We prepared eight children for their 4+ assessment at Highgate, and three of those eight children were offered a place.
Of course, the children we prepared for Highgate were also preparing for other top schools such as Westminster, NLCS, and Glendower, to name a few — and the majority were successful at several of their top school choices. But today, we are discussing Highgate.
You see, we have never previously prepared so many children for the 4+ at Highgate.
I’ve already shared my personal opinions about Round 1, so if you haven’t read that blog, do search for it.
Highgate has 60 places available for new students each year. My clients initially think that 60 places is a lot. Well, it isn’t. This year, they reportedly had 450 applicants (or so they say). Personally, I believe it was far more — but let’s go with that number. That’s roughly a 1:8 chance of passing the 4+ assessment at this school. Not easy, is it?
Following Round 1, this number is reduced to 180 candidates. At that stage, your child has roughly a 1 in 3 chance of being offered a place. Still not easy.
Siblings of pupils already at Highgate are always invited back for Round 2. If you think about it carefully, that’s a significant proportion. In fact, many of the children called back to Round 2 were siblings. Children of staff are also automatically invited to Round 2 — regardless of their level or ability. Read that again.
The stated criteria is that they assess “readiness for learning.” So is “readiness for learning” not taken into consideration for siblings or children of staff? Not according to their policy. Not in Round 1. In Round 2 they say it is.
Highgate states that in the second round, no preferential treatment is given to siblings and that they are assessed in the same way as all other children. However, the majority of children assessed this year who passed (as far as I can see) were siblings. Only one of the three students we supported to pass this assessment was a non-sibling.
I do respect Highgate’s honesty and transparency in its admissions policy. It is clear and direct. Parents know exactly what to expect after reading it.
Some of our brightest students did not pass this assessment following the first round (and a few following the second). Many of the students who did not pass Highgate 4+ were offered places at schools such as Westminster, The Hall, NLCS, Habs, Falkner House, and Glendower.
So, if you are preparing for Highgate, understand the numbers, understand the policy, and understand that you should never apply to just one school during the 4+ preparation process.
