International Admissions

Visiting Knighton House

Of course, there is nothing better than coming to see us and experiencing the magic of Knighton House for yourself.  It is ideal to visit during the term time when our pupils are in school and life is busy; however, we understand that this is not always possible and we will arrange tours at any time to suit you.

Traditionally a visit will start with an informal meeting with our Head and International Admissions Coordinator followed by a tour of the school with some of our pupils; after which our Admissions team will be available to answer your questions.

It is useful to bring with you a copy of your child’s latest school report.

 

Taster Sessions

Taster days and/or nights are fun and allow for an informal way of meeting a Year group and gaining insight into life at Knighton House.  We recommend that you book a local B&B or hotel (we will recommend local accommodation and we can book this for you) to get to know the area and for your child to spend a taster day/night at Knighton House; our boarders love to have a new friend for a ‘sleepover’ and we would be delighted to arrange this for you.  If time is short, a taster day is always a good compromise.

We always enjoy meeting prospective pupils and their families in person but this is not always practical.  Melanie Burton, our dedicated International Admissions Coordinator would be delighted to answer any questions you may have either by email:

international-admissions@knightonhouse.co.uk

or by telephone +44 (0)1258 452065 or via a pre-arranged zoom call, if preferred.

Entry Process 

We recommend that our International pupils join us for a year, in order to settle in, make friends and gain fully from all that Knighton House has to offer, but this is not always possible (sometimes dependent upon the guidelines of the home country).  Children often join us for a term (and then sign up for the rest of the year) or in some cases are only able to join us for a matter of weeks; please see our Short Stays package for what will suit the requirements of your son or daughter best.

Although generally our new arrivals join us at the beginning of a term, we are very happy to accept pupils at any stage during the academic year, providing all our entry requirements are met and there are places available.  In order to benefit from a total immersion into the English community, we do limit the numbers of any one nationality joining each year group.  For this reason, early registration is recommended in order to secure a place.

 

Registration Process

International Prep Registration Form

The registration form should be completed and returned and the appropriate registration fee should be transferred to the school account, Refer to fees tab for details. If a particular year group is full, children are placed on a waiting list; we will let you know as soon as a place becomes available.

In order to secure your child’s place at Knighton House, the payment of a deposit will be required a term in advance of his/her start date.   The balance of this deposit is refunded after the deduction of any outstanding charges following your final account.  Should you decide not to take up the secured place however, the deposit cannot be reimbursed.  Our International Admissions Coordinator will email you with details and a reminder of the required payment as the time approaches.

 

Additional documents required for registration

There is no entry exam for admission to Knighton House, but it is important that your child flourishes; we therefore pay particular attention to the academic report and reference from her current school.  It is also very important that we are aware of the level of English at which a prospective pupil is working so that appropriate support is provided

At the point of registration it is also important that we are made aware of any learning difficulties your child may have.   We have a dedicated learning support team at Knighton House and it is useful for us to be aware that extra assistance may be required.

The completed registration form should be returned together with the following:

• Copy of your child’s Passport
• Copy of your child’s Birth Certificate
• Copy of his/her most recent academic report and reference from the school
• A short piece written in English by your child about himself/herself and his/her hobbies
• The completed Personal Profile – Pupil Profile

 

Medical Conditions, Medication and Allergy Information

Should your child require specific medication, have allergies or dietary constraints, it is important that the school is notified when you register.   We have an extremely competent Matron on our Boarding House team, who works closely with the School Doctor.

It is very rare that that the school is unable to cope with medical requirements; however, in order to be prepared for your child’s arrival, we ask for details in English of all required medicines to be sent to us in advance.  Our School Doctor insists upon the receipt of these to make sure that she is able to administer the equivalent drugs in the UK.  Our Doctor visits the school once a week and the GP’s Surgery is less than five minutes drive from the school.

All dietary requirements can be catered for by our school Chef.  We are a nut free school; nothing containing any form of nuts can be consumed on the premises.

Guardians

Every child whose home is overseas or whose parents currently live or are posted abroad must have a guardian, regardless of the duration of their stay at Knighton House. This guardian must be resident in the UK, over the age of 25 and should speak English.

The main duties of the guardian are: 

1. To take decisions in emergencies on behalf of the parents where the school is not responsible.

2. To arrange transport and provide accommodation for the child:

• During fixed exeat weekends, half term and holidays as required
• In the case of emergencies
• In the event of illness (should a period of recuperation be needed)
• In the event of an expulsion or suspension

3. To attend relevant parents’ evenings and school events where a parental presence is required or invited.

4. To make the necessary travel and administrative arrangements for the children in absentia, and ensure that passport, visas and inoculations are up to date on behalf of the parents if required.

5. To assist in the event of an emergency or a disciplinary incident where the child has to leave the school and the parent cannot immediately attend.

