Perfecting writing for the 4+ Assessments

As our students are currently sitting their 4+ Assessments and have more coming up in the next few months, we are currently perfecting writing for the 4+ Assessments.

There are many ways that we are doing this.

1. We continue to work consistently on pencil grip. Some students have their own unique ways of holding their pencil and we never make it a problem. We work with how they hold their pencil. We show them how to hold it and if they like it they can have a go. If they don’t, we continue to encourage them to hold their pencil in a way that will make it easier for them to write.

2. We continue to work on the precision and size of the writing. Some students at this stage either write very big or very small. We model for them how they should write their letters. We do it together. We practise consistently and the results always follow!

3. We continue to work on writing numbers, their name and letters of the alphabet. All of these could be Assessed so we continue to perfect them.

It is always a joy when I see my students be able to write and to form their letters beautifully. When I see their faces light up, it truly fills me with pride.

Yes we are preparing for the 4+ Assessments but more than that, we are preparing our students for a lifelong love for learning which will stay with them for many years to come after our lessons have completed.

We are also currently perfecting drawing.

Some of the problems that I am currently seeing is a reluctance to put the pencil to paper and draw what they are asked to draw. In the 4+ Assessments your child will be asked to draw independently. We therefore want to really encourage our students to draw independently.

We want to initially model to them how to do it. Show them step by step.

Another problem is that some of my students want to draw their own thing rather than following the instruction given. This will be an issue in the 4+ Assessments because the students will be expected to follow the instructions given to them. The way we get better at this is simply by practising. Lots and lots of practise!

Need more support with 4+ Assessment preparation?

Book your Sample Lesson today.

Problems I'm seeing currently with 4+ Assessment preparation

Writing

Here are some problems that I’m seeing with writing.

1. Pencil grip - Children struggling to hold their pencil ‘correctly’. Some of my students are currently experimenting with how they hold their pencil (which is absolutely fine!) The only problem is that if the pencil is not held ‘correctly’ it will be harder to write on the paper.

2. Writing independently - With some students there is still a reluctance to write independently. Some students still want to trace. It is very important that students are able to write independently as they will be asked to do this in their Assessments.

These are the two main problems that I’m seeing.

Other problems are with forming numbers correctly (accurate sizing and precision in the formation) and the same with writing letters of the alphabet. This is of course a lot more advanced for our youngest learners but they absolutely can do it. It just takes time, patience and practise!

How is your child getting on with writing in preparation for their 4+ Assessments?

Drawing

Drawing doesn't come naturally to all children and some will grasp it quicker than others. It doesn't matter. Follow your child's lead and be very patient with the process. 

I promise you with consistent practise and effort, your child will be able to draw with accuracy and precision and be able to do what they need to do in their 4+ Assessments. 

In the 4+ Assessments your child will be asked to draw a picture. It could be anything. Things that have come up previously have been:

A boat

A car

Animals

Family

Portrait

Puzzles

The problems with puzzles are:

1. Now we are using more pieces some of my students can get a little overwhelmed due to them now using more puzzle pieces.

2. Not looking at the picture on the box before attempting to find the missing pieces. It is important that they locate the edges first to give them a framework and then they can start filling in the puzzle.

This is a skill that needs to be taught.

Looking at the box, finding the edges and looking and colours, shapes or patterns within the puzzle that will help them to fill it in.

Make it really fun. Keep it light hearted and go with your child’s flow. If they want to stop, then you stop and come back to it another time or help them and get involved yourself.

Need further support with 4+ Assessment preparation?

Email me and let me know office@creativemindstutors.co

Book your Sample lesson today.

What are the 4+ In person Mock Assessments and why are they important?

As most of you already know all of our lessons here at Creative Minds Tutors are exclusively online. After several requests from current clients to offer in person Mock Assessments, I decided that I would offer this. It is very hard to find 4+ 1:1 Mock Assessments and it is even harder to find them with a teacher who has as much experience as I do with the 4+ Assessments.

I believe that my in person Mock Assessments are worth way more than I am charging for them. First of all, I will come to your home. With other 4+ Mock Assessments, you need to take your child to a centre. Second of all, I will create a bespoke Assessment specific to the schools that you will be taking your child for Assessment at. And finally, I will be very thorough. I will assess all areas of the EYFS curriculum specific to the 4+ Assessments that your child will be attending.

