3 reasons you should start assessment prep 2 years before the 7+ assessment/s?
/When I speak to many parents, they will often say these sentences to me…
‘I’m new to this!’
‘I didn’t know that it would be so competitive!’
‘I had no idea that I had to prepare him!’
‘The schools told me not to tutor him!’
Well, if you’ve been following me for a while, you will know my views.
7+ takes at least 2 years of assessment preparation targeted specifically at the schools that you are applying to.
Reason #1
Learning takes time.
Learning doesn’t happen on demand. Learning takes time. Your child will have a broad and vast curriculum to cover for the 7+ assessments and you will need to cover all of it to a very, very high standard. This can only be done with time on your side. Two years seems like a long time but it really isn’t. Two years will fly by.
Reason #2
Mastery needs to be achieved.
In order to be successful in a 7+ assessment at a top, elite school, your child will need to be at mastery level in the Year 3 curriculum at the very least. This means that we are working at 1-2 years about your child’s current year. I expect my students to always have a reading age at least 2 years above their current age and there is a very good reason for this!
Reason #3
Children need to become obsessed with learning and to deeply love learning.
When learning is rushed, this is never achieved and my students may come to not love their learning at all if they are rushed or pushed too much or too quickly. I never want to do this with any of our students. I know how important these assessments are to my clients and of course they’re important to me too. But do you know what is far more important to me? It’s that my students love learning. It’s that my students are excited to meet with me each week and to learn with me. It’s that my students are hungry to learn more, more and more!
So if you are preparing your child for a 7+ assessment, do yourself a favour and start early. Whether you start with myself and my team or you start by yourself, just start!
