Age-Grade Placement

Out-of-grade placements are considered very carefully, and on a case-by-case basis, using the following guidelines. 

Above-grade placements are only considered for students born between September and December who wish to apply for Grade 9 or above.

Below-grade placements are considered in K2 to Grade 11, for students born between May and August. Applicants for below-grade placement typically have an educational history of below-grade placement at their current school.

Infant School (K1–Grade1) out of grade placement requests, we require a full application submission and review process to be able to assess the applicants’ suitability, including conducting any assessments identified in the application review process. Please note that above-grade placements will not be considered under any circumstances for any of our Infant School grades (K1, K2, Grade 1).

Typically a below-grade placement will not be considered to support a child’s English Language proficiency development or to provide the student additional time to meet grade-level expectations.

All out-of-grade placement requests for Boarding applicants are carefully reviewed in relation to the student’s suitability for the Boarding environment.

There are two ways to request an out-of-grade placement: 

1. If the below- or above-grade placement being requested is within our guideline parameters (outlined above) you can request consideration through the online application system before submitting (paying for) your application. This ‘pre-submission’ means we can advise you on whether or not we will accept the application to join the proposed grade and progress to assessing the application within the entry criteria for that grade.
    

2. In the case of all other out-of-grade placement requests (above or below grade placements), we require a full application submission and review process to be able to assess the applicants’ suitability, including conducting any assessments identified in the application review process. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of the out-of-grade placement request.  Please also note that we do not consider a student for entry to K1 if they do not meet our age-grade boundary requirements.
    

3. If the below-or above-grade placement being requested is outside of our guideline parameters, when you  submit your completed application, please make sure you use the final question of the application form (“Is there anything else you would like us to know about your child or family”) to state that you are requesting an out-of-grade placement, and to explain why you would like your child to be considered for an out-of-grade placement. For example,  the below- or above-grade placement may be in line with your child's educational history, or grade placement in their previous school.
    

4. We ask all families to provide school reports for the past two years to support the out-of-grade placement request.  We will also need to contact the child’s current school for more information, so it is essential that you complete the section in the application listing the child’s current teacher or Principal, along with their email address.
    

5. As part of the application review process, your out-of-grade placement request will be considered by the relevant school Principal(s) and a decision will be communicated to you by your Admissions Officer. Do note that during our busiest times it can take up to 1-2 months to complete the application review, including any out-of-grade placement decision.
    

6. A reminder that the application fee is non-refundable if the out-of-grade placement requested is not approved by the Principal.  You may continue to have your child considered for admission to their age-appropriate grade, or you may withdraw their application.

Approval to submit an application for out-of-grade placement is not a guarantee that the applicant will be offered an out-of-grade placement.

A final decision will only be made after a full review of the application, which may include assessments and an interview.