3 Top Tips to make Westminster 7+ Assessment preparation easier.

We are currently preparing several of our students for their Westminster 7+ Assessment this year and next year (8+ too!).

Here are 3 top tips if you are preparing for the Westminster 7+ Assessment.

You want to always try to simplify your 7+ Assessment preparations. I know it can seem overwhelming but it really doesn’t have to be.

1. Choose a teacher who has prepared boys for this school (girls soon!)

Don’t just choose any teacher who offers 7+ Assessment preparation. Don’t just ask what they charge. If you want your son to have any chance of passing his first Round at this school, you need a teacher with at least 5 years of experience preparing boys for this school and you need a teacher who knows historically what has come up. Otherwise how on earth can the teacher that you work with prepare your son for his 7+ Assessment at Westminster? Some parents want to save money on tuition. Trust me, you don’t want to do this. You will spend thousands more getting your child ready for his 8+ or 11+.

2. Understand both rounds well.

If you don’t know what to prepare your son (and daughter soon!) for how will they ever be successful?

You need to know exactly what will come up in the first and second rounds and prepare just for those things.

Simple.

Here it is simplified for you.

Round 1 - Maths (We teach up to the year 3 curriculum for Westminster and some of the Year 4 Curriculum), English (writing and reading, SPAG), Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning.

Round 2 - Classroom activity and interview (interviewed by the Master and one other member of the SLT)

Only 50 boys will be invited back for Round 2. So if your son is invited back, they will have done exceptionally well at round 1. Hundreds and hundreds of boys will apply to sit their 7+ at Westminster Under School!

3. Allow yourself at least 1 year to prepare your child for their 7+ Assessment at this school. This is not to say that if you leave it later, you cannot be successful. You absolutely can be with the right guidance and preparation but your child will need more intensive preparation.

Out of the 50 boys selected for Round 2, only 22 boys will be offered a place!

We know exactly how to prepare our students for both rounds.

Book your Sample lesson today!

Everything you need to know about the Glendower 4+ Assessment.

Glendower is another popular school that we prepare our girls for.

Usually it is between Glendower and Kensington Prep that parents want to send their girls to.

Glendower is often the school that is chosen when my clients have the choice between the two.

Assessment at 4+ at Glendower is in very small groups of 6 girls with 3-4 assessors.

Read that again.

6 girls with 4 adults observing.

This is what Glendower is looking for…

Social maturity

Readiness to learn in a group situation

Cooperation

Flexibility

A “can do” approach

Communication

Numeracy skills

Letter recognition

Ability to follow instructions

So if you are preparing your daughter for Glendower, you will need to focus on these skills in order for her to go in and be successful in this assessment.

With only 40 places available and hundreds of girls applying for this school, you will want to prepare your daughter very well for this assessment.

You will want to work with the best of the best.

You do not want to leave it to chance or luck. You will simply not be successful.

I’ve had parents contact me two weeks before the Glendower Assessment. It’s a no. Their daughters would not pass this assessment and I tell them as much and I am always right (sadly).

Give yourself at least a full year of Assessment preparation.

We have had incredible success with the 4+ Assessment at Glendower and we would be delighted to support your daughter to be very successful too.

If you are sitting for 2025 entry, book your Sample lesson today.

If you are sitting for 2026 entry, join our waiting list to begin in February 2025.

Our reviews from our clients who were successful for 2024 entry. Our girls started at Glendower last week and are absolutely loving it! I’ve received so many photos from my clients of their daughters in their Glendower uniforms looking so happy and loving their new school. So happy to have been part of their journeys. Many of them continue to meet with me weekly which is just wonderful.

Prepare for the Westminster Under school 4+ Assessment like a BOSS

Very exciting!

From 2026 boys AND GIRLS will be welcomed to join Westminster Under school at 4+.

Joining Reception at Westminster Under School in an incredible opportunity.

I was taken personally on a tour of Westminster Under School several years ago and I was very impressed. What an incredible school.

Prepare for this school like a BOSS and guarantee success in your child’s 4+ Assessments in 2025.

First of all you must REGISTER your child. You can do so now!

