Welcome to our Occasional Places Admissions page. Your application journey starts here.
Occasional Places are spaces available into non-formal entry points or joining a Year group mid-year.
From time-to-time, Occasional Places become available throughout the academic year. This can be due to space being available in certain Year groups, where cohorts are not full. Sometimes a change in circumstances, such as a family relocation, can free up a place.
Please contact the Admissions office before registering your child for an Occasional Place. You can email us at [email protected] with your child’s details, including full name, age, current school and your contact details.
Visit us
Most families begin their educational journey with us by attending one of our open mornings: Meet the Head (Prep School) or School in Action (Senior School). Our open mornings offer you a firsthand glimpse into our School’s ethos, values and educational philosophy. You will also have the opportunity to speak with pupils and staff, including members of our Senior Leadership Team and Admissions department.
Registration
Registration is the next step for families who wish for their child to be considered for a place at John Lyon.
A registration fee is payment towards the administration of your child’s application and their entrance examinations. This fee is non-refundable. When completing your online registration form, you will be asked to upload a copy of your child’s passport and their latest School report.
Entrance Examinations
Entry into non-standard years or mid-year is by assessment and interview.
Pre-Prep Admissions
Entries to Year 1 and Year 2
Families looking for a place in Key Stage 1 are invited to spend the morning at school to meet potential classmates and explore the School. Your child will complete a reading, writing and maths assessment in a classroom environment with a designated member of Pre-Prep staff. Each child is given an opportunity to play with other children and engage in conversation.
If a place is not immediately available, you may be offered the opportunity to join a waiting list.
Prep Admissions
Entries to Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6
Children joining the School in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 will be assessed in English and Mathematics and will take an online Cognitive Abilities Test. This test is designed to look into areas such as reasoning, perception, memory, verbal and mathematical ability, and problem solving.
If a place is not immediately available, you may be offered the opportunity to join a waiting list.
Senior School Admissions
Entries to Year 8 and Year 10
Children joining the School in Year 8 will be assessed in English and Mathematics and will be interviewed by the Academic Head (Admissions).
Children joining the School in Year 10 will be assessed in English, Mathematics, French/ Spanish, Science and Latin (if they have chosen Latin as their GCSE option). As we follow the IGCSE curriculum, we will also consider the availability of GCSE subject options at John Lyon already chosen by your child at their current school in Year 9.
To access the subject options offered at John Lyon please click here.
If a place is not immediately available, you may be offered the opportunity to join a waiting list.
School Reference
We request a confidential reference from your child’s current school as part of our Admissions process.
Offers and Acceptances
If an offer of a place is made and you wish to accept your child’s place, you will be asked to read our Terms & Conditions, complete the Confirmation of Acceptance form and pay the Confirmation of Acceptance fee. There may be some additional forms to complete, depending on the year and type of entry. These will be included along with your offer letter. The Confirmation of Acceptance fee is refundable when your child leaves the School.
Full terms and conditions are set out in the Parent Contract and Annual Update of Fees and Optional Extras, which are both available on request from our Admissions team.
Admission fees
| Registration fee | £150 |
| Confirmation of Acceptance fee | £1,000 (UK Resident) £3,000 (Overseas resident) |
We provide a wide range of sporting activities and opportunities for all pupils.
At our Prep School we concur with educational theorists who emphasise the importance of the creative mind and ‘emotional intelligence’ and ‘wellbeing’ – the need to develop the whole personality and our pupil’s imaginations especially. Drama has the power to liberate the mind.
We encourage our pupils to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. 
At our Prep School, Computing covers the use of electronic technology in all its forms, including computers and other communication devices.
• What is religion?
Art is an integral part of our Prep School’s curriculum, providing our pupils with a unique means of expressing their ideas by allowing them to explore new thoughts and give life to their creative minds.
History is taught throughout the School and pupils are encouraged to find out about events and peoples.
Planet Earth is our only home. It is an mind-blowing, diverse and constantly changing place of awesome beauty and power. 
French is the language of our nearest neighbours, probably the easiest foreign language for English speakers to learn and, after English, one of the most widely-learned languages worldwide.
The core of every science lesson at our Prep School is about developing every pupil’s curiosity in the world around them. 
Mathematics is a key subject for children of all ages at our Prep School.
English is taught using lively and creative methods through a variety of texts and resources incorporating ICT from Pre-Prep onwards.