4+ exams if you are a SAHM or have nanny

[ItsFineImFine]

Does anyone have any advice on how likely a child is to get a place via the 4+ exams in London day schools ( Alleyns/ JAGS/ GDST etc) if the DC are looked after exclusively by SAHM or nanny ie without any formal nursery etc before the 4+ assessment?

Thanks so much!

Can your child read? Basically 4+ assessment is nonsense and is all about making the school’s life easier - they want confident infants who can read, count, speak and look after themselves well. Ideally they don’t want to have to teach reading.

In my DD’s school the 4+ assessment was more of a play based experience. They read a story, see how the girls interact with the teachers and other kids. They’re more looking to see if the child can sit for a short period of time to complete a task, understands what the story is about…etc rather than academic prowess which would be impossible at that age. Many girls couldn’t read or write anything at the assessment, but you could practice writing her name, having small discussions about the book you’re reading, play pretend with teddies/dolls to get her prepared and work on her focus.

The whole concept of tests or exams at 4 is so wrong.

I can’t answer your specifics about whether being exclusively at home in preschool years is a disadvantage.
However, when my DCs went, I told them it was to see a new school and for them to try it out.
They couldn’t read and could just about write their names but couldn’t form letters correctly. They could count, (couldn’t do any sort of sums) and knew the basic shapes. They could sit and listen to a story.
One DC came back with loads of sand everywhere and another had splashed a lot in water so by all accounts they had fun and had no idea they were being assessed. They would have questions/tasks such: shall we make a cake out of playdoh, how many candles shall we put? Shall we make a train, how many carriages on the train etc?

It really doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to be stressful for the child or you.

My son got through a 3/4+ assessment at a local private primary. He basically needed to be 1) mostly toilet trained, 2) able to follow instructions, 3) speak confidentally and converse with teachers when prompted, and to a lesser extent: 4) recognise and read out numbers, 5) recognise and read out letters of the alphabet.

My son ended up arguing with one of the teachers about the need to read out numbers/letters but was still let through because apparently his argument was persuasive and logical. So as long as your child is sufficiently confident and can stick up for themselves it should be ok.

Thank you @hadtonamechangeobviously

was this at a london school?

Thanks also @ash86i

was this at a London school ? This is far more what I would expect - were your DC in formal care prior to this?

@Wenfy this is brilliant! My DD definitely has attitude 😂

So do these type of schools make any exceptions for children with SEN, is this legal even for private school. What if your oldest child passes the 4 + and their younger sibling doesn't?

@Runningonempty01 private schools get to choose. If they don’t think they can cater for the SEN, then the child won’t get in. At DCs school children get advised to leave in yr 6 if the prep school thinks the senior school won’t be able to meet SEN requirements. There are several families where one child has been asked to leave but the other children are still at the school - so I’m assuming they do it nicely.

JAGS, Alleyn’s, DPL, Herne Hill, Sydenham High - some were 3+ and others 4+ between the DCs (one child didn’t do 5 assessments)

Ah brilliant, thanks so much for your kind and quite wise advice @hadtonamechangeobviously

Yes, a West London GDST.

My DD was at nursery prior to the assessment.

Thanks so much @ash86i 😊

I do think it will be a disadvantage for your child if they haven’t been to nursery at all, not academically but in terms of their other skills. They may not be as adept at following instructions from a teacher or coping with being in a group of other children with no main caregiver present. These are things that they will looking for as much as being able to recognise numbers. They do not want children with behavioural issues.

@AchillesElbow

this is my thinking too

i was hoping to achieve this via our local library classes but it won’t be enough. Am now looking into the 15 hours free childcare for some part time hours

My daughter did this assessment for her school recently (we’re a bit outside London) and I’m a SAHM . She passed. I was worried because she only reads, writes and recognises alphabet in my native language which we speak at home. So I guess knowing reading and letters was not compulsory.

like others said, the assessment seems to look for confidence and ability to follow instructions. They did colouring (I presume for checking pen control), some basic counting during play and they also had them stand up and answer some questions in front of the class.

4+ assessments sound horrible! Schools must miss out on so many children that would be an asset to their school too. One of my DC absolutely wouldn't have been 'picked' at that stage as she was well behind her peers due to hearing impairment. She's absolutely flying now. Bonkers to think they think they can assess anything accurately at that age.

I wouldn't want anything to do with the whole system!

Oh And by “reads and writes” I mean simple 2-4 letter words!
like mama, papa…

Nursery will help to establish habits like sitting nicely, listening at story time, playing nicely with others, taking turns etc. These are all behaviours that the schools will look for at selection days so a child who's never been in a group/classroom environment is going to be at a disadvantage.

@ItsFineImFine please don't listen to posters like @ticklemepinker

My kids have attended / been accepted to JAGs / Alleyns . The kids who are accepted definitely don't all know how to read.

Statistically all children (regardless of background) benefit from attending preschool so I'd strongly recommend it. I can't think of any children in my DD's class who didn't attend some form of nursery / preschool, even those with stay at home mothers so based on that I'd say it might be a disadvantage.

OP- state nurseries are a really good option for stay at home parents and are staffed typically by qualified teachers so a relatively high quality and affordable.

Ah this brings back memorise - mine couldn’t write at that stage but apparently (as subsequently conveyed to me by the admissions people) when she was asked to write her name, she took off and copied it off her name sticker. This was a while back but she got in so inability to write doesn't appear to have been detrimental then.