Registration will close on the 30th September 2025. Add this date to your diary so you don’t miss the deadline.

Fees per year for WUS are £25,875 per year (£8625 per term)

From year 5 fees are currently £26523 per year (£8841 per term)

Once you have applied, you will be invited to attend a school visit in Spring of 2025 (dates to be released by the school)

Here is WUS say that they are looking for in a student:

At all entry age points at the Under School, we look for potential in the children, and for boys and girls who have natural ability and who will, therefore, thrive here. Our challenge is to find that potential in children whose natural ability will grow with the opportunities a Westminster education provides.

Don’t take ‘natural ability’ to mean that you do not need to thoroughly prepare your child for this Assessment.

WUS call their Assessment a Classroom Activity and here is how they describe it…

For the 4+ entrance assessments, we will conduct a play-focused classroom activity that allows children to actively engage. We aim to create an informal and welcoming atmosphere for assessment day, offering a relaxed setting where children are encouraged to have fun and participate to the best of their abilities.

Very Vague Westminster!

They don’t give much away at all do they!

Here’s one thing that I do know for sure. This school will have hundreds and hundreds of applications for the first ever 4+ Assessment. Perhaps the number will reach the thousands.

Your son or daughter will need to demonstrate something exceptional to WUS on the day of the Assessment. That is all I will say.

It will be harder to prepare your child for this school compared to others because we have no historical data to compare.

However, we know WUS very well. We prepare hundreds of boys for the 7+ each and every year. We know the expectations. We know that qualities they are looking for within the children that they will admit to their school.

So if you are preparing for WUS for 2026 entry, book your Sample lesson lesson today.

The Henrietta Barnet School - What you need to know.

Admission to The Henrietta Barnett School for Year 7 is by academic selection, with a First Round Entrance Test in Verbal, Non-Verbal reasoning and English, followed by a Second Round English and Mathematics test.

You must register your daughter from mid April to mid July via the Admissions section of the school’s website.

The application form is completed online.

Applications are now closed for 2025 entry.

First round Assessments were 3rd and 4th September 2024. Second round is on the 2nd of October.

National offer day is on the 1st of March 2025.

There is no catchment area and anyone can apply to sit assessment at HB.

The open day was on the 11th of July 2024.

Only children in Year 5 were able to attend the Open Day due to the over subscription at the school.

HB recommend the GL Assessment papers and they do not release past papers.

You can access the free materials here. Otherwise the Assessment papers will need to be purchased.

The scores will be age standardised.

You can read the Admissions Policy here.

You can read the Admissions FAQ here.

Round 1 will be a verbal, non- verbal and English Assessment. The top 300 candidates will be invited to sit Round 2. So as you can see, entry is highly academically selective. In order to pass round 1, your daughter needs to be in the top 300. Round 2 is an English and Maths Assessment. After the second round, results will be combined with the first round and standardised.

There are only 104 places at Henrietta Barnet.

We have prepared hundreds of girls to be very successful in their 11+ Assessments and be offered a place at HB.

Are you preparing your daughter for Henrietta Barnet? Book your Sample lesson today and see how our exceptional lessons will take her learning to the next level and support her to pass this Assessment with calm and ease.

Watford Grammar School for Girls - What you need to know.

The next open evening for secondary school transfer will be Thursday 17th October 2024 from 6-8pm.

210 new Year 7 girls will join Watford Grammar each year.

Registration for 2025 entry closed on Friday 14th June.

The academic test was on Saturday 7th September. The school also holds music tests (2 rounds) and sports tests for specific students.

872 applications were received for 210 places. This is why it is crucial to prepare your child. Look how competitive it is to get in. Nearly 900 applicants for 210 places!

The application is to be completed online.

Admissions criteria can be read here.

Here it is summed up for you.

Admission is divided into two parts:

a) Community

1. Looked After Children and children who were previously looked after, including those who appear (to Watford Grammar School for Girls) to have been in state care outside of England, but ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted or became subject to a child arrangement order or a special guardianship order.

2. Girls whose normal home address is nearest to the school and who would not be allocated a place under any other criterion, except criterion 6 (up to 21 places, 10% of the total admissions).