The 4+ Mock Assessment will last 1 hour.

Your child will show me a variety of different areas of learning and I will assess:

Their listening skills

Their ability to follow instructions

Their focus levels

Their concentration

How they answer questions

What will happen on the day?

• Questioning and General Knowledge.

• A Maths Assessment.

• A literacy Assessment.

• A writing Assessment.

• An Art and Design Assessment.

• A physical activity.

The price of the Mock Assessment is £350 and I will travel to any area within 8 mils of NW9. If you leave further than this and would still like to book a Mock Assessment, this will take place online.

4+ Mock Assessments take place on Saturday at 16:30 and last 1.5 hours, including a detailed discussion with me after the Mock. You will also receive a detailed report with how your child did and next steps.

If you are looking for a 4+ Mock Assessment for your child, look no further!

Book Today! Places are very limited.

Our incredible 4+ Assessment Advent Calendar and why it is so valuable to you!

Pre - prepare for the 4+ Assessments by purchasing our 4+ Assessment Advent Calendar.

Not your usual Advent Calendar. This Advent Calendar is digital and exclusively online!

Each day in December (up until the 24th December!) , you will receive a beautifully wrapped email with a 4+ Assessment pre- prep task for your child to complete. It could be a phonics task, a maths task, a cutting task or a writing task etc.

By the end of the 24 days, your child will have built so much confidence and you will see their learning being taken to the next level.

Also, on day 25, your child will receive a beautiful Christmas gift!

The price of this exceptional pre-prepare package Advent Calendar is £300. If you sign up before November 10th, you can purchase it for £150.

So much value, I can’t even explain it!

Don’t delay! Sign up today!

This is your chance to work with me for 24 days at such a low price! You will have access to me anytime during these 24 days to ask me anything that you need to know.

Simply click this link to purchase your advent calendar and from December 1st, we will get started!

The Creative Minds Tutors 4 Stages of Learning

After 16 years of teaching children, I have discovered 4 stages of learning. When I teach my students, it is very apparent which Stage they are in.

Here are the 4 Stages of Learning that I have identified:

I don’t want to learn.

I might want to learn.

I want to learn.

I’m excited to learn.

These stages are fluid, which means, one day a child might feel one way and another day they might feel another way. However, the way I often see these Stages of learning appearing in my lessons is like this.

When a child first starts with me, they will often be in the ‘I don’t want to learn’ stage or the ‘I might want to learn’ stage.

I don’t want to learn.

When a child is in this stage of learning, they will use language like -

‘I don’t know?’

‘Why are you asking me?’

‘Why don’t you just tell me the answer?’

Their body language might be a little rigid and tense.

They might be moving around a lot and unable to sit still.

They might even say ‘I don’t want to do it!’

When a child is in this Stage of learning it is important to listen to them and understand why.

What I see most teachers doing is either telling them off or giving them a consequence.

Do you really think this is going to allow them to progress to the next stage of learning?

No, of course not.

If one of my students is ever in this stage, I stop what we are doing and engage with them. I listen to them. I ask them what is wrong? They will often tell me. It could be as simple as they’ve just had a really bad day or it may be that they genuinely don’t understand how to do it. A child that feels listened to is much more likely to move onto the next stage. If not, I find they remain stuck in this stage for far too long which of course has severe consequences in the long term.

I might want to learn.

In this stage, students are a little more open and receptive. They loosen up a bit and might want to give it a try. However, they are still unsure about it.

In this stage, you might see their eye gaze looking down rather than looking up. You might see them giving certain questions a try but still withdrawing from others. You might see them glancing up occasionally. In this stage, they are thinking about wanting to learn.

When a child is in this stage, they will use language like:

‘Ok, I will try’

‘Can you help me a bit please?’

‘What if I get it wrong?’

‘I don’t want to get it wrong!’

‘I don’t understand it’

They may experience frustrations at time at wanting to learn but not being able to.

This stage is a fine line between moving to the next stage of learning or moving back to the previous one. In this stage, teachers need to be knowledgeable about how to really maintain their attention and spark their interest and build up that love for learning which is inside of them.

We don’t want our students stuck in this stage for very long.

I want to learn.

This stage is always a pleasure. In this stage, students come to the lessons with a thirst for learning. They want to learn.

