5+ assessment

[Rainbows18]

We registered my daughter for an occasional place assessment which will take place in her reception year for either a place mid reception or year one at a selective GDST school. Has anyone been through this with their girls; do you know what they we would expect as she will still be 4 and half years old and on the school website they mention it will last 3 hours. We and her nursery school teacher think she has a lot of potential and very curios and confident so think would be suited for the school. I would be grateful for any advice. Many thanks

If it's for an occasional place they will look for whether your dd fits into their cohort. If they are selective they will want to keep a relatively homogeneous group and avoid having to differentiate work for a single newcomer. A strong reception cohort at a selective school will be able, by mid year of Reception, to confidently read books at ORT stage 2 and above (some will be at stage 5 or 6 by then), number bonds to 10, counting in 2s , some can count in 3s, upwards and some will be able to do that downwards, writing shopping or Christmas lists, secure in phonics phase 2/3, secure in spelling first 20 high frequency words, obviously being good at sitting still, listening, following instructions, answering questions about a story when read to. Being able to identify and name 2d (and some 3d) shapes. Girls are often a bit quicker with reading and writing, so a 5plus might be slightly more challenging for a girls school than a boys or co-ed school. And even within GDST trusts there is a huge variety of standard and selection. I don't know which school you are aiming for. At my dd school an assessment for an occasional place would consist in the child spending a morning in class and being given the work the other kids are given throughout the morning (usually: 1 to 1 reading, phonics, a writing task, a math game, a math worksheet, listening to and talking about a story, some arts and craft).

@NellyBarney thanks so much for your kind reply and the detailed information. That’s extremely useful. We are actually applying for Putney High which has there assessment in November which seems quite early into the academic year. My daughter who is nearly 4 and half knows her phonics 2/3 and can read confidently Read Write Inc stage 2 Purple books and can spell high frequency words. She knows all her 2d and 3D Shapes and has now started doing bonds of 20 as knows her bonds of ten. She is very academic and has a very ‘can do attitude’ which is why me and her teachers at her nursery school feel is very suited in an academic environment and they’re report she is already working at reception oevel but really upsetting she was not selected at 4+ but on waiting list for another GDST. Is it worth while getting her private tutor as she will be Attending a good non selective prep school but they don’t particularly prep them for 5+. Many thanks again for all your advise

What a shame your dd missed selection at 4plus. It just means that they had very many girls to choose from, so even many of the girls who missed out on a place will have been well up to standard, it's just that there is a physical limit to how many children they can accept. I only know Oxford High, and there, especially in the younger years, parents move in and out of Oxford quite frequently, so places become free (it can go from oversubscribed to the school widely advertising and trying to fill vacancies and back to being oversubscribed really quickly, so if you are really keen and persistent, I would be pretty confident that your dd will get in throughout R or year 1). But she might really enjoy and settle in her current prep. Many non selective preps will have as good outcomes for their bright dc as selective preps, and it would probably increase her chances of doing her best in the assessment if she goes in confidently knowing that she has nothing to lose and that her current school is very good for her (rather than worrying that her school career will be over if she 'fails' the assessment) I wouldn't think you need a tutor if you have the time to do a bit to encourage your dd at home with reading, spelling and a bit of numeracy. At this age, I would say a little and often goes a longer way than an hour/week with a tutor. If you really want to do some extra practice, there are lots of Bond books and similar available. Good luck!

Thanks so much @NellyBarney for the useful insight and all your advise. I’m super grateful for all the time. We will carry on doing little bit each day and fingers crossed for the next assessment or the waiting list. Best wishes and many thanks