7+ or 8+

[onthebus]

My nephew is currently in Y2 of a pre-prep school and will be doing 7+ assessments for a couple of local selective prep schools.

My DB and SiL have some concerns that he may not get through the assessments. However for children who don't get through ... the pre-prep school offers a small Y3 class for children to stay at the pre-prep for another year and then try again at 8+.

I'm not very knowledgable about the private school entry system but this seems a bit cynical on the part of the pre-prep school to me? I accept that there are some children that develop massively between 7 and 8 but this does seem mostly an attempt on the part of the pre-prep to grab some extra money from parents (and possibly coach the children for the 8+ assessments to within an inch of their lives).

Is this a normal setup for pre-preps? Or would children not successful for selective schools normally be advised to go to non-selective preps?

Not sure that it is normal as such, but to be honest a lot will depend on the local mix of schools - there isn't a universal rule as such.

What is true is that most children will develop enormously over Year 2 and Year 3 especially in terms of their writing ability. It is definitely not uncommon for a child to "fail" at one age, and yet pass into the same school at a later age.

The question for your Db and Sil is whether the particular preprep has a good track record at 8+ with the particular prep that they are hoping for. If so, then it must be worth a try.

I know very bright kids who completely messed up the 7+ for whatever reason but sailed into good selective preps at the 8+ stage. It really depends on the child's readiness and ability - his headteacher should be giving your DB and SIL realistic advice on the most appropriate schools.