They will use language like:

‘Tell me more!’

‘When can we do this again?’

‘I get it!’

‘I understand!’

‘Let’s move on!’

‘Let’s learn more’

If is truly a delight.

Their body language is light and open and receptive.

They are glancing up at you and eager and keen to learn.

This is where we get to the best stage in my opinion.

I am excited to learn.

When your child gets to this stage… Wow!

It is just pure delight.

You will hear language like:

‘I want to learn more!’

‘Tell me everything!’

‘Let me write this down!’

‘I love this so much!’

‘I can do it!’

‘Look at me!’

Again, such a delight when I see students in this stage of learning.

This is where I want all of my students to be.

Where I see the Stages of Learning most prominently is in story writing!

See if you can identify which stage of learning your child is in the next time you do some learning together.

Do you have any questions about the Stages of Learning?

Email me directly and I will always reply: office@creativemindstutors.com

Come and write a story with me! (7+ Assessment preparation)

The stories that are shared and 100% NOT to be copied in the 7+ Assessments. They are simply here as guides to support students across the country to have the best chances of success in their 7+ Assessments. Remember that the Assessors marking these Assessments are experts and they will know if a story has simply been memorised and this will be an immediate fail.

So use my stories as a guide. Use them as a prompt to support you with supporting your child with their story writing.

Remember that your child’s writer’s voice needs to come out and flow naturally. I personally have marked Assessments for the 7+ and I can tell when a story flows naturally and one that is forced (remembered and copied) Don’t do this. It will not help your child to be successful.

What makes an excellent introduction?

1. Always links to the title

Your child’s introduction MUST link to the title. If it doesn’t, it is likely that your child will go off tangent and the story will not be relevant to the title provided. Always mention the title somewhere in the introductiory paragraph.

2. Incudes these 3 things

Introduces the character

Introduces the setting

Introduces the problem

If your child includes each of these, they can’t go wrong!

3. Uses higher level vocabulary and descriptive language.

Your child must use some higher level vocabulary. As you can see in my introduction, I’ve chosen words such as ‘compelled’ and ‘intricate’. Of course, your child must know the meaning of these words as they could be asked!

I hope you enjoy my Introduction model to my story. It is called ‘The surprise’ - A story title that has come up several times in the 7+ Assessments in the last 16 years.

Enjoy!

The Surprise

The sky was a blanket of starts. Feeling excited, Tim knew something special would happen today. A kind and caring boy, Tim adored surprises. Surrounding him was a dark forest which contained a variety of trees. Some he had never seen before in his life. One particular tree caught his attention. This tree had leaves which were different to all of the others. Beautifully golden in colour, Tim felt compelled to touch one of the leaves. As he did this, he noticed that one of the leaves had intricate writing on it. It said one simple word - ‘Surprise!’

I will mark any story introductions sent to me this week and give personal feedback and next steps. Simply email your child's introductory paragraph to office@creativemindstutors.com

3 Top tips for doing puzzles in preparation for the 4+ Assessments

In their 4+ Assessments, your child will most likely be asked to complete a puzzle. Usually the puzzles are between 25 and 50 pieces, however it could be more and it could be less. It completely depends on the school that your child is sitting Assessment at. However, a good benchmark is for your child to be completing 25 piece puzzles with confidence.

So here are my 3 Top Tips for doing puzzles in preparation for the 4+ Assessments.

1.Quality over quantity

The amount of pieces your child completes is important but not as important as the quality in which they complete their puzzle. What I mean by this is HOW they complete their puzzles.

2. Strategy over speed

How fast your child completes their puzzle in the assessment is important but not as important as the strategies that they use in order to complete their puzzle. What I mean with this is HOW they put the pieces together, how they observe the outer edges of the puzzle, how they look at the picture of the completed puzzle and use this to support them to complete their puzzle.

3. Team work or independent?

Depending on which assessments your child is attending, they may be asked to complete their puzzle independently or as a group. You must prepare for both. As a group, your child needs to have the skills of working as a team, listening, taking turns and being patient. Independently, your child needs to have the skills of focus, perseverance and dedication. All of these take time and practice.

If you need more support with 4+ Assessment preparation, book your Sample lesson today.

With Company Director

With a Senior Tutor

The 3 best books for 4+ Assessment preparation

If you are preparing your child for the 4+, it is vital that you read with them every day. Even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes everyday.

