The behavioural and academic traits of children who will SMASH their 4+ assessments.

Having worked with thousands of children over the last 2 decades, I can tell you with certainty and clarity that there are certain children who will absolutely smash their 4+ assessments. There will be others who will find it much harder.

Knowing the behavioural and academic traits of the children who have passed their 4+ assessments with ease will help you to truly understand the expectations and requirements in these incredibly tough 4+ assessments and support your child to the best of your ability to go in and truly shine in any 4+ assessment.

Behavioural

Behavioural 

Welcoming

Kind

Polite

Calm

Caring

Confident

Can give and maintain genuine eye contact

Keen

Enthusiastic

Happy

Independent 

Team player

Good, strong listener 

Exceptional at following instructions

Resilience

Perseverance 

Dedication 

Curiosity

Academic

Literacy - All phase 2 and phase 3 phonics known. Beginning to learn the phase 4 phonics. Most digraphs known. Able to read cvc words. Able to read full sentences (for some 4+ assessments this will be the expectation)

Maths - A broad and vast mathematical curriculum covered which includes but is not limited to place value (to 20), addition and subtraction (to and from 10), geometry, measurements, problem solving, reasoning and logic.

Fine motor skills - Very strong fine motor skills need to be demonstrated.

Gross motor skills - Are very important too!

Understanding of the world - A strong understanding of the world around them will be very important.

Questioning - Answering questions to at least a level 4 standard will be very important.

Ready to take your child’s learning and curriculum acceleration to the next level? Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today. Final chance to join the incredible CMT 3 Month Intensive Programme before it closes on August 31st.

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).

What is CMT Curriculum Acceleration and why is it important?

I’ve been having more consults than ever lately - which is great.

As the Director of this Business, I am obsessed with hearing the thoughts, beliefs and opinions of my clients. It truly fascinates me.

Because ultimately what it comes down to is this. We are all parents wanting the best for our children.

The best education. The best learning environment for them. The best friends for them. The best experiences for them. The best of the best. We all want that for our children. We can all definitely agree on that.

Curriculum Acceleration is a term we have been using at CMT for the last 6 months. But it is something that we have done for the last 22 years. We provide our students with an accelerated and bespoke curriculum for them. Curriculum Acceleration is exceptional and not all schools/nurseries are able to provide it for their students - which is devastating. To me anyway. An accelerated curriculum is a curriculum which is 1-2 years beyond your child’s current age. An accelerated curriculum is one that will challenge your child and take their learning and understanding of concepts to a new level. An accelerated curriculum is one that will support your child to have the best possible learning experience ever!

Many of you are obsessed with the CMT Curriculum Acceleration. Many of you adore what we offer. Many of you cannot wait to work with us.

Some of you will become defensive with me and say that you don’t agree with Curriculum Acceleration. You tell me that children should learn in their own time. You tell me that you don’t want to put pressure on your little ones.

Pressure is the last thing you will ever see here at CMT. The curriculum we provide for our students doesn’t pressure them. It excites them. It delights them.

To me Curriculum Acceleration is important because the world we are living in is going to demand it. In one way or another, our children need an accelerated curriculum. They need to learn new concepts every day. They need to be exposed to hard things. Because in 10/20/30 years time, what we want for our children ultimately is this.

We want our children to be successful.

We will all have wildly different definitions of successful.

To me being successful means being FREE. Free to have as much money as he wants to have and not have to worry and stress about it. Free to travel as much as he wants and not need to ask for permission. Free to be able to look after his family. Free to be able to spend quality time with the people he loves. Free to be able to choose what he wants to do with his day. Free to do the work that he loves and wants to do and that truly excites him. Life is so short. I want to provide him with what was never provided to me but what I have been creating for myself and my family over these last 10 years - FREEDOM.

That’s why Curriculum Acceleration is important to me.

Is it important to you? Is it important that you provide it for your child?

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today. Final 10 days at this price.

Will sending my child to Little Habs Nursery be enough?

If you’re asking me that question, it means that you are assuming that the nursery will do all of the heavy lifting for you when it comes to educating your child.

Why should they?

