Why wouldn’t my child pass the 4+ at Westminster?
/I was asked this question earlier this week by a father who called me to find out more about my 4+ programme.
I loved the equal mix of confidence and delusion.
I turned the question around and asked him…
Well, tell me why he would pass this assessment?
He gave me a huge list of reasons which I really don’t have time to write about. But here are a few for you.
His son is so amazing
Yes, yours and all of the other 500 applicants!
His son knows all of his phonics (single sounds)
Well I should think so by this point given that the assessment is in less than 5 months time (at the point of writing this).
His son is so good at maths!
Yes, yours and most likely all of the other 500 applicants!
Listen up, we all believe that our children are the best of the best and that a school like Westminster would be the lucky ones to have them!
So, let me break it down for you very simply and tell you some of the reasons why your child won’t pass the 4+ at Westminster.
They don’t go into the assessment the way that is expected.
They don’t follow the instructions the way that is expected.
They don’t interact with adults the way that is expected.
They don’t demonstrate all of the skills needed to be demonstrated.
They don’t perform academically at the level that the ones who will pass perform.
It’s not a playdate and do not tell your child that it is.
I don’t lie to my child.
Your child is not there to relax and have fun so do not tell your child that that is what they are going there to do.
If your child doesn’t know what to expect don’t expect them to do what they need to do in order to pass.
Seems so obvious to me. Is it obvious to you?