Read to them

Ask them questions

Ask them to make predictions

Ask them to summarise

Ask them the meaning of certain words

Ask them to blend words

Ask them to ask questions

Ask them to talk about the pictures

I could go on!

Top Book 1

The Gruffalo

Top Book 2

Dear Zoo

Top Book 3

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Happy reading!

To book your Sample lesson, click here!

4+ Exam Confusion

These last few weeks I’ve spoken to a lot of parents preparing their children for the 4+ Assessments.

There seems to be quite a lot of confusion going around.

Rather than focusing your thoughts on this confusion, please direct that energy to ensuring that your child is best prepared for their Assessments.

A lot of parents that I’ve spoken to have attended open days at the schools that they would love to send their child to at 4+. There have been many mixed messages. Or at least this is how the parents I have spoken to have interpreted what they have been told.

And here is what I have to say about it.

If you are preparing your child for the 4+ , please ensure that they are best prepared in ALL of the areas of the EYFS curriculum. At the end of the day, regardless of what your child is asked, at least you know that you have covered all bases.

Please don’t neglect certain areas.

Cover everything! And more!

Children at this age LOVE to learn. They are like sponges. Absorbing everything and remembering so much. It is incredible to see.

They are capable of learning everything that you teach them. Trust me, children at this age love to learn. So teach them. Have fun with it. Laugh. Joke. Enjoy it. And if your child absorbs it all, that is the cherry on top!

If you need further support with 4+ Assessment preparation, book a Sample lesson today. We will be delighted to support you every step of the way.

If you are sitting the 4+ Assessments this Academic year, attend this incredible workshop!

Don’t worry it can be completely confidential if you would like it to be! Just don’t switch on your camera for the entirety of the workshop. We will still be able to interact perfectly well and enjoy an evening of phonics and hot chocolate!

On Saturday 21st October, we will all meet on Zoom at 5:30 pm. This is the time of year to wrap up warm with your favourite blanket, grab a delicious cup of hot chocolate and revise some phonics!

If you want to:

Ensure your child knows all of their phonics up to phase 3 (single and double sounds)

Identify any gaps in your child's phonics knowledge.

Spend time with other children and parents also embarking on the same journey as you (you can also keep it confidential by keeping the camera off at all times if you prefer)

Then join us!

This will be your perfect opportunity to work with me. Get to know me as a teacher and the incredible value that I bring to each and every one of my lessons!

After the workshop I will provide a bespoke programme of study to support your child with learning the phonics that they need to know in order to be successful in their 4+ Assessments.

This will be specifically tailored to your child and how they performed in the Workshop.

Resources will be provided and you can simply send these back to me for me to analyse for you.

Ensure your child succeeds in the reading aspect of the 4+ Assessment by attending this incredible Workshop.

Only 4 spaces remaining!

Book here

The Top Schools we prepare for at 7+ and everything that you need to know about them!

1. Habs girls

Haberdashers’ girls’ school is a very popular choice amongst the girls that we prepare for their 7+ Assessments. Our girls who are sitting 7+ at Habs this year either were not successful at 4+ or their parents adore this school and would love for them to go there. One of the things that most fascinates me when I speak to potential new clients about this school is that they don’t know how many spaces are actually available at 7+. And when I tell them, they are often really shocked!

There are only approximately 10 spaces available at 7+

This is of course very surprising because this is a very over subscribed school and hundreds of girls will apply to sit the 7+ Assessments. It is very important to know this information so that you can manage your expectations. It is very simple. In order to be successful, your daughter will need to so very well academically. She will need to score the highest marks in her Assessments.

It’s really that simple!

So here are a few key dates to keep in mind if you are considering the 7+ Assessments this year.

Registration deadline - 10th November 2023

Group Activity Sessions - 28th November 2023

Formal Assessments - 11th December 2023

Interviews (with parents) - 15th and 16th January 2024

All girls who apply will be invited to the Group Activity Session on the 28th of November. The girls will be asked to do a series of tasks in the group activities and they will be assessed according to a certain criteria. Half of the girls will then be called back for the formal assessments. Your child does need to be prepared for the Group Activity.

The formal Assessment consists of Reading, Writing and Maths and a group discussion. If your child is successful in the formal Assessment, they will be invited to an interview togther with their parents.

