Tips to support your child to go into their 4+ Assessments happily, calmly and with confidence.
/I care too much about my clients to let this happen to them.
I care too much about them to not tell them that the most important part of the 4+ Assessment (in my opinion) is HOW their child will go into their Assessment.
HOW your child goes into their Assessment will determine how well they do.
Therefore it is probably (in my opinion) the most important part of the 4+ Assessment process.
There is no point working so hard to get your child ready for the 4+ Assessment and then not being ready for the most important part of the Assessment.
The most important part of the Assessment is getting to the school and going into the Assessment.
You MUST prepare for this.
You MUST make sure that your child is ready to be left in a new and unfamiliar place. Not all children like to go to new places. Some do and some don’t. Those who don’t need to be prepared.
Go somewhere new.
Leave them for a certain amount of time with someone unfamiliar (that you know and trust obviously!)
Practise, practise and practise some more.
Here is the number 1 secret to preparing your child to go into their 4+ Assessments and shine!
You must practice.
I hear a lot of parents saying, ‘They’ll be fine on the day’ and ‘Let’s just go with the flow’
Please don’t do this.
Your child must practise being left alone somewhere new and unfamiliar to them.
It takes us all time to adapt to changes in our lives. It’s the same for children.
Remember that when they go into their 4+ Assessments that they won’t know the people that they meet there. They won’t be familiar with the school that they are visiting.
If they haven’t practised being left in new and unfamiliar places, they will struggle with this.
So please do practise by taking them to new places where you can leave them even just for a few minutes and then extend the time frame each time. Meet new people and encourage your child to talk to them, to answer their questions and to even ask them questions.
Have fun with it!
3 signs that your child is ready to be left at their 4+ Assessments
They actually like to go somewhere new and unfamiliar to them - when you take them somewhere new, they will go in happily.
They will happily talk to new people - when they meet someone new, they are able to talk to them, answer their questions and interact with them.
They actually enjoy meeting new people and new children and interact well with them.
The main sign that your child is not ready to be left at their 4+ Assessments
Your child is NOT happy to be left alone somewhere new and unfamiliar.
If you leave your child somewhere new and unfamiliar how do they react?
If they are not happy to be left there then you have some work to do.
This is the most important part of the Assessment.
How can your child really show how great their learning is if they are in an emotional state?
This takes time and it takes practice. We will support you every step of the way to help your child to go to their Assessment happily and with confidence.
What will happen at a group Assessment at 4+
Your child will arrive at the school and will be escorted to a classroom or to the hall and they will meet the group of children who will also be assessed. In the room, there will be activities laid out. Usually like a circuit with a variety of activities ready for the children to do. Things like puzzles, lego, drawing and writing. Members of staff will be observing your child. They will be observing a variety of different things like how your child does the activities and how they interact with other children. There will be a set of criteria that your child will need to meet and this is what will be assessed. Each school will have their own set of criteria.
In the group assessment things like ability to share, listening skills, ability to listen to the other children and ability to focus on tasks will all be assessed.
This is why I say that it is so important to know your schools so that you know what they are looking for and can therefore prepare accordingly. Of course, these schools do mix things up year after year but working with someone who has prepared children for over 13 years will definitely help!
What could go wrong at a group Assessment or 1:1 Assessment
Being asked to do something and doing something else.
Being asked to do something and refusing to do it.
Not being able to respond to what another child has said.
Being asked to do something and saying ‘I don’t know how.’
These are just a few things!
In a 1:1 Assessment your child will be 1:1 with a member of staff that works at the school.
Things that could go wrong are:
Your child simple doesn’t want to engage in conversation with the member of staff doing the Assessment.
Your child doesn’t answer their questions or follows the instructions that they are given.
The way to work on this is to expose your child to new and unfamiliar people and encourage them to have conversations with them and answer the questions. Remember that the only to improve at anything in life is to practise. Don’t let the Assessment be the first time your child meets someone new and unfamiliar to them and be expected to engage in conversation with them.
Simple.
If you would like further support with the 4+ Assessment, book your Sample Lesson today.
