The two main reasons your child was unsuccessful in their 4+ Assessment

I speak to a lot of parents who often tell me that they really do not understand why their child was unsuccessful in their 4+ Assessment. After hearing a few facts from them and a small amount of information, I am able to reveal to them the reason/s why.

There are so many reasons why your child might have been unsuccessful in their 4+ Assessments but here are the two main reasons.

Avoid these in order to have the highest chances for success in your child’s 4+ Assessment/s.

Here are the two main reasons in no particular order.

1. They did not meet the behavioural expectations of the school.

Each school will have their own set of criteria that the children must meet in order to pass the Assessment. These range from - being polite, showing kindness, being able to share, listening well to others etc. If your child doesn’t meet these expectations or shows something that goes against these expectations, they will not be successful.

2. They did not meet the academic expectations of the school.

Each school will have their own set of academic criteria that the children must meet in order to pass the Assessment. This is self explanatory. If your child cannot do several academic things that are on the list, they will not be successful.

You need to be very aware about what the academic and behavioural expectations are at each school that you are applying to.

Know those two things and you are golden! Your child will have a far higher chance for success in their 4+ Assessments.

Book your Sample lesson today.

5 facts you probably didn't know about the 4+ at UCS

1. There are 32 places available to join the pre- prep Reception class each year.

Many parents that I speak to often seem surprised about this. They often tend to think that there are far more places available than there actually are.

Hundreds and hundreds of boys will apply to sit their 4+ Assessment each year at UCS.

2. You can register for the 4+ Assessment at UCS any time after birth!

UCS is very over subscribed. Be aware of this.

3. Everyone who applies to sit the 4+ Assessment at UCS will be invited to the first Round. There will be hundreds and hundreds of boys at the 4+ Assessment dates at UCS at Round 1. There are 3 different dates for the 4+ Assessment (in 2025 the dates are 3rd, 6th and 7th January)

4. You are told to not prepare your son for this school and I highly recommend that you completely disregard this.

5. It is 100% NOT a playdate Assessment so don’t treat it as one.

We have had tremendous success preparing our boys for the 4+ at UCS for over 14 years and we would be delighted to support you.

Book your Sample Lesson today!

Why it's not enough to just write a 'simple story' in the 7+ Assessments.

I spoke to a potential new client who is currently preparing her son for his 7+ Assessment at Latymer.

We spoke in detail about the 7+ Assessment at this particular school and it was clear to me that she didn’t know very much about the expectations and the level needed in order to actually be successful at gaining entry to this school at 7+.

She said to me, ‘He is so strong with his maths, I know that he will ace the maths paper!’

I asked her if he was strong in the year 3 curriculum.

She stopped.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked me.

Yes, you need to cover some of the Year 3 maths curriculum to be successful in the maths Assessment at this school.

Next she told me, ‘He hates writing but that doesn’t matter, he only needs to write a simple story.’

I told her that his is absolutely not the case and that Latymer takes story writing very seriously and they expect to see a high quality story written by the students who sit their 7+ Assessments.

To be completely honest, I don’t think she believed me.

Why would I lie?

I’ve been doing this for over 14 years.

I know what Latymer is looking for.

And I know exactly what my students must do in order to be successful.

It’s not easy.

But with the right support, your child will be successful in their 7+ Assessment at this school.

Take it seriously. Be prepared. Understand the expectations and let’s go!

Book your Sample Lesson today.

We prepare our students up to the Year 3 Curriculum for most schools at 7+

If your child will be sitting their 7+ Assessments, you may have wondered about what the level of difficulty will be like. Depending on the school that you are applying to, the level will be high.

The expectations will be high.

Your child will be expected to be at mastery level in the Year 2 Curriculum and they will have covered some of the Year 3 curriculum too. Some of my students (depending on the school/s that I am preparing them for) will also have covered some of the Year 4 Curriculum.

It is important to prepare your child to go in to these 7+ Assessments and be comfortable at answering as many questions as possible.

There is so much to cover when preparing for the 7+ Assessments.

You need to consider -

Writing

Reading

Spelling

Maths

Problem solving

Verbal

Non verbal

Interview skills

Communication skills

Speed of completing tasks

Accuracy and precision of answers given

To name a few.

We have been doing this for over 14 years.

We have had exceptional results year after year after year.

Let us support you to have the highest chances for success in your child’s 7+ Assessments.

Book your Sample Lesson today!

Why this is so misleading when preparing your child for their 7+ Assessments.