3. Girls with a parent who is a permanent full-time or part-time member of the school staff (inclusive of teaching and support staff roles). To qualify, the member of staff must either have been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission is made or have been recruited to fill a post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. In all cases, the member of staff must have parental responsibility (sole or shared) for the girl.

4. Girls with a sibling (sister) enrolled at the school, excluding sisters who first entered the school in the Sixth Form (Year 12 or Year 13).

5. Girls with a sibling (brother) enrolled at Watford Grammar School for Boys, excluding brothers who first entered the school in the Sixth Form (Year 12 or Year 13). 6. Places will then be allocated to girls in increasing distance order using straight line distance between the family’s normal home address and the school.

Specialist

1. Girls selected on the basis of aptitude for music as measured by the school's assessment procedures, in merit order (up to 21 places, 10% of total admissions).

8. Girls selected by academic ability as measured by the school’s assessment procedures, in merit order (52 places, 25% of total admissions)

WGS recommends that all girls sit their Assessments apart from those in groups 1, 3 and 4.

Myself and my team of specialist Grammar School teachers have personally taught hundreds of girls and prepared them to be very successful at WGS. If your daughter will be applying to this school, book your Sample lesson today.

What EVERYONE must know about Grammar School preparation.

I speak to hundreds of parents each year who are preparing their children for their Grammar School Assessment for the 11+. What surprises me the most is how much confusion there is around Grammar School Assessment preparation.

I don’t blame them. If you take some time to read through the Entry Criteria for the Grammar schools that you are applying to, it is very unclear.

It is very clear to me because I have been preparing boys and girls for Grammar schools at 11+ for over 15 years. I know exactly what each Grammar School is looking for and how my students can be incredibly successful in their assessments.

It is very simple.

Some grammar schools have academic testing and some don’t.

Know what the assessment process at the schools you are applying to will be like and know them well.

What you MUST know is this…

Entry to any Grammar School will be due to this main factor.

Academic excellence.

Your child’s report will need to demonstrate this.

Thousands of parents apply to sit their child for a Grammar School place. Even more will be applying once VAT is added to Private School fees.

First and foremost, your child needs to stand out from the crowd by showing their academic excellence. They will show this in their report card and in their assessment (if the school has an assessment). Always keep in mind that your child will be ONE out of THOUSANDS of applicants.

Prepare your child to be able to get into any Grammar school with our Home Learning Support Packages. Brand new places now available from February 2025. Secure yours today.

How to prepare for the Chigwell 4+ Assessments with only 3-6 weeks left!

This year, I am personally preparing 5 children for the Chigwell 4+ Assessment. They have all been with me for at least 8 months. My recommendation for preparation at this schools is 8-12 months. This is because I have seen the most success with this time duration.

I am so excited for my students who will be going to their assessments at the end of September. I know that they have been prepared to the highest standard and I know that they will go in and shine. I know that they are equipped with the skills to be able to answer any question that they are asked, to be able to complete any activity and to be able to go in and truly thrive.

If your child is sitting the Chigwell 4+ Assessment in the next 3-6 weeks, here are my recommendations for how to prepare.

1. Lots and lots of questioning - your child will need to communicate exceptionally well to be offered a place at Chigwell. I wouldn’t recommend sending your child in to this assessment, if they are unable to do this.

2. Focus on listening skills - your child will need to listen and engage with a story and demonstrate high levels of listening skills. Listening also includes how your child responds to what they have heard.

3. Cover all of the curriculum to a very high standard.

If you don’t know the curriculum and you need further support, I would suggest you book the Gold Package with one of our Senior teachers so take your child’s learning and understanding to the level it needs to be in order to pass this assessment.

The Chigwell 4+ Assessment is not easy.

Chigwell at 4+ is very over subscribed.

Chigwell will be looking for something specific in their students.

If you don’t know what they are looking for, work with someone who does.

We have supported children to be very successful at this school.

Here is a testimonial from one of my clients whose son has started at Chigwell this year…

You can read it here.

I would highly recommend Maria!!! SHE IS SIMPLY THE BEST!

