Admissions
Creating a diverse, thriving community where every student is supported to grow.
Who is The Hummingbird for?
The Hummingbird is for young people who are curious, creative, and ready to learn in new ways.
We welcome those who:
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Want their learning to connect with real life.
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Thrive when given voice, choice, and purpose.
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Are excited by projects, discovery, and collaboration.
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May not have found their fit in traditional education and still want to achieve recognised qualifications.
We take an asset-based approach to admissions we see every student as bringing unique strengths and ways of being that enrich our community.
How to Apply
Join our growing school for September 2026 - find out how to secure a place below:
Entry Points for September 2026:
For Upper Primary (age 8-11): students can join in Year 4, 5 or 6 (8-11 curriculum)
For Lower Secondary (age 11-14): students can join in Year 7, 8 or 9 (11-14 curriculum)
For Upper Secondary (age 14-16): students can join in Year 10
(Level 2 Diploma + GCSE English & Maths).
For Sixth Form (age 16-18): students can join in Year 12 (Level 3 Extended Diploma).
Our Application Process:
Step 1: Read our prospectus and check out our website.
Step 2: If you like what you’ve read about us, come and visit us - get in touch with Dave at dave@hummingbirdlearninglab.com to book a tour of the school.
Step 3: If you think Hummingbird is the place for you, we ask interested students to submit a letter of application - this can be written (one side of A4) or a video (2 minutes).
Instructions for letter/video: please share why you’d like to join The Hummingbird, and tell us more about your interests, what you care about and anything you are proud of.
Email it to dave@hummingbirdlearninglab.com.
Step 4: We will then be in touch to arrange a conversation: admissions conversations focus on curiosity, motivation, and alignment with the Hummingbird ethos.
Step 5: After a place is offered, you will have 14 days to accept your place and you will then be asked to pay a deposit to secure your space. Places are offered on a first come first serve basis.
If you have any questions about our admissions process, please get in touch with us Dave at dave@hummingbirdlearninglab.com - we are always more than happy to have a chat.
Fees, Funding and Our Financial Ecology
At The Hummingbird Learning Lab, we believe that education flourishes when it is well-resourced, and rooted in shared responsibility.
How we fund the school is part of how we live our values. Financial stewardship is part of how we practice agency, accountability, and care, together.
We communicate openly about fees because transparency is fundamental to building trust, exercising agency and supports informed choice. When families understand how a school is funded and sustained, they are better able to participate and contribute to the learning community.
This section outlines our fees, how The Hummingbird is funded, and how we approach access, equity and long-term sustainability.
How The Hummingbird is Funded
We are an independent school and are fully funded through fees.
We keep our fees as low as we can and where fee reductions are offered, they are absorbed within the school’s overall finances and we ask families to apply for them thoughtfully and only where there is a genuine need.
This model is intentional. Independence allows us to design and develop a new kind of education and bespoke curriculum that is grounded in real life. It enables us to make thoughtful decisions, invest in quality, and evolve our approach as we learn alongside our students and families.
We are exploring additional, creative ways to diversify our funding over time. For now, fees are what sustain the school.
Fees for 2026/27
Our fees are set annually and reflect the real cost of providing a high-quality, future-facing education.
All fees are based on:
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Full-time attendance (5 days per week)
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Exclusive of additional supplementary costs such as school trips.
2026/27 Fees by Class Group
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8-11: £15,000 per year
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11-14: £15,500 per year
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14-16: £16,000 per year
Why do fees vary by age group?
As students progress through The Hummingbird, the nature of their education evolves with them. Our fee structure reflects these differing realities and requirements.
Our older year groups require:
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Specialist staffing to support qualifications.
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Additional assessment and accreditation in line with Crossfields Institute and GCSE requirements.
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Access to more advanced equipment and learning resources
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Expanded careers exploration, mentoring and pathway support.
Deposits and Payment Plans
We aim to make the practical aspects of joining The Hummingbird as clear and manageable as possible.