I completed an analysis of several top London School’s websites that provide information about the 7+ Assessments at their schools. Many of the schools specify this-

‘To be successful your child must be working at greater depth within the Year 2 Curriculum.’

I believe this to be very misleading.

As a parent who might be preparing their child for their 7+ Assessments, you might think that in order to pass, your child will need to be working at greater depth in the Year 2 curriculum.

Which term?

This is usually not specified.

Your child will need to be working at greater depth in ALL of the Year 2 Curriculum.

Keep in mind that their Assessments will be at the end of the Autumn term or the very beginning of the Spring term.

So let’s be clear about that to begin with.

It is also misleading because in some Assessments, children will be assessed in some of the Year 3 and even Year 4 curriculum.

For example, at one Top London boys’ school, they expect children to know their Year 3/4 spelling words because they always assess them on these.

At another Top London girls’ school, they expect children to answer double digit multiplication and long division questions. Both of these are absolutely not in the Year 2 curriculum.

These are just a few examples and I could give you many more.

At the end of the day, in order to guarantee the most successful outcome possible in the 7+ Assessments, you must work with someone who know the schools that you are applying to and knows them well.

There are too many elements to each 7+ Assessment and you must know them well in order to prepare your child to the highest possible standard and guarantee success in their 7+ Assessment.

We have a proven track record of exceptional results at all top inner and outer London Schools at 7+.

Book your Sample Lesson Today!

7+ Assessment Recommended Reading List (2025 Entry)

Read well.

Read often.

Build vocabulary.

Understand well.

Answer questions with accuracy.

These are the 5 pillars of Reading success in the 7+ Assessments. Be able to do all 5 of these and you are golden.

So which books should your child be reading?

Here is my updated 7+ Assessment Reading list for children sitting entry in 2025.

I haven’t just picked these out of thin air.

I have analysed and studied the Assessments in the last 3 years and compiled a list based on the level and content of what has previously come up at a variety of schools.

These books will also help you, as parents understand the reading level expected from your child when they sit their 7+ Assessments. It’s usually higher than you think that it will be!

Fiction

Michael Bond - Paddington Series

Enid Blyton - Famous Five Series

Jennifer Gray - Atticus Claw Series

The Hodgeheg - Dick King Smith

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate Di Camillo

Roald Dahl Series - My favourite is ‘The Minpins’ to support story writing!

David Walliams Series

Charlottes Web - E.B White

How to Train Your Dragon. - Cressida Cowell

Non Fiction

Survivors - David Long

How to be a doctor and other life saving jobs - Dr Punam Krishan

Histories biggest show offs - Andy Seed

Kay’s Incredible Inventions - Adam Kay

Women in Sports - Rachel Ignotofsky

You are History - Greg Jenner

Expose your child to a variety of genres.

Keep reading!

Don't make this one mistake if you are preparing for a 4+ Assessment!

Don’t make this one mistake if you are preparing for the 4+ Assessments for 2025 Entry

 This week, I’ve been receiving lots of enquiries from parents of children who are sitting their 4+ Assessments for 2025 Entry.

 The parents I speak to always have hundreds of questions for me!

 One sentence I keep hearing over and over again is this, ‘We will wait a few more months and then we will be ready to begin.’

 Please don’t make this mistake.

 The time to start is now and not in 2-3 months.

 Let’s think about this carefully.

 In 3 months it will already be July.

 That means that you are only leaving between 3-6 months of Assessment preparation (depending on when the first round of the 4+ Assessment is).

 This is not enough time.

 I only every share the results of our students who have at least 9 months of preparation.

 There is a reason for this.

 So if you are preparing for the 4+ Assessments for 2025 entry, please don’t delay starting your Assessment preparations.

 The time to start is right now.

Make this very important investment into your child’s future.

 Book your Sample Lesson Today.

Is one nursery better than another when preparing for the 4+ Assessments?

Is one nursery really better than the other when it comes to preparing for the 4+ Assessments?

I honestly think that the answer to this question is no.

I have prepared hundreds of children for their 4+ Assessments over the last 14 years.

I’ve prepared children who have gone to very prestigious nurseries who have not been successful and I have prepared children who have gone to ‘normal’ nurseries who have been successful. I’ve also prepared children who have never attended a nursery in their lives and have been very successful!

 Many of my clients fixate on the idea that their child needs to go to the ‘best’ nursery in order to have a higher chance for success in their 4+ Assessments and this is simply not the case.