We knew we wanted to send our son to a school that required him to sit the 4+ assessments. I did not know what was needed to prep him. I searched online and came across creative mind tutors. After having read their blog posts on their website, i had a discovery call with Maria. During this call she listened to me and I instantly knew she would be right for us. Her knowledge of the curriculum is outstanding.

We started with her curriculum sprints and then embarked on weekly tutuion sessions online. Maria was kind, patient and structured. She knew exactly what needed to be done and was aware of the timeline we had.

Our son got offers from all the schools we applied to and I am so grateful to Maria for making the whole experience fun and enjoyable for little children.

Thank you so much Maria!

To book your Gold Package, simply schedule your Sample lesson today.

Why our 4+ Mock Assessments are such incredible value for money.

The 4+ Mock Assessments are my final product that I offer in person. 

For only £350 I will personally come to your home and provide a Mock Assessment for your child. 

What will happen on the day?

The Mock Assessment will be planned according to the schools that your child will be sitting Assessment at. It will truly be bespoke to your child. After you have booked your Mock Assessment, you will receive a detailed email with all of the instructions about what you will need to prepare for the Mock Assessment. I will ask you to provide a few resources for your child (such as puzzles, lego and play doh). I will provide everything else.

I will cover all of the following (depending on the schools that your child is sitting Assessment at)

• Questioning and General Knowledge.

• A Maths Assessment.

• A literacy Assessment.

• A writing Assessment.

• An Art and Design Assessment.

• A physical activity.

How much does the Mock Exam cost?

£350

Where will it take place?

In your home.

When will it take place?

Saturdays @16:30 - Places are limited so please book in advance.

I will arrive a little earlier to set up and have everything ready for your child.

16:40-17:30 The Mock Assessment

17:30 - 18:00 Discussion with parents regarding areas to work on before the Assessments.

What will happen after the Mock Assessment?

After the Mock Assessment, you will receive a detailed report about how your child did in their Assessment. I will provide you with next steps to work on and we will keep in touch so that you can tell me how your child is getting on with their Assessment preparation. Should you need further support with the Assessment preparation, you can book one of our packages.

How often can I book the Mock Exam?

A maximum of two times.

Which locations will you travel to?

Any locations within 8 miles of NW9.

How can I secure my place?

Click this link to purchase your Mock Assessment. You will be contacted within 24 hours to choose a Saturday that works for you.

Current clients, please email me as I will provide you with a discounted rate.

Do you even know what to expect from the Merchant Taylor's 3+ Assessment?

A lot (a lot!) of parents that I speak to apply to this school at 3+ not knowing what to expect.

They think that the Assessment will be easy.

It won’t be.

They don’t understand how a two year old can be assessed.

They can be.

They think that their son is the most amazing human and that they will just go in to MT’s and have a play.

All parents think that their child is amazing.

They will go in and play BUT they will be being assessed whilst they are playing.

I love how clear and transparent MT’s are on their website when they explain the admissions process.

The 3+ Assessments this year will be in November. 4th and 5th of November to be precise. You have until the 11th of October to register.

The Assessment lasts 60 minutes.

This is important because this is a VERY long time for a 2 year old!

‘The activities are play based.’ Mostly yes. Some activities are not, so be aware of this.

You will have the option to leave your child and go and have a coffee in the room next door or you can also choose to stay with your child.

I recommend that you leave your child (if they are happy to be left!)

MT’s are looking for:

1) Signs that children will take direction from one of the teachers and respond to them.

2) Signs of sociability.

3) Language development.

Very clear, very concise and very transparent.

If your child does not demonstrate all three of these in their 3+ Assessment at MT’s, they will not be successful.

It is very rare that I speak to a parent who took the time to prepare their child for this 3+ Assessment. It is also very rare that I speak to parents who tell me that they did this and were successful.

Currently, I am preparing 2 boys for MT’s for their 3+ Assessment.

Don’t be surprised about this.

You want your son to go to Merchant Taylor’s?

Prepare them.

Simple.

DUCKS 4+ and something you might not know about...

