What to expect in assessments for reception?

[ricks]

Hi!

We have applied in Putney high for reception. They have a selection procedure through assessments and I want to know what they actually ask in these assessments? The open houses of some of these schools are misleading :( as i got this feedback from a friend who applied for Wimbledon high. Any information/help regarding verbal reasoning(what do they ask a preschooler in that), maths (what level they are expected to know). My (preschooler) DS is able to write her name but cant read much. Any suggestions how i can prepare her for the upcoming assessment next month. Also please let me know if i have missed any other important part of the assessment.
Any help is much appreciated.

Lots in the archives if you do a search, maybe under 4+ assessment or reception assessment.

Mine were assessed on stuff like;

-Recognising their name from a list
-Using scissors correctly
-Sitting listening to a story
-Discussing the story afterwards
-Playing in a small group
-Counting objects to 10
-Describing their clothes
-distinguishing between different expressions on faces
-They each drew a picture of themselves
-One of my 3 had to draw a picture of their family and say who was who.

Mine go to an academically selective school and reading was not teasted. In fact, I don't know of any which actually use reading ability as a yardstick at 4+. They are looking for potential, not what the parents have taught them.

Don't try to coach, just tell her it's a fun activity and that she should listen carefully and enjoy it.

correction- My preschooler DD, I wrote Ds by mistake.

montysorry thanks a lot for the valuable information! Much appreciated !Can u please tell more on playing in a small group activity?
my DD does well in group activities according to her teacher, but i am not sure as she is very independent types. what they really look for in that?
Also, I am also getting relevant info in archives a s well!But still interested to know about others experience.

Ricks, your best bet is to ask a parent (any on here?) whose child went through the assessment for reception at that specific school.

Dcs went through assessments at various schools (SE London) and they were all different from assessing the parents to assessing children at play to full on puzzles and memory tests for children.

The schools are looking for a specific fit. They are choosing you/your child as much as you are choosing them. So I would not go all out to coach.

That is very right Blueshoes, I am keeping my fingers crossed and also waiting for someone who has gone thru putney high's assessment in the recent past, to share his/her experience as well. But I thought the academic assessments were more or less similar(ur info is an eye opener though), But Assessing parents is really making me tense.
Now my next obvious question is what do they look in when they see parents? dresing- formal or the qualification, ethnicity?

please suggest!

Oh yes, one did a jigsaw puzzle too.

IME, they are definitely looking for a mixture of confident, independent children and quieter, more studious ones as this gives a good balance.

Unsure when your DD's birthday is but most good schools adjust for summer babies too.

I stayed well clear of any school looking to assess the parents in any way other than to confirm that they eager and supportive of the school ethos.

Unfortunately, the private sector is awash with snooty, socially elitist prep schools who are keen to attract the 'right' sort of parents. IME, these are usually the schools with the poorest academic results who exist only to separate Marcus and Clarissa's children from Pam and Dave's. A good independent school which values academic excellence and broadening horizons is unlikely to have any interest in assessing you.

The assessment of parents (which could in addition to, not instead of, whatever hoops they make the littles go through) range from:

• screening out extreme obvious weirdness. Most parents would pass this test.

• how supportive they are of dc's education. In the more intense prep schools, there might be a preference for SAHPs or pt parent who would be available to push their dcs to do the copious homework the child will be set. Hothousy pushiness is a plus point.

• ethnicity - I am probably being a bit unfair but some private schools are noticeably less diverse than others in a way that does not reflect the ethnic mix of the community.

• ability to pay school fees. One headteacher specifically pointed out that some parents take their children out after reception because the surestart grant falls away and he would give priority to parents who intend to put their dcs the whole way through.

Bear in mind a lot of the above is hearsay!

At the risk of sounding trite, it depends on the school and the ethos. It is either the right fit or not.

Do not try to "prepare" your DD beyond telling her to relax and enjoy the day.

She is 4. Any school that would put a 4yo under any stress at all is to be avoided like the plague.

Likewise any good school will not be assessing the parents at all. If you are subjected to any assessment or interview (beyond it being an opportunity for you to get information) run for the hills.

PinkElephantsOnParade, running for the hills should be the right step in case schools start assessing parent.But I am afraid that to some extent they do try to assess parents.
I dont want to force anything on my DD but I am trying to teach her some words and some numbers, but after some time she feels tired and sleepy. then i do tell her the relax and have fun approach for her assessment!