These are the questions that I’d like you to ask yourself.

 Does my child’s nursery know the schools that I am applying to well?

 Does my child’s nursery know what will happen on the day of the Assessment?

 Does my child’s nursery know the expectations of the schools?

 Does my child’s nursery benefit from my child being successful to the schools that we are applying to?

 If the answer to all of these questions is YES, then great!

 Most likely the answer to all of these questions is NO.

 To be successful in the 4+ Assessments, you must work with someone who is able to do two things and do them very well!

 1.     Know the schools and what they actually want

2.     Has actual experience at getting children into the schools that you are applying to

 So please don’t spend too much time choosing the ‘perfect’ nursery to prepare your child for their 4+ Assessments. There’s no such thing. Choose a nursery that you like and choose a nursery that your child likes. That’s all that matters. Then choose a teacher who can do the two things that I mentioned.

Does it matter which nursery your child goes to when preparing for the 4+?

A lot of my clients spend a lot of time worrying about the ‘right’ nursery to send their child to.

They want the best for their child. I totally understand. I want the best for my child too.

But ultimately where you send your child to nursery won’t make much difference to how your child does in their 4+ Assessment.

Unless your child is very unhappy in their current nursery, I wouldn’t move them. I had one client who was very unhappy with her son’s nursery. She had been asking them to help him with his emotional and social development but this wasn’t happening and he wasn’t flourishing. In our lessons, he was withdrawn and often wouldn’t answer my questions.

In this instance, I suggested for him to be moved to another nursery. Together we chose a nursery that we thought would suit his needs and as soon as the move was made, he was much happier.

Notice that I didn’t suggest we move him because of the 4+. I suggested we move him for his own personal wellbeing.

Another client of mine sent her child to a top Nursery in Kensington paying nearly £4000 per term and she had huge difficulties in getting the Nursery to support her with her daughter’s 4+ Assessment preparations. The Nursery didn’t put a big emphasis on phonics but her daughter needed to be able to read for several of her 4+ Assessments.

I didn’t suggest we move her.

In our lessons we work on everything that we need to work on in order to be successful in any 4+ Assessment.

So my answer is No it doesn’t matter which Nursery you send your child to when you are preparing for the 4+Assessments. As long as you see that your child is happy and is enjoying nursery that’s all that matters. If the nursery is able to support you with some aspects of the 4+ Assessment preparation - that’s even better. I find that most nurseries are very open to helping parents. It just takes a conversation and some information about what you are preparing for.

Is your child 'emotionally ready' for school?

‘Emotional readiness’ will be assessed in the 4+ Assessments.

In fact, I believe that this is the most important deciding factor when considering the students that these top schools want to attend their schools.

So what does this even mean?

Being ‘emotionally ready’ means exactly what it says.

It means that your child is ready to go to school. It means that your child is ready to leave you for a good period of time. It means that your child is ready to go into their assessment independently. It means that you child is ready to complete tasks with enthusiasm and confidence. It means that you child is happy to be left alone in a new and unfamiliar environment.

All of these aspects will demonstrate to a school that your child is ‘emotionally ready’.

What will show a school that your child is not ‘emotionally ready’ for school in an assessment?

Not going in happily - If your child is upset to leave you when you get to the Assessment this will be an indication that they are not ‘emotionally ready’. I do think this is harsh because children are not robots and perhaps on that particular day, they are not feeling great or they’ve not had a good sleep or they’re just not in the mood. It doesn’t matter. On the day of the Assessment, if they don’t go in happily and calmly, it will show that they are not ‘emotionally ready’.

Not wanting to complete tasks independently - If your child doesn’t want to take part in the activities set up by the schools in will demonstrate to them that they are not ‘emotionally ready’. For example, if they say that it’s too hard or that they can’t do it, these will all be key indicators that they are not ‘emotionally ready’.

Being ‘emotionally ready’ is a huge ask at the ages of 3 and 4!

The main thing that I will tell you is to at least make sure that your child will leave you when you get to the Assessment. So many parents have received calls to come and collect their child from their 4+ Assessments because they just wouldn’t calm down. They wouldn’t have been successful.

You will know that your child will be happy to leave you when you’ve practised it enough times. This will be different for each child. Essentially, you want to be able to have left your child somewhere new and unfamiliar to them many times before they get to their Assessments.

Intellectual Curiosity will be observed in all 4+ Assessments

I went to visit a top London school last week. I am currently looking around for my own son to see which schools would suit him best. The school I visited mentioned ‘Intellectual Curiosity’.

