Why I believe preparing for the 7+ is just a matter of maths

It’s very simple.

 You’ve chosen your target schools and you’re ready for your child to sit their Assessments. You’ve done your research and you know exactly what to expect at each round. Ultimately, whether your child is successful or not comes down to maths.

 Each school will have their own criteria with regards to which children they will even consider to call back for interview. They will set a benchmark. Typically, this benchmark is between 80% and 85%. It could be lower, I’m just using these figures for simplicity and as an average of what I’ve personally seen to be true.

So, in order to pass the assessment (which is usually the 1st round), your child will need to achieve the pass mark.

 Children who achieve the pass mark will be called back for an interview (or the second round) If your child does not achieve the pass mark they will not be called back for interview. It is as simple as that.

 This is why, from around September time, we will begin doing papers with our students and giving them a mark. I believe it is important for our students to know the mark that they are achieving so that they are aware of the level that they need to be aiming for in their assessments. Up until this point, we have been doing papers but I’ve not been giving them their mark. I’ve simply been using the papers as a guide for me to know which gaps I need to fill. My students haven’t even really been aware that they have been doing ‘papers’.

 I have spoken to several teachers and parents who tell me that it is ‘very damaging’ to tell children their marks. I disagree completely. Why give a child a test to do if you’re not going to tell them how they did?

 And to be honest with you, my students would always ask me how they did.

 So, no I don’t think it’s ‘damaging’.

It’s reality.

Of course, we explain to them that if they didn’t get the marks they wanted, it’s no big deal. And if they did get the marks they wanted, that’s all good. It’s more about using that data and doing something about it. It’s about teaching my students to not fear this number. When I was a younger student myself, I hated knowing my marks. Because no matter how ‘good’ I did, it was never good enough to me.

 That’s because nobody ever explained any of it to me.

 We actually take the time to explain all of these things to our students.

 So if you want your child to be successful at your target school/s, aim for 85% in each paper that you do with them.

 If they don’t achieve this mark, make a note of the incorrect answers and revise the concepts that your child got wrong. Perhaps there are some gaps in their knowledge and understanding. Perhaps they haven’t yet covered the concept that they got wrong. That will be up to you to identify.

 If your child is sitting their 7+ Assessments this Academic year, we have a good 3-4 months to do some intensive work.

 Book your Sample lesson with me or with one of our incredible Senior Teachers. We all have years of experience with all top London Schools and would be delighted to help you to support your child to be successful and unleash their truest potential.

 You will always have unlimited access to your teacher and also to me. Any questions you may have, we are here to support you every step of the way. We offer anytime access to us in between lessons, which is something no one else is currently offer. I consider this to me of most value because it allows us to discuss how your child is getting on and what we can do together to take their learning to the next step and give them the opportunity to show their truest potential.

We look forward to working with you.