Foundation entry
The main entry point. Open to students from any prior schooling. Assessment is age-appropriate and includes a creative task and a short interview.
How to apply
One programme. One application. Three entry points.
We take applications year-round. Every student joins the Catalyst AI Diploma programme — the only one we run — and the assessment process is designed to find genuine fit, not to measure prior exam attainment.
Entry points
When students join.
11+ · Year 7
14+ · Year 10
Diploma Core entry
The main external entry into the two-year Diploma Core phase. Students who join here complete a short bridging block before starting their five Diploma units.
16+ · Year 12
Senior Phase entry
Entry to the STEM specialism phase. Open to students who have a portfolio of independent work to show — formal qualifications optional.
Mid-year entry is considered case-by-case, subject to availability. Please contact us to discuss.
The process
How to apply — five steps.
Get in touch
Email admissions or use the contact form. We'll send the registration pack and arrange an informal call to talk through fit and entry point.
Visit (in person or virtual)
Every applicant family visits, on campus or online. You meet a member of the senior team and walk through a typical school day.
Submit the application
Online form, latest school report, and a short piece from the student — a written reflection, a video, or a project artefact — about something they've made or want to make.
Assessment day
One day on campus (or live online). Includes a short subject task, a project-style group activity, and an interview with the Head and a subject lead.
Decision & offer
Decisions issued within ten working days. Offers include a recommended entry point and any subject choices for senior applicants.
What we look for
The three things that matter.
Catalyst is academically selective but not narrowly so. We don't ask for exam scores from your child's previous school, because we don't believe they tell us much. The strongest applications usually show three things: genuine curiosity (the student talks about ideas, not just grades); evidence of self-direction (a project, a hobby pursued seriously, a problem the student has chosen to solve); and a willingness to be coached (open to feedback, comfortable with being wrong in front of others). Prior AI experience is welcome but not expected — we teach that here.
After Catalyst
Where our leavers go.
Our students leave with a portfolio of demonstrable work and a Catalyst AI Diploma award. They progress in four broad directions:
UK universities
Direct admission to courses that accept portfolio + interview routes — a growing list, particularly in engineering, computer science, design and the creative arts. We work with admissions tutors directly on each application.
Overseas universities
US, EU and Asian universities are more flexible on standardised testing than UK admissions allow for. Portfolios travel well; our leavers have applied to engineering, CS and liberal arts programmes across multiple continents.
Degree apprenticeships & industry
Straight into work with technology firms, startups, and accredited apprenticeship routes — including degree apprenticeships that combine paid employment with a university qualification.
Their own ventures
Some students leave to keep building. The Diploma portfolio is what they need to raise their first round, hire their first collaborator, or join an accelerator. A small number do this each year.
Catalyst is a young school and our progression network is growing year on year. The Head of Sixth Form and our admissions advisers work one-to-one with every Year 13 student on their next step.
2026 entry
Key dates.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Open evenings | Autumn 2025 — see Contact page for booking |
| Main application deadline | 31 January 2026 |
| Assessment days | February – March 2026 |
| Offers issued | By 31 March 2026 |
| Acceptance deadline | 30 April 2026 |
| Late applications | Considered subject to availability |
Fees
What it costs.
Indicative fees for the 2026–27 academic year. Includes all AI tools, workshop materials and project costs. Boarding fees additional.
Foundation (Y7–9)
£18,500
per year
Diploma Core (Y10–11)
£19,500
per year
Senior Phase (Y12–13)
£20,500
per year
Sibling discounts, means-tested bursaries, and a small number of full scholarships available. Bursary applications open with the main admissions cycle.
Common questions
Things parents ask.
You don't do GCSEs or A-levels — won't that hold my child back?
It's the question we hear most, and the honest answer is: not in the ways most people assume. Universities that admit on portfolio and interview — a list that's grown every year — are happy to take a Catalyst leaver. Apprenticeship employers care about what you can do, not what you scored on a paper. The places it can be a constraint are specific competitive UK university courses with named GCSE entry requirements (medicine, some law programmes). We discuss that openly at interview and help families weigh it.
So what does my child come out with?
A Catalyst AI Diploma award (Distinction*, Distinction, Merit, Pass), the five unit outcomes from Phase 2, the Senior Phase research outputs, and the full portfolio of work — code, hardware, papers, films, models. The portfolio is the thing that gets them where they're going.
Is the Catalyst AI Diploma regulated by Ofqual?
No. It is an in-house award, externally moderated by a panel of former chief examiners, university admissions tutors and industry practitioners. We've made that choice deliberately — Ofqual-regulated qualifications would force us back into the timed-written-exam model we left. We are open about this with every family at the application stage.
How is AI used responsibly with children?
We publish our principles (see About). Tools are vetted, age-gated and logged. We use enterprise-grade systems with UK/EU data residency. Pupil data is never used to train external models. A teacher signs off every academic decision.
What if my child has never used AI before?
That is the most common starting point. AI literacy is built in from Year 9 — prompting, evaluation, provenance, and responsible use are explicitly taught.
Do you have boarding?
We operate a partnership with a local accredited boarding provider for students aged 14 and over. Day school remains our primary model.
Can I apply from overseas?
Yes. See our International page for the routes available, including a small Virtual Sixth Form and hybrid arrangements.