Admissions Process | Maida Vale School

We seek inquisitive, intelligent Pupils who will engage with and enjoy the wide curriculum we offer. Although we use entrance testing, greater emphasis is placed on interview, samples of work and the Pupil’s feeder school report. In some cases, we may ask to visit a Pupil at their current school. Each year group is selected as a cohort in which we strive to identify a balanced mix of boys and girls with different strengths and personal qualities who will support, motivate and inspire one another.

Please follow our Year 7 (11+) admissions process step by step below. For admissions to any other years see our additional information. To read our admissions policy, click here.

We accept Year 7, 8, 9 and 12 Pupils for September 2024. 

1. Visit Us! 

Our Open Events give prospective parents a chance to see the school in action and get a snapshot of a ‘day in the life’ at Maida Vale School (MVS).

Headmaster Magnus Bashaarat will give a presentation followed by a tour of the school. Tours are led by senior staff who will be able to answers your questions and give their personal view of the school, its ethos and its character.

2. Registration Form

Complete a Registration Form online and pay the registration fee. You will receive an acknowledgement email from our Admissions Registrar. 

3. Interview & Assessment

Maida Vale uses the ISEB Common Pre-Test. This is a widely used and respected computer-based assessment for pupils moving from primary or prep schools to selective senior schools, run by the Independent Schools Examination Board (ISEB). There are four timed sections, which assess the English and Mathematics content covered in the National Curriculum up to the end of Year 5 as well as Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The tests are designed to identify potential as well as what pupils have been taught and learnt, and no specific preparation is required. The tests provide a universal and standardised measure of attainment, ability, and potential. Candidates are registered by their parents by completing the ISEB online registration form and emailing their ISEB Applicant ID code to us when applying. Results are available to all senior schools for which the candidate is registered, so the candidate only has to sit one test. Students will sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test at their own junior schools,  but if this isn't possible, they can sit them at Maida Vale School (dates of these sessions are below). We hope that the flexibility offered by the ISEB Common Pre-Test will reduce anxiety in pupils and parents alike and make the test more accessible for all. 

In addition to the Pre-Test, an enhanced confidential reference is requested from the child’s current school, together with internal assessment results and an example of their work.

All applicants are required to attend an informal interview for which they should prepare a 2-3 minute presentation with the Headmaster or Senior staff member. The interview usually consists of four pupils being seen at the same time. This format gives the interview a more relaxed, conversational feel, which we hope puts candidates at ease. It also shows how Pupils can work in a group. Pupils can present on any area of achievement or a topic of their choice and are encouraged to bring in something visual with them.  Interview dates are listed below.

4. Offers

Once all interviews have been conducted, offers are made for places. All decisions are sent via email and by post on or before Friday 9th February 2024. The deadline date for acceptance of offers is Friday 1st March 2024. Offers are held open until this date, after which, places will be offered to those on our waiting list. 

For other year groups we will hold examinations and make offers throughout the year. 

Pupils will be invited in to the school for our 'Offers Morning' in February to spend time getting to know our staff and some of our Pupils to experience real life at MVS and meet others who may be joining the school in September.

5. Offer Accepted

Once a place has been confirmed and an offer is accepted, parents are asked to complete an Acceptance Form and pay a deposit by bank transfer. This deposit payment is retained until the pupil comes to the end of their school journey, (e.g. at the end of Year 13 or if they leave the school at an earlier stage). The deposit is thereafter returnable provided we are given a full term’s notice (see terms & conditions). The full deposit of £3000 is also required from successful applicants currently attending the Gardener School Group’s Preparatory schools, Kew Green Preparatory School and Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School.

6. Taster Day

We invite our new Pupils who have accepted a place for an induction day in June to experience life at MVS prior to starting in September. They will familiarise themselves with the school, meet staff members and fellow classmates so that they feel relaxed about starting with us after the Summer break.

Key Dates (Provisional):

The following dates are for entry into Year 7 in September 2024.  All deadlines are at 12 noon. For dates of upcoming open events, please see our Open Events Booking page.

For entry into Year 12 in September 2024, please see our Sixth Form Admissions page.  For entry into other years, please contact Harriet Williams, Registrar, by emailing: admissions@maidavaleschool.com and complete the registration form.

Additional Information:

• Class sizes (prior to Year 9 GCSE options) do not usually rise above 22, but if a class is full, parents will be advised about waiting lists and offered the opportunity to put their child on that list until a place becomes available.
• Siblings may be given preference, subject to completing the admissions process and meeting our admissions criteria, at the discretion of the Headmaster. Faced with candidates of equal merit, sibling preference permits the Headmaster to favour one application over another. There is no automatic sibling priority.
• Entry at Year 8 and 9: pupils can be admitted at any stage in the school year if a place becomes available. All admissions are at the discretion of the Headmaster in accordance with the school’s admissions policy and terms and conditions. A decision will be made within 48 hours once we have completed the steps in the admissions process. There will be a deadline date for the acceptance of an offer.

Sixth Form Admissions - (Our first sixth form cohort will be 2023)