Did you know that DUCKS may offer your child a deferred place into Year 3 if they are very successful in their 4+ Assessments?

This is incredible.

No need to sit the 7+ Assessment because you will already have the peace of mind that your child already has their offer!

What an amazing position to be in. We can help you to be in that position!

DUCKS has one assessment at 4+. Children are grouped with peers in their age range and the Assessment is tough. The Assessment needs thorough preparation and you must work with a teacher who has experience with the school historically. This is because you need to know exactly what DUCKS is looking for so that you can prepare your child to go in and actually pass!

Assessments take place in November.

If you haven’t yet started preparation, I would recommend the Gold Package for the months of September and October.

The Assessment is only 30 minutes but don’t be deceived by this. It is a short time frame but your child will need to show the assessors exactly what they are looking for in their prospective new students within that short time frame.

DUCKS are very clear about what the Assessment will entail and I appreciate their clarity about it. I personally prepared several children for DUCKS last year and I have prepared many children for DUCKS of the last few years. Therefore I know exactly why children were successful and why children were unsuccessful!

Levels of engagement, focus and following instructions are three big components to prepare carefully for if you are sending your child to the DUCKS 4+ Assessment.

Book your Sample lesson today with an experienced teacher. I only hand pick teachers for their experience at top independent schools. My team of 4+ teachers are all ex- head teachers or ex- deputy head teachers from top schools.

NLCS 4+ Insights into this very popular school.

Your daughter will need thorough and bespoke tuition for NLCS. You absolutely must only work with a teacher who has real and actual experience with this school.

NLCS is one of the hardest schools to get into at 4+ (and 7+!) but today I am talking about the 4+.

Don’t ever underestimate how hard it will be to get into this school.

This school is so overly subscribed each year. Hundreds of parents want their daughter to go to North London Collegiate School. I get it. The schools is stunning.

Having visited it several times myself and even having lunch there once with the teachers, I have seen exactly what it is like to be at this school. Their facilities are exceptional and the grounds are just divine. So I get it!

I have prepared hundreds of girls for the 4+ Assessment at NLCS over the last 15 years and what I’ve learnt is this. Passing the first round is very challenging. As in, it’s very hard to pass!

If your daughter does pass, passing the second round is also challenging but not as challenging as the first round.

If your daughter makes it to the second round, it’s because NLCS have seen that she is the right fit for their school. They have seen through assessing her that she will be able to thrive at their school. In the second round, they will be assessing her further.

In my experience passing the first round is the hardest part.

NLCS have a very specific Assessment criteria in the sense of what they are looking for.

Work with a teacher who knows this well and who can actually support your daughter to gain entry into this school.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

The Hall - The school is looking for boy's long term potential to thrive at the school.

50 boys are admitted into Reception at The Hall.

A large amount of children compared to other schools at 4+.

Perhaps this will put you at ease. It shouldn’t.

Competition to get into The Hall is fierce.

With parents registering their children to sit their 4+ Assessment at birth, I can see why they are very over subscribed. Many parents I speak to absolutely love this school.

The Hall refer to their Assessments as playdates. They absolutely are not playdates.

In their Admissions policy they write…

The Hall has a selective admissions procedure, and the school needs to be confident that a boy will be able to benefit from the wide and fast-moving curriculum.

This makes it very clear to me what type of boy they are looking for in the 4+ Assessment.

Is it clear to you?

Please note that there are no other major intakes to this school but if your heart is set on sending your son here, you may register for an occasional place which do come up occasionally and need thorough preparation.

The Hall has one round at 4+. It is a very challenging Assessment and the only boys that I’ve ever known who have passed have been thoroughly prepared for at least one year (this is the minimum for this school).

I prepared one boy for the Hall last year. His mother signed up for one of my packages in November (his Assessment to the Hall was in January). Her son was no where near ready for this Assessment and I told her as much. She insisted we only meet weekly. He did not passed and she was shocked. I wasn’t.

You want your son to go to the Hall? So do hundreds (perhaps the number is in the thousands!) of other parents. Prepare your son and prepare him well. If you don’t, I wouldn’t even bother sending him in.