Acceptance deposit
When a place is offered and accepted, we ask for a £1,000 acceptance deposit. This secures your child’s place at the school and reflects a shared commitment and allows us to plan responsibly for the year ahead.
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The deposit is credited against the final term’s fees, when a minimum of one full term’s notice is given.
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For families applying for scholarships, deposit arrangements are agreed separately
Payment plans
Fees are paid termly, in advance of each term. We also offer alternative payment plans where families have the option to pay in smaller regular instalments across the academic year. These arrangements are agreed in advance with the school and designed to support access and consistencies for families and for the school.
If you would like to discuss payment options, we encourage early conversation so that arrangements are in place before the start of term.
Inflation and Annual Review
Fees are reviewed annually to ensure that The Hummingbird remains resilient and able to deliver the unique high-quality education that we offer, while remaining mindful of affordability for families.
We take wider economic conditions into account and approach any changes with care and transparency in conversation with our community.
Scholarships and Fee Reductions
We wish that a Hummingbird education was free for everyone.
We are deeply committed to widening access to transformative education, while also stewarding the long-term financial health of the school. While fees sustain our community, we actively support families through scholarships and fee-reductions.
Scholarships
Scholarships at The Hummingbird are externally funded, they exist thanks to the generosity of individuals and partners who wish to support access to The Hummingbird.
When scholarship funding is available, it enables us to welcome learners who would not otherwise be able to attend. Scholarships are awarded based on need and aptitude, reflecting our commitment to inclusivity.
Fee Reductions
Fee reductions are internally funded by the school and are offered if the scholarship pot is insufficient to meet the needs of our community.
Like scholarships, they are offered to support access for learners who would meaningfully contribute to the Hummingbird and for whom full fees would create a genuine financial barrier. Because fee reductions are absorbed within the school’s overall finances, we ask families to apply for them thoughtfully.
We know that who we learn with matters. A thriving learning community is shaped by the diversity of perspectives, experiences, and ways of being that students bring.
This is why, when scholarship funding is not sufficient, we aim to offer fee reductions where we responsibly can, to support access and maintain a rich and diverse community. These reductions are necessarily limited, as our fees already reflect the true cost of sustaining the school and the education we provide.
We are currently unable to offer fee reductions of over 40% of full fees.
Paying it Forward
We are grateful to members of our wider community whose generous contributions have already widened access to The Hummingbird.
We are in the process of formalising opportunities to support our scholarship fund.
If you have ideas, interest or would like to be part of this work, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Jemima at jemima@hummingbirdlearninglab.com.
Beyond Fees
Fees sustain the school financially, but they are only one part of what makes The Hummingbird thrive.
Families and members of the local community generously contribute their time and skills to our students and the school. These contributions enrich the life of the school and model a broader understanding of value for our young people, including ideas they explore through learning such as regenerative economics.
All contributions are voluntary and are not in exchange for financial reductions. While we operate within financial realities, we always seek to foster a diverse and inclusive learning community.
Our approach to fees and funding will continue to evolve. We will remain committed to openness, dialogue and ongoing learning. If you have any questions or would like to chat about our approach, we’d love to hear from you.
If you would like to speak with someone about admissions, scholarships, or the application process, please contact our Headteacher, Dave Strudwick, dave@hummingbirdlearninglab.com.
Applying for a Scholarship
We are committed to brilliance and accessibility. While fees sustain our community, we actively support families through scholarships.
Scholarships are awarded based on need and aptitude, reflecting our commitment to inclusivity.
PLEASE NOTE THAT SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026-2027 ACADEMIC YEAR ARE NOW CLOSED.
Step 1. Complete the Scholarship Application Form
Scholarship applications for the 2026-2027 academic year are now closed. We will not be considering any more applications.
2. Attend a Taster Day
Your child will need to attend a taster day before the application deadline so we have time to meet them and review their application.
Please book as soon as possible as spaces are limited.
3. Admissions Form (see above)
Please note that a scholarship application does not replace the admissions application. Families must complete both forms if they wish to apply for a scholarship.