This is the reason I did not go for selective schools for my DCs at 4.

Assessment at this age is a joke. They are still babies. A crystal ball would be about as useful for predicting their future academic abilities.

I wasn't all that comfortable with assessments at 7, but at least they had had a few years to mature. The assessments I put them both in for were also very low key and not stressful for the DCs.

I actively rejected schools which assessed at age 7 purely on 3 hr exams and those which I felt were assessing the parents which IS totally wrong.

You have a choice, ricks. Choose schools at which your DCs will be happy.

So some 4 year olds are rejected???

Yes, Feenie, I know the school the Op is going for and LOTS of 4yo's get rejected.

One big reason why I did not go near it.

Mind you, there are also lots of other schools locally that select at age 4.

Utter madness.

I am speechless.

Why would anyone put their 4 year old up for any kind of judgement, and ultimate rejection??

Feenie - children are 'rejected' on the basis of geography in the state system. Most decent state schools in South London are terribly oversubscribed and many people find themselves going down the private route just to get some certainly and choice about where their child will go to school.

IME such tests are mostly done very fairly and kindly. The children are only little and most parents ensure that the children have no idea that they are being assessed - it's usually just like spending time at nursery.

The OP asked for advice, not judgement.

Sorry - should be certainty and choice ...

notrightnow - you can go down the private route without subjecting your Dcs to inappropriate assessments. I did.

I am giving my advice. Which is not to play the assessment game at 4 as it is a nonsense at this age.

OP is free to make her own judgement.

Jigsaw puzzle
Draw a person
Recognising letters/ sounds and numerals
Write your name
Looking at pictures and being asked questions as to what is happening. Predicting too.

They will bend over backwards to be fair and will be very kind.

PinkElephants, fair enough, but obviously the schools believe the assessments to be fair and valid, or they wouldn't do them. They are devised and conducted by teachers after all. If schools receive more applicants than spaces, what should they do? Spending an hour with the child is surely better than judging the parents, or first come-first served?

Anyway - there has been some good advice here for the OP - I would also suggest speaking to the registrar at the school who might be able to give you some guidance. Just keep doing the kind of things your DD would do at nursery or at home with you, and keep it low key for her.

Good luck!

I just think age 4 is far too young for this kind of assessment even if it is done in a very low key way as the results cannot be reliable.

This is why I did not do it.

I went for it at age 7 but rejected the formal exam based assessments as they indicated a much too hothousey school.

Up to OP what she wants to do.

But IME a lot of these schools that assess at age 4 have a system of advising parents to remove DCs later if they cannot keep up the pace. And it happens to enough Dcs for me not to want to risk it with my own.

A horrible rejection once the child has settled in and made friends.

Why is first come first served so unfair?

I am allowed my opinion, notrightnow, just as the OP is free to ignore it.

It just hadn't ever occurred to me that parents would offer their 4 year old up to the risk of being rejected, and I don't get it.

Am very glad I don't teach in a school which does so.

I agree completely about schools who suggest children are removedl later - awful thing to do and certainly not what I chose. Both mine went somewhere with automatic entry to the next level, which I think is more sensible and shows that the school has thought about their assessments and has confidence in them, and a commitment to the families.

I think first come-first served is less fair because it favours those who understand the system better, probably because they were privately educated themselves. Those places usually like to charge a hefty fee and keep the cash no matter what!

Of course you are entitled to your opinion Feenie - it's your disingenuous horror that seems a bit over the top. The children spend a nice hour in a nursery classroom - they're not being fed to wolves! The parents who enter this process know what the deal is. The schools are oversubscribed, so some children will get in and some won't - it's not a kiss of death to all future success. Some choose not to go down that path (like pinkelephant) and some do. It doesn't make anyone wrong, which is what you're implying in your tone and language.

I have done the assessment route, just not at 4 which I consider to be just too young to have any meaning.

Though the stress of 4+ assessments for DCs comes mainly from the parents IME, which is something that worries me about the OP. She seems to be getting the whole thing a bit out of proportion.

I still say, if you are going to do 4+ assessment, do not try to do ANY preparation, just let your DCs be themselves.

Now is not the time to be panic cramming on learning letters. Your DC will pick up on your panic.