These types of words do not surprise me at all when referring to the 4+ Assessments.

Some parents who were at the school with me were very surprised.

‘How can they expect this from a 3 year old?’

‘This is ridiculous!’

‘My child is only 2/3!’

These were some of the comments that I heard in the room.

So what exactly is intellectual curiosity?

It’s just a fancy phrase for ‘actually wanting to learn’. Wanting to find answers. Wanting to know more. Asking lots of (interesting) questions. Well thought out questions. Learning new things quickly. Finding solutions to solving problems.

To me this is what intellectual curiosity is.

Why are these top schools looking for children who are intellectually curious?

These top schools will have hundreds of children applying for very few places.

They want children who actually want to learn.

When a child actually wants to learn, you don’t have to teach them to want to learn.

I believe that all children want to learn. So I disagree with this.

Perhaps some children just haven’t been given the environments to learn and thrive in.

I believe that all children are naturally curious and inquisitive. So I disagree with this too.

However, I understand that this is what these top schools want. And I understand that this is what they will be observing. And I also understand that if your child doesn’t demonstrate intellectual curiosity that they will not be successful in their 4+ Assessment.

We prepare our students so that they will go into their Assessments and demonstrate intellectual curiosity.

It can be taught and it is taught through our carefully planned bespoke packages of learning.

Book your School Choices Free Consultation to discuss your choice of schools and the next steps for your child.

The truth nobody told you about online 4+ Assessment preparation.

After doing this for over 14 years let me tell you this truth.

This is the biggest misconception that I’ve come across with preparing hundreds of students for their 4+ Assessment.

The misconception that in order for a child to be able to focus, the teacher needs to be physically in the room with them. In order to have success, the teacher needs to be physically in the room.

I disagree.

Having taught children online and in person, let me tell you why this is simply not the truth,

In person, the teacher can be more ‘controlling’ and therefore remove that sense of independence from the young student. Teaching online is a skill and I absolutely agree that not every one is highly skilled to be able to teach a two year old online. But if you find the person who is, it is just magical.

Online, your child has to develop the skills of:

focus

resilience

independence

In person, the student doesn’t have to work so hard to focus because the teacher can guide them to focus and manipulate that focus by helping them to do it. Online, my students practise the skill of focussing because I am not physically in the room. This skill will serve them very well in the real 4+ Assessment. Being able to focus at the age of 3 or 4 is the hardest skill to master. Also, during our online lessons my students develop their communication very quickly because they need to explain everything to me.

In the 4+ Assessment, there will be no one helping your child to focus.

In person, the student is not as independent because the teacher is there by their side. I’ve seen this happen hundreds of times before where there is far too much support for the student but I will talk about this in a separate blog.

In the 4+ Assessment, there will be no one helping your child to be independent.

We offer the highest quality support with our incredible online lessons. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to have the best quality support because you think in person will somehow be superior.

It isn’t.

See for your self by booking your Sample lesson today.

What if my child doesn't pass their 4+ Assessment?

An important question to consider?

The 4+ Assessments are not ‘easy’ to pass.

Without thorough preparation, it will be challenging to pass these Assessments at most top inner and outer London schools.

Many parents don’t consider this question until after the fact.

I think it’s an important question to think about.

If you are preparing for the 4+ Assessments for 2025 entry, no doubt you have been preparing your child for the last few months. Whether you have a private tutor or not, my hope is that you have started Assessment preparations.

You have your list of schools and you are preparing your child specifically for each individual school (remember that the Assessments will be very different at each school that you are applying to)

Go all in and prepare your child for their 4+ Assessments.

So what if your child doesn’t pass their 4+ Assessments?

Hear me when I say that it does happen (not if you work with us for the needed time to prepare for these Assessments)

Here are your options if your child is not successful.

1. Choose a good pre-prep school to send your child to (there are selective pre-preps and non selective ones) We also support our students with being successful at gaining entry to top pre-prep schools across London and outer London.

2. Choose a good state school to send your child to.

3. Start preparing for the 7+ Assessments + choose one of the above in the interim.

If you’re ready to go all in and get the support your child deserves for their 4+ Assessments, book your School Choices FREE consultation today. In our 30 minute consultation, we will discuss:

• Your choice of schools.

• Expectations at each school and how to start preparing your child.

• How we can work together to achieve the best results for your child.

Where to start if you are preparing you child for their 4+ Assessments.