Is it because you think that you are paying a large amount of money to send them there?

That’s your choice- let’s be clear.

Why should it be ‘enough’? And what do you mean by that sentence anyway?

We don’t have too much information about Little Habs yet. Little Habs Nursery will be opening their doors this September 2026. Many of our CMT clients will be sending their children to Little Habs Nursery for a variety of reasons. One reason is that their older child got in at 4+ and they with to have an easier drop off journey in the mornings when dropping both children off! The other reason is our clients are wanting to give their child that additional chance for success when it comes to the 4+ assessments next year (2028 entry and beyond). CMT clients, however, are crystal clear on the fact that it will be up to them to prepare their children. It will not be up to any nursery!

The Little Habs nursery will have three rooms:

Hablings - 6 months to 2 years

Dashers - 2 to 3 years

Nursery - 3 to 4 years

Little Habs Nursery will have capacity for about 60 children from what I’ve gathered from speaking with my own clients. I do not have the exact number right now. When I have it, I will share it with you.

I had this exact conversation with a parent this week who was telling me that sending her child to Little Habs would give him a higher chance for success in the Habs 4+ Assessment. Well - yes and no.

Your child is not guaranteed entry to Habs following their 4+ assessment just because they attend the nursery. Logically that wouldn’t make sense would it?

First of all, if they only have 40 places available that year (this year they had slightly more than that) , that wouldn’t be possible would it now? Even if they had 60 places available, do you really think that ALL of the children in the Little Habs nursery would automatically be offered a place?

Well, I don’t. At all.

What about all of the amazing external candidates?

The parent I spoke to told me that it wouldn’t look good from a marketing perspective for Habs if they were not to offer a large amount of places to the children attending Little Habs. After all, the practitioners there would be the ones responsible for preparing the children… right?

Wrong!

It really is not.

And also, why wouldn’t it look good from a marketing perspective? Habs want the best of the best at their school. If your child goes to Little Habs and they are not offered a place, there will be a reason why. And the reason is that they didn’t meet the criteria needed in order to pass the assessment.

Preparing your child for Habs is totally up to you. What you do at home. Sure, what they do at nursery will be helpful. But it’s not the be all and end all. In fact, it is just scratching the surface.

Be also aware that the ratio at nursery is 1:8 (non qualified teacher) and 1:13 (qualified teacher or EYP). That’s still a humongous ratio compared to the 1:1 support that you can offer your child at home. Always remember that.

Nursery practitioners have a huge amount to think about. Preparing your child for their 4+ assessment is one piece of the humongous pie. All of the other pieces need to be catered to also. Things like you know looking after your child, feeding your child, taking your child to the toilet, helping your child when they are upset, dealing with the mountain of paper work that they have to deal with each day, talking and communicating with parents etc etc.

If your child does go to Little Habs, they will have the opportunity to attend their assessment earlier than the others but I’m not sure if this is a good thing. Doing it 1-2 months earlier means that they won’t be able to demonstrate all of the things that they could additionally learn in those 1-2 months. If your child is not successful in that assessment, they will then be invited to try again with the external candidates.

Not sure how I would feel personally about that one!

Sending your child to Little Habs Nursery? Will you also be teaching them and preparing them at home?

Join our Waiting List today.

The main problem with an Ultra Pricey Nursery.

I’m sorry but a nursery is a nursery.

I’ve worked in many.

I’ve seen their huge limitations.

I’ve seen their tremendous struggles.

I’ve seen how much is expected of everyone working in a nursery.

Ultra Pricey Nurseries have one main problem.

Here it is for you.

Over reliance on it.

And over reliance on a nursery - and I truly do not care which one it is- will ultimately lead to severe disappointment.

Those of you who know me well, know my views about nurseries in the UK.

Nurseries are for babysitting.

That’s why I sent my son to nursery anyway. I had no other intention other than to pay for a nursery to baby sit my son so that I could work. I had no expectations when it came to his learning - I have always been the one solely responsible for that. The amount of parents each week who call me to express their extreme disappointment in the nursery or pre- school that they send their child to actually blows my mind.

