Alleyns 4 Plus Assessment

The Alleyn’s 4 plus assessment is a key entry stage for entry into the school. Traditionally, this was a one form entry. However, recently it is expanded to two form entry. The assessments are rigorous and highly competitive. The children, except for exceptional cases, will all progress through to the senior school at the end of Year 6. As such, this is an excellent way to avoid the pressure of the 7+ or the 11+.

There is a sibling policy at Alleyn’s which can make it an attractive option for larger families. However, parents should be aware that it is only loosely applied and there are many examples of siblings who are not successful.

We are experts in the Alleyn’s 4 plus

Our experienced tutors include Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 teachers and former teachers from the JAGS pre-prep, Finton House, DUCKS and Alleyn’s Junior School. In short, we are well versed in the application process for JAGS and the other Dulwich Foundation Schools and these experts have helped us create this programme. Our programme is taught by an experienced tutor with a multi-year track record of getting children into Alleyn’s. Some of our own staff were previously members of staff at Foundation Schools. Others of our own staff who have got several of their children into Alleyn’s, using the approaches that we are going work with your daughter on.

Our success rate in the Alleyn’s 4+ Assessments

Most years we have between 5-7 children who we have assisted to get into the school. Typically, the acceptance rate for Alleyn’s is around 12%. Our rate is around 50-60%. We have a rule that we only help a maximum of ten children each year for the Alleyn’s 4+ assessment. If we helped everyone, then practically we would be helping no one.

We also have extensive experience helping children with Alleyn’s 5+ and 6+ assessments which were conducted last year at the school expanded. This well places us to help with occasional places with slightly older children.

What’s on the Alleyn’s 4 plus Assessment?

Firstly, all 4+ assessments are not the same. For example, the Alleyn’s assessment has important differences to the JAGS assessments. Alleyn’s has gross motor skill test which are not a feature of the JAGS test. JAGS places more emphasis on group, classroom style activity. Alleyn’s has recently started to include these sorts of activities. Children also have more choice over their activities than at JAGS. Alleyn’s have also been increasing the academic aspect of their testing in recent years and are overtly testing children on their numeracy understanding and their basic phonics knowledge. They also give the children tests which are unsolveable to see how they react. We can help prepare your child for both over here.

Our track record with Alleyn’s

Last year we helped sixteen children with their Alleyn’s assessment of which ten passed their assessment. It is only fair to say that Alleyn’s is getting ever harder and it is not uncommon for a child who has obtained an offer from JAGS or DUCKS to be initially waitlisted by Alleyn’s. The local application dynamic, however, is changing as DUCKS are now giving all through offers which is resulting in some boys turning Alleyn’s down which rarely occurred before.

Our Alleyn’s 4 Plus Preparation and Assessments

We start with an assessment of where your child is, based on our knowledge of what Alleyn’s are looking for in successful applicants. We do this through a review of the nursery report; a test conducted in conjunction with Cambridge University by our teachers; and full mock assessment with a 4+ specialist teacher which replicates the Alleyn’s approach. The assessments have to be done over two different days because the academic potential test takes a few days to come back and analyse.

We will then give you detailed feedback on your child’s performance. We tell you what exercises you should expect and what they are looking for with each exercise. In short, we will give you the inside track on the day. We tell you how your child did and give you some exercises you can do with each exercise to assist her to give of her best on the day. We will be open and honest with you and tell you if we believe your child is on track for a positive assessment.

We then work with you over four different sessions to help prepare your child. Two of these sessions are with just the child and two are with the parents in the room. We see ourselves as helping coach and support parents to help their child pass the 4+. We use a range of experts for this, including teachers, teaching assistants, registrars and play specialists – all the people involved in the assessment.

After this we do another mock assessment. This can be either an individual assessment or a group based assessment as appropriate.

Our full Preparation and Assessment Programme is £1500. You can book here.

Key dates for the 2024 Alleyn’s Assessment (they have not been announced yet)

Mentor Education 4+ Group Assessment Dates

While we do the individual assessment dates on an ad hoc basis around you, we need to create cohorts of children for the group assessment dates. We do these later in the year to give children the time to develop more of these skills. By this stage families have usually been working with us for six to nine months and so their children are well prepared. The Mentor Group Mock Assessment dates for 2024 in the Dulwich area are:

• 15th June
• 21st September
• 12th October
• 23rd November
• 3rd January (2025)

Contact us for more details about our 4+ Assessment

Firstly, we have a strict rule that we only help ten girls and ten boys each year for Alleyn’s 4+ entry. If we helped more then there would be no benefit for those we have helped. So please do not delay in booking. If you would like to find out more and make a booking please call us on 020 8883 2519 or book here.

Booking Form for 4+ Preparation and Assessment

You can book here for either our full coaching and mock assessment package (£1,500), or just for our double mock assessment with feedback package (£750). If you are unsure yet but want to reserve a slot with us you can just register (£100) and we will make sure you are in our cohort (once we have 10 boys and 10 girls for Alleyn’s we will take no more children for that school). After you have booked, our courses manager, Hannah, will be in touch to arrange from you the pre-work that we need from you and to book in your first Assessment dates.