Trying to understand required 8+ entrance standards - what does NC level 4 mean?

[Michaelahpurple]

Was reading the guidance for 8+ entrance exams (ie sat in jan yr 3) for a local school, and they say the candidates should be at NC level 4 in English. I have no experience of NC levels - the DoE website I found seemed to say it meant year 6, but this seems unlikely , even for a selective year 3 exam. Can anyone elucidate?

Level 4 is the expected level for most children leaving year 6. Look up national curriculum level descriptors and also app on the old primary framework to get an idea. You can also download and print out old sats papers.

I would guess only the top 1 or 2% of children are at level 4 by Jan of Y3. If that's really the requirement it must be an extremely selective school?

That's an incredibly high entrance requirement!

I think able Year 3's can be a level 4 by the end of the year, but to be there by January seems a big ask.

But some schools like to enhance their kudos by claiming only to take the brightest kids, thus bolstering all the parents' wishes to send their children there in order to have them identified as bright. In reality there will be a certain number of places available and they will give them to whoever they want - I wouldn't worry about NC Level 4. As far as I know private schools don't use NC levels anyway.

City Girls in London, a pretty selective school by anyone's measures, says:

'If your daughter has achieved National Curriculum Level 5 in English and maths by the end of Year 5 or has an NFER Verbal Reasoning score above 115, then she probably has a good chance of being offered a place.'

Assuming a normal-to-good 2 sub levels of progress a year, then City Girls would be wanting pupils who are at least a 4b at the end of level 4 and a 3a at the end of year 3.

Therefore this local prep's requirements are considerably higher (a level 4 before the midpoint of y3). Agree with posters above, that sounds like a ridiculously high standard to be reached. Unnaturally high, because I'm not sure it would correlate to innate intelligence so much as extreme pushing.

[Wait for lots of posters to come on and tell us that their child was easily a level 4 by end of y2 and it wasn't at all unusual in their child's school]

I agree with others, an NC Level 4 at the end of yr3 is possible (a very able child though IMO but not unheard of iyswim) but not in Jan of yr3.

School wouldn't give DD L5 on her Y5 report, but she'd have got it easily in an exam.

She could do KS2 SATs reading papers to L4 easily by the end of Y3 (8.5). Much to the disgust of her dyslexic big sister.

DD2 is bright, and one best ones at literature in her class, but no way G&T

Also L4 (a-c) covers a very wide band. I suspect many DCs who could pass the 11+ would get L4 reading. Writing as a non teacher I can't judge, the mark scheme is horrible, I think it depends on how well they are taught and if they are pushed as much as anything.

Would get L4 reading at 8

What biscuits said.

Thank you - really helpful. I didn't think it sounded madly achievable for year 3 boys (not to make sweeping generalisations, but girls often seem a bit more together on written work at this age)

Have resolved not to get too exercised about it all, to sit 8+ at a range of schools and see what happens. Blasted london prep school rat race!