So essentially Habs Girls has 3 rounds of Assessments.

All 3 rounds need to be carefully prepared for.

Many parents make the mistake of only preparing for the formal Assessment.

We have had excellent success rates for Habs at 7+ which I think is truly a testament to how amazing our tuition is.

2. NLCS

NLCS is yet again another very popular choice of schools that we prepare our girls for at 7+. Again, similar to Habs a lot of our girls apply to this school at 7+ after not being successful in the 4+ Assessments. Other clients just really love this school and really want their daughters to go here.

Just like Habs girls, places offered are minimal. There are only 8-10 places offered at 7+.

So again, it’s very important to manage expectations.

Competition will be high.

Here are some key dates for NLCS:

Registration closes - 8th November 2023

First round - 17th November 2023

Second round - 5th December 2023

The first round involves written tests which assess literacy and numeracy. 

The girls will also need to write an imaginative story using full sentences and some interesting vocabulary, read fluently with understanding and give answers to written questions, write the answers to these questions in simple sentences and complete a maths paper.

Girls who are successful in the first round will be invited to round 2 which will be a full day spent at the school.

So as you can see the Assessment processes at NLCS and at Habs girls are very different. This is why I always say that it is so important to know your school.

Your children need to know exactly what to expect at each round and be thoroughly prepared to them.

We have had excellent success rates for NLCS at 7+ which I think is truly a testament to how amazing our tuition is.

3. Highgate

There are 50 places available for Highgate at 7+ for boys and girls.

Key dates for Highgate:

Applications close on 8th November 2023

First round is Tuesday 5th December 2023 - This will be the academic Assessment and students will complete Assessments in Maths, English and Reasoning.

Second round is in January 2024 - There will be a taster lesson and group interviews.

There is a ‘reserve’ list (waiting list) and this remains open for the rest of the academic year.

We have successfully prepared hundreds of boys and girls for Highgate.

4. South Hampstead

Another popular choice at 7+ with the girls that we prepare.

South Hampstead welcome 24 new girls after the 7+ Assessments to join Year 3.

Key dates for South Hampstead

Registration closes - 6th October

First round - 13th October 2023 - This will be an Academic Assessment (maths, writing, reading and collaborative exercises)

Second round- January 2024 (date not yet specified) Group Assessment

5. UCS 7+

Another popular school at 7+ with our boys.

There are approximately 30 places available to join Year 3 at UCS.

Key dates for UCS

Registration closes - 30th September

Round 1 - In October (date not specified) Small group activities to test the boy’s reading abilities mainly

Round 2 - Formal Assessment (date not specified) English and Maths Assessments.

We have successfully prepared hundreds of boys for UCS.

These are just a few of the schools that we prepare our 7+ students for. There are many others such as Latymer, Westminster, St Pauls, Habs Boys, City, Eltham College, Notting Hill and Ealing, King’s, Wetherby, St Margaret’s, Dulwich College and Godolphin.

If you need support with 7+ Assessment preparation, we offer the highest quality tuition available. All of our exceptional online lessons will take your child’s learning to the next level and ensure that they will receive the best possible results in their 7+ Assessments. We have had had incredible results year after year for the last 16 years and I have no doubt that we will continue to do so!

Why is it so important to know the differences between each school at 7+?

Ive seen this year after year after year.

Parents calling me after the 7+ and telling me that they weren’t expecting this and that. When in reality it was all perfectly written on the school’s website.

I totally get it though. With everything else going on in your life, it can be challenging to pay attention to all of the intricacies of 7+ Assessment preparation.

It is however, so important that your child knows exactly what to expect at each round. Because each round is so different at each school, your child just needs to know and be aware.

Of course, we cannot predict what will come up but by telling your child what to expect, they can be prepared and not be caught off guard. It also ensures that you have the ability to prepare your child to the best of your capacities.

I would suggest you simply create a table of all of the schools that your child will be sitting assessment at and write down exactly what is expected at each round. If you need support with this, simply email me and I will be more than happy to create it for you! (office@creativemindstutors.com)

Book your Sample lesson today with with our Company Director or with a Senior Teacher.

What I would do if I only had 3 months to prepare for the 4+ Assessments!

