Best Foot Forward

Places at London’s most prestigious secondary schools are highly sought-after and the admissions process can be a demanding one for children,” explains Eveline Drut, Executive Head and founder of The Eveline Day School. “A concentrated period of exams, interviews and tests, alongside additional tasks for children that are pursuing academic, art, music or sports scholarships, awaits each candidate.” There’s no doubt the process is rigorous, but with the right support and a well-planned approach, children can manage the array of assessments and emerge satisfied – and unscathed.

Do your research

The starting point for many parents is understanding how your child will be assessed. Prep schools will be well versed in the requirements of prospective secondary schools, even if they change from year to year. To support your child, try and be on top of this too. As well as having on-going, regular conversations with your child’s current school about what the process
will involve, ask the secondary school you’re interested in how they assess. David Bradbury, Head of Portland Place School, believes parents and students need to know what is expected during the admissions process and should be clear on the format of the tests and the content they will be tested on – after all, different schools have different approaches – so ask questions. “The process should not be there to create barriers and anxiety but to provide an opportunity to learn about a student,” he says.
Emanuel School also prides itself on being open and honest about their admissions processes. There is no mystery, for example, about interviews. “This is a chance for pupils to talk about their interests and ask us about the school,” explains Stuart Turner, Deputy Head. “We ask a few scenario-based questions, such as ‘If you met the prime minister what would you ask him?’ or ‘What would you do if you came home and found a penguin in your front room?’ ’’

Limit the number

It’s worth saying something about how many admissions tests you put your child through. Be realistic and only apply for those schools where the candidates have a good chance of being offered a place; too many and your child’s wellbeing will suffer. Three is a good number but six is too many. Let your existing school advise on which schools to go for as they know your child well and his or her prospects.

Steady, stress-free preparation

From early on, your prep or primary school will be preparing your child for any English and Maths papers that they might be asked to sit – at the 11+ entry point, tests on these two subjects should align with the national curriculum. “The most important learning content for the children is the English
and Maths curricula taught in school and supported by homework tasks,” explains Olivia Buchanan, Head of Falcons Prep, Richmond.

Some schools also teach verbal and non-verbal reasoning in the early years. At The Roche School, admissions test preparation starts in Year 4 and builds gently into Year 5. “By the summer term of Year 5, all children sit interview preparation sessions as well as weekly assessment preparation sessions to give them an understanding of how to work in timed conditions. This continues into the first term of Year 6,” says Ricki Hamilton, Head of Assessment.
Maintaining the standard reached at the end of Year 5 can be hard to do over a long summer break but it’s an important time to maintain learning and consolidate skills. “Summer holidays are long but well deserved. There is a risk that pupils will forget some knowledge acquired if not practised,” says Beth Dinsmore, a Year 5 teacher and Maths Coordinator at Parsons Green Prep. “So it is advised that pupils should complete summer homework set by teachers and listen to their teachers’ advice – it may be to complete an hour of work a day in an area the pupil feels weaker in, for example, completing comprehensions on Atom Learning or using Bond books to practise reasoning.’’

Having said that, it’s important to keep the balance; you don’t want them to burnout or lose motivation before the exam season has even begun, which is a very real risk. “Make sure they keep on top of their Maths and English work and let them develop their interests outside of the classroom – we are very keen to speak to interesting boys who have a range of talents and interests beyond the scope of their school’s curriculum,” explains William Forse, Assistant Head (Admissions and Marketing), King’s College School Wimbledon.

Henrietta Kiezun, Registrar at JAGS Senior, adds: “Generally reading is a very good preparation – book worms are usually well placed in entrance assessments.”
Moreover, think about your child’s wellbeing during this preparation time. Tash Roisin, founder of Teatime Tutors, knows this only too well from her 14 years of tutoring in people’s homes. “When I went to people’s homes, their children were tired, hungry and un-focused on further learning after a long day at school. “We do it differently and all parents will need to do is collect their child after the tutoring session, give them a hug, a bath and put them in bed, knowing that they’ve had dinner and quality 11+ tuition or homework support with a qualified teacher.”

What to know about interviews

Over-preparing your child for an interview will be clearly obvious to anyone assessing them. Instead, you want to provide them with the opportunities to discover what it is they do enjoy and encourage them in their development – this gives them confidence which then carries across in the interview. “They can show their true personality when talking about what it is that they love doing or are interested in,” explains JAGS’ Henrietta Kiezun.
Suzie Longstaff, incoming head at London Park School, agrees: “Remember that ‘interested is interesting’. Being able to communicate a spirit of curiosity and an interest not only in the school you are applying to, but also in the world around, is a great place to start. We are as interested to hear girls chat confidently about a favourite pet, or a rain-soaked camping holiday, as about an impressive list of hobbies and achievements. We want to find out how they think rather than simply what they know.” In the run up to the interview, try to keep them relaxed and chat through a few simple questions with a parent or older sibling.
“Run through a few short and sensible questions like ‘Why would you like to come here?’ or ‘What are your favourite activities at school’? or ‘Tell me about your favourite book or film’,” suggests Emanuel’s Stuart Turner. You can keep it even more casual if needed by having discussions on the way to and from school or at the dinner table.
“Read the paper and have a conversation on a topic,” says The Roche’s Ricki Hamilton. “Ask family members who they don’t see regularly to have a phone call/Zoom with them as a mock interview.”

It may be that parents are concerned the interviewer will not grasp who your child really is, especially if they are nervous. But rest assured that personalities will and do shine through during interviews. “Our staff are very experienced at working with ten and 11-year-olds; we are able to put young people at ease and give them time and space to talk about the things they enjoy talking about,” concludes Stuart Turner. And if you can put your child at ease from preparation stage through to interview, it shouldn’t be as stressful a process as so many of us fear. The main message is to let the school do their part with teaching, while you encourage reading and discussion at home so your child can relax and be his or herself. As Oscar Wilde famously said, “Everyone else is already taken.”