The Merchant Taylors 4+ Assessment (2026 entry) Update.

First of all it is very important that you know that at this school only 6 boys will pass the 4+ Assessment (2026 entry).

Here is what the school says about their 4+ Assessment process:

Candidates are invited to school in groups of 10-15 boys for a session that lasts about an hour.

• The assessments are informal and are based on the Early Learning Goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. 

• All assessments activities will be very similar to activities that children carry out in their current nursery.

• We contact nurseries to provide written reports for all candidates.

• We are looking for teachability and sociability in our 4+ assessments. We are not looking to find out what the children know but whether they have the potential to flourish in our learning environment.

Let’s look at some of these points together.

Obviously the 4+ assessment will be informal - they are assessing 3 and 4 year olds. I wouldn’t expect anything less.

Assessment activities will be similar to those carried out in your child’s current nursery but the activity per se isn’t that important. What is important is what is being assessed whilst your son is being assessed. Do you even know what that is?

Teachability and sociability will 100% be assessed.

MTP are 100% looking at what the boys already know and they are looking at their learning potential.

MTS are therefore looking for a very specific type of boy who will ‘flourish’ at their school.

Last year, we prepared two boys for their 4+ assessment at MTP and both of them are currently studying there now! If you are preparing for this school and you know that there will be hundreds of applicants for 6 places, what are you doing to give your son that slight edge over all the others?

Join our Merchant Taylors’ Prep School Success Programme and give your son the opportunity to truly go in and show the assessors what they are looking for.