We help families to prepare their children for their first steps into formal education. We take care to understand your family’s aspirations and preferences for your child’s early education. You may want a nursery within walking distance, somwhere with lots of outdoor learning, or a school that offers additional activities such as ballet or swimming.
Whatever your criteria, Top School and Uni can guide you through the Early Years Foundation Stages, clarify the differences between the styles of learning, such as Montessori and Steiner, and create an education pathway that will give your child the best start.Our consultants will help your family to feel confident that your child is getting the best possible start to their academic career.
A Pre-prep is the gateway to Prep school, offering a paid-for infant education to pupils from Reception to Year 2, and often with one or two nursery classes attached. Children normally attend from age 3 to 7 years, before transferring into Prep School.
The Pre-prep curriculum in the UK overlaps the last year of Early Years, and Key Stage 1; the US equivalent is Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Year 1.
Top School and Uni will help you to identify suitable Pre-preps; support you through the admissions process and advise you on your final selection.
Prep schools are fee paying junior schools designed to ‘prepare’ children for entry into a private senior school. Pupils begin in Year 3 and leave at the end of Year 6 for the 11+ or at the end of Year 7 for 13+. Prep schools vary greatly in their ethos, with some offering a traditional education and others a more liberal setting; they can be single sex or coeducational. Deciding which preparatory school is right for your child takes time and careful consideration.
Which secondary schools a Prep school reliably feeds into is important for families who want their child to attend one of the top independent schools in the UK. We take care to understand your family’s requirements for your child’s education. Our team takes the time to get to know your family and help you to make an informed decision that is right for your child. We help you to find a Prep school that will suit them now and support them in their destination secondary school.
Entry into senior school takes place at age 11, via the 11+ exams, and this is particularly the case with London Girls day schools; or at 13+ when candidates sit the Common Entrance exams. Pupils join their secondary school in Year 7 or Year 9 and remain until the end of Year 11, or Year 13. Secondary education is the equivalent of High School in the US system.
The secondary school options in the UK are varied and range from fiercely academic to schools that offer broader subject choices, those that have traditional values alongside cutting-edge facilities. Top School and Uni understand the importance of finding the right school that will ensure academic success for your child. Our consultants help families to secure places at the best schools in the country – not only those that are academically outstanding but ones that mirror your child’s interests and ambitions. We take care to learn about your child and understand your family’s aspirations. This allows us to recommend schools where your child is most likely to flourish. Our roadmap will help ensure deadlines are met, and the schools we recommend will give your child every possibility of fulfilment.
From confused to confident – find the right school for your child
This programme is bespoke and can be used when searching for UK schools for all ages. We provide a seamless service from birth to graduation. At whatever stage your child is at in their education, if they have reached a critical moment, or need help preparing for entry at 11+, 13+ or sixth form, we will sensitively support them. If you are looking locally or planning a move, we will guide you to a well-informed decision about where to apply.
Finding the right fit
We know that a school search is a highly personal and one of the biggest decisions you will make for your child at this stage in their life. To make sure that we select the right person to help guide you, we offer a personalised introductory consultation to understand the whole families priorities when selecting a school. A member of our senior expert team will ask about your family and more details about what you are looking for. They will then recommend the best boarding school consultants package for you, explain the outcomes the service will achieve, as well as explaining the associated fees.
If you decide to go ahead, you will be asked to pay a deposit, to allow us to select your consultant and get started with our research. Your consultant will make contact to arrange a 30-minute complimentary ‘get to know you’ video call. This is so you can ask questions about their expertise and approach to advice, before deciding to proceed with the programme.
A typical school search
Phase 1 – fact finding
- Review of your child’s current academic profile, taking into account any most recent school report and exam results.
- In depth consultation of your families school requirements
- Assessment of the student’s current academic ability and potential in both English and Maths. Other subjects can be administered at this stage if necessary.
Phase 2 – research
- Bespoke report with recommendations for schools, determined by the student’s academic profile and the key criteria identified at the initial consultation. This report includes application deadlines, admissions criteria, scholarship opportunities and personal components.
- Our road map, to ensure that the family is clear on all the necessary steps for their child’s chosen point of entry.
Phase 3 – preparation
- A recommended tuition plan for your child where needed, tailored to their target schools
- Access to our interview preparation recordings and 2 live mock interviews
- Access to recorded courses which are exclusive to this programme – including: how to prepare your child for an assessment day, what to ask on school tours to ensure that you get the answers you need, how to get your child ready to move schools, preparing as a parent for school entrance.
- Administrative support – inclusive of completion of application paperwork, continued liaisons with school, ongoing application management.
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You want the best for your child. But you are also a busy person and school tours and application lists seem to take a long time. With over 24,000 schools in the UK, you don’t have time to tour every school and even if you did, you aren’t sure what to look for. All open days make schools look amazing, but how can you be sure which one is right for your child?
We understand that school selection can often be a series of confusing application days and that the best choice of school for your child may not be obvious.
By working together with schools and education specialists, Top School and Uni stays up to date with the latest school selection criteria to ensure that you are supported in your choice. Our school placement programme offers you this support, guiding you through school selection, to acceptance and beyond.
Each school placement starts with a conversation with your family and your child, either online or in your home environment. This allows our consultant to understand your priorities when choosing a school.
After the initial meeting, your consultant will draw up a long list of recommendations which you can research in your own time.
Your consultant will be available to answer questions via phone, online video call or face to face. They will help you to understand what each school requires for the application, any application dates you need to be aware of and possible scholarship opportunities. They may also support you during your visits to some of your shortlisted schools.
We know that along the way your opinions and priorities may change so our consultants are always happy to go back and review your shortlist at any point in this programme
Once you have decided which schools you would like to apply for, your consultant will then support you in your application. Top School & Uni provides parents with a road map outlining the steps they will need to take to ensure that their child is able to enter the top UK school for them.
If requested, we will connect with the school on your behalf, supporting your family through the application process.
We can also support any entrance tuition that will be needed to prepare your child for entrance exams.
Each school placement is directly overseen by our Director and our team of consultants are able to support your child every step of the way.
Services available to School Placement members (if applicable):
- Link ups with trusted guardian agencies for children outside of the U.K.
- Tour/visit assistance, including access to our schools consultants who can accompany visits if applicable.
- Assessment preparation including a tutoring plan and priority access to our top tutors if applicable.
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London Office: +44(0)2078 460259
