NLCS 4 Plus

The NLCS 4 Plus is a key entry stage for the school. The assessments are rigorous and highly competitive. The girls 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+.

We are experts in the NLCS 4+

Our experienced tutors include Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 teachers and former teachers from a range of schools in north London, including NLCS, UCS, Highgate and Channing. In short, we are well versed in the application process for these experts have helped us create this programme. Here at Mentor, some of our own staff were previously staff members at NLCS or were there themselves as children. One of our tutors even passed the NLCS herself at 4+ before becoming a tutor of pre school and KS1 children.

You can book our 4+ preparation and assessment package here.

What is on the NLCS 4 Plus?

Firstly, all 4 Plus assessments are not the same. For example, the NLCS assessment has important differences to the Channing assessments. The NLCS assessment has a blend of group and individual elements and in particular they are looking for ability to work well under pressure through testing areas like perseverance. Teamwork and kindness is important but at Channing they have much more craft based, even cooking based, play and this sort of collegiate activity is absolutely central. We deeply understand all the relevant schools and how their assessments differ.

Critically, there is a two stage assessment for NLCS. The first stage is more group focused than the second. However, there is group and individual elements to both stages.

Our success rate in the NLCS 4+

In 2023/2024 we have between 3-5 children who we have assisted to get into the school. Last year we had 4 offers for NLCS. Typically, the offer rate for NLCS is around 10%. Our rate is around 60%. We have a rule that we only help a maximum of fifteen girls each year for the NLCS 4+ assessment. If we helped everyone, then practically we would be helping no one. So book quickly here!

Our NLCS 4 Plus Assessment and Preparations

We start with an assessment of where your child is, based on our knowledge of what NLCS 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 NLCS approach.

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 £2,000. You can book here.

Booking Form For 4 Plus Preparation and Assessment

Book here for either our full coaching and mock assessment package (£2,000). 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 15 girls targeting NLCS 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.

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. Given the strong collaboration focus for Highgate these assessments are vital and we typically recommend that all Highgate candidates attend more than one and preferably three. The Mentor Group Mock Assessment dates for North London in 2025/6 are:

• 21st August 2025
• 27th September 2025
• 25th October 2025
• 8th November 2025
• 13th December 2025
• 4th January 2026

For more details about our 4+ Assessment

Contact Us

We have a strict rule that we only help fifteen girls each year for NLCS 4+ entry. If we helped more then there would be no benefit for those we have helped. So please do not delay in booking.

Get in Touch

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