4+ assessments 2023

[Agirlcanhope2023]

Thought I’d set up a thread for those of us sitting our DS/DD for the 4+ in 2023 (for September 2024 start date). Anyone had any assessment day(s) yet?

Well done you and your dd! What school was that ?)

I'd rather not say cos I'm a silly sausage and didn't name change before joining the thread but it was a less-selective girls school in London.

Congrats to you! I know how it feels when you're sat waiting for an offer

Anyone waiting to hear from UCS tomorrow? Fingers crossed!

Hi all!

Does anyone know how
many applications NLCS receives for entry at 4+?

WCPS held their 4+ assessment for 2025 entry at the start of this week and we got confirmation of a place later that same day. Never had such a quick turnaround but pleased as we hadn't really applied elsewhere and were banking on this coming through.

I think usually it's around 250 girls and 100 will be called back for second round. That's what I heard last year, I didn't ask the teacher about this year. I think NLCS is very academical, I didn't expect much for my DD to pass the first round😅

Hi all! we are also waiting to hear back from NLCS. DD sat her assessment this week so I guess we should hear back by Friday latest?

Too many haha , fo you know when 1st round results come through?

Hi everyone , is anyone doing kensington prep assemsent or glendower for girls?

Should come in by Friday or Monday latest.

@CiciZhang

Thank you.

So your DD got in! Big well done to her.

Unfortunately no. She failed the first round of NLCS last year. I think NLCS assessment is the most difficult one for 4+.

@CiciZhang

Sorry to hear that. You mentioned not asking the teacher this year and I assumed that your dd got an offer.

Out of interest, which school did your dd end up at and is she thriving there?

She got a place of local small less selective private school. She is happy and we are happy with this school as it's small, the teachers give her more attention than the big schools I guess. I think maybe it's better for her as she is sensitive to the teachers attention😂

This year we have our second DD for the assessments. With the experience of my older one last year, I think the chance to the second round of NLCS for my younger one is low as she is summer kid and didn't start any reading writing phonics yet 😓

Mine is also summer born .. I agree nlcs is one of the hardest 4 +... my dd said something about dragons, drawing a christmas tree , writing her name amd some games with the teacher.. that's all I got lol but she cane out happy with a milky bar

We're also just reaching the end of the 4+ assessments, phew! A couple of schools have said that universities now have quotas for the amount of privately educated children that they will accept, and that many parents are electing to either send their DC to independent school for the early years, or secondary, but not both. Has anyone else heard this?

It's an (easily debunked) myth that you're more likely to get into top unis from a state school.

7% of kids go to independent schools.
30% of oxbridge students are from independent schools.

This may well be correlation rather than causation but you're certainly not disadvantageing your child by sending them to independent school.

In state schools there are fewer UCAS/HE advisers per pupil. In independent schools they have an army of HE advisers - I'm one of them at the school I teach at. The amount of coaching the kids get towards their Oxbridge applications is eye watering. They really are being given the best chance possible

That was always my belief. However the way the schools (3 very competitive boy's prep schools in NW London) were talking it sounded like the quotas had been recently introduced.

Thank you for speaking from experience

my DD had FH and GPS .. no idea how it went .. she said they played

Did they say what they quotas are? I saw somewhere else that it was 75% state school for some places, but as @Mummymummy89 said you are still giving them the best chance possible by sending to private, as only around 7% children go to private anyway!

DD just had round 10 on Tuesday. We are anxious not hearing anything yet. Anyone received invite for NLCS round two already?

@katekatepan

Not yet 😅

We received the result just now, my DD didn't pass the first round.

Does anyone have any insight into how a child crying and having difficulty separating from a parent is looked at in the 4+ assessments? Are you automatically off the list?

My DS takes a while to warm up to new situations and at his assessment round at the end of last year he got upset at the idea of leaving me. He's actually quite bright academically but didn't manage to show much of this! Poor little mite!

One of the reasons we were going for a private school is that he's bright but shy and we think would thrive with the smaller class sizes and so on. Once he warms up he's reasonably confident and he loves his nursery. I think he will have got good references from there.

But I'm wondering if his lack of confidence on the day will rule him out? Do schools mainly look for naturally confident children? I know only time will tell but it is stressful waiting and I wondered if anyone had any insights both good or bad!