When to Start Your 7 Plus
When to Start
The stark truth is that by the Autumn of Year 2 a good 7 plus candidate will need to be at least one ahead of their peers. This does not give you long to accelerate their learning, in contrast to the 11+, where children have many years to work hard and get ahead.
We recommend you start preparation for the 7+ in the January when your child is in Reception. Children are learning how to be at school in their first term in Reception and this is enough for them to assimilate. We recommend you start soon after because the best chance for success is a gentle skills build such that by the time the assessments are held in Autumn of Year 2 your child is at least one year ahead of their peers. This cannot be crammed in the last couple of terms in Year 1 and it is unfair and stressful on the child to try.
Having said this, many parents contact us about our 7+ programme in the Autumn of Year 1, when the child has 12 months to prepare. We have built this into our 7+ programme because this happens so frequently. We would caution that if starting at this point, the programme is necessarily more intense. Children starting at this point will need to attend several times a week to reach the required standard. They should also attend weekly handwriting classes and intensive courses over school holidays. The process will require significant commitment from parents and the child.
Our 7+ Programme manages the accelerated learning your child needs in a planned and holistic way so that you don’t need to worry.
Book your child’s place here