School-assessment season is well underway, and it’s not only older children who are preparing for tests and interviews. The 4+ remains a popular entry point for many top prep and all-through schools, with some competitive independents assessing children as young as two. While 3+ assessments are less common, schools such as
Arnold House,
The Perse School Cambridge and
Brighton College use nursery entry as their main intake.
It’s not just a child’s age that makes 3+ and 4+ assessments daunting. If your child is sitting a prep-school entrance exam, you’ll know that they’ll be tested in English and maths – and they might even be offered a clutch of practice papers to help familiarise them with the process. Yet hazy advice given to 4+ candidates says little beyond the fact they are looking for children who demonstrate ‘teachability’ or ‘school readiness’. This can often seem hopelessly woolly and unclear – and only serves to pile even more pressure on parents and their children.
In reality, most schools are looking for similar qualities: confident communication, good fine-motor skills, independence, curiosity, the ability to follow instructions and sustained focus. These assessments are rarely knowledge-based, instead prioritising attitudes to learning, concentration and engagement. That said, some schools do have more specific expectations of prospective pupils, such as the ability to write their name, use a pencil or recognise numbers. Increasingly, inner London girls’ schools such as
Glendower,
Falkner House and
North London Collegiate expect familiarity with letter sounds, blending and segmenting at 4+, with some children already reading and writing.
Competition is particularly high for newer 4+ entry points, such as
Westminster Under, where demand has surged due to the school’s strong reputation and limited places. While assessments remain firmly play-based and designed to feel age-appropriate, they are carefully structured to allow staff to observe key skills. Activities often incorporate more formal numeracy resources such as Numicon, allowing assessors to gauge early number sense, problem-solving skills and a child’s confidence when engaging with mathematical concepts. This balance between guided play and structured observation enables the school to evaluate a child’s readiness to learn and their ability to engage positively in the classroom.
Ultimately, most schools are assessing a child’s maturity and overall approach to learning. Consistent exposure to age-appropriate activities and resources at home remains the most effective preparation.
Top tips for parents facing the 4+
Read books, books and more books! Sharing books with young children brings wide-ranging benefits, from improved concentration, vocabulary and comprehension to greater creativity, empathy and understanding of the world.
To maximise these benefits, talk about stories together. Model thoughtful responses and ask open questions such as “What was your favourite part and why?” or “How do you think they’re feeling?”. If your child finds this difficult, share your own ideas to guide them, for example: “I think the dragon will steal the gold because he hid a big bag behind his back – what do you think?”
Don’t forget audiobooks. Devices such as Yoto or Toniebox offer high-quality songs, rhymes and stories and are an excellent way to build comprehension, language and concentration. They’re ideal for car journeys, quiet time or before bed, and work particularly well alongside calm activities like drawing or Lego.
Try and notice numbers everywhere you go, and talk about them with your children. These could be anything from car registrations to house numbers or road signs. Using board games such as Ludo and Snakes & Ladders is also a great play-based way of helping your child get to grips with numbers by teaching them about counting, doubles and number recognition.
Practice separation. If your child isn’t yet attending nursery, make sure they’ve had some experience of being left somewhere without you. Try signing them up for weekly classes – sport, music, art or similar – where you can build up to dropping them off and picking them up again at the end of a session.
Do lots of Play-Doh. This is used in primary schools to build up strength in children’s fingers and practise squeezing, pinching, rolling and stretching techniques. It also helps little ones develop fine motor skills, such as holding and using a pencil and cutting with scissors.
Build concentration. Make time for your child to develop concentration through their chosen activities. Leaving children to play without adult interaction or interruption on self-chosen activities will help them to build focus and perseverance. Setting up singular activities that your child enjoys without numerous choices or alternative toys can help with this.
Early phonics through blending and segmenting sounds. Build your child’s abilities to hear sounds in words both by segmenting (breaking words down into sounds, such as by playing “I spy with my little eye something beginning with…”) and by blending sounds together to identify a word, for example “c/a/t/ is cat”. Without this ability to differentiate between sounds and put them together, children will not be able to absorb phonics to full effect.
And finally… present the assessment as a playdate in a new school. By doing so, you’ll be able to gauge whether your child enjoys being there, and will minimise any anxiety or pressure your child might pick up on.
To help parents understand where their child falls in terms of key areas of development, Talk ÍÑ¿ã°É’s Early Years specialist Sabine Hook has developed a bespoke Early Years assessment, focusing on all seven areas of learning – both prime and specific – from the government EYFS framework. We have worked with children who have gone on to gain places at some of London’s most competitive schools, including
Highgate,
North London Collegiate School,
Glendower,
Falkner House,
Kensington Prep School,
UCS and
Wimbledon High.
Who is the bespoke assessment for, and what does it involve?
The youngest age a child can be reliably assessed is around two to 2¼ years, once their speech is developed enough for accurate evaluation.
Assessments are entirely play-based and typically last 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the child’s concentration. This gives children a chance to experience a new environment and practise separation from their parent, preparing them for 3+ or 4+ assessments.
The bespoke assessment covers personal and social skills, fine motor development, communication, pre-phonics, comprehension and maths understanding. It can also be tailored to a specific school’s expectations, so there are no surprises on the big day.
After the assessment, parents are given a thorough report packed full of recommended resources and activities matched to the developmental stage of the child, as well as detailed feedback on:
- Listening and communication skills
- Fine motor skill development and early mark-making/writing
- Attitudes to learning and a child’s ability to concentrate, focus and persevere
- Ability to recognise sounds in words as an essential pre-phonics skill
- Ability to recognise amounts, counting skills, number recognition, early calculation skills and shape, space and measure
Parents are also given a clear understanding of what each school looks for during their assessment, and which schools might be the best fit for their child.
To find out more about Talk ÍÑ¿ã°É’s bespoke Early Years assessment, get in touch with our parent advisory team. We are here to help and ensure your son or daughter is beaming with confidence when the big day finally rolls around.
If you’re not quite at the assessment stage yet, we can help you make the right choices for your child as soon as they start their journey into education. Our nurseries guide includes our team’s pick of the best early years settings in the UK, and our dedicated nursery advisor is on hand to help you explore the very best nursery settings in your area, how to apply for them, and the key deadlines to bear in mind. We will guide you through the decision-making process and give you the confidence to make the right choice, armed with the most up-to-date insider knowledge. We are all parents ourselves – we know how hard this is, and we can make it easier for you.