Hillcrest Secondary School Scholarships 2022 - 2023

HILLCREST

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Hillcrest Scholarships

2023 - 2024
Inspire. Encourage. Empower

OUR VISION, PHILOSOPHY & VALUES

ect Inspire Curio

Resp
inationEmpower
sityFor each child to
Encouachieve personal
Indepeexcellence as a
valuable member

of our global
community

ndencreage Determ

Respect Independence

for ourselves, each other, to develop self-motivation
our community and the and purposefulness to learn
environment on an independent basis

Curiosity Determination

to discover, explore and to strive to achieve
develop personal interests
and strengths

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Introduction

Scholarship awards are offered by Hillcrest Secondary School for entry to Year 9 (13+) and Year 12 – Sixth
Form (16+). In line with our Vision ‘for every child to achieve personal excellence as a valuable member
of our global community’, these awards are intended to recognise the potential for excellence in a range
of areas and support those candidates in achieving their very best by providing opportunities they may
otherwise not access. Candidates are also expected to demonstrate our values of independence, curiosity,
determination and respect.

This booklet gives details of the various awards available, the procedure for application and the
expectations of a Hillcrest Scholar.

In all the assessments, the emphasis is on allowing the candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their
individual strengths. We hope that they find the experience stimulating and enjoyable.

The first step is to complete the application form which is available on our website or details for
application may be obtained from the applicants’ current school or our school office. Following an initial
assessment, candidates are shortlisted and those selected will be called back for an interview by a panel
comprising members of our Senior Leadership Team and respective Heads of Years. At the interview, the
emphasis is on putting candidates at ease and allowing them an opportunity to talk about their passions
and to exhibit their characters. Credit will be given to those who display, amongst other qualities:
leadership skills, compassion, a genuine interest in their subject or subjects of assessment, evaluative
and critical thinking and awareness of current affairs.

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Key Dates Year 9

Deadline for submission of applications
Friday 14th October 2022
Assessments Dates
Saturday 19th November 2022
Shortlisted Candidate Interviews
Saturday 26th November 2022

Key Dates Sixth Form

Deadline for submission of applications
Friday 14th October 2022
Assessment Dates
Saturday 26th November 2022

Apply through https://hillcrest.openapply.com/

Protocol

Before applying for a Scholarship award, Hillcrest Secondary School encourages parents of applicants
to inform, and liaise with the Head Teacher of their current school as we shall formally request for
recommendations and reports from the latter.
Scholarships equate to a reduction of between 10% and 25% of the tuition fees for the successful
applicants.

A scholarship awarded in Year 9 will be valid until the end of Year 11, of course assuming that the
scholar does not contravene scholarship expectations. In Year 11, a student may apply for a Sixth Form
Scholarship. All scholars are monitored by the Scholarship Committee. The Committee meets at regular
intervals to discuss each scholar’s contribution, commitment, behaviour and effort. Scholars who do
not meet expectations will be guided, mentored and supported to do so. In the event that the scholar
intentionally and wilfully continues to contravene scholarship expectations, they risk forfeiting their
scholarship. Please note that this is a rare occurrence and that the majority of scholars do themselves,
their parents and the school proud.

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Categories of Yr 9 Scholarships

Hillcrest offers a range of eight different scholarships. Applicants may only apply for one category.
Scholarships, and the assessments required for each, are as follows:
Academic Scholarship – 1 hour English examination; 1 hour Mathematics examination; 1 hour
examination of a third subject of the student’s choice (from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History,
Geography, French, Spanish).

All-Rounder Scholarship – 1 hour English examination, 1 hour Mathematics examination; 2 x 1 hour
assessments in 2 disciplines (from Robotics, Music, Drama, Art, Swimming and Sport);
• All Rounder Robotics assessment – problem solving challenge and interview
• All Rounder Music assessment – solo recital and interview;
• All Rounder Drama assessment – monologue presentation, group improvisations and interview;
• All Rounder Art assessment – portfolio discussion, individual task and interview;
• All Rounder Sport assessment – sporting drills and interview.

Robotics Scholarship – 1½ hour assessment to include a problem solving exercise that does not require
knowledge of any specific programming language as it focuses on aptitude, and an interview with the Head
of Computing. Candidates are encouraged to share examples of any previous programming experience
and expect to be asked about this during their interview.

