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In line with a number of other prep schools in the area, York House have made the decision to alter our age range to welcome pupils aged 3-11 going forwards rather than 3-13.
From September 2026 there will be no Year 7 or Year 8 pupils at the school. As a co-educational school, this will have the benefit of allowing all the boys and girls in the school to move on to senior schools at the same time i.e. 11+ destinations in both independent and state sectors.
If you are ready to register a pupil, please fill in our registration form.
Prospective pupils may be registered for admission at any time after birth. For children wishing to join Nursery or Reception, we recommend that children are registered by the time they are 12-18 months old due to demand on places.
If a family wishes to register their children, we ask that you have had a tour of York House with the Head, or another senior member of staff.
Once we have received a completed registration form with a copy of your child’s birth certificate or passport, together with a non-refundable registration fee of £100, your child’s name will be placed on our registered list. We will then be in touch at the relevant time to arrange an assessment.
Children are invited to take part in an assessment session about two to three terms before they wish to start in the Upper Nursery at York House. Your child will take part in a play-based assessment session, looking at social skills, speaking and listening and readiness to learn in a school setting. Typically sessions are run in small groups with parents staying in the room.
Once registered, our Admissions team will contact you to arrange your child’s Stay & Play assessment session.
Entry for Reception requires the children to attend a 4+ assessment session with a small group of children of a similar age. Assessments are play-based, and the team will be looking at social skills, speaking and listening and readiness to learn in a school setting.
We encourage parents to separate from their pupil as part of the assessment. Assessments take place in the academic year before Reception entry. Demand for places is high, and we typically offer 18 external places, as children in our Nursery get automatic entry to Reception.
Once registered, our Admissions team will contact you to arrange your child’s Stay & Play assessment session.
Children in Year 1 & Year 2 are invited into York House to spend almost a full day with us. Pupils will join a class in their current cohort to experience a day in the life of a York House pupils. Pupils will take part in Mathematics & English activities to assess their academic ability.
Children who are seeking space in Year 3 to Year 8 are invited to join us for an assessment and taster day. During the assessment day, the child will be asked to complete age-appropriate assessments. Assessments are performed on an online platform in four areas; Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning & Non-Verbal Reasoning.
The taster day also aims to give your child an overview of a day at York House, and usually includes activities such as sports, playground time, lunch and of course, standard lessons throughout the day and to ensure a decisive match between our current cohort, the schools’ aims and the child.
If you are a family living overseas or unable to visit the school, we will contact your child’s current school to request a confidential reference and previous school reports.
Depending on your child’s year of entry to York House, we may ask their current school to invigilate some academic assessments in controlled conditions. For all pupils, the relevant staff members will meet with pupils and their parents via a video call. Pupil’s must have a valid passport or visa (if applicable) to study at York House School.
Following your child’s assessment at York House, you will be informed of the outcome within two weeks. Children may be; offered a place, declined a place, or placed on a short waiting list. If a place is offered, families have a further two weeks from the date of the offer letter to accept or decline the place.
If you have been offered a place and would like to accept, families will need to complete a confirmation of entry form and return with the acceptance deposit of £1,000. £525.00 of this deposit is credited against your first term’s fees. The remaining £475.00 will be returned at the end of the pupil’s final term if leaving at the end of Year 6 or Year 8. The deposit is non-refundable if the acceptance is cancelled for whatever reason prior to the pupil joining York House.
Some year groups throughout the school have waiting lists. We purposefully maintain short waiting lists so that there is a genuine chance of a place becoming available for your child.
We refresh our waiting lists regularly and will communicate any changes as they arise. If you do not wish to remain on the waiting list for a place, please do inform us at the earliest opportunity.
School Fees for 2026-2027
The VAT inclusive fees per term from 1st September 2026 are listed below:
Nursery £4,570.00 (per term, if attending 5 full days a week)
Reception £5,755.00
Year 1 £6,343.00
Year 2 £6,755.00
Years 3-6 £7,668.00
York House School, as a charitable trust, is dedicated to broadening access to its education. To support this mission, we have established a bursary scheme aimed at aiding families facing financial challenges.
Bursary assistance is accessible to families experiencing financial hardship, enabling children to either join or continue their education at our school. These bursaries are available for children from Year 3 onwards. To assess eligibility, an independent company conducts means-testing directly with families.
Families interested in seeking financial assistance are encouraged to indicate their request on the registration form. For further discussion or enquiries regarding this confidential matter, please feel free to reach out to the Head or Bursar.
