Admissions South Kensington

We do not have open days at AHS.

Yes, we host regular group tours for prospective parents/carers – we can host up to three families at a time.

Please be aware that due to demand, there is a slight delay in tours. Please email enquiries@abingdonhouseschool.co.uk to join the school tour waitlist.

You can also view a video tour of our Prep School in South Kensington here or our Senior School in Marylebone here.

Abingdon House School caters to children aged 7-19. Our Prep School campus in South Kensington is for students aged 7-13, and our Senior School campus in Marylebone is for students aged 11-19.

This overlap allows for students to transition between the Prep and Senior campus at the pace that best suits them.

AHS supports young people with a range of mild to moderate, and often co-occurring, special educational needs, including but not limited to:

• Autism
• ADHD
• Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and other specific learning difficulties
• Speech, language and communication needs
• Social, emotional and mental health needs
• Other learning differences or difficulties

This isn’t an exhaustive list, and many of our students come to us with a range of both officially diagnosed and undiagnosed needs.

We are not the right school for students whose primary needs are behavioural, who require an ABA therapeutic approach, or who are working below the national curriculum level.

Both our Prep and Senior School are multi-storey buildings without a lift, so we unfortunately may not be a suitable space for wheelchair users.

In addition to the completed enquiry form, it would be a great help if you could provide any paperwork relating to your child’s education and needs with your application, including:

• Their EHCP
• Speech & language therapy assessments, dated within two years
• Occupational therapy assessments, dated within two years
• Educational psychologist report, dated within two years
• Any other relevant professional reports
• Recent school reports

We understand that you may not have all of the above – that is okay! Provide as much information as you can to accurately reflect your child’s needs.

No. While most of our students have EHCPs, it is not a requirement. We welcome private-paying families and those who do not yet have a finalised EHCP.

We appreciate old EHCPs do not always reflect the current needs of students. Please include the old EHCP and as many details in your application as possible to explain anything you feel has changed since the last EHCP was completed. Reports from previous schools, therapist assessments, doctor’s feedback and CAMHS reports can all be helpful supporting evidence for this.

Yes, both our Prep and Senior School are co-ed. Our boy to girl ratio is about 70:30, but we take care to ensure all female students are assigned classes that are suitable for both their academic and social needs — for example, ensuring girls are grouped with their female peers and running dedicated girls clubs.

No, but we can assess paperwork from as early as year 2 to consider for a future application. Students begin with us in year 3 at the youngest, and we require up-to-date paperwork to assess a child’s needs.

Email is the best way to get in touch, as our admissions team works across multiple locations. Email Louise, Head of Admissions at: enquiries@abingdonhouseschool.co.uk.

We endeavour to respond to enquiries within 3-5 working days, though we do prioritise enquiries relating to urgent placements and tribunals (if this is you, please indicate in the subject line of your email so we know). We ask for a 2-3 week window to fully assess a child’s reports once received.

We accept admissions year-round, though we try to have children start at the beginning of a term or half-term where possible.

Each class has around ten students, and our classes are grouped by learning needs rather than traditional year groups. This means a single classroom may include students from 2-3 different year groups working together at a similar academic level.

We are a day school, we don’t have any boarding places.

No – we follow the same process for all prospective students, including the requested paperwork.

No. If you are unable to organise transport and your child is unable to travel independently, you should speak with your Local Authority to organise transport.

No. We continually assess and review a child’s progress to ensure we remain the correct setting for their developing needs, but you do not need to reapply at any stage once your child is accepted into AHS.

We have a wait list for some classes, but we advise that families look at alternate options if your child is transitioning between Key Stages (ie moving into Y3, 7, 10).