The top 3 reasons children failed the 4+ at Westminster (2026)
/Last year we prepared an extraordinary 14 children for their 4+ assessments at Westminster.
I think because it was such a novelty- parents were rather intrigued.
However, most parents we personally prepared did not take the Westminster 4+ Assessment preparation process very seriously at all.
Out of the 14 children we prepared, 7 of these children’s parents completely vanished after 3 months of assessment prep. No explanation. I guess they decided they were done. 3 months was enough to prepare for Westminster! Mind Boggling.
Obviously I cannot tell you their reasons (or their logic) because I never heard from them again.
Did their children pass their 4+ Assessments?
I will find out in September! Several of the students we personally prepared will actually be going to Westminster to study in Reception from September 2026! It will be very easy to find out won’t it?
Out of the 7 remaining children that we prepared - 4 were offered a place. Absolutely exceptional (and real!) results.
So what were the top 3 reasons children failed the 4+ at Westminster? As in were not offered a firm offer to study there? Here they are for you!
Parents not taking the 4+ preparation process seriously.
They were happy to pay the £300 registration fee. They were happy to send their kid into the first round fully knowing that 500 children would be assessed and only 100 would pass. But they were not fully happy to dedicate the time needed to actually take the process seriously!
Parents believing their children were able to do exactly what would be required.
It often surprised me when parents would tell that their children ‘knew everything’ that needed to be known. This would rarely be the case.
Parents not investing a fraction of the price of what Westminster would have cost them each year to prepare their children to even stand a chance of being offered a place. Sending your child to Westminster will currently cost you around 30k per year. Preparing them for the 4+ with us for one year would cost around 4k per year. Read that again.
Out of 500 children assessed in round 1, 100 passed and were asked to attend the second round.
Out of the 100 children assessed in round 2, 32 were offered places and I believe about 30 children were placed on the reserve list.
You may be surprised to know that many of the children who were offered places to study at Westminster actually declined. So having a healthy reserve list was very important for Westminster this year!
Chances of passing round 2 are pretty high.
Chances of passing round 1 are pretty slim.
Prepare and prepare well.
I am opening one precious place in my Signature Programme (The Emerald Curriculum) Tuesdays at 5:30 which is available from immediately. If you’ve been on the fence for a while, now is your time to join!
