Tips for assessment 4+ pre-prep

[drmumoftwo]

Hi everyone,
I've applied to a few independent schools and have assessments scheduled for my 4 year old. I was wondering if anyone can share some tips or past experiences. My son is confident, happy and curious usually around people he knows but we're hoping he becomes more confident with talking with strangers soon!
Here are the schools we've applied to

1. St Paul's cathedral school
2. Forest school
3. Habs boys
4. Grimsdell
5. Manor lodge

Thanks everyone

That’s a massive geographical range of locations, in terms of travel does it work for you?
Also they’re different schools Habs & St Paul will be very competitive sharp elbow parents
The others definitely less so

My child is in a London prep and the assessment was group work, observation of play and interaction
Some writing & colouring to see fine motor skills
Some reading
1:1 time with a teacher

and a report from their nursery to enquire generally

good luck I hope you get the school that suits your child. Fortunately in London there’s plenty of choice

Hi! Yes it is. We live in north london (Barnet/Enfield area). My husband works in the city where else I work near Radlett. We're both happy to send our children to a good school in the area. He's a bright boy but honestly my priority is him being happy and going to a school that has good pastoral support. We like St Paul's in terms of academics but found the ultra competitive environment a little too stressful for a child. Nevertheless he'll just go for the interview and we'll see. Thank you for sharing your experience, really helpful to know

What about Keble in N21, that’s small & nurturing school . Has a Super HT Mr Gill

Hi - send me a private message. I have something that may help.

That is a big range both geographically and, to some extent, academically too.

I have 2 children in academically selective London private schools. Their assessment was similar to what @Zone2NorthLondon describes. They were mainly assessing teachability, following instructions, gross and fine motor skills. Some schools see if they can read and write their name, others don't care at all. Some also read stories to them, talk about books they like to see if they understand the story. They don't expect them to be confident or separate from parents immediately - they understand children have different personalities and make a point of taking a mix across the class. To be honest, I would have no interest in a school that does not accept this is the case with a 3/4 year old

There is an element of luck with St Pauls and Habs as they have so many applicants per place that they cannot offer to all those that pass the assessment. Personally, I would avoid any school with a significantly long commute at such a young age (the shorter the better)

Thank you very much for your tips. Yes definitely about the range both geographically and academically. We thought about Keble prep which is the prep near the house but we thought they were okay and weren't blown away like we were with other schools. We just thought if we're paying the same as an excellent prep but further away, perhaps we should give them the opportunity to go somewhere excellent. Also if they end up going to a great school, I think we would just end ip moving and I would either have a long commute or apply to be transferred to work at a different hospital
Thank you very much for your tips. I found it very useful to read!

London prep schools can a bit of a fevered environment full of conflicting accounts regards admission etc
essentially you know your child & their personality and what will be a good fit

your impression & parental hunch matters and I’d say what is a good fit for one parent isn’t necessarily universal for all

My friend lives near Keble and loves it, they’re looking for a senior school at the 11+ entry

regards assessments they will try keep it light and child focused. Nothing in the assessment is overly onerous tbh

Thank you! We're definitely keeping Keble on the list as a potential school, but want to explore others too. It's very tough to know which school he would love. My son loved the open day there and so we applied there but it's so out of the way!
Then again, I love the ethos and environment at manor lodge but for some reason the opens days are really only for parents whcih I find so odd!

Good luck going forward. You’re in the fortunate position of having a lot of potential school choices
Hope your wee one settles well and has lots of chums when he attends school

I think there might be some confusion on this thread between St. Paul's Cathedral School (in the City of London), which was named in the OP, and St. Paul's School (in Barnes). These are completely separate and very different schools!

@drmumoftwo, I'm a recent former parent of St. Paul's Cathedral School, and I'm surprised that you've formed the impression that the school is an "ultra competitive environment". The academic standards are high, but it is most definitely not a hot-house and "very competitive sharp elbowed parents" are the exception, not the norm. The SPCS 4+ assessment is an informal play-based group session, not an interview, and there is usually a "play-date" in the school before the assessment date so that the children are familiar with the staff and the Reception classroom before the actual assessment. Happy to answer any questions about the school if you'd like to DM me.

Hiya,

I have a little boy and thinking about applying for Manor Lodge. Would be grateful if you could share how you found the 4+ assessment, what it involved any tips xx