3 Reasons top Schools Tell Parents Not To Prepare their children for the 4+ Assessments

Why exactly do these top schools tell parents NOT to prepare their children for their 4+ Assessments?

I get this question all… the… time.

My clients go to the open days at their desired schools and they are told this…

‘You do not need to prepare your children for their Assessment.’

‘Tuition is not necessary.’

‘We will know who has been tutored.’

It is utterly confusing for them when they hear this.

Should they believe what they are told?

90% of parents will believe this and they will not prepare their children. Most of these children will not be offered places at their desired schools.

10% will be sceptical and wonder if this is really the case or not. 10% will choose to thoroughly prepare their children anyway. Most of these children will be successful and will be offered a place at their desired school.

Obviously, you need to work with the best teachers and not every teacher is of the same calibre when it comes to 4+ Assessment preparation.

Having worked in top pre - prep and prep school myself, I have witnessed senior leaders telling parents not to prepare their children for these assessments and of course they would never tell us why.

Here is what I personally think.

3 Reasons top Schools Tell Parents Not To Prepare their children for the 4+ Assessments

1. They want to downplay the complexity of these assessments.

If parents truly knew how challenging it was to get into their dream schools, perhaps they wouldn’t even bother trying?

2. They don’t think parents wouldn’t take them seriously anyway.

Preparing a 2/3 year old for an assessment is ludicrous isn’t it? Obviously I don’t think so and neither do my clients who so far have been offered a place at all of their target schools!

3. They want the process to seem easier than it is.

The 4+ Assessments are far from easy but the majority of parents that speak to me have no idea about this.

I would never send my 2 year old into a 4+ Assessment unprepared. Even if I was told by the school not to prepare him, I would thoroughly prepare him. I don’t think it would be fair to send him into a room to be assessed if he was unprepared.

Would you?

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