So you’ve decided that you’d like your child to sit their 4+ Assessments for 2025 entry but you have no clue where to start?

You are definitely not alone.

If you are like most clients of mine when they start working with me, they will be preparing their first child for their 4+ Assessments. Some of my clients are preparing their second child for their 4+ Assessments and therefore have some knowledge and understanding of the schools that they are applying to. But this is usually the exception.

Perhaps you’ve been to an open day and you’ve been told to absolutely not tutor your child or perhaps your neighbour sat their child for their 4+ Assessment last year and had 2 years of Assessment preparation. Who do you listen to? These are two extremes after all!

Whilst you don’t need two years of tuition to prepare for the 4+ Assessments, your child absolutely does need to be prepared appropriately for each school that they are sitting Assessment at.

Whether you do it yourself or seek the help of a professional, please hear me when I say that your child definitely will need preparation in order to be successful. Even if a school says that their Assessment will be play based (it won’t be!) please prepare your child.

So here is where I advise you to start with your Assessment preparation.

You need to choose your target schools and ensure you apply before the deadlines.

Choose 3 of your favourites

Choose 2 that you like

Choose 1 or 2 back up schools (ideally schools that don’t have Assessments) Should your child not be successful (highly unlikely if you work with us with at least 6 months of preparation time!) you can then prepare them for their 7+ Assessments starting from January of their Reception year.

You should then schedule your School Choices Free Consultation to discuss your choices of schools and how to best prepare for them.

In our 30 minute consultation, we will discuss:

• Your choice of schools

• Expectations at each school and how to start preparing your child

• How we can work together to achieve the best results for your child.

Ultimately what you want is for your child to be successful to as many schools as possible so that you will have the choice of where you would like them to go. Choosing the best school for your child is one of the most important decisions of you life. We will support you every step of the way.

Ready to book your Sample Lesson, click here! I will be in touch with you to book your lesson.

NLCS 7+ Assessment update (2024 Entry)

First of all, it’s very important to note that this school only has 8-10 places available in Year 3.

So, only 8-10 girls will pass their 7+ Assessment.

Competition will be fierce. Hundreds of girls will apply for entry at 7+.

A lot of parents want their girls to get in at 7+ so that they can avoid having to do the 11+.

Understandable!

The Sample papers on the website do not give you an idea of what the Assessment will be like. Those papers have been the same since I first started my teaching career (14 years ago!)

Use them - but the level of the Assessment will be far higher than this.

Round 1 -

The first stage involves preliminary written tests which assess literacy and numeracy.  For the first stage tests, candidates will be expected 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.

Understand the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and ‘sharing’/division and be able to apply these rules in order to solve word problems.

Know the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables.

Have a basic understanding of shape, time and money.

Interpret simple tables and charts.

Round 2 - Selected students are called back for the second stage of the process, which consists of a day at school where they will be taught as a class and experience the learning and excitement of a busy school day at North London.

Round 1 is extremely hard to pass.

Your daughter will need to be scoring 85% in all of their practise papers in the lead up to their Assessment.

Please ensure that your daughter is able to do this independently and without your support.

This will be the expectation on the day.

Story writing expectations at this school are very high.

We have an incredible success rate for preparing our girls successfully for 7+ at this school. Each year, 1 or 2 of the girls who gain entry to NLCS have been taught and prepared by Creative Minds Tutors. This is something we are extremely proud of.

Preparing for NLCS at 7+?

Join our Waiting List Today!

3 Reasons why you should attend our 7+ Easter Story Writing Workshop!

Our phenomenal Easter Story Writing Workshop will take place on Wednesday 10th April @ 10.

This 30 minute workshop will be a game changer for your child’s 7+ Assessment preparation.

For only £60, here is the incredible value that you will receive:

1. A 30 minute intensive Workshop with our Company Director, Maria Mazarese.

   Maria has prepared hundreds of children for their 7+ Assessments at all top London schools with exceptional results year after year over the last 14 years.

2. There will be a maximum of 5 children only in the Story Writing Workshop.

3. After the Workshop, your child will write their story and you will have the opportunity to email it to Maria. It will be marked with detailed feedback and send back to you.

4. Your child will then write their second draft.

5. You will have the opportunity to have unlimited contact with Maria for the duration of the time it takes for your child to complete their second draft.

Highgate 7+ Assessment Update (2024 Entry)

A very challenging Assessment.

50 children will pass their 7+ Assessments in 2025 to join 60 children who are already in the Pre-prep.

