Head of Prep, will not be a surprise to parents as discussions will have taken place previously.