Your school guide
The New School
The New School admissions: secondary waiting lists, family meetings, school visits, support needs and the school’s guidance on joining.
Independent school · Croydon
Build skills and confidence.
Support your child’s everyday learning with Plusling’s original questions and clear explanations. Follow The New School’s own admissions guidance.
Try five free questions. See the feedback for yourself.
Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
ST MARY'S LODGE, 149 CENTRAL HILL, LONDON, SE19 1RT
Plan your approach
Entry information
The school currently has no regular Year 7 intake because its secondary year groups are full. Families may apply for the in-year waiting list. If a place becomes available, the process includes a school tour, information about the child, family meetings and age-appropriate activities to understand their needs. The school asks families not to prepare for those activities.
Entry stage: Secondary in-year waiting list
The admissions process
- Read the admissions policy and contact admissions@thenewschool.org.uk about the waiting list for your child’s year group. The published route for Years 1–11 depends on a place becoming available.
- Complete the school application and widening-participation form. Ask the school office for any adjustments needed to complete the application and check that you receive confirmation.
- If selected to continue, attend the arranged school tour and supply the child’s profile, school reports or home-education information, examples of learning, and relevant support plans or assessments.
- Meet staff to discuss the child’s needs. Teachers use age-appropriate activities to get to know the child; the policy explicitly says these have no pass-or-fail element and families should not prepare children for them.
- The school considers whether it can meet each child’s needs and applies its published allocation criteria when places are oversubscribed. An invitation to take part does not guarantee an offer.
- After an offer, return the acceptance form and discuss transition arrangements. The policy describes a first-term review period before the place is confirmed. Keep waiting-list contact details current and respond promptly to school emails.
Read the official details: Admissions information from The New School
Go to the source
Official links for your shortlist
Use the school’s current admissions information to check which sample papers or familiarisation materials apply to your child’s entry year.
Know what to expect
Follow the school’s assessment guidance.
The New School asks families not to prepare children for its age-appropriate admissions activities. These help staff understand the child’s strengths and support needs and have no pass-or-fail element. Focus on an honest conversation about your child and whether the school is a good fit.
Read the official guidance: The New School
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Follow the assessment guidance
Check what the school asks your child to do and whether it recommends any preparation. Use its own instructions and the assessment provider’s advice.
Check fees and financial support
Look at fees, bursaries and scholarships, including any separate forms, evidence and deadlines.
Picture your child’s everyday life here.
An open day is a chance to look beyond the exam. Useful questions to take with you:
- How do you help new pupils settle in and make friends?
- Who can a child turn to when they feel worried or stuck?
- How do you help pupils recover from a setback and discover their strengths?
Know where to focus
See what your child is learning.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
A little learning, often
Build confidence one question at a time.
Explore Plusling together for everyday learning. Try five free questions and talk through the feedback.
Before you enquire
- Ask about the waiting list for your child’s year group and how to keep the application current.
- Discuss the child’s learning and support needs openly so the school can consider whether it can meet them.
- The November 2026 open event is advertised for Reception to Year 5 places. Ask Admissions which information or visit arrangements apply to a secondary-age application.
Plusling’s guide to The New School is independently written. The school and its admissions authority publish the official arrangements.
Contains government school-register data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Primary sources
- Admissions — The New School The New School
- The New School frequently asked questions The New School
- The New School admissions policy 2026–27, ratified September 2026 The New School
- The New School: school details Department for Education