A Guide to the 4 Plus Assessment

Some of us have recently had children who have passed their 4 Plus assessment to different schools. It was so competitive. But it really felt like the golden ticket because now our children are into wonderful schools without having to worry about passing the 11+. We thought it would be helpful to share with Parent Choice parents the things that we learned through the 4+ process.

What matters for the 4+ assessment?

1. 1. Behaviours matter more than academics for the 4 Plus assessment. Schools want children who can:
      • Pay attention and focus for an extended period of time.
      • Have stamina and can work hard when tired.
      • Work well in groups with other children.
      • Have their own ideas and speak up in class.
      • Are good at problem solving.
      • Are mature enough to be ready for school.

   2. The most academic schools, like Alleyn’s and Highgate, do care about phonics and maths in their 4 Plus assessments. Some of our children who applied to these schools had to be able to read words which were of mid reception level and were very tricky. They also had to be able to do some simple sums.

1. 1. It is important to be able to work in groups and pairs for the 4+ assessments. Not all tutoring agencies are large enough to be able to put together many groups or will often have you with the same child in a pair. You need to have a provider who is big enough to be able to keep mixing up the children.

1. 1. Get good testing for the 4+ process that is not merely anecdotal. So many early years teachers just rely on their experience. This is helpful, but we found the best companies have standardised testing of children which allows the parents to be sure that their child will thrive at a school. These standardised tests are sometimes used for schools in their 4 plus assessment so you really want to get your child some practice in.

1. 1. Start 12 months early. If you child needs to work on something like separation, or language development this can take time. You definitely don’t want to be cramming a little one. Slow and steady is best.

1. 1. Spend your money on 4 plus rather than 7 plus or 11 plus. The 4 plus doesn’t stress your child unlike the 7 plus or the 11 plus. Most parents with the 4 plus spend around £5,000 but a good 7 plus or 11 plus run can cost around £15,000 on tutoring and courses. It’s more economically and less stressful to go for it early!

Which is the best tutoring company for the 4 Plus assessment?

We do recommend that you get a good tutoring company to help you with the 4+ assessment because the prize is so great and parents don’t have all the skills nor do they have the groups that they can put together. Pick a good company to help you with the 4+ assessment. Different parents have worked with different providers. There are several good providers like Hermes Education, Ivy Education, Creative Minds and 4 Plus Tutor.

In general, though we believe that Hermes Education are the market leader and have the most developed offering:

• They were formerly part of Mentor Education – which created the very first 4 Plus programme. When that closed the 4 Plus team set up their own business just focused on 4 Plus and 7 Plus but with all the years of experience that they had built up.
• They have partnerships with Cambridge University on testing and Oxford University on education. No one else seems to have this level of rigour and partnership.
• All their teachers are qualified teachers who have worked in 4 plus schools. Lots of other providers either have nursery teachers or their teachers have not actually worked in schools which do the 4 plus.
• They have all their sessions in schools which more closely replicates the separation moment. Lots of other providers work in the home or in an office which does not really reflect the 4 plus environment. They have the scale which means they can have the blend of groups, paired work and 1-2-1s which are right for your child.
• Other providers tutor children, but Hermes work with parents too and give them the tools to help their children.
• They actually advise schools on how to write their 4 plus – which means they have the inside track. They aren’t just relying on the confused memory of a 3 year old about what came up!
• Their teachers are just really kind with little ones!

Whoever you chose, we wish you luck with your 4+ journey!

This article was written by a team of two parents, one of whose children got into Alleyn’s and JAGS in 2024 and the other got into Highgate and UCS in 2023.