Entrance Assessments
Boys who wish to enter Edgecliff Preparatory School at Kindergarten level are invited to the School for an informal interview and assessment in small groups.
Boys are expected to have good spoken English and fine motor skills appropriate to their age. If a boy does not gain a place at this time, he will automatically be placed on our entrance assessment lists for Year 3 and Year 5.
Assessments for Years 3 and 5 are held in the year prior to entry. These assessments are designed to evaluate a boy’s potential to flourish in an academically selective environment. It is expected that boys of this age are achieving well or displaying potential at their current school. Boys who perform well in the first entrance assessment will be invited back for further assessment of literacy and numeracy skills in a collaborative setting. The successful applicants will then be invited for an interview with the Headmaster, accompanied by their parents.
Academic coaching for the assessment is not necessary, in fact we strongly discourage it. We are looking for boys with long-term potential to enjoy all that Sydney Grammar School has to offer, where dispositions such as curiosity and creativity are encouraged and fostered.
Assessment Dates
Our Kindergarten, Year 3 and Year 5 assessment process takes place over three stages. All applicants will sit the first stage of assessments and a smaller group of boys will be invited back for the second stage. The third and final stage is an invitation to an interview with Mr Bailey, Headmaster.
- Entry assessments for Kindergarten 2026 - (Applications close Friday, 24 January 2025)
The first stage of the Kindergarten assessments will commence on Monday 10 March 2025 and conclude at the end of that week. Families of the boys invited back for the second stage will be notified on Monday or Tuesday of the week starting 17 March. The second stage of the assessments will take place over a two-week period, starting on Tuesday 18 March and concluding on Thursday 27 March. Interviews with the Headmaster, the third and final stage, will be scheduled in the first weeks of Term 2. Boys being assessed for Kindergarten need to attend our assessments in person, and must be available for the entire assessment period. - Entry assessments for Year 3 2026 - (Applications close Friday, 25 April 2025)
The first stage of the Year 3 assessments will take place on Saturday, 17 May 2025. A smaller group of students will be invited back for the second round of the assessment process. Families will be informed of the outcome of the first stage during the week commencing Monday 9 June. If your son is invited to the second stage, he will return for a “Taster Day” on Thursday 12 June. Interviews with the Headmaster, the third and final stage, will be scheduled in the first half of Term 3. - Entry assessments for Year 5 2026 - (Applications close Friday, 11 April, 2025)
The first stage of the Year 5 assessments will take place on Saturday, 3 May 2025. A smaller group of students will be invited back for the second round of the assessment process. Families will be informed of the outcome of the first stage, during the week commencing Monday 2 June. If your son is invited to the second stage, he will return for a Taster Day” on Thursday 5 June. Interviews with the Headmaster, the third and final stage, will be scheduled in the first weeks of Term 3.
The entry assessments are held at the Edgecliff Preparatory School in Alma Street Paddington. If you are residing overseas, please contact Mrs Danielle Davies on +61 2 9366 0105 or email edgecliff@sydgram.nsw.edu.au.
