The Judd School opened as a day school for local pupils living with their parents, between the ages of 8 and 16. According to the foundation document, the conditions of entry were possession of a "good character" and "sufficient health"; sons of freemen of The Skinners' Company were given preference when the number of applicants exceeded the places available. During his tenure, William Bryant attempted to extend admission to boarders and estimated the costs to be £50 per term (including fees), but the Board of Governors rejected the idea. However, when a lack of public transport made day-to-day travel to the school impractical, boys were permitted to lodge from neighbouring villages and would stay at masters' homes or at hostels approved by the governors. Entry to the school was conditional upon a pupil passing an entrance exam, which would vary according to the age of the boy. However, the foundation document stipulated that every boy had to be able read, write from dictation and perform sums in the "first four simple rules of Arithmetic, with the multiplication table".