Application & Enrolment Process

We try to make our admissions process as simple and as clear as possible. We know that choice of a school for your child is one of the hardest decisions any parent will make, and we also realise that our parents will have many questions.

There is a straightforward application process that we recommend for all parents: 

1. Have a look around our website. Get a feel for the school, and work out if our values are aligned with yours, and if we offer the education that you wish for your child.
2. Visit us! This is an essential part of the process, and we recommend that you do this as soon as you can. On this page, at the bottom of this page is a link to our registration page for any upcoming Open Days or for a private tour, but we are happy to show you around at any time. Just contact Nicole Chen, our Admissions Manager, at [email protected], and she will arrange for a time that suits you. If you are based overseas, get in touch and we can arrange to have a chat.
3. If you know anyone else who sends their child to Pinehurst, ask them for their views about our school. Most of our parents choose to send their children to us because of word-of-mouth recommendations: if you don’t know anyone who has sent their child to us, we can put you in touch with a current parent who will be happy to share what they think.
4. Complete the application form above.

 Once the application process is complete, we move into the enrolment stage. This varies by year group.

Year 1 / New Entrants

New Entrants start school at Pinehurst at the start of the term closest to their 5th birthday and are invited for an interview approximately two terms before their expected enrolment date. If you wish to join our Primary School, this is the time when you have the best chance of being offered a place. In other year groups, places are very limited.

The deadline for application for New Entrants is two terms before they are due to start school. At the moment, this means that our deadlines are:

Term 3, 2023 – Application to be submitted by 9 December 2022
Term 4, 2023 – Application to be submitted by 6 April 2023
Term 1, 2024 – Application to be submitted by 30 June 2023
Term 2, 2024 – Application to be submitted by 22 September 2023

We always interview everyone who applies before the deadline, and we ask that at least one parent is with the child in the interview. We receive many questions about the interview, and we know that it can cause some anxiety, but we do everything we can to help make it a positive experience.

The interview is usually with the Executive Principal. He asks the child some questions about themselves and their family, and about what they enjoy doing at home and at kindergarten or day-care. He will also ask the child to do a few very simple activities – these are not tests, but are just a way to get a feel for the child’s interests and talents. He also has a chat with the parents. Yes, he will want to know why you wish to send your child to Pinehurst and will ask you some questions about your child, but it’s also a chance for parents to ask him any questions. The interview works both ways: it’s about the school and the family both deciding whether this is the right place for you.

After all of the interviews have been completed, which usually takes around two weeks, we will contact every parent at the same time. We will either offer you a place at the school, or will place you on our waiting list.

Year 2-6 Applications

We process applications for Year 2-6 as they are received in the Admissions Office. We have quite long waiting lists in all of these years, and the chances of being accepted into the school are quite small as a result. Some children are on the waiting list for a number of years. We do, however, still encourage you to have a look around the school, and to submit an application if you wish your child to join us. Places do arise from time to time.

If a place becomes available, we will interview students at the top of the waiting list. We will always ask for school reports for these interviews, which are usually run by the Executive Principal. We may also ask for references, but there is no entrance test. In the interview, we will ask the student and the parents some questions, and they will have the chance to ask us any questions they have.

We will make any offers in Years 2 to 6 within two days of the interview.

Year 7 Applications

Year 7 is our main ‘point of entry’ into Pinehurst College. Every year, we admit around 30 new students into Year 7, as we increase the size of our year groups to 92 students.

The deadline for Term 1, 2024 entry is 30 June 2023.

We interview all applicants for Year 7. As the number of applicants has grown, we have changed the way we do this, and we now interview applicants from the end of Term 1, all the way through to the start of Term 3. The interview involves a short English and Maths test, and then a conversation with either the Executive Principal or the Principal of College. We will also always ask for school reports, and may ask for references. In the interview, we will ask the student and the parents some questions, and they will have the chance to ask us any questions they have.

We make a small number of offers during Term 2, and then write to all applicants by the end of the first week of Term 3. We will either offer a place, or offer a place on the waiting list. Every year, a number of students gain places through the waiting list, so we recommend that applicants are patient.

If you apply for a place in Year 7 after the deadline, your child will be placed on the waiting list, and we will interview should a space become available.

Year 8 Applications

We usually have a waiting list in Year 8. If you apply for your child to join us in this year group, he or she will be placed on the waiting list, and we will interview him or her as soon as a place becomes available.

Year 9 Applications

Each year, a small number of places become available in Year 9. We generally fill these places in Term 2 of the preceding year, so we strongly recommend early application prior to 30 June 2023 if you wish to send your child to Pinehurst in Year 9 2024. It is unusual for us to be able to offer a place to someone who has applied later than July in the preceding year.

If you apply for Year 9 before July, we will generally arrange an interview within a few weeks, and will either offer your child a place, or will delay making that decision until we know whether any of our students will be leaving us at the end of the year.

During the school year, we have a waiting list in Year 9. If you apply for your child to join us in this year group, he or she will be placed on the waiting list, and we will interview him or her as soon as a place becomes available.

Year 10 Applications

We usually have a waiting list in Year 10. If you apply for your child to join us in this year group, he or she will be placed on the waiting list, and we will interview him or her as soon as a place becomes available.

We do, though, have places become available from time to time at this year level, and we are always happy to consider exceptional circumstances or students who will offer something exceptional to our school community. Please contact us if you wish to discuss this further.

Year 11 to 13 Applications

At this level, we consider all applications on merit, and will interview any students that we feel may benefit from a Pinehurst education. It is unusual for us to take students in Year 13 unless they have completed Year 12 in the Cambridge curriculum, but we take a small number of Year 12 students every year who demonstrate the aptitude and commitment to benefit from a Pinehurst education. From 2022, we expect to have a very limited number of Year 11 places available, but we still encourage you to contact us for a discussion.

Selection Criteria

A final note: we are frequently asked about the selection criteria we use, both to make offers in Year 1 and Year 7, and when we take students from the waiting list.

We have a set of formal priorities that we apply first: siblings of current students and past students, as well as students of staff members, and those whose families have a strong prior connection to the school are prioritised.

After that, we are looking for students who will benefit from a Pinehurst education, and who will contribute to the school community. Academic ability is part of the selection process, as are sporting ability and musical aptitude, as well as less definable traits of leadership and character. We look at the whole student.

We realise, of course, that we aren’t able to offer places to all those who we would like to offer places to, and we never enjoy saying “no” to people. We will always, though, do our best to be fair and clear, and to be open in all of our communications.

For any questions about application and enrolment processes, please feel free to contact Nicole Chen, our Admissions Manager on (09) 414 0960 ext 614 or by email at [email protected]