To think assessments for 2 year olds are entirely inappropriate?

[Gangle]

Am I wrong in thinking that they are entirely inappropriate? Exactly what are they trying to assess in a toddler of 25 months? I ask because DS1 attended an assessment today at a nursery/school that we were thinking of sending him to. Admission is subject to an observation session at the school. DS is in the midst of the terrible twos and when we tried to bring him into the classroom for the "observation", he threw the biggest tantrum ever as he wanted to stay in their excellent playground playing on the slide and the toy boat (to be fair it was his playtime and he must have felt we were trying to drag him away from the park without a proper play.) Despite trying to calm him down he screamed for about 20 minutes and we were asked to not bring him into the assessment for fear of disturbing the other children. None of other toddlers had tantrums and were happy to go into the classroom and play so DH and I are left feeling like failures especially as a number of the other parents looked smug/shocked at DS's antics. Needless to say, I don't think DS1 will have passed their test and won't be offered a place! Annoyed we even tried to be honest and am left wondering exactly what the school was looking for - no tantrums presumably??

Is this a prepschool that takes toddlers? Sounds like it tbh. Anyway, that nursery does not sound like the right environment for your independent and free thinking ds. what do they want robots? I guess so. Dont send him there.

I'd say that your son has had a lucky escape! Madness!

Why not just send him to a normal nursery then?

Yeah. Weird. Yanbu.

Your kid sounds normal.

Don't send him there. Any assessment at that age is utterly meaningless and will have him labelled from a very young age from no valid criteria.

Never heard of them tbh. And how why do they assess your child? What exactly is the criteria.

I wouldn't pay any attention to an observation conducted under these circumstances

Seems weird and kind of sad that you only decided this bullshit was inappropriate and unhelpful after your son had failed it.

I bet you wouldn't be here asking this question if he'd had a good day and somebody else's toddler was the one failing.

He is still a baby fgs not an older child, what do they expect. Even if he did get a place, does not sound as though he would be happy there

What type of nursery/school is this ? did you 'know' that he was attending for an 'assessment' or was it sprung on you ?

YANBU.

Yes, it's a pre-prep with a nursery. Skidoodly, the school is our 4th choice and we were in two minds over whether to even go for the assessment but decided to give it a shot even though we probably wouldn't send DS there anyway. DS didn't "fail" as you put it and we were already questioning the point of the assessment before he went.

It's not on. He's tooooooooo young!

Oh god run away. I loathe pre-preps after my sister was told by his headmistress that there was nothing wrong with my nephew that a good hiding wouldn't sort out. Shortly afterwards he was assessed as having Asperger's.

Dreadful places

Of course it's ridiculous, but surely it's the kind of thing you expect if you want to send your child to a selective/competitive place?

Just wonder what they are looking for. Maybe there are some teachers on here who will enlighten us! Surely they can't hold the fact that he tantrums against him as surely all 2 year olds do at some point although I have to say that the other toddlers attending were very well behaved. DS has never been in a nursery environment as likes to do his own thing so he does need to learn to sit and listen and to obey instructions but surely those are things that he would learn in nursery and your very reason for sending.

My dd nursery (attached to the local primary) are wonderful and imo as good as any pre prep school, the facilities are wonderful and teachers kind and caring and relaxed, no assesments in sight. Thought that it was a pre prep school, sounded like the types of things they would do.

"Needless to say, I don't think DS1 will have passed their test and won't be offered a place! "

So he failed then.

"Admission is subject to an observation session at the school."

An entrance exam for toddlers, which they can fail.

horrible

If you could choose what children to have, you'd pick the easiest, most obedient, compliant children with the most pleasant parents I'd have thought.

Well, I suppose it's been helpful as we now know the type of place which isn't right for DS.

Yes exactly Gangle he is only still a baby. They probably want all children to be the same. Mabey that kind of an environment is not right for him, but if you want to go down the prep route look at that for when he is older.

"Of course it's ridiculous, but surely it's the kind of thing you expect if you want to send your child to a selective/competitive place?"

And is there anything wrong in wanting to send a child to a selective school, pre-prep or otherwise? That remark comes across as a bit harsh.

I understand that assessments for younger children are becoming more common in the private sector but they aren't all like that. Some children fare well in assessed environments, some don't. It sounds like this pre-prep may not be the one for this particular little lad but that doesn't mean that they should all be dismissed because they are selective establishments.

"And is there anything wrong in wanting to send a child to a selective school, pre-prep or otherwise? That remark comes across as a bit harsh."

If you choose somewhere selective, then you can't be suprised there's selection going on.

Fair comment Missus84.

They are all looking for pliant children Valhalla - all of them. If your children are, great. But I am a big fan of messy diversity personally

"Some children fare well in assessed environments, some don't."

PMSL

Yes, some pass and some fail.