Registration hasn’t opened yet for 2025 Entry but on their website you can register your details and they will inform you about when Registration will open.

Round 1 will be the English and Maths Assessment.

There will be two maths papers - one arithmetic and one reasoning.

The maths sample test provided on their website is just a selection of a few questions and is not indicative of how long the test will be at Highgate! The test is a lot longer than what is shown in the Sample paper! (Same goes for English!)

The English paper will be two written comprehension. Yes, two! And a creative task (story writing) The story writing will be an extended answer based on the comprehension passages.

When you sign up for tuition with us, we will prepare your child so that they will be confident in all of the areas that they will be assessed in. We know this school very well and we know exactly what is needed in order to be very successful at this school.

The second round will be an interview and activity day. This will consist of a lesson at the school together with other candidates and a group interview.

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to prepare for Round 2. It is just as important as preparing for Round 1.

Don’t leave this to the last minute please.

Habs' Boys 7+ Assessment Update (2024 Entry)

The second round at Habs’ Boys surprised most parents this year. Not us!

We prepare for all eventualities.

I of course will not reveal why it surprised most parents in this blog. But if you are preparing for Habs’ boys for 2025 entry, we will ensure that your child will not be surprised in this round! Or the other round!

So there are two rounds of Assessments.

Round 1 assessed:

English

Maths

Reasoning

Round 2 is a group assessment and a chance for the school to get to know your child on a more individual basis.

To pass round 1, your son will need to be very strong academically. We aim to prepare our boys so that they are at Mastery level (Year 2) and we also dip into the Year 3 and 4 curriculum (where relevant)

Knowing this school so well historically gives us that slight edge over other companies.

My main advice to you is to not leave Assessment preparation to the last minute. It is very risky. You will want at least 12 months of Assessment preparation to be ready for this Assessment.

Preparing for Habs’ Boys at 7+?

Get in touch!

UCS 7+ Assessment Update - Lessons learnt from 2024

UCS

UCS is one of our most popular boys’ schools that we prepare our boys for at 7+.

This is an exceptional school and very popular amongst our clients.

It is a tough school to get into.

With the correct preparation however, you will give your son the highest possible chances for success at this school. And at passing their 7+ Assessment.

In the Autumn term your son will be invited for a Reading Assessment and will do ‘listening and discussion’ exercises. This is just to make sure that your child can read well enough in order to actually be able read the questions asked in the Assessment. 60 boys will pass their 7+ and be admitted into 3 classes in Year 3 at UCS.

Registration for 2025 is now open. Visit the UCS website to register your son.

A report is requested from your son’s current school and this report will be very important.

In January the boys’ sit their Assessment which consists of:

Maths

English

Social interaction observation

Behaviour observation

The Assessment is long and stamina will be important - It is a 3 hour Assessment (including a short break)

The UCS Assessment in 2024 was as usual a challenging one. The level of questions asked was high in both Maths and English.

UCS 7+ Assessment Results 2024 Entry

Your son will need to have very high level of comprehension and be able to answer all question types to a very high standard. Excellent behaviour will be required as well as superb listening skills and answering questions to a very high standard.

Why being 'bright' isn't enough to pass the 4+ Assessments

Of course as parents we all think that our child has something amazing about them. That they have that spark. That they are the most talented, most beautiful and most amazing human beings.

And of course they are!

They are our children!

But please get this out of your head when you are preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments. You are not the one assessing your child. They will be assessed by someone who does not know them and who has no emotional tie to them. They’ve probably never even met your child before.

They will be one of many applying to the school/s that you have chosen.

I spoke to a mother yesterday who contacted me to find out more about 4+ Assessment preparation for North London Collegiate. After a brief conversation, she said to me, ‘You know Maria, I’m not worried. My daughter is bright. I won’t be preparing her. After all, she’s only 3. She will go in and do her best.’

I told her to not do this.

She thanked me and went on her way.

I highly doubt that her daughter will pass her 4+ Assessment at this school. Without preparation, it will be very challenging.

With preparation it is challenging!

So if your child is ‘bright’, just remember that this is not enough. They are not only assessing academia. The academic aspect of the Assessment is one small part of the Assessment.

How your child answers questions will be assessed.

How confident your child is when they speak will be assessed.

How your child follows instructions will be assessed.

How compliant your child is will be assessed.

I could go on and on and on.

Prepare your child if they are going to be sitting their 4+ Assessments.

Book your Sample lesson today.