Why the term 'Play Date Assessment' is SO misleading.
/As a parent embarking on your 4+ Assessment journey for the first time, you will not know what to expect.
I speak to parents all.. the… time who tell me:
‘I wish we had started sooner.’
‘Why didn’t I know about you 9 months ago.’
‘Why did I believe what I was told.’
This is what they tell me.
They feel regret. They judge themselves for their choices. I always tell them not to. And that it is not their fault at all. If it is their first time, how on earth would they know?
Perhaps they heard from their neighbour or their best friend’s hairdresser. Sometimes these Chinese Whispers don’t help either.
My mission is to dispel these nonsensical things that parents will hear whilst on their 4+ Assessment journey and be very honest and sincere about the whole process.
What you then wish to do with the information I provide you with is of course completely up to you.
If I’ve helped even just one person to go through this process in a calm way with the knowledge that they needed in order to support their child in the best possible way then I have succeeded.
Onto the topic of this blog.
I spoke to a parent yesterday who is preparing her son for his 4+ Assessments at several North London Schools. She wants him to go to UCS at 4+ (Reception entry)
When we spoke, she was very confused.
She told me 100 different things in the space of two minutes. I told her she had to slow down.
She told me,’ UCS says that the Assessment will be a playdate so I’m not too worried. I don’t really see why I should prepare him.’
I told her that this is absolutely NOT the case and that she absolutely MUST prepare her child for his 4+ Assessment at UCS.
Having prepared hundreds of boys for this school, I know exactly what the Assessment will be like. It is not a playdate.
The boys that I prepared last year for this school who had at least 9 months of Assessment preparation did very well at UCS at Round 1 and most passed at Round 2.
The boys who started with me with less than 3 months of preparation were not successful.
What does this tell you?
Well, what it tells me is that you absolutely do need to prepare for the 4+ Assessment at UCS. And you need to give yourself enough preparation time.
9-12 months is ideal.
I know exactly what is needed in order to be very successful at this school. And I am here to support you every step of the way.
