Meet Matt Ruane, Head of Year 6
We believe our greatest strength is the depth and breadth of knowledge about the senior school world. Our key staff have developed long, trusted and close relationships with senior schools from across the country and abroad. This means that we exceptionally well placed to support families through the journey of senior school applications.
Throughout Years 5, 6 and 7 we constantly advise and consult with parents to identify the style of school which will suit each child and their family, whether it be single-sex or co-ed, traditional boarding or flexi-boarding, large or small, highly-academic or a more supportive learning environment to help them make one of the most important decisions in their child’s life.
Our understanding of the nuances of the myriad different admissions processes allows us to guide and support the children, and families, through what can be a stressful time.
The journey begins
Throughout Years 5, 6 and 7 we constantly advise and consult with parents to identify the style of school which will suit each child and their family, whether it be single-sex or co-ed, traditional boarding or flexi-boarding, large or small, highly-academic or a more supportive learning environment to help them make one of the most important decisions in their child’s life.
Our understanding of the nuances of the myriad different admissions processes allows us to guide and support the children, and families, through what can be a stressful time.
Your child
Whichever schools you and your family are considering we are able to support you in preparing and guiding your child. We are highly experienced at matching a child’s character and ability to a school or schools, which will allow them to flourish both academically and pastorally.
Preparation for academic assessments, such as the ISEB Pre-Test, is constant throughout everything we do at Cheam. From the focus on numeracy and literacy in the Pre-Prep to the STAR (Skills for Thinking and Reasoning) lessons in Years 4 and 5 along with the exposure to the style of assessments used by senior schools prepares the children for all the academic aspects of the process.
Most importantly it is the culture and ethos of Cheam which shines through during the interviews and assessment days run by the senior schools. Our pupils consistently impress admissions departments with their manners, energy and willingness to give everything a go. The schools know that a Cheam child will have had a broad-curriculum, covering skills such as public speaking, teamwork and communication and have a genuine love of learning.
Leavers Destination Schools
We feed regularly to 24 different independent schools, but have connections with over 40, these are invited to our Senior Schools Fair bi-annually. While the majority of our leavers attend senior schools in close proximity (Berkshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire), our pupils have secured places at schools in London, Dorset, Kent, Sussex, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset and abroad.
| Destinations | total in last 5 years | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlborough | 58 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Bradfield | 50 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 7 | 12 |
| Wellington | 32 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 5 |
| Eton | 24 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| Radley | 21 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Sherborne | 17 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| St Edward's | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Pangbourne | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Downe House | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Canford | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Winchester | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Harrow | 6 | 4 | 2 | |||
| St Mary's Calne | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Bryanston | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Charterhouse | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Cheltenham | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| St Gabriels | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Milton Abbey | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Wycombe Abbey | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Lord Wandsworth | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Sherborne Girls | 1 | 1 | ||||
| St Mary's Ascot | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Abingdon | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Cheltenham Ladies | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Millfield | 1 | 1 | ||||
| St Helen's & St Katherine's | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Bedales | 1 | 1 |
Scholarships and Awards
Our well-adapted scholarship programme has resulted in on average over 30% of our leavers being awarded academic, sport, music, art, DT, drama or computer science scholarships, while still being able to enjoy the broad curriculum available at Cheam and most importantly make the most of all the opportunities which arise in their final year at the school.
| Scholarships 2019-2023 | Academic | Music | Drama | Art | DT | Sport | All Rounder | IT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 25 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 5 | 1 |
| Marlborough | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 1 | |||
| Eton | 3 | |||||||
| Bradfield | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||
| Radley | 1 | 3 | ||||||
| Wellington | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| St Edward's, Oxford | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Charterhouse | 2 | |||||||
| Cheltenham Ladies College | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Lord Wandsworth College | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Bryanston | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Sherborne | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Harrow | 1 | |||||||
| St Mary's, Calne | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Winchester | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Pangbourne | 1 | |||||||
| Downe House | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Millfield | 1 | |||||||
| Canford | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Abingdon | 1 | 1 |
I have experienced Year 6 and the associated future schools planning, ISEB testing and interview processes at both Cheam and a previous prep school. There is no comparison. Cheam’s senior school advice, guidance, interview practice and academic rigour was a far superior experience to the one I’d had with my older son. From the Headmaster to the Year Head down to the Form Tutor, the Cheam team made us feel that our son was understood, that his best interests were at heart and crucially that he was beautifully prepared for both the academic and the interview assessments that he faced. We are thrilled with the offers he has received and recognise that Cheam had a huge role to play in the process. Very grateful indeed.
Cheam parent, 2023
In the Spotlight
Discover the remarkable individuals who were awarded scholarships and immerse yourself in their inspiring stories.
Senior Schools Fairs
Bi-annually we welcome senior schools to exhibit at Cheam. This provides a perfect opportunity for parents and children to meet a wide variety of schools all in one evening. Heads, admissions staff and senior leaders are available to meet with our families. We hope that guests find the fairs informative and thought-provoking.
In November 2022 we welcomed 38 schools, 80 school staff and over 270 visitors to the Fair. In addition to the Fair we hosted a networking high-tea and tours of Cheam for senior school staff. Parents came along in their hundreds, despite the weather and report that the evening was a hugely helpful.
Future fairs
Our Next Fair will be held in April 2024. If you are a senior school representative and you would like to join us, please email Claudia Clark, Head of Marketing and Communications.
Join us and meet the staff from 40 leading senior schools.
Cheam fair guide