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Original poster

Prep school admission test for reception class

223 replies

Sue9 · 02/10/2008 04:35

Hello, my DS is to have an informal assessment in November, for a reception place in 2009.

Does anyone know what sort of tests they give to 3 year olds?

Since the prep school takes the vast majority of their students at reception, and most get the independent school places they want at 11+. I am assuming their testing at age 3 is accurately predicting future performance at 11+.

I just don?t know what tests they will give him on the day. I really would like to prepare him for it if possible.

Could someone please help?

OP posts:
SqueakyPop · 02/10/2008 05:22

They will probably just observe him play.

All independent schools get the vast majority of their leavers into the right senior schools. One of the things they do in the years running up to 11+ or 13+ is set up the right expectations for parents and recommend appropriate senior schools according to the child's ability and personality.

Original poster
Sue9 · 02/10/2008 10:51

Thanks for the reply. How does observing him play help them decide exactly?

Their applications to places ratio is over 4 to 1

I get the strong feeling they are using some sort of in-house psychometric evaluation for 3 year olds. Afterall the prep schools reputation and income depend on being able to select children who can produce results for them.

Is there anywhere I can learn about such methods of evaluation?

OP posts:
janinlondon · 02/10/2008 11:36

I don't think you can tutor a 3 year old to pass these tests. Sorry.

jelliebelly · 02/10/2008 11:45

My ds has an informal observation in Jan 09 for starting at pre-prep nursery in Sept 09. We basically take him for a couple of hours for the staff to observe that he is capable of getting along with other children and doesn't have any obvious behavioural issues that would prevent him getting along OK in the class. We have ds name down for a place subject to assessment and once all the places are taken up they operate a waiting list system so sounds a bit less extreme than 4 people fighting for each space

Original poster
Sue9 · 02/10/2008 12:18

I suppose I am just anxious. DS has his own mind about activities, I just hope he is in a mood to perform on the day.

OP posts:
LadyMuck · 02/10/2008 12:53

"Since the prep school takes the vast majority of their students at reception, and most get the independent school places they want at 11+. I am assuming their testing at age 3 is accurately predicting future performance at 11+."

Well in my experience I don't think it quite works that way. Given the aspiration of the parents these children will have had the best preparation for the 11+/junior entrance/CE etc). I don't think "testing at 3" gives any indication of performance at 11/13 really, other than you might be able to weed out some children with obvious issues. The average 3yo boy in my experience is fairly stubborn at times. Prep schools will get the call wrong from time to time and end up having ask pupils to leave or repeat a year, or recommend extra tutoring etc which ensures a reasonable batch of results at 11/13.

For our prep the boys being assessed are observed in terms of their ability to settle without parent, sharing, taking turns, ability to cope in a playground, ability to toilet independently, being able to sit quietly and listen to a story and answer questions on it. No psychometric testing at all! Boys who had been to some sort of nursery setting clearly had an advantage, but essentially they were looking for children who were prepared to engage and looked ready for school.

The prep school may well be talking about 4 pupils for each place, but the reality I found is that most of those first time parents are in fact applying for 2 or 3 or even more schools. However if you wanted to test this, then I think that asking the question "in how many cases have younger siblings been refused a place" may be quite revealing.

You can always search for the prep school by name on here or ask the question of a specific school - there may be someone familiar.

gladders · 02/10/2008 14:12

agree with other comments - I don't thik that testing at 3 is a predictor of 11+ results, rather that schools that select at 3 are likely to be good at preparing children for the 11+ for the appropriate school....

FWIW, ds had a 3+ assessment that consisted of about 10 little tasks (nothing v onerous, just counting, colours, jigsaw etc) and they seemed to be keen on how he approached the task,a nd whether he listened to any guidance rather than whether he did them correctlt fiorst time?

def worth naming the school - lots more specific advice may be out there...

Anna8888 · 02/10/2008 14:15

Don't worry too much.

My mother was devastated when I failed to get a place at her first choice school for me when I was three. She still to this day entertains fantasies of going back to see the headmistress who rejected me and showing her my school and university examination record (11+, first class degree, MBA etc) .

Just let it happen. If your DS gets a place, all well and good. If he doesn't - he'll do fine anyway in any decent prep school.

Swedes · 02/10/2008 14:23

Anna888 It's good that your mother has moved on from that setback.

TheFallenMadonna · 02/10/2008 14:27

If they have a method of accurately predicting at age 3 future performance at age 11+ then there's no point in coaching.

They don't of course.

roquefort · 02/10/2008 14:37

Nothing you can prepare for other than perhaps explaining to the child that you are going for a chat about the school and that they might want to chat to him on his own. It will be puzzles, colours, drawing a picture of a face etc. Maninly looking to see that they interact well, share etc. Wouldn't worry that much about the 4 to 1 as lots of people will have there name down at several schools, have it as a back up to state primary etc.

Swedes · 02/10/2008 14:40

To be quite honest they probably want to make sure he is reasonably cooperative.

