4+ Assessments 2025

[KnackeredBunny]

Main thread for 2025 applications. Can’t find the previous thread for 2025 but from memory it has a typo in the title. I’ve only made this one to make sure everyone finds it easily!

Advice from previous assessments gladly taken. This is our first time applying. It’s a little early still so why don’t we start with where everyone is applying?

We’re looking at The Hall, Alleyn’s, Habs, Highgate UCS, and Manor Lodge. Have looked at some prep from previous threads and starting to think we’re seriously under-prepared…

4+ and 7+ Assessment Advice

I only started this week because I thought it might be useful to share FAQs and top tips on there. There's a lot of competition and secrecy in the 4+ world! parents are secretive because, understandably, they want their child to get in. Schools are secretive with each other because they want the best pupils in their schools. But I think there's enough room for us all to share 😆
7+ and 11+ are very different kettles of fish as the children are more independent and able to work on their own to learn/revise.

Summer and Winter born are assessed in the exact same way. Why would they be assessed any differently to each other?

No

Maybe just because there’s a gulf of development between them?

My son is July born I would never ever say a sentence like that!

It’s just a fact… it’s not a value judgement.

It's not a fact - It's your thought. My son is doing just as well as any autumn/winter born child - if not better!

It is a fact because the average summer born child doesn’t, for instance, have the dexterity yet to write a word without a LOT of practise first - and even then they simply haven’t had as much practise as a winter born. If your child is excelling that is fantastic and you should be so pleased! He falls outside of the average, ahead of the curve (some children must fall ahead of the curve and some before. That’s how we calculate averages) Fantastic for you both, but that doesn’t discount the facts.

It's a thought! Summer born 'don't lack dexterity'. All children need 'a lot of practise' to write regardless of their date of birth. Not a fact.

A 1 year old can only babble and an 18 month old might say some words. This is not an insult to the one year old. Ergo…

What does that have to do with the 4+?

🙂

Exactly ...

The expectations for summer born children are different to those born the previous autumn. When children come for the assessments, say in October, some children are 38months old (if born in Aug) and some are 49months old (if born in Sep). This is about 25% more time alive on Earth (!) to learn and develop.
My school would band children in month pairs. If I told you the average (remember I'm talking average) score for Jul/Aug was 45% and for Sep/Oct was 75%. The range was similar - roughly, the children in each band would score 20-85%. I have had children in Jul/Aug score in the 80s, of course, but the majority would score much lower because they have had quite often had a year less at nursery. Tutoring (external tutor or parents) will help all children. Fine motor skills take time to develop as @KnackeredBunny said. The stages a child goes through when learning to hold a pencil with the correct grip to write, say their name, take time. Sep/Oct children have had more time to work on this at the point they come for the 4+ assessments.

Not necessarily

Yes, you’re right, not necessarily. That’s why there’s an average. Some fall below average and some, like your talented son, fall above ☺️

Some of the selective schools will sadly also favour winter born children, and this is reflected when you work out the children’s birthdays in the class. In my daughter’s class, 3/4 are born between September and February.

My son and hundreds of other summer born child that I teach.

This is true.

Ah yes, anecdotal evidence. Famously the most robust kind.

Sure

It's all starting very soon. How's everyone feeling?

It’s all come around very quickly.
Radlett Prep and manor lodge is our first assessment. Feeling nervous.

Don’t know what to expect. Feeling nervous.

I feel like I’ve gone through a roller coaster of emotions the last few months… feeling a lot calmer now as a result. I’m sure that will dissipate once we approach the first few assessments