Mumsnet Talk

We are living in Belgium at the moment and will be coming back to the uk this summer. I found a few schools I liked the look of . I should explain Ds is 5 and where we are they do no formal teaching until 6, it's just playtime all day st schools until 6. So we moved to an international school in November so he could start catching up to uk system and he has done really well, but is still being where a child in the uk would be I know this isn't really a problem for him as he is intelligent (not claiming he is a genius) and a quick learner.
I told the schools we visited the truth and explained where he was and what he had learnt etc, one school said it's not a problem if he needs a bit of extra support they will provide it, and they were happy to wait and see how he progresses etc.
The other school wants to asses him, and I am worried, I know he is behind, and I offered to have him tutored in the holidays so he can catch up etc, I have no Idea why I am so worried .
What will they be assessing at age 5 does anyone know.

My DD has just had an assessment for a Year 1 place in a pre prep. She spent the morning in class joining in with their regular timetable and then during playtime she was taken out for a literacy and maths assessment. She told me that she had to read a book that she had already read, to do some writing and complete a maths sheet which from what I had gleaned covered quite a lot of the yr1 national curriculum, so basic addition and subtraction and clocks.

The school is not hugely selective and my impression was that they tested her at the bottom level of the class and by having her in for the morning wanted to make sure that she fitted in with the existing group of children.

Why not just go for the school that said no problem?

though ime these schools like to intimidate you with talk of assessments and the reality is usually just checking they are not taking on a child with special needs they will not be able to cope with.

The other school is in a different area.
Thanks for that info re the assessment I thought it was best to be honest , they must have some experience many European countries don't start teaching until 6 I was hoping a private school may have had some experience of this. He has no special needs, his current teacher is really impressed with him.
Now I haven't any idea what to do.

I would imagine that from DS's perspective it will just be a fun school day - nothing onerous - and as for why, as maybetimeforachange says, they just want to get an idea of where he is vs the rest of the class (so how much support he will need to "catch up") - and whether it is just you who thinks he is quick.

If they are not looking for what he is capable of, rather than what he has been taught, then I wouldn't touch the school with a bargepole anyway, in all honesty.

Daughter 2 was reading at 3. Daughter 1 didn't really read to 6. They both got in on assessments like that.
They look for can you sit still. Can you concentrate. Can you hold a pencil. Can you recognise your name. Can you count. Perhaps can you kick a ball. Do you punch the other children and spit. Can you never sit still.

I would make sure he knows how to sit next to you and follow a b ook, page by page. Can he write his name or the first letter of it? He might be asked to pick the letter of his name out of a box.

You may be right stealth I am under no illusion that he is a genius but he is able, i hope they are looking at what he is capable of. I guess there is no way to find out but to go to the assessment.

You are also under a slightly false impression believing private schools will be more used to pupils who come from a non-traditional background (eg. have come from countries where they start later). In my experience State schools are far more used to this.
Also in the SE I have known pupils be accepted to very academic schools, although having previously been in other education systems (eg. US). However as competition for places in schools in this region is increasing (at least at the top of the league table ones), I do wonder if they will find it as easy to take such pupils now.

However assessment does not mean just sitting tests and exams, but is about observing the whole person, and can be as much to see how they can help.

Good luck!

Every school any of my dc have been to give every single child an assessment. It is because they have more applications than places. It isn't a judgement on your child it is just a way to select which children are accepted.

If they have 40 applications for a pre-prep with 16 places, how else do they do it?

Oh, ignore that.
Places have already been allocated for many schools haven't they? So they must know they have room.

It is too early for my brain. thank god they don't assess parents

<<lies down>>

Also practice things like following multistep instructions, putting parts of a story in sequence, working in pairs/small groups, getting dressed without help. I doubt at this stage you would have anything to worry about especially if English is his first language and he already has some basic phonic and mathematical knowledge(like identify 1-d shapes, more than/less than, counting on and back, number bonds to 10 or 20) . He just needs to be able to fit within the academic range of the existing children in that year group and at Reception/Year 1 that is often quite vast.

oh and the school's website might give you information as to what topics, curriculum and level his peers are working on.

You shouldn't worry, he is only 5 and in Y1 - there are many children in my son's class who are still struggling with the basics and this I believe is fairly normal in Y1. They should be able to bring him up to speed quite quickly.

Not all schools in the UK do formal learning in reception. My son's school last year decided to trial a much more relaxed version of the EYFS and they didn't start reading/maths until the end of April. The teacher in Y1 says the children are all doing well, my son who could not read anything in April is now reading Roald Dahl - if they are bright they do catch up very very quickly.

Private or state I would look to a school that doesn't look worried and seems comfortable accommodating this, rather than nervous. A good state school should be able to provide this no problem, a prep might decide that they don't want to if they are oversubscribed and have the choice of someone who is less work for them (cynical, sorry!).

It depends what the school is after and some might want a mixture of noisy and quiet children for example. Some schools cannot fill plcaes because they are useless and some have 4 or 5 applicants per place at 5 and select and some are mixed ability and pick out of a hat or those who register first at birth - those tend not to be the academic ones.

If he is quiet and biddable, able to sit still, can count and recognise his numbers, will "read" a picture book on his own - that will go a long way. Make sure he can go to the toilet independently too!

you may like to read this which appeared in The Sunday Times yesterday. Wise words.

Hi everyone just wanted to pop back and say thanks for all the advice, I, we have all had flu for the last 2 weeks one after the other.
I guess it's wait and see then the assesment is in March.