Music Scholarship – 1½ hour assessment to include: Solo performance with instrument of choice or
vocal piece (pre-prepared); group improvisation activity; interview with Head of Music with discussion on
portfolio of supporting evidence.

Art Scholarship – 1½ hour assessment to include: Art based activity (usually a still-life drawing); interview
with Head of Art with discussion on portfolio of supporting evidence.
The portifolio is not specific to any number of artwork pieces. It could be projects done at school, some
pieces or a sketch book that they have done in their own time which shows their personal area of interest
in Art or a drawing or two from direct observation and some pieces that show skill in a few different
media.

Drama Scholarship – 1½ hour assessment to include: Monologue performance (2-3 mins) of a script of the
student’s choice (pre-prepared) and group improvisation activity.

Sport Scholarship – 2½ hour assessment to include a range of fitness tests; group sporting games/
scenarios; interview with members of the PE/Games department with discussion on portfolio of
supporting evidence. All students should expect to participate in the following sports: girls - hockey,
netball, basketball, football and swimming; boys – basketball, football, hockey, swimming and cricket.
If students are offering other sports, every effort to accommodate them will be made. Sports scholars
would need to represent the school in three major sports across the three terms or are competing in one
sport at a national level.

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Portfolio of supporting evidence - this is essential for Sport, Creative Arts and All-rounder Scholarships
and should include references and school reports - academic/sporting performance, documentary/
photography evidence from the previous 3 years (no more).

Application Procedure

Complete scholarship application form online at https://hillcrest.openapply.com/ by Friday 14th October
2022. Long-listed candidates will be invited to undertake scholarship assessments and will receive the
scholarship day programme.

Scholarship Day (Saturday 19th November 2022)

General welcome and introduction for parents and candidates from Head Teacher.
Sitting of exams and/or assessment of skills - Discussion of portfolio of supporting evidence.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for a final interview on Saturday 26th November 2022, with
the Scholarship Committee.

Letter of Offer

Following the interview process, the Head Teacher will send a feedback letter to each candidate.
Unsuccessful applicants may be offered the opportunity of a full fee-paying place if there are vacancies
within Hillcrest Secondary School. Letters will also be sent to the candidate’s schools informing them of
the outcome.
The offer will clarify the value of the scholarship, the period for which the scholarship applies, and the
expectations upon the scholar, should they accept the offer. Acceptance of the scholarship should be made
in writing within the time detailed in the letter. Candidates are required to register with Hillcrest at this
point.
Please note that the Hillcrest Secondary School scholarship process does not disadvantage any pupils.
Rather, the Hillcrest scholarship assessments and examinations aim to allow any student with sufficient
talent and academic potential to be able to demonstrate their skills in a particular area.
Please do not hesitate to contact our Registrar, Maria Kimata on
[email protected] should you need clarification on the above.

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Sixth Form Scholarship Categories:

At Sixth Form, 7 different scholarship categories are offered:

• Creative Arts; STEM; Literacy; Languages; Humanities; Sports; All Rounder

The assessment process is as follows:
• Group discussion which involves problem solving; (topic given on the day)
• Written paper/task in chosen subject;
• Interview by the Scholarship panel;
• Individual student presentation followed by Q & A by the panel. (Creative Arts requires practical

presentation) (topic shared after application form has been received)

The criteria that the scholarship applicants shall be judged against are:
• Excellence and active interest in chosen scholarship area;
• Strong predicted/final grades for IGCSE or equivalent;
• Leadership potential.

The application form, together with predicted grades and previous three school reports (for external
candidates) must be submitted by no later than Friday 14th October 2022.

Expectations of a Hillcrest Secondary School Scholar

Please note that this document is applicable to Frank Thompson, Sixth Form and Year 9 scholars.

At Hillcrest Secondary, we value respect, curiosity, independence and determination. We would like all
our scholars to nurture these values and always be guided by them. We strive to inspire, empower and
encourage all students to reach their full potential.

As a scholar, you will receive ample support and motivation to enable you to excel on all fronts. You, in
turn, must exert maximum effort in all areas of school life, take all the opportunities availed to you and
fully cooperate with your teachers in order to attain your potential.

