Manor Lodge School - 4+ Assessment Day

[JustBiscuit]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has insights or guidance on what to expect for the 4+ Assessment Day at Manor Lodge in Shenley?

We’re not looking to do any intense prep, but since the assessment is in October, we’d love to incorporate some fun activities in the lead-up to help give our daughter the best chance.

We also considered Stormont, which we really liked, but with our newborn son, managing two different school runs in the future isn’t ideal.

Would love to hear any thoughts on the assessment process at Manor Lodge or general experiences with the school (or Stormont, for that matter!).

Thanks in advance!

Did you speak to them?

No I couldn’t get through to anyone

Does anyone know how many rejection letters get sent out ? We didn’t get an offer and it’s hard not to take it personally as we did do some prep but not really outside and he hasn’t done forest school before. Any ideas how I can prep him better for the other assessments or is the idea that if manor lodge don’t think he is suitable it’s unlikely he will get in to other competitive schools ? He is nearly 3.5 and loves the outdoors but isn’t great with listening to instructions when he is having fun! maybe that’s the problem 😂
Is it worth sending him to a state school and waiting till he is more mature and try again later when he is older ? thanks for any advice

We got in and we are delighted as we only thought about it a few days before signing up for the assessment. But now having time to do some research, the school has 3 classes in a year, which seems quite large and the average size of a normal state school, although in slightly smaller classes. We were told that the classes have gone up to 23 sometimes (only 7 children less than our local schools). This is what we were hoping to avoid in choosing an independent school not to have an overwhelming environment for such a young child.

What is everyone's opinion on this? We love the ethos of the school, but this is bugging me. We are looking at some other schools so will see how they compare. Thanks!

I think the key difference here is the sheer number of teaching assistants and staff on hand per child, which sadly isn’t the case in state schools.

@Chipboardmum sorry to hear that. It can be brutal to get that letter. Hopefully they worded it well - my school used to put that 'they are not ready yet" meaning that there is hope in the future to join the school!
Do you have any other schools to sit for? I can give you some pointers on what to focus on if you like.

Thanks 🙏 they didn’t really give anything away and said they can’t provide any feedback so up to us to fill in the gaps as to a possible reason for not making it I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

Don’t see it as rejection see as redirection. Things happen for a reason. I am sure which ever school your kid ends up they will thrive.