Habs' Girls' 4+ Assessments - 'We have high expectations for our students, so it is important that we ensure your daughter would be given the space to thrive at Habs.'

‘We have high expectations for our students, so it is important that we ensure your daughter would be given the space to thrive at Habs.’

I love that Habs has written this.

To me this makes it very clear what they are looking for.

And that at the 4+ Assessments, they are looking for girls who would actually be happy and thrive at their school.

With 40 places available at Habs’girls, competition will be fierce again this year.

With applications in the very high hundreds (if not more!), your daughter will absolutely need to be thoroughly prepared. She will need to be prepared so that she can actually go in and complete everything that she will be asked to complete!

Round 1 is a group activity session which will last about 50 minutes. ‘Children with birth months in close proximity are placed in the same group’ - please note that this does not mean that their Assessment will be different because they are summer or autumn born.

The second round is a 1:1 Assessment and parents will be invited to meet the Headteacher for an informal meeting.

Habs then goes on to write…
’Admission at 4+ and 7+ involve straightforward assessments. We strongly recommend against tutoring your child for these. Everything they have already done and learnt will be enough to show us their potential.’

Believe what you want but I’ve never spoken to one single parent in nearly 20 years who have told me that they have sent their daughter to Habs Girls 4+ Assessment with no preparation.

‘Straightforward assessments’ is also misleading.

We have an incredible success rate with preparing our girls to a very high standard for their 4+ Assessments @Habs Girls. The first round is mid December so you still have time to get our support.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

UCS 4+ Assessment - 'No preparation is needed for the playdate Assessments.'

One of the most popular schools that we prepare for at 4+, I advise you to think carefully about this sentence.

I speak to hundreds of heart broken parents after the UCS Assessment each year who tell me this…

‘They (UCS) told us not to prepare for the Assessments and we didn’t. Our child did not pass.’

Some unprepared children would have passed the first round but not the second. So many parents contact me around November time to prepare for UCS at 4+. This is too late and I tell them as much. It is very rare that children have been successful to UCS with only 2 months of Assessment preparation.

If you’ve ever been to the 4+ Assessment (Round 1), you will know how busy it is on this day (think hundreds and hundreds of children).

The children are placed into their groups and in they go.

Round 1 is a typical 4+ Assessments and I still don’t understand why UCS call it a ‘play date’. The only thing I can think of is that they don’t want parents to worry. I’d rather my clients worried a bit and actually got their son’s in at 4+ rather than not worry and be unsuccessful!

Does ‘play date’ means going in and being observed doing lots and lots of different types of learning?

Don’t expect to pass the 4+ Assessment at UCS with little or no preparation. With only 32 places available and the number of applicants in the high hundreds, your son will need to demonstrate something very special in the Assessment.

I know what that something special is and I know exactly how to support your son with being incredibly successful. My team of exceptional 4+ Assessment teachers are ready to go. If you haven’t started yet, get started today.

Book your Sample Lesson today!

Is your child compliant or do they do what they want to do?

Earlier this week I took my son to a gymnastics trial lesson. It was at a little place called ‘The Little Gym’ in Hampstead. What I saw was fascinating and it made me think about the 4+ Assessments and what the Assessors see as they are walking around observing the children.

I imagined that if this was a 4+ Assessment, my son would have 100% failed!

It was a small group of 10 children all between the ages of 2 and 3. A mixture of boys and girls. There was one teacher who was excellent. She had prepared an incredible lesson with music and lots of activities for the children to do in the amazing gymnastics room. There was all sorts of equipment for the children to explore and enjoy.

We started as a group and the teacher did an activity which involved running in a circle. 5 children did this beautifully, followed her instructions perfectly and did exactly what they were told. The other 5 didn’t (including mine!)

One child started crying, another needed to go to the bathroom, another ran off into the gym and my son just froze and stood there with a scowl on his face. He refused to move. I observed as the teacher very kindly (and patiently) asked my son to hold her hand and follow her and he just looked at her and shook his head!

Then it was time for the activities. Again 5 of the children followed all of the instructions and did exactly what they were told to do.

