assessment at thomas battersea

[isabella75]

Hello everyone,
I am Isabella, my DS is 3 years old, we are on the waiting list at Thomas Battersea and the assessment of DS will be in September for entry in 2014.
Any advice about the assessment?
How can I help my DS to pass it?
Thank you

You can't. Encourage them to make eye-contact, say hello nicely (shaking hands if opportunity arises), be happy talking to an previously unknown teacher and to play nicely with others. Not much else you can do. They truly aren't selecting on the basis of who can already read, write etc. A little bit of counting wouldn't hurt. Jigsaws.

Thanks. Anyone else wants to add anything?

Hi, sorry no insight about assessments. There are no selective prep schools around my which I think I am becoming increasingly glad about!

Just curious about timings though. Is your DS already three and on the list to go into Reception in September 2014?

I've just registered my DS to go into Reception in Sept 2014 (when he will just have turned 4) but if your son is already 36 months old there are at least 17months betweens them??

Gah- I'm so confused by it.. and I'm a TEACHER!!

Assessments for these schools are pretty straightforward.

There will be play based assessments for academic stuff (numbers / colours / shapes / a few letters perhaps), there will be some play based activities (such as 'what noise does this animal make? / where would this person sit) and there will be some inclusive activities (circle time / story time), There may also be some skills to show fine and gross motor control (threading beads / painting a picture)

In my VAST experience (read the name!!! ) you cannot get a child to pass the assessment. You can't. Nor should you. The school is either right for your child or it's not.

I have, sadly, had to come to accept that my DS will not go to a selective prep (unlike all our other children) because it's just not right for him. Academically, he is way ahead of where he should be, but he simply will not compromise and sit and listen to a story or sit at circle time and these things are considered equally.

Having been through this process several times, all you can do is send your DC for the assessment and see what both the child and the school feel.

EDS Teacher - you are right. Surely, if OP's child is now 3, she would have been 2 in Sept 2011, so will be 4 in Sept 13, turning five during the that academic year, so should be starting school then? I think it was a typo, as the rest makes sense ie Thomas's assesses (in November when I last did it) and that would be later this year.

I have done Thomas's twice (so to speak) and agree with the description of activities above.

Do you think schools can really "select" at 3? What are they selecting? Social skills, academic potential......parents? Sorry, I think it's all rubbish. There are lots of really good non selective schools too but because your 3yr old does not have to "win" a place, people assume they are second rate.

MIlkshake3 - Yes, I firmly believe that the schools can 'select' at 3 (actually at 2, when this process actually starts).

I have been through this process MANY times and the feedback from the schools has always been spot on. This is only really relevant to my DS, who has not been selected.

They are deselecting children who may require extra input for SN, learning difficulties etc., If this is the case (as with my DS), then you are right, that a good non selective school is better. I have accepted that you cannot bash a round peg into a square hole.

Really? The exit school results at our nearest "selective" prep are no better than the non selective preps. And the selective does not have the "burden" of the deselected children (as you put it). Having said that given the selective doesn't actually publish their results on their website, there is no transparency - I have to go on local word of mouth - what are they hiding? The feedback may be accurate ( a shy introverted 3yr old is not the outgoing type that they generally look for), but I don't believe they can screen for SN at 2-3yr unless we're talking something really major. I agree you cannot bash a round peg in a square hole, but I think that only becomes apparent at 7-8yrs and above.

We're going to have to agree to differ.

I have a 3YO with some SN. I was hoping to get him into one of the local prep schools. Every single one of them has picked up on his 'needs' (which are slight and probably won't be an issue at a state school - should he be lucky to get into a local state school... which is by no means guarenteed!)

I think there is ALOT more to an education than just results. There is confidence / experience / sporting achievements / general awareness of what life has to offer / how employers react to the school you went to.*

*I grew up in a deprived NE area and have DEF. witnessed people react negatively to my education, speech, accent (even though I've gone on to get 3 degrees)