Three 4+ Assessment Failures
/When I follow someone new something that has always really irritated me is when they only post success stories. And then I realised that I do the same!
It is very important that you understand that life will always be 50/50. We will always have successes but we will also have failures. And if you’re not having any failures in your life- it’s because you are not challenging yourself to go further. In this incredible business, we have success- but we of course have failures. We try not to have too many but inevitably we do.
So I’ve decided that after 4 years of sharing mostly all of our successes, that I will be sharing all of our failures as well. It is important that you hear about the failures too. You see, many of you seem to think that passing the 4+ Assessments will be easy and it just won’t be. The failures I share here were experienced both from some of our clients and from parents that I’ve spoken to in initial consultations and additional consultation.
I’ve obviously changed the names of parents and students.
Failure #1
The Late Starter
Jane approached me in September of 2024. Her daughter was a summer baby and she had her Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment. After answering a few of my questions about her daughter’s academic ability, I told her that her daughter would not be ready for Manor Lodge and would most likely not pass. Jane was not happy with me and she began tuition for her daughter anyway. I tried my very best to support her daughter but she did not pass the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment. Her mother’s next school of choice was NLCS. Jane went all in preparing her daughter and she was very committed. Her daughter, however became a little stressed in our lessons. She was picking up her mother’s stress and anxiety about the process. We did a Mock Assessment together and Jane’s daughter did very well. But reading and writing were still a problem. You see, you cannot rush or force reading or writing. She now attends a private school in Northwood - this was the school she did pass.
Failure #2
The neighbour listener
I spoke to Magda is February 2025. She contacted me because her son was unsuccessful to all of the schools that he applied to for his 4+ Assessments. He had applied to Habs, Highgate and UCS amongst some other top boys’ schools. Magda was very confused saying things like…
‘I just don’t get it so and so told me that I didn’t have to do any preparations?’
‘What went wrong? So and so told me that she just sent her son in and he passed?’
‘What do I do now? Where do I send my son?’
Magda was heartbroken. She did not have a back up school for her son.
We met to have a Sample Lesson and I could immediately sense her emotions. She was irritable and snappy with her son. Clearly she was incredible pi**** off. She did not continue with me after the Sample Lesson. I think she still needs some time to calm down after the experience that she had.
Failure #3
The Unbeliever
John contacted me in August 2024. He had his heart set on Habs Boys at 4+. He himself was alumni at Habs. He told me that his son would most likely get in because he himself attended the school. I told him that this was not the case. He didn’t believe me.
He told me that the 4+ assessment at Habs boys would be ‘easy’, after all ‘What would they expect from a three year old anyway?’ I told him the Habs boys 4+ Assessment is most certainly not easy. He didn’t believe me. I told him that they have very high expectations of their 3 year old students who come to their 4+ Assessments. He didn’t believe me.
He told me that he was making donations to the school and that the school would therefore favour him. I told him this was absolutely not the case. He didn’t believe me.
He did not begin The Emerald Curriculum with CMT and his son was not successful at passing his 4+ Assessment at Habs boys. He didn’t really want to talk to me much after having received this news!
I’m not sure where his son will be going in September 2025.