One child pushed another child out of the way, another told the teacher that he wanted to go first, my son did not follow the instructions to complete the activity and made up his own! (they were supposed to walk on the balance beam and place the hoop on the correct coloured cone. He dodged the balance beam, ran to the cone, placed his hoop on a random coloured cone and gave himself a round of applause!

I could see that he had no interest at all in being compliant.

When the teacher called the group back to do an activity, he just ignored her and ran to whatever he wanted to do.

Can you see how is absolutely wouldn’t have passed if this was an Assessment? And can you see how the others perhaps would have?

Your child will need to go into their 4+ Assessments and be compliant so if they are not able to do this yet, practise it with them. You still have some time. Sign them up to some classes and help them to learn how to be compliant.

If you need further support, book your Sample lesson today.

The Habs' Boys' 4+ Admissions information is so vague.

I’m going to imagine that if you are reading this that you are sitting the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ Assessment for 2025 entry. I’m going to imagine that you have no experience with the 4+ Assessments.

You look at the Habs’ Boys’ website hoping that it will explain everything that you need to know about the 4+ Assessment and instead you are told that the first round is a ‘play based Assessment’ that will last for ‘an hour and a half’

Hold up… what?!

You ask yourself…

‘My child will just go in and play for 90 minutes?’

(Hot hint - No! they will not!)

But as a parent going through this for the first time, you believe what you read and you send your child in completely unprepared (through no fault of your own!)

Don’t do this.

One mother called me last year (after the first round) saying that she did not prepare her child for his 4+ Assessment and it was like ‘sending him into the lion’s den.’

Heartbreaking for me to hear this and very upsetting for both of us.

Habs’ Boys’ give you absolutely no information about Round 2 on their website. All they write is this, ‘A select number of children will return for a second round, where they will be seen on a one-to-one basis with senior members of staff. This stage will last approximately one hour.’

Luckily for my clients, I know exactly what is expected in both rounds and I support all of my students to be able to go into the Habs’ Boys’ Assessment with confidence and the knowledge that they need in order to actually pass.

Here is a review from one of my clients whose son is currently at Habs’ Boys’.

Maria was brilliant with my son for his 4+ assessment for Habs which he has gotten into and thoroughly enjoyed the journey with Maria. My son was always looking forward to the next lessons which is a great credit to Maria. She prepared my son for assessment in very short period. Highly recommended.

You can read all of our exceptional reviews here.

Preparing for Habs’ Boys’ for 2025 entry? Book your Sample Lesson today!

'No special preparation is necessary as no formal knowledge is expected - South Hampstead 4+.

'No special preparation is necessary as no formal knowledge is expected’ - South Hampstead 4+.

How do you read this?

Here is how some parents will read this.

Literally.

They will not prepare their child because South Hampstead has written not to.

Interesting also that in an interview with the Head Mistress that I stumbled upon (not the current one and written in 2017), she wrote that in the 4+ Assessments, ‘We are looking for girls who will enjoy being challenged and can embrace a fast-moving curriculum.’

For a child to ‘embrace a fast moving curriculum’ demonstration of actually being able to handle a ‘fast moving curriculum’ needs to be shown in the Assessments. This contradicts the first sentence.

She then says ‘We don’t expect any ‘taught skills’ eg. we certainly are not expecting any child to have started reading or writing at that age.’

Interesting that they assess reading and writing in their Assessments then.

In the article it says that there are 250 applicants for 24 spaces that are available. It is most likely double this number.

She also says, ‘If you put too much pressure on a child too early, learning becomes something that is hard work rather than a joy.’

You should never ever be putting pressure on a child of any age to learn. So if there are teachers out there doing this, I’ve never seen it.

I then see so many comments on threads where parents talk about their daughter not being offered a place at South Hampstead and their deep disappointment.

So I can see why parents are so overwhelmed and confused.

For me it’s simple.

Find a teacher who will make learning fun for your child. Find a teacher who actually knows how to support your child to be successful to South Hampstead at 4+ and find a teacher who knows exactly what has come up at this schools historically for the last 15 years!

That’s a teacher who can actually help you to have success at South Hampstead at 4+.

