Latest Info on the new Westminster Under 4+ Assessments

[MyTwoDads]

Very little clear info has been released on the new 4+ assessment that WUS are going to be holding this autumn, so I spoke to them to find out some more info (why not go straight to the source!). I explained I am a tutor and some of my parents are going for the 4+ assessments this autumn or thinking about it, but are unclear about content, dates, number of places they have etc.

These are the main points:

It will be capped at 500 applications. This is a lot! But they said they are almost reaching this number now (so apply if you haven't already)

They have 32 places available (this was not on the website as all)

There will be 2 classes of 16 pupils starting Reception 2026. Each class will have one teacher and one TA (this is a good ratio)

There will be two rounds (they call them stages) and will be similar in format to other schools that do 2 rounds for their 4+.

Offers will be made at the end of Jan 2026 and they will take into consideration birth month, EAL and proximity to the school.

At least we have some clearer info on numbers now and what the Pre-Prep will look like once it gets going!

Thanks for sharing!

An update for those thinking of applying now or in the future:

Some parents have visited for the open days and received the welcome packs. I've had a chat with a couple of parents about this and I'm surprised by the school's plans for children as they move up the school.😮

They say that children will move through the Pre-Prep (Rec-Y2) and will not have to sit the formal 7+ assessments to move into Y3. However, they will carry out 'in-house' assessments to decide if they are able to move into Y3. These will be ongoing while they are progressing through Reception and Y1 (this is not unusual as all teachers will be assessing their children throughout the year). This does put a lot of pressure on the children (and parents) to ensure they are consistently doing well in their cohort though. 😐

I guess the school has standards they want to keep up and they don't want the 4+ assessments to be an easy route in to the main school (not that 500 applicants going for 32 places is 'easy'!). 🤓

Thanks for sharing! Is it normal for these top schools to not guarantee entry into year 3? Westminster one sounds like it might be more cut throat than the other one’s I’ve looked at

@QuaintLilacHelper it is unusual to have to 'qualify' to move up into Y3. Even for Y6-Y7 it is only some schools that require assessments to move up.
It does sound cutthroat, it also puts a lot of pressure on the 4+ assessment expectations, and then the Pre-Prep teachers. In the future, if there was a big proportion not making it into Y3 - eyes would be looking at the PP teachers for not getting them to the correct standard.

Or eyes are looking at more typical WUS parents who will tutor if they know this…..

@Aroundandabout true too!
It just puts a lot of pressure on the children as well.
The parents are already paying a lot to put their children in the school, and then tutor on top!
Hopefully, they won't be using the axe too often - only time will tell. It will be 4 years from now before we know - once the reception year group have moved through the Pre-Prep.

It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of the school’s faith in itself if it’s unsure pupils entirely educated in its system will be ready to progress.

@Softleftpowerstance exactly!
I had a friend that worked at an independent school in SW London. It is not selective at reception entry level, they will accept anyone (within reason) and say they are confident they can get them to the expected standard by Year 3!

That’s so off putting! A big part of the reason lots of parents go for 4+ is to avoid 7+ (or else the ‘state before 8’ cliche would apply more). So knowing that there will be this kind of stress, and potentially the need to do 7+, is really off putting

Has always been the case at WUS, I thibk 10 to 20% don't get through to the senior.

Sorry for basic question, what is WUS?

Westminster Under School

Ah of course thank you

Agreed, but I really think (hope) we are all jumping to the worst case scenario. Hopefully, they don't make many qualify for Y3. If they did, you would be on their radar during Year 1, and they should have things in place to help reach the desired level. So it shouldn't be too much of a shock. Plus if they are able to select 32/500 applicant - one would assume that they have seen the potential in the 32 early on. It's just that if that fails, then there may be a need to qualify. That's what usually happen in schools where you need to be at an expected level to move into the senior school.

Suggests might be more of a ‘hot house’ than other schools though?

well yes, very well known as such.

Good luck to all those about to embark on the 4+ assessment at WUS.👌 I know a couple people down to attend tomorrow - Day 1! It will be interesting to hear how it goes and how organised things are. Feedback from the open day tours has been a bit mixed. 😮

Highgate also says that moving from the pre-prep to the junior school, and then from the junior to senior is dependent on kids being able to keep up with the academic curriculum.

In truth though, it’s rare for this to happen. Once you’re in, you’re in…any decent school would try to support a child who is struggling rather than just kick them out. Might not be the case at Westminster though!

@Brainblue I agree. I hope that they will support pupils who may be struggling well before it's time to make the decision. My school certainly did that for pupils moving into the secondary school. We would be having conversations with parents in Y4 and Y5 and interventions would be in place to help them get to the expected level. It's just unusual for it to be mentioned for the Y2-Y3 crossover! Perhaps they should look at the wording again so it doesn't sound so harsh!

The 7+ is the first reliable academic entry point for highly selective schools up to 18. It’s the first stage at which cognitive ability and learning potential can be measured in an academic sense, rather than just readiness or temperament.

At 4+, the focus is on early developmental skills, which have a wide margin of error and are shaped more by personality and exposure than by long-term academic ability. By 7+, children have completed Key Stage 1, and schools can finally assess reading, comprehension, writing, and abstract maths through structured testing. CAT4 data also becomes statistically reliable from around age 6½, providing a much stronger basis for identifying long-term academic potential.

References at 7+ play a major role too. A prep or primary head—with years of experience—can give an informed view of a child’s suitability for a highly academic school. At 4+, the reference (if any) usually comes from a nursery head, who rarely has insight into a child’s development much beyond age 4 or experience predicting long term academic trajectory.

I have a DC at one of these schools, and it’s striking how many 7+ entrants had “failed” 4+ elsewhere just three years earlier. Meanwhile, many 4+ schools manage to send only a handful—if any—on to my DC’s school at 7+.

A school like Westminster Under wouldn’t be serious or responsible if it claimed it would take a look at our 3-year-old and more or less bet they’d thrive all the way to 18 in a school where roughly 40–50% go on to Oxbridge. They can make that claim with confidence for most of their 7+ cohort precisely because of the reasons above. By contrast, schools with a broader academic range at senior level might well be able to take a higher proportion of their 4+ intake all the way through.

My DD is sitting several 4+ assessments this time around, and I see it as an opportunity for her to be in a strong learning environment with excellent teachers and peers—to achieve her own potential. Whether she stays on to the senior school or not, she’ll have had three plus years of high-quality education that prepare her to move elsewhere where she can thrive, rather than spend her important teen years struggling at the bottom among future Oxbridge candidates.

The expectations would be different if she were joining at 7, 8, or 11. But at 3 years old — she was barely out of nappies last year.

Best of luck to all our DCs sitting 4+! These are great schools where they will have a great head start, regardless of the exact senior school they will choose to go to in the future!

Where are you sitting @letushaveathink

Lovely post! Healthy mindset to have

The feedback from the first week of WUS 4+ that I have received is interesting! I'm not sure how they are going to be able to whittle down 500 children to 100! It sounded like the staff are a bit 'green' when it comes to the assessments. Hopefully, they have honed their 4+ skills this week so if you're still to have your Stage 1 assessment, they will be more practised in connecting and working with the children.

Thanks! Out of curiosity what have you found interesting about it?