Phonics

I would cover the 22 graphemes in phase 2 and 3. These are:

P A T I N S M E D O G U B R F L W J Y Z V X

Once my student is confident in all of these and know both the letter name and the sound, I would move onto the digraphs in phase 2 and 3 (2 letters that make 1 sound)

Maths

I would make sure that my student is confident with their place value to 10.

Then subitising to 10.

Writing numbers to 10.

Counting backwards and counting forwards.

Addition and subtraction to 10 (adding on and counting back)

2D and 3D shapes.

Length and height - using language of longer and shorter, heavier and lightest.

Weight and volume - discussing capacity and using language such as more and less.

Creative

I would want my student to be confident with drawing anything that I ask them to draw.

Eg.

house

butterfly

family

face

Animals come up frequently.

Practise drawing. Show your child to scale how big you’d like the drawing to be. Model for them how it should look and get them to practise.

Cutting tasks

Make and create - Junk modelling eg. make a robot out of the egg cartons. Make a boat using only the materials provided.

Writing

Ensure that your child can hold their pen ‘properly’

Show them and model it to them and the practise lots and lots. The writing hand should lean gently on the paper and glide along the page as they write.

If you find that pencil grips will help, use these.

They don’t work for every child. Do what works for your child.

Your child will want to be able to write numbers to 10, all the letters of the alphabet and of course their name.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Find some great website that have general knowledge for 3 year olds.

Here are a few:

Constantly ask them questions about the world and discuss.

Do mini research project about the world. Create posters together and discuss.

Have lots and lots of discussion.

Get them to ask you questions. Take the time to answer them and then ask them another question.

Your child needs to be very confident in having conversations with an adult that they have never met before so please do ensure that you practise this.

Don’t let the Assessment be the first time that your child speaks to someone new and unfamiliar to them.

Confidence

Your child will need to display and element of confidence in the 4+ Assessments.

Please remember that we are all different. And all children are different.

The important thing is that they have a good go and answer questions.

You can be shy and still be confident.

To support your child with this, ensure that they are exposed to different people in the lead up to the assessments, perhaps people that they are unfamiliar with and encourage them to have a conversation with them. To answer their questions. To ask them questions.

Book your Sample lesson today and see for yourself how incredible our lessons are and how we can support your child to shine in their 4+ Assessments.

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

1. They actually like to go somewhere new and unfamiliar to them - when you take them somewhere new, they will go in happily.

2. 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.

3. 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:

1. Your child simple doesn’t want to engage in conversation with the member of staff doing the Assessment.

2. 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. 

What you should and shouldn't tell your child when preparing them for the Assessment Day.

You definitely do not want to be telling your child that they are going on a ‘play date’.

It is definitely not a play date.

Although your child is still so young at this point, you really just want to tell them the facts. Of course tell them that they will have fun - they will! But be very factual.

In order to tell them about the Assessments, you yourself need to know the Assessment process very well. You need to know about each individual school because no two schools are the same.

Remember that children (like us adults) do not like change… at all.

So, make this easier on them by telling the step by step what they will expect.

Discuss each school in order of when they will be sitting it so that it is fresh in their mind.

Eg. ‘When you visit x school, we will drop you off and you will go in with a teacher from the school.

They will take you to a classroom where there will be a group of 10 other children who are a similar age to you.

You will be asked to do different activities such as puzzles, lego, playdough etc.

They will be watching to see how well you focus/listen/show kindness to others/ hard you work etc.

Please follow their instructions when they ask you to do something.

So you can see that you will be giving them very clear step by step instructions about how the day will be and how you would like them to behave.

I would start as early as possible doing this but go in order of assessments otherwise it will be confusing for them.

As always , please tell them that they will be left for 30/45/60 minutes (however long the assessment is) and that mum or dad will come back to collect them afterwards. Explain to them that you would love for them to go in happily and calmly and to not get upset.

Of course, children are not robots and we cannot predict how they will react to this on the day. The only way is to practise leaving them in new and unfamiliar environments in the lead up to the Assessments. The rest is not in your control.

If they do cry or get very emotional before going in, chances are they will not be successful. Not because of the crying or the getting emotional but because they simply won’t be able to perform at their best.

So please prepare them for this as best you can.

For tips, strategies and support with how to do this as effectively as possible, I will be running a Webinar on Saturday 30th September to help you to best support your child to go into their Assessments happily, calmly and with confidence. Click here to book your spot.

