JAGS 4 plus assessment
JAGS 4 Plus Assessments
The JAGS 4+ assessment is a key entry stage for the school. They typically take 36 girls in a two form entry. The assessments are rigorous and highly competitive. The girls, 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+. The 11+ exam will still be taken by the girls but it is then a scholarship exam.
The pre-prep itself has its own building away from the main school and is run under the eye of Mrs Channon, who is a very experienced head teacher. She is a firm believer in the power of ‘yet’ and works to bring out the best in the girls. The two reception teachers are very experienced and create a caring, nurturing environment. There is a charming garden and playground at the back which makes the school feel like a sanctuary.
We are experts in the 4+ Assessments offered by JAGS.
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 JAGS. Here at Mentor, some of our own staff were previously staff members at JAGS. Several team members here at Mentor also have children at JAGS using the approaches that we are going work with your daughter on if you book here.
Our success rate in the JAGS 4 plus assessment
Most years we have between 6-8 children who we have assisted to get into the school. Typically, the acceptance rate for JAGS is around 18%. Our rate is around 70%. We have a rule that we only help a maximum of ten girls each year for the JAGS 4+ assessment. If we helped everyone, then practically we would be helping no one.
The JAGS 4+ Assessment
Firstly, all 4+ assessments are not the same. For example, the JAGS assessment has important differences to the Alleyn’s assessments. JAGS has more emphasis on working effectively in a classroom setting than in the Alleyn’s assessment. Alleyn’s, by contrast has gross motor skill test which are not a feature of the JAGS test. We can help prepare your child for both if you book here.
Our Mock JAGS 4+ Assessment
Our approach is to replicate the assessment that JAGS do. This will involve a copy of some of actual activities that JAGS have traditionally conducted. This process takes around 50 minutes.
We will then give you detailed feedback afterwards on your daughter’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 task to assist her to show her best on the day. We will be open and honest with you and tell you how likely you are going to be in getting an offer.
Furthermore, while it is your daughter in the room for the assessment, there is much that you as a parent can do to give her the best chance of success. We will also give you some of those practical tips based on our extensive experience. For example, we will tell you how JAGS handle those born later in the year and how you can maximise your chances of success with a summer born child.
The entire session lasts for 90 minutes.
Our track record with JAGS at 4 Plus
Last year we helped six girls get offers from Alleyn’s and a further two girls were waitlisted. Being waitlisted means that the child did meet the standard and there is often some movement later on in the year. Most parents apply for both JAGS and Alleyn’s. There are around twice as many places at JAGS for girls as at Alleyn’s so it is not uncommon for good candidates to find that they get an offer from JAGS but only a waitlist offer from Alleyn’s.
Our JAGS 4 Plus Assessment and Preparations
We start with an assessment of where your child is, based on our knowledge of what JAGS are looking for in successful applicants. We do this through a review of the nursery report; a personality questionnaire; a test conducted in conjunction with Cambridge University by our teachers; and full mock assessment with a 4+ specialist teacher which replicates the JAGS 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 2022 (dates for 2023 have yet to be announced)
Open Day: 1st October 2022
Registration Opens: 5th September 2022
Application Deadline: 11th November 2022
(Please note that unlike with many Prep Schools there is no priority waiting list operating with JAGS)
Assessment Days: 2nd December 2022; 3rd December 2022, 5th January 2023
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 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 children each year for JAGS 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 please call us on 020 8883 2519 or book below.
Booking Form For 4 Plus Preparation and Assessment
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 girls targeting JAGS we take no more girls 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.