An explanation of our reporting system:
Every half term and at the end of every term, you will receive a report. On this report, you will see the
following numbers. (A description of the numbers is given next to them).

Effort Grades
2 Excellent or outstanding effort.
1 Good effort. The student is working hard and behaving well.
0 Satisfactory.
-1 Under performing and needs to improve.
-2 Drastically needs to improve. Intervention is urgently required.

These numbers will be awarded to measure your homework and classwork effort as well as your
behaviour. Apart from the numbers, your report will also reflect your attainment grades. These reports
are one way in which your progress will be measured. Your contributions to the Co-curricular Activities
Programme (CCA) and the Extracurricular Activities programme at school, will also be monitored closely.
Many scholars participate in meaningful activities outside school; these are highly encouraged.

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General expectations which you must meet as a scholar:

• All scholars are expected to consistently maintain excellent effort grades in both homework and
classwork. This will be reflected by the number 2.

• All scholars must display outstanding behaviour as per the school’s code of conduct. This will also be
reflected by the number 2 in the report.

• Scholars are viewed as the best ambassadors of the school and so must always be in the correct
school uniform, on their best behaviour and always at the forefront of effecting positive change and
influence amongst their peers.

• All scholars must conduct themselves in a mature and socially acceptable manner.
• Irrespective of the type of scholarship, all scholars must be seen to be exerting maximum effort

towards attaining excellence in their academics.
• Scholars will be closely monitored and supported but they must be proactive in seeking help when

they are in need of it.
• Scholars are expected to be the winners of subject prizes in our Annual Speech Days.
• Scholars are encouraged to undertake peer tutoring. This way, they will be helping others and also

improving their own skills.
• Scholars are encouraged to take part in community service projects whether in school or outside

school and to provide evidence of the same.
• During the holidays, Scholars are encouraged to undertake work experience, in order to help equip

them with certain soft skills, such as teamwork, communication skills and commercial awareness. It
also helps in the making of appropriate academic choices at IGCSE or A-Level.
• Scholars are encouraged to run for leadership positions like House captains, Student Parliament
and Interact positions. Sixth Form scholars are also encouraged to vie for leadership positions like
prefects, executive positions within The Scholars Society and for positions in the Interact and Ecobus
Clubs amongst other roles.
• Scholars are encouraged to initiate and run their own clubs which will of course have to be supervised
by adults.
• Scholars are expected to do work experience and community service. The structure is as follows:

• Year 9s and 10s are required to conduct a minimum of 3 days of work experience and/or
community service during holidays.

• Year 12s are expected to conduct work experience related to their chosen university courses
during holidays and over the summer holidays. All Year 12s regardless of scholarship status
have to do a minimum of 2 weeks work experience during their Summer holidays.

• Scholars are expected to participate in all school-based scholar programmes during term time.
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Expectations from specific departments:

Sports Scholar Expectations:
Hillcrest International School is committed to supporting all young athletes. Scholars will be supported in
many particular ways, with attention given to physical conditioning, skills acquisition, healthy living, and
mental health. Each scholar will be mentored by the Sports department. There will be regular meetings
where discussions will include sporting performance, academic performance, diet and fitness.
Scholars are expected to take a full and regular part in School sport. They must:
• Participate in all school sport practices for which they are required (in a minimum of three different

sports throughout the school year).
• Participate in all school matches for which they have been selected.
• Maintain a good fitness level during school holidays.
• Inform their coaches of all out of school sporting commitments, particularly in regional and National

sporting teams to ensure overtraining does not occur.
Assessment, Tracking and Monitoring
Scholars’ practical performance will be assessed in all sports in which they participate at school. These
assessments, along with attitude and fitness level will be recorded, tracked and monitored. If a scholars’
mentor or coach feels that a student is underperforming this will be highlighted to the Director of Sports
who will work with the coaches, scholar and scholars’ parents to improve performance.
The scholar’s mentor and coaches will ensure that pupils are not overtraining and are maintaining their
academic progress. This will be achieved through discussions with scholars, scholar’s teachers as well as
academic tracking and monitoring.