Book your Sample lesson today.

How do you read this?

As you read through the Forest 4+ Assessment procedure, you can read a very detailed description about what the 4+ Assessment will be like for your child at this school. I’ve always been very impressed by the level of detail Forest go into when describing exactly what the 4+ Assessment will be like at their school.

The one thing that I find fascinating and that to this day remains on their website is this sentence here…

‘We want to see if this will be the best place for your child and if we feel they are and will be ready for the type of education that we offer at Forest. For this reason, we would request you do not specifically prepare your child for the 4+ assessment procedure.’

How do you read this?

Here’s how some parents read this.

They read it to mean that they absolutely must not prepare their child for their 4+ Assessment at Forest. They read it to mean that if they prepare their child for their 4+ Assessment at Forest that their child will not show their true level and ability and that therefore this will not be a true reflection of their child.

This is absolutely not the case at all and if you think in this way, I urge you to reconsider.

If your child is not prepared to a very high standard, it is highly unlikely that they will pass the 4+ Assessment at Forest. With only 64 places and with so many children applying (the number is in the high hundreds!), competition is fierce.

Assessment at this school is not easy.

Don’t just expect your child to go in, happily engage in all the activities to the standard that they expect and to pass with no preparation.

What does this mean to you?

On the Chigwell website when they describe their Assessment process, they write this…

‘Testing takes place in small groups …using fun systems that do not require hours of preparation.’

Here’s how some parents will read this.

They will read it and think that they do not need to prepare their child. They will read it and think that their child will just go in and have fun.

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Ok, perhaps they will have fun. But having fun doesn’t mean that they will pass the Chigwell 4+ Assessments.

I have prepared hundreds of children for their Chigwell 4+ Assessments. You MUST prepare your child.

As you scroll down on their website, they go on to say this…

‘The Assessments last 1.5 hours.’

READ THAT AGAIN!

One and a half hours!

So you want to tell me that your child will go in with absolutely no preparation and be fully engaged in all of the activities that they are asked to do?

I’ve NEVER spoken to a parent who has told me this.

Actually, I’ve spoken to hundreds of parents who have told me how hard the Assessment was to pass. That even though they prepared their child, their child was on the Waiting list. That this school has a very strong sibling policy so the number of places available at 4+ are even more limited. I’ve also spoken to hundreds of parents who have told me that their child was not successful at passing their 4+ Assessment at Chigwell and the reason for this was that they went in completely unprepared.

Don’t think these Assessments are ‘easy’. They absolutely are not. Prepare your child and prepare them well and if you don’t, do not send them into a 4+ Assessment.

2 truths about the 7+ Assessments that you (most likely) did not know about!

The parents that I speak to every single day who want to prepare for the 7+ Assessments fall under 3 categories.

1) Parents who were unsuccessful in the 4+ and want their child to get into the schools that they did not get into at 4+ at 7+.

2) Parents who sent their child to a certain school at 4+ and have changed their mind and would now like to send them to a different school at 7+ (various reasons for this)

3) Parents who initially had planned to send their child to a certain school at 11+ and have decided they would prefer them to start at 7+. (various reasons for this)

Which category do you fall under?

If you are preparing your child for their 7+ Assessment for 2025 entry the most important thing is to know exactly what the schools you are applying to will expect from your child. If you don’t know this how else will you be able to successfully prepare them to go in and actually pass?

Here are 2 truths about the 7+ Assessments that you (most likely) did not know about!

1) Some schools will be assessing your child as far as the Year 4 Curriculum.

If you work with me, I will be able to tell you exactly which schools these are and we will prepare your child to be ready to go in and answer any question that they are asked in their 7+ Assessments.

2) Some schools have a very small intake at 7+.

Schools like NLCS have only 8-10 places available at 7+. With hundreds of girls applying to this school at 7+, you will need to ensure that your daughter is prepared to the highest possible standard in order to even have a chance to go in and pass the first round.

We have supported hundreds of children over the last 15 years to be very successful in their 7+ Assessments. We would love to support your child too!

We prepare for all top inner and out London schools and have experience with each and every one of them.

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