DPL 4+ assessment

[newMomLondon]

Hello

I have just relocated to London last month. My DS has enrolled for the 4+ assessment at DPL. Since he is not that conversant with English I was wondering how will they assess him? Is it a good idea to go for this at this stage? I have read in other posts that they mainly assess for children's ability to follow instructions etc. But thats really difficult for him as he is just learning to understand words in English. He is going to a local nursery but it has only been 1 month or so. And also, if this is not the right school for him which school do you think is best suited at this stage? We are still renting so we are open to moving house if we like a school.

@newMomLondon DPL is quite good at identifying smart and creative children despite language barriers. Hope you have informed them that he is unfamiliar with English.

The next entry point is 7+. Lots of good state schools in the area, you can try again at 7+ at DPL and DC if you like the schools. You are in the perfect area for good schools, so wouldn't move just for that.

Thanks @DPLMom . We don't live in Dulwich. At present we stay near Woolwich. Since he is only due to enter Reception in Sept,2024 we are planning to move at that time based on the school he gets into. We also have a provisional offer from Hornsby House . So we are trying to make sure we make the right choice. In case he does not get into DPL, do you think that it may be a good idea to get him into Hornsby for now?

Not familiar with Hornsby but I think the important thing is to finalise a good area with lots of backups with state and independent options. There's always 7+ and 11+ so you will have plenty of opportunities to get into the right school. If you don't get DPL I would recommend moving to Dulwich anyway for state and then targeting the independent schools for 7+ or 11+. Or another area like Blackheath or Clapham with lots of options.

Tbh I think DPL is a unique school and not really comparable to the schools that end in Y6.