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Robotics Scholar Expectations:
• Robotics scholars are strongly encouraged to take IGCSE Computer Science. Sixth Form scholars are

encouraged to take A Level Computer Science or IT related subjects.
• They are expected to be leaders in the classroom, assisting and encouraging others when necessary.
• They are expected to develop at least one independent robotics project in our school makerspace, and

mentor other students who have a passion for robotics.
• They are strongly encouraged to take part in or lead teams in local and international competitions that

the school enters, such as Hackathons.
• Sixth Form scholars are expected to assist IGCSE level students on a weekly or fortnightly basis

during lunchtime support sessions.
Opportunities provided by the Computing department:
• They will be provided with priority access to our makerspace and additional learning resources, such

as micro:bits and Arduinos to use for independent projects.
• They will receive support and guidance from the Head of Computing in pursuing extra curricular

interest areas in the subject, whether this simply be a different programming language or developing
machine learning algorithms.
Creative Arts Scholar Expectations
Whilst Hillcrest has certain expectations of Creative Arts scholars, the Creative Arts Faculty will also strive
to provide scholars with greater opportunities for growth.
Music Scholar Expectations:
Music scholars are expected to take Music in Year 9, and strongly encouraged to take GCSE Music in
Years 10 and 11. Sixth Form scholars are encouraged to take A-level Music or Music Technology. They
are expected to be leaders in the Music classroom, assist and encourage others when necessary. Music
scholars are expected to take part in the orchestra and/or choir, and to perform in school concerts and
plays. They are also expected to take advantage of as many performing opportunities as possible.
Opportunities provided by the Music Department:
Music Scholars will be given priority when:
• opportunities arise to perform at school events
• being offered places on workshops or trips to external music events
• be given the opportunity to enter The Young Musician of The Year competition.

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Drama Scholar Expectations:
• Drama scholars are strongly encouraged to take IGCSE Drama whilst Sixth Form Scholars are
encouraged to take A Level Drama.
• Drama scholars will be expected to audition and take part in school productions
• They will also be expected to participate in any additional performances for the school or local
community.
• They are encouraged to attend Drama trips or workshops.
• Drama scholars are expected, where possible, to also be involved in any community or professional
theatre in the local area.
• Drama scholars will be expected to take every opportunity to produce their own performances for
viewership.

Opportunities provided by the Drama Department:
• They will receive support and encouragement from the Head of Drama in case they would like to
direct and produce their own performances.
• They will be provided with the opportunity to audition for productions within the school.
• The Creative Arts faculty will support provide support for any auditions with local theatre groups.
• Drama scholars will be encouraged to attend trips or workshops.

Art Scholar Expectations:
• Art scholars are strongly encouraged to take IGCSE Art and Sixth Form scholars are encouraged to
take A Level or BTEC Art and Design.
• They are expected to help out with set design and backdrop painting during school plays.
• They are expected to enter external competitions like the Orchid Competition.
• Art scholars must take part in creating and designing Art murals for the school and encouraging
other Art students to participate.

Frank Thompson Scholar coming from the any of the national systems in East Africa
The Frank Thompson Scholarship was set up by Hillcrest International Schools, with the support of the
Thompson family, in memory of the late Frank Thompson, founder of Hillcrest Schools. It is intended for
academically gifted students with a minimum of KCPE 400 for entry into Year 9 (13 years) and KCSE A-
for entry into Year 12 / Sixth Form (16 years) who would otherwise not be able to attend Hillcrest without
the support of the scholarship. Apart from maintaining excellent effort and behaviour, Frank Thompson
Scholars are required to attain excellence in all subjects throughout the year. Excellence in academic
attainment is represented by a minimum of Grade A or, in cases of subjects assessed on a 1-9 scholar,
a grade 7. Where a student commences the year on a minimum of Grade B, it is vital that the student is
seen to be making progress towards attaining excellence. All other expectations as listed must also be
met by Frank Thompson Scholars. Progress is reviewed termly with a comprehensive review taking place
at the end of each academic year. Students failing to meet these standards risk having their scholarships
withdrawn

If you have any questions, please contact our Registrar, Maria Kimata on
[email protected] or call 0724 255 444
www.hillcrest.ac.ke

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Tel: +254 (0)20 266 2137/38, (0)20 806 7783/4, (0)724 255 444
Email: [email protected]
www.hillcrest.ac.ke

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