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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Interviews for 4 year olds!

10 replies

pralinegirl · 03/02/2008 20:37

We are reluctantly considering independent primary schools for our DS who will be 5 in Nov and may not get any of our choices of state primaries. If we do go ahead, could anyone please advise on what a 4 year old is likely to be asked at interview? Currently he is extremely likely to deliver a critique on the merits of Star Wars and light sabers! He has attended nursery since 6 months, can count, write his name and numbers, speak clearly with a wide vocabulary and is keen on drawing, mainly monsters! Help!

Also has anyone done this and then moved their child to a state primary later when a place came up?

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Hulababy · 03/02/2008 20:40

DD's was very simple and relaxed, and she had a great time. She went ff with the PP1 teacher for about 30 minutes IIRR. She plays a box game - lots of boxes inside one another. She drew a picture. She talked about recent holidays and about things she liked. DD was 3y7m at the time and IIRR she talked about Dora the Explorer and her new baby cousin, and her holiday to Disney.

I think our chat with the Head was more stressful, lol!

LIZS · 03/02/2008 20:45

dd went for a morning in which she did an activity alongside another child led by the teaching assistant (made a windmill) , joined in storytime, did a little "work" and had break. She was a clingy 3 yr old but sailed through!

Original poster

pralinegirl · 03/02/2008 20:48

Thanks folks - do independent primaries generally have breakfast/after school clubs? I work 28 hours a week and if he goes to one I'd need to work as many as I can, but am reluctant to use childcare all the time so an option at school would be good and his current nursery provides breakfast.

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Hulababy · 03/02/2008 20:52

I found that our local independent schools did over better wrap around care with breakfast clubs and after school clubs, with it being based on site without children being bussed about, etc.

At DD's school the after school care is provided in the fees, although if they want to do a specific club in that time there is an additional weekly chare. Breakfast club is £2 a day there.

Butkin · 03/02/2008 21:44

DDs independent school does provide after school care and best of all it provides a full time club for at least part of the Easter (one full week) and Summer holidays (4 full weeks) which means we don't have to have too much time and work and she loves going to school dressed in her play clothes and dealing with the teachers/pupils in a non working environment.

We had to do an interview with the head but - despite it getting mentioned in the literature - DD didn't meet him until she had started.

She did do nursery there for 1 1/2 days a week though so perhaps this was enough.

Original poster

pralinegirl · 03/02/2008 22:25

Butkin, is the Easter and summer holiday club included in the fees or extra? It sounds great.
Thanks

OP posts:

LIZS · 04/02/2008 08:19

Ours does have before/after school care , can be from 7.45 to 6, but it does cost extra. In holidays they run activity days for about £25 a day (discount for a block booking) but that is 9.30 to 4 and not on Inset days and certain weeks such as Christmas/New Year.

Hulababy · 04/02/2008 08:30

We don't have any holiday club at school, and bear in mind that independent schools normally have more holidays - DD has 3 weeks more than the local state schools. Luckily I have a lot of holiday entitlement, plus friends/family on hand.

AutumnMists · 04/02/2008 11:06

Our school has free earlycare and then clubs etc and tea after til 6pm if needed.

They do not have a holiday club but the children mostly go to the holiday club at another school just down the road which runs 8am til 6pm all thro the hols - it is worth asking the teachers as they may know a local one if your school does not run one.

My dcs had a 'taster' morning which was basically 90 mins when I left them with the class - the teachers were looking at how well they settled, joined in with activities and socialised with children, not really at their 'academic' abilities!

Butkin · 04/02/2008 13:42

Praline girl - no the holiday club is extra -but not excessively so (she also has to pay extra for the swimming lessons they have on Friday afternoons). Some of the teachers just like to earn some extra money during the holidays.

They do loads of fun activities split by age group. We do have to send a packed lunch though as no catering facilities those days.

Children from other schools can also sign up but children from DDs school have priority if oversubscribed.

She loves the fact that last year's teacher will be looking after her age group during the Easter session as she got on so well with her. She also relishes the thought that she gets to do lots of painting - which we aren't too keen on her doing at home!

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