The true complexities of the Alleyn's 4+ Assessment.

Alleyn’s is another popular school that we prepare our children for here at CMT. This is a wildly misunderstood school when it comes to the 4+ assessments.

We understand it very well! Do you?

With the Assessments in early January (7th - 9th January), you have only one academic term to prepare for this incredibly tough 4+ assessment. 100% not enough time to have the success you imagine you will have.

Registration opens on Monday 1st September and Registration closes Friday 13th November 2026 (for 2027 entry).

36 new children will be welcomed into the Reception classrooms at Alleyn’s Dulwich.

One of the most secretive schools in terms of the 4+ Assessments.

I dare you to ask a mother or a father who has sent their child for a 4+ assessment at this school and I guarantee you that they will either be extremely vague or they will simply change the subject.

With around a 1:12 chance of passing, this is one of the hardest schools to pass at 4+, it is also one of the least prepared for by our clients here at CMT. As in this is a school that parents typically start preparing for 3 months before. I know for a fact that this is not enough time to prepare for a 4+ at a school like Alleyn’s Dulwich.

A highly academic 4+ assessment, your child will need to cover a broad and vast curriculum in all areas of the Early Years Curriculum. Spatial reasoning and logic are important features of this 4+ assessment and your child will need to be prepared thoroughly and well and have been exposed to many different elements of spatial reasoning during their 4+ assessment preparation in order to go in and have a clue what to do! Numeracy and phonics will need to be at a very high level. Language development and language skills will be vital to your child’s chances of success at Alleyn’s Dulwich. Alleyn’s will also be looking at how your child interacts with others (children and adults). Listening and following instructions will be very important.

Alleyn’s themselves write that parents should ‘Avoid heavy coaching or rote tutoring, as assessors look for authentic behaviour and enthusiasm.’ Nothing about that sentence makes any logical sense to my brain. When my clients attend the Alleyn’s Open Event, they are told the same. My clients internally roll their eyes and continue to work very, very hard to prepare their children for what is expected of them in this incredibly tough 4+ assessment. Other parents will call me and tell me that they do not need to prepare for this school. Never have I ever (in 2 decades) heard back from any parent who has done this and whose child was offered a place at Alleyn’s Dulwich.

If you are preparing for Alleyn’s Dulwich for 2027 entry, it is my hope that you have been preparing for a while now. If you haven’t, this is your last chance to enrol into our exceptional Intensive 4+ Emerald Curriculum 3 month Programme. Join today (It will close August 31st).