N e w s l e t t e R - Radley College

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Admissions at The number of parents registering their sons at Radley has almost doubled since 2003 and by 2006 it became apparent that the school needed a full time Registrar and the Admissions Office was quickly established. Based in the Mansion, the Admissions team is responsible for all issues regarding entry to Radley: from when boys are first registered at birth, until the moment they arrive on their first day here. The Office takes around 1,500 enquiries every year and arranges around 600 visits to Radley – an average of nearly thirty visits each week in term-time. There are no Open Days: instead all visits are arranged on an individual basis, with parents and boys meeting a member of Senior Management and/or the Registrar, and being given a full tour of the school by a current pupil. All Radley boys are considered well-qualified to offer a tour; there is no system of trained tour guides. Radley is the only school still to take registrations simply in date order: i.e. from birth. Demand is higher than ever and there is already a waiting list for 2021. If registered early, there is no compulsory ‘pretest’: it is simply a question of sitting Common Entrance at 13+, with the pass mark currently 55%, rising to 60% in 2014. This absence of any pre-testing at 11+ is an essential part of Radley’s philosophy. Registrar, Vanessa Hammond, explains why: “Boys develop enormously between 11 and 13. We benefit from having late developers coming to Radley and we pride ourselves on taking a Natasha Cooper Natasha has worked in the Admissions Office since it was set up in 2008. In addition to her other duties, she provides a welcoming face to boys and parents alike, when they arrive for Scholarships and ‘Warden’s List’ Days. 4 The Radley Newsletter 4 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER
adleians Radley broad mix of boys with many varying talents.” Offers of places are sent out three years in advance, in registration date order. The earlier boys are registered, the better their chances of obtaining a place. On receipt of a firm offer, parents are invited to visit three Socials of their choice and can discuss this choice with the Registrar. Parents can also book to meet the Warden then. The Registrar co-ordinates waiting lists for Socials which again are organized in registration date order. Vanessa Hammond, Registrar. Vanessa was until 2011, Development Director at The School of St Helen and St Katharine, Abingdon, where she dealt with marketing and fundraising. She herself lived in G Social for twelve years, being married to Senior Master, Harry Hammond, former Tutor there. Anne Widdup Anne moved from the Foundation Office in 2010 and since leaving university, has gained extensive experience in administration. Anne’s responsibilities include arranging visits to Social Tutors and Common Entrance. Around 25 places are held back for those who register too late or who have not registered at all, known as the ‘Warden’s List’. Around 80 boys apply for these limited places and come here for interviews and assessment two years before entry - also organised by the Admissions Office. There are Scholarships held in January/February of the year of entry, with Academic, Art, Music, Drama and ‘All Rounder’ awards all open for entry to registered and non-registered candidates from the June in the previous year. About 25 scholarships are offered each year, which can be supplemented by a means-tested bursary. Generally we have around 20-25 candidates applying for an academic scholarship; whilst up to double that number often apply for ‘All Rounder’ awards, reflecting Radley’s strength across the board. In addition, there are Foundation Awards, which are means-tested and intended for those currently at maintained schools. Assessments are held three years in advance, with the Radley Foundation paying for two years at prep school, followed by five years at Radley. Although places in the Sixth Form are often limited, we do also hold Sixth Form Entrance assessments in November each year, for boys interested in coming to Radley for the final two years. In particular there is the Bastyan Organ Scholarship for Sixth Formers which is a means tested bursary, up to 100% of the fees, for a talented organist. All this makes for a very busy year for the Admissions team: organizing advance offers of places in Michaelmas, running Scholarships in the New Year, co-ordinating Common Entrance in June. And, of course, organizing all those visits to Radley each week…. Details of how to apply to Radley are on our website – www.radley.org.uk Henry Rees (Remove) Moulsford, J Social I’ve been at Radley for a year, yet feel as if I’ve just arrived; the time has gone so quickly. My biggest concern was that I had never boarded before at my Prep School, but after a few days, it became secondnature to me, as I was overwhelmed with activities. Firstly, there is the ‘Games Circus’ to keep you occupied, where you can try out all the different sports. My favourites were squash, closely followed by real tennis. Then you have Shell Athletic Standards, where you compete in running, long jump, track and field events. Even with these sporting commitments, you have some free time, which you can use to make friends. The Haddon Cup is another way of making friends within your Social, as you all work together on the same Drama production. The best part of Radley is the freedom given to try out new things out and the fact that not everything is strictly regimented. So, for example, you can play sports, or practise music in Central Hour, an hour long period in the middle of the day. The one thing I won’t miss about being a Shell are the duties you have to complete before morning lessons, such as collecting papers or tidying up the Games Room! At the beginning, you are put in sets based on your Common Entrance or Scholarship results; but after first-term exams, there is movement between these sets. Compared with your previous schools, there is a lot more Prep, but they do give you the time to do this in the evening. As long as you use this time efficiently, you shouldn’t need to work in your free time. Apart from duties, I have really enjoyed my first year; it has been a great help in making me more independent and self-reliant. It has given me lots of opportunities: some of which only come perhaps once or twice in a lifetime, and some I would almost certainly not be able to do anywhere else. THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 5
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