 

A pupil without parents living in the UK cannot be accepted as a boarder unless a confirmed guardian is in place. Admission may be refused and the deposit surrendered. Knighton House does not arrange guardians, nor do we recommend a specific agency; however, we do recommend that you use an AEGIS accredited company. All guardianship agencies provide a variety of plans and fees to suit individual needs.

For further information on boarding click here.

Half Terms and Exeats

Knighton House closes for the half term week (10 days during the longer Autumn term). School finishes at 4.30pm on the Friday of half term and boarders return by 6.00pm on the Sunday.   Some boarders return home for this mid-term break, or stay with their designated guardian.  Often parents choose to take the opportunity for a holiday in the UK over this period!

 

We stay open at exeat weekends!

There are usually two exeats a term (Friday 4.30pm to Sunday 6,00pm), one either side of the half term.  Knighton House remains open during this time as an option for our boarders.  The exeat fee includes all excursions and activities provided during the weekend.

Long and Short Stays

In order to gain from the ultimate all round experience at Knighton House, we would recommend a full year’s immersion.  The children who have spent three terms at Knighton House leave with confidence, both in their English language and as a fully integrated, active member of the school.  Often they have stayed with Knighton House families for weekends and life-long friendships are made.

No two education systems are the same and we understand that in some countries it is not possible for children to leave their school for more than a few weeks at a time.   The Knighton House staff and children are very used to welcoming pupils from abroad for a matter of weeks to a full term (or two!) and being a small, family school, we find that our new beginners settle into life at Knighton House quickly and are often reluctant to leave at the end of their stay.

It is possible to tailor make a stay at Knighton House and Melanie Burton, our International Admissions Coordinator would be delighted to hear from you should you like to discuss a potential opportunity for your child. Please feel free to contact her on international-admissions@knightonhouse.co.uk.

English as an Additional Language

Knighton House has a long tradition of welcoming international students from Europe and the wider world into the safe and nurturing environment of our school family.

In the EAL Department, specialist EAL teachers offer students the opportunity to improve the four English skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Equally, we aim to encourage students to access the whole curriculum alongside continuing EAL support. Most pupils choose to stay at Knighton House for a minimum of a year to improve their English language skills; others opt to stay one term or several weeks.

Following their arrival at school the proficiency level of new EAL students is assessed. Once an initial assessment has taken place, specialist EAL lessons are arranged according to the student’s needs and these are conducted in small groups or one-to-one lessons. Students’ progress is carefully monitored and EAL staff liaise closely with subject teachers to ensure that EAL pupils are fully supported in all parts of the curriculum.

Long stay students are given the opportunity to take the Cambridge KET (Key English Test), PET (Preliminary English Test) and FCE (First Certificate in English) examinations in early June of the following year.

Throughout, Knighton House has achieved 100% pass rates in the KET, PET and FCE examinations, with many students achieving merit passes and some attaining distinctions.

In addition to helping pupils progress through the various levels of language proficiency, the EAL Department is ready to help with general aspects of life in an overseas environment; we provide a safe framework for pupils to learn about Britain and its customs and traditions.

Once pupils have left Knighton House, we offer an EAL online tuition service; providing continuity of teaching. When our overseas students come to Knighton for a year or for a term, during that time they prepare for a wide range of EAL examinations, from KET to FCE, they are taught intensely by our Head of EAL and obtain excellent results. On returning to their schools, many children wish to take further examinations online, under the guidance of our staff; our online tutoring service meets that need. Pupils take home all the resources they require (syllabus, textbooks, notes) and book a weekly online lesson slot.

English as an Additional Language for international pupils at Knighton House

COVID-19

The Autumn term brought with it the sound of much missed chatter and laughter of young children as they caught up with news from the past six months.  It is a real joy to be back and we are lucky to be a small school with a manageable number of pupils.  The boarding house is busy, with fewer International pupils than usual, due to the universal uncertainty of Covid-19. Many of those that were due to start this term have deferred, so we anticipate an increase in numbers from January onwards.

The issue of quarantining was interesting, but we are fortunate to have separate accommodation for our Year 8s, which has been used to house the pupils who have travelled from relevant countries.  We have managed to set up a classroom within the flat so, though not actually living with the other pupils, they were able to join in with lessons and socialise remotely.

Dorset continues to have one of the lowest cases of Covid-19 in the country and we are very lucky to be living in a rural part of the country.   With this in mind we are keen to promote Knighton House to International families and hope very much that there will be an increased interest for 2020/21. If you have any questions and/or would like a virtual tour of the school we will happily arrange this through our admissions team. Please contact Melanie Burton at international-admissions@knightonhouse.co.uk or telephone: 01258 452065. We would be delighted to hear from you.

To read our current Covid guidelines more in depth, please click here.

To view the Passenger Locator Form advice, please click here.

To view our Quarantine Advice, please click here.