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.

Don't prepare for the 4+ Assessments...

Perhaps you are preparing for the 4+ Assessments and you have heard this phrase.

‘Don’t prepare your child for the 4+ Assessments!’

Perhaps you’ve been to an open day at your dream school of choice and you’ve heard this phrase being thrown around…

‘Don’t prepare your child for the 4+ Assessments!’

It’s up to you if you choose to believe it or not.

However, after 16 years doing what I do, I would caution you to think very carefully before believing this.

If children don’t need tuition for the 4+ Assessments why do 90% of children who sit the 4+ Assessments have tuition?

If children don’t need tuition for the 4+ Assessments why do I hear from so many parents each year who reach out to me after the Assessments and ask me to help to prepare their child for the 7+?

If children don’t need tuition for the 4+ Assessments why is it that usually the children who are unsuccessful (not always!) are the ones who don’t get in?

I’m just speaking from experience here.

It is very rare that I hear from parents who tell me that their child was successful at gaining entry to their dream school of choice without tuition.

The exception to this is parents of children whose sibling has already been successful and who has had tuition. These parents are able to know what is expected at the 4+ because they have experienced it before and are therefore better equipped to support their second child to be successful the second time around.

My advice is this.

Don’t pay too much attention to this phrase.

Don’t focus on what you cannot control.

Focus on what you can control.

You can control how prepared your child is so that they are best prepared to have tremendous success in their Assessments. You can control how much time you spend each day reading with your child. You can control how well they know their phonics. You can control how well they can hold their pencil. You can control if they know their numbers to 10 and can write them. You can control if your child can write all of the letters of the alphabet. You can control if your child can write their name. You can control if your child can answer general knowledge questions. I could go on and on!

If you’d like further support with the 4+ Assessments, book your Sample lesson today.

Further information about the 4+ Assessments August 2023

Let’s talk about subitising.

This simply means that your child can say the amount of objects without counting them, For example looking at the dots on a dice and knowing their value without having to count them individually.

Children will be assessed on this in the 4+ Assessments.

Your child may be asked to count items/objects individually or this may be asked to say how many they can see. Of course, your child can choose to count individually but in my experience, as children gain more skill and confidence with their counting, they will able to demonstrate subitising and immediately say, ‘That is the number 4 of the dice face’ rather than counting each dot individually.

This is the skill of subitising.

It is important because it will lay the foundation to support your child with more complex maths skills as they make more and more progress.

How often should you teach phonics?

There is no one size fits all here.

All children are different.

Some children will need more time and some will need far less. Some children focus for longer and some for less. Some children want to sit down for longer periods of time and some for far less.

If my opinion and in my experience, little and often is best. 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening every evening is optimum.

Short bursts of learning are key at this age. No one wants to sit for hours at the age of 2 or 3.

What are your thoughts?

Is your child happy to leave you?

All of my clients worry about this one. This one is completely not in your control because no matter how much you prepare for this, you just do not know what will happen on the day of the Assessment. However, it is very important to practice the skill of leaving your child in new and unfamiliar environments and ensuring that they are happy for this to happen.

If your child is upset on the day of the Assessment they will not show their best learning. They will either be too upset to focus or they will just be wanting you to come back the whole time.

Here are my two top tips to prepare your child for being left at the 4+ Assessment:

1. Practise leaving them for short periods of time in new places (eg. creches, nurseries, with friends etc.

2. Talk to them about it frequently and explain to them what it will be like.

To which number do children need to be able to count up to?

This will vary from school to school. Each school will have their own criteria in the Assessment,

At the very minimum your child will need to be able to confidently count up to 10, recognise numbers to 10 and write numbers to 10. In our lessons, we always aim to go up to 20 and beyond. Because regardless of what is assessed, if our students are confident up to 10, we can definitely move them onto larger numbers.

If you are teaching the numbers to 20, please make sure that you teach your child the value of the digits. Eg. That the number 12 is 10 + 2. This is very important. You can use physical resources like numicon to visually support your child to see the value of the numbers. You can also count physical items. This is where you can also practice subitising by asking your child if they can visually see what the number is without counting it.

Does your child show a good level of focus and understanding?

This is a big ask of any child who is 3 years old. However, this is one of the many things that will be assessed in the 4+ Assessment.

