How to Pass the 4 Plus
Many parents feels that it is a lottery who passes a 4+ on a given day. However, we notice that children who pass one 4+ tend to pass many. By contrast, a child who fails one, tends to fail many or all of the assessments. In short, the schools are consistent looking for the same attributes and are successful in using the days to identify them.
Firstly, they are looking for readiness for school – can your child start learning from early on in reception or do they need to learn the unspoken rules of school for the whole of reception?
Secondly, they are looking for aptitude for learning. We call these the 4 Plus Pillars and we guide all our children and parents through these.
Thirdly, the most academic schools are looking for some ability to do simple literacy and numeracy tasks. Parents fixate on these but actually they are signficantly less important that the 4 Plus Pillars which are around aptitude for learning.
4 Plus Mock Assessment and Preparation 26/27 Admission
Our standard and recommended package. Includes a mock initial behavioural assessment, an academic assessment and report, four preparation coaching sessions, and a second behavioural assessment.
4 Plus Registration 26/27 or 27/28
Reserve an assessment slot with us and guarantee your child a place. (limited spaces available).
Pre-School Preparation
Get ahead of the curve
Give your child the gift of reading and a love of numbers before they get to school.
Intensive Holiday Programmes for 4 Plus
In order to help pass these most competitive school assessments we are running intensive attainment based weeks in the summer and in October.
Which schools use a 4+ assessment?
Many competitive North London independent schools set a 4 Plus assessment to choose their Reception class as well as the Dulwich based Independent schools in South London. Many Prep schools also assess children who apply to them, such as The Hall, Dulwich Prep or the Thomas’s schools. The list below is not exhaustive but provides more information on the schools most popular with our parents:
How can we help you with the 4 Plus?
Our full list of services includes:
- Initial assessment to determine where your child sits against the 4 Plus Pillars and their peers together with a prediction of their likelihood of success in the 4 Plus and an personalised action plan for each child
- A standardised critical thinking and motor skills test conducted in association with Cambridge University
- A formal assessment of your child’s literacy and numeracy ability
- A review of the nursery report
- 1-2-1 coaching sessions – sometimes these also involve parental guidance and involvement
- Paired coaching sessions – helping children learn the basic skills of collaboration
- Group coaching sessions – giving children the ability to work in larger groups just as they will be assessed for part of the assessment
- A parent coaching webinar series with three sessions giving guidance about how to help your child.
- Intensive literacy and numeracy courses in the summer and the autumn to help children have edge at the most competitive schools.
- Extensive verbal feedback on your child’s progress
When should you start preparing for the 4+?
The most successful candidates have a 18 month run in. We begin working with parents around January / February. We typically work on the individual aspects with the child and the parents. Our approach is to work with parents so there are lots of things for you to do with your child during the Easter and Summer holidays. Things shift gear from September because by now children are better equipped to work on the emotionally intelligent skills such as the collaboration and sharing skills. This sees us get more group assessments and activities in to help children master these critically important elements of the 4 plus.
Our track record for the 4 plus
Typically, the acceptance rate for most 4+ assessments is around 10-20%. Our rate is around 60-70%. We have a rule that we only help a maximum of ten children each year for the each school’s 4+ assessment. If we helped everyone, then practically we would be helping no one. These were our offers results for children applying in 2023/24 to start in September 2024
School | Mentor Applicants | Number of Mentor Children who passed | Mentor Pass Rate % |
Alleyn’s | 16 | 10 | 63% |
Bromley High | 2 | 2 | 100% |
Channing | 3 | 2 | 67% |
DPL (Dulwich Prep) | 6 | 6 | 100% |
DUCKS (Dulwich College) | 8 | 8 | 100% |
JAGS (James Allen’s Girls School) | 10 | 7 | 70% |
Habs (girls) | 5 | 5 | 100% |
Habs (boys) | 4 | 3 | 75% |
Herne Hill | 3 | 3 | 100% |
Highgate | 14 | 8 | 57% |
Manor Lodge | 3 | 3 | 100% |
NLCS (North London Collegiate) | 10 | 8 | 80% |
Oakfield | 1 | 1 | 100% |
St Albans | 2 | 2 | 100% |
St Christopher’s | 2 | 2 | 100% |
South Hampstead High | 5 | 4 | 80% |
Sydenham High | 4 | 3 | 75% |
The Hall | 3 | 2 | 67% |
UCS | 4 | 3 | 75% |
4+ Assessment, Coaching and Group/Paired Locations
Clapham: We run these during the week every day, during the day out of our Clapham office. These are located very close to Clapham South Station. We also run intensive courses on literacy and numeracy over the summer and in the autumn from here.
Dulwich: We run sessions out of Oakfield Preparatory School, on the South Circular just by West Dulwich station, every Saturday morning in term time.
Hampstead: We run sessions out of Hampstead Parochial School, just by Hampstead tube station, every Saturday morning in term time. We also run intensive courses on literacy and numeracy over the summer and in the autumn from here.
West Hampstead: We run sessions out of Emmanuel Church in West Hampstead, just opposite the Waitrose by West End Green, every Tuesday morning.
Mentor Education 4+ Group Assessment Dates
While we do the individual assessment dates on an ad hoc basis around you at our offices or our school sites, 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 Education Group Mock Assessment dates for 2024 are:
Dulwich area:
- 15th June
- 21st September
- 12th October
- 2nd November
- 3rd January (2025)
Hampstead area:
- 22nd June
- 14th September
- 5th October
- 9th November
- 7th December
- 4th January (2025)
Mentor Education 4 Plus Paired Coaching Dates
As well as large group assessments we also run paired coaching sessions. Almost all the 4 plus assessments involve paired exercises which force children to complete tasks together. This ability to collaborate tends to be an emerging skill until the summer. We organise set days were we gather children together and run these paired activities. The Mentor Education Paired Days for 2024 are:
Dulwich area:
Hampstead area:
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