I was abroad when DS1 was four and he had to have an interview with the headmaster of a heavily oversubscribed prep school. I told him the man wanted to see what he could do and what sort of boy he was. DS1 spent the whole half an hour doing handstands asking: "Does my voice sound funny because I'm upside down?" and "Do I sound more like an Australian because I'm upside down?" and "Shall I try and walk on my hands and talk like an Australian, I think I can. Watching?" Gah.

He got a place.

yomellamoHelly · 02/10/2008 14:41

With my ds it was drawing a picture of themselves, being asked to draw someone happy (circle and eyes already in) and someone sad. There was also a counting game (went up to 20, but they were only really interested in up to 10) and talking about the pictures in a storybook. Took about 20 minutes.

roquefort · 02/10/2008 14:43

Would also add that my son's prep school which is first come first served, also gets all boys into the senior school of their choice (having made sure that an appropriate choice is being made). Getting boys into senior school is one of the main things prep schools focus on and asking where boys have gone in recent years is the most revealing questions you can ask them.

TheFallenMadonna · 02/10/2008 14:46

How young a three? I was thinking that dd wouldn't have said much had she had to do this as she had a speech delay. For no discernable reason as it turns out. She's just started school and is pretty articulate. But I doubt her performance at 3 would have predicted her performance at 11+. In the talky bits anyway.

NotQuiteCockney · 02/10/2008 14:50

DS1's school is pretty open about what they're looking for: "outgoing, confident and sociable". They observe the kids playing.

No way to prep for that - I told DS1 what was coming, though, and took him on a (public) tour of the school, a week before.

LadyMuck · 02/10/2008 14:54

I guess that you can work out a bit if you can at least ask about format. Is it a one to one session of some sort, or is it a group assessment. The dcs schools recently changed their assessment whereby you could either come to a set day at the school, or your son could be assessed at his pre-school/nursery (ie being observed by one of the school teachers in that setting).

strawberrycornetto · 02/10/2008 14:57

I went to an open day for a school I am considering for DD. A parent was asking the reception teacher what they could do to prepare their child for the assessment (the school also has 4 applicants per place). The teacher said you cannot coach a 3 / 4 year old but what they are looking for is children who are engaged and interested in the world and interact with it. She said that the best way to prepare your children is to take a long term interest in them, involve them in everyting and take them out and give them experiences of the world. I know that sounds a bit vague but what she was getting at is that children are like sponges and they absorb so much from what they see. Not sure if that helps or not...

dilemma456 · 02/10/2008 15:25

Message withdrawn

MollieO · 03/10/2008 13:56

We had an interview with the head but no formal assessment. My ds did most of the talking although the head tried to steer the conversation (she didn't always succeed though!).

MollieO · 03/10/2008 14:03

Should add the Swedes post really made me laugh. The few words I managed to add at the interview (trying to 'big up' my ds's intelligence) were shot down in flames as she showed us around the school.

Me - "he knows all his colours"
ds - "Look at that red rope mummy" (green)

Me "he knows his shapes too"
ds - loudly - in a maths class - "that's a lovely circle" (actually a rectangle)

I shut up after that!!

Not sure any assessment at 3 can accurately predict 11+ outcome though. I imagine at this stage they want to know whether there are any behavourial concerns and how they will fit in.

mrsshackleton · 03/10/2008 14:21

My dd is up for one of these soon
Another mum told me her ds did the same last year - they took the children off read them a story and then they did some colouring
Her ds cried for 18 minutes out of 20. He got a place.
We agreed they're just checking your dc isn't psychotic (in which case dd stands NO chance , after that it goes on order of registration. All the testing is just a front to make the schools seem better, schools that do first come first served get equally good or better results.

pagwatch · 03/10/2008 14:23

it depends on the school. Entirely.

We applied to two schools for DD. She had two assessment sessions at each. At neither were the parents allowed to be in attendence. They do obviously look out for any issues but they also do predictive testing of some description.
Half of the people who attended the sessions did not get places at either - including some siblings. So the sessions were used to seek out the children they thought would fare best intheir school.
Interestingly my DD is one of only 14 in her class because the school decided not to take any more inspite of being over subscribed for those places. Her class usually has 18 to 20 children.
I would ask the school if I were you. They should be happy to explain.

pagwatch · 03/10/2008 14:27

Actually should add ( as my post unintentionally reads a little grim - sorry) the sessions were about an hour but were all play based and my DD had a fabulous time. One of them was themed as a party and she enjoyed every minute.

I knew some ofthe stuff they were looking for as her brother had SN but the testing seemed more than that but still fun for the children and not at all stressful .

LadyMuck · 03/10/2008 22:20

Ds1 came out of his assessment and immediately realised that he had left his drawing behind. He wanted to go back to get it and then said "Oh it is OK I'll get it when I go back tomorrow". I suppose the only problem then was that he had in his mind that he would definitely be going to that school. Thankfully the offer letter came later in the week.