So how can you support your child to work on their focus and concentration?

Model it. Show them how you focus and concentrate on a specific task.

Practice it - Start with small amounts of time and build up to larger lengths of time. Eg. Today we will do a puzzle for 2 minutes and we will only focus on that. As time goes on, increase the time.

Don't make it a big deal.

If your 3 year old doesn't focus and doesn't want to concentrate please don't make it a big deal. We are asking a lot from them.

It's all good if they lose their focus, just tell them that you will try again another time and let them do what they want to do.

Come back to the activity another time and try again.

If they do focus for whichever amount of time you allocated to the task, make a big deal out of it. Praise them but make it specific.

Well done, you focused for 2 minutes on the puzzle. Amazing, you concentrated for 3 minutes.

3 months Intensive 7+ Assessment Preparation from September 2023

Perhaps you’ve been preparing your child yourself for the 7+ and would like that extra bit of support in preparation for the assessments in December/January.

Perhaps you’ve had tuition elsewhere and would like to try out what we have to offer.

Perhaps you feel that your child needs that extra bit of support.

Perhaps you want to make sure that you’ve covered everything that you need to cover for each specific school.

Whatever your reason, there is not better time to book our three month intensive 7+ Assessment preparation.

You will book the Silver or Gold Package - 1 or 2 lessons a week (60/120 minutes) and you will see immediate progress

This intensive preparation package is by application only and only students who are successful in the assessment that they are sent will be enrolled. Successful applicants will score a minimum of 80% in all assessments. The assessments will be created bespoke for your child depending on the schools that they will be sitting assessment at.

It is FREE to submit your application. Once we receive your application, you will be sent an assessment with instructions as to how to complete.

Once returned, they will be marked and you will be informed if your child has been successful. If your child is successful, they will be invited to a 30 minute Sample lesson (£40) so that you can meet your teacher. If you are happy to proceed, tuition will begin the following week.

Click here to submit your Application today.

Sample story writing. An example of a 'good story' introduction

Story Title - Lost

Introduction

There was once a girl named Sally. An adventurous girl, Sally adored to visit new places and have new experiences. One dark, dismal morning, Sally was out walking peacefully in the beautiful woods. Admiring the tall trees that loomed above her head, she felt as though she were a tiny ant. Although she had walked in these woods thousands of times, the beauty of them always astounded her. Quietly, she crept behind a bush and lay her head down to rest for a moment. The sunshine made her feel all warm and cozy. Before she knew it, several hours had passed and she had fallen asleep. When she woke up, she could not recognise where she was. This wasn’t the place that she had fallen asleep in. She was totally lost.

This is an excellent introduction because the structure is very clear.

My student clearly introduces the character, the setting and the problem.

She uses excellent sentence openers.

She uses a variety of adjectives.

It is creative and imaginative.

Her use of punctuation is superb.

Her spelling and handwriting were also excellent.

Does story writing stress you out? Here's how to change that!

If story writing for the 7+ stresses you out, you are not alone.

Most of my clients feel an element of stress and anxiety when it comes to story writing.

I hear questions like -

“Why can’t she do it yet?”

“Why doesn’t she want to do it?”

and comments like -

“Story writing is just so hard!”

“There’s not way she will pass if she continues to write like that!”

First of all, take a deep breath.

Story writing does not need to be stressful.

It’s all about having realistic expectations. Knowing where your child is when you start story writing with them and knowing where you want to get them to is also very important.

Every child that I teach has a different starting point but they all have the same end point. To be able to write an effective story in their 7+ Assessments that will get them the highest possible marks.

So this is what I work towards.

I set realistic expectations for my students and I tell them what these are.

I don’t give them 10 or 12 things that I expect them to do. I give them 2 or 3. This is much more achievable.

I might say to them:

I would like you to introduce your character and use 3 excellent adjectives.

I would like you to introduce your setting and use one superb sentence opener.

I would like you to introduce the problem and be as creative as you can.

That’s it.

With time, you will see that you will be able to do more and more.

Trust in the process.

Take your time with it.

Definitely don’t leave it to the last minute and just enjoy it.

In my experience, children adore story writing (maybe not in the beginning) but trust me after a few months, they absolutely love writing stories and your child will too!

If you need more support with story writing, book your Sample lesson today.