Now, do not hear my words as criticism or slander to anyone working in a nursery. I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who works in a nursery. I certainly was not respected by many parents when I worked in nurseries! But I will always have the most respect for anyone who takes the time out of their own precious day to look after the most precious person in my life. Always.

Paying 8-10k+ a term on a nursery will not = the most amazing learning experience and curriculum acceleration for your child. Just be aware of that.

If you make the choice to invest 8-10k+ a term on a nursery, make it! And be delighted with it. Just have more reasonable expectations of the nursery provider.

They can claim all they want, but a nursery will never be able to support your child with their learning as much as you can at home on a 1:1 basis.

That is all.

Preparing for the 4+ ? This is your final chance to join my Intensive 3 Month Programme and truly provide your child with the Curriculum Acceleration they need to stand a chance in their 4+ Assessments. Closes August 31st.

3 Things to Stop Doing If You Want Your Daughter to Pass the NLCS 4+ Assessment.

Every single year I speak to disappointed and confused parents whose daughters were unable to pass the 4+ Assessment at NLCS.

It’s not their fault, they didn’t know how hard passing this assessment would be.

They assumed that their daughter would just go in and show NLCS how amazing she is and be offered a place.

We all think our children are amazing. It just doesn’t work that way.

They assumed that merely sending their daughter to a ‘great’ nursery or pre-school would be enough. Enough? That truthfully doesn’t even scratch the surface.

In order to pass the 4+ Assessment at NLCS, here are 3 things to stop doing.

1. Putting off starting 4+ Assessment preparation.

12 full months is what you need of carefully tailored and bespoke 4+ assessment preparation and curriculum acceleration. My recommendation to all of our clients is 4 full terms of 4+ assessment preparation.

2. Working with teachers who have no experience with the 4+ assessment at NLCS.

So many parents I speak to want to save money when it comes to the preparation of the the 4+ assessments. Doesn’t make sense to me. You want to send your child to a 30k+ per year school.

Invest the right amount to actually preparing her for it. A teacher with no experience in the 4+ assessment will not be able to help you as much as a teacher with over 2 decades of experience preparing girls for this school.

3. Not understanding how complex and difficult this 4+ assessment really is.

Again, I don’t blame you if this is you.

But it really is very simple. 500+ applicants. 40 places. Competition is fierce. And with their GCSE and A level results only getting better and better each year, competition will only become fiercer.

Prepare your daughter and prepare her well.

Support her to accelerate her learning in the 12 months you have before this assessment.

We all think our children are amazing. And of course, they all are amazing. But all 500+ will not be offered a place following their 4+ assessment at NLCS.

Final week to join my Intensive 3 month programme before I close it (for 2027 entry) on August 31st. Don’t delay - give your daughter the edge she will need if you want her to pass this NLCS 4+ Assessment.

7 ways to INCREASE your son's chances of being offered a place at Haberdashers at 4+

Did you know that in my over 20 years of preparing boys to be wildly successful in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment, that I’ve never had a year where a boy has not passed the first round? Ever!

If you want your son to have a chance at Habs Boys at 4+, I know for fact that we are the best of the best.

We know the school like the back of our hands.

We know exactly what they are looking for in their potential new boys.

Each year, we prepare 8-10 boys for this 4+ assessment. Each year a huge number are offered a place to study at Habs Boys at 4+ (and other entry points too but here we discuss the 4+!). This year, from September 2026, 9 of the boys who were offered a place were prepared by us.

Simply extraordianary!

Parents will often ask me this question…

‘How can I increase his chances for success in the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ assessment?’

And it really is a very good question.

7 ways to INCREASE your son's chances of being offered a place at Haberdashers at 4+

1. Focus on a broad and vast vocabulary from as early as possible. Basically from birth!

Read 10 books a day to your child. Or just choose a number and go with that! Ask your child hundreds of questions a day. Model answers for them. Set the highest expectations for how they answer your questions.

2. Support their personal, social and emotional development.

Have high expectations of their behaviour. Tell them what it is so they know. Read books about behaviour and discuss at length. Encourage social interaction from an early age (not just at nursery!).

3. Build that strength!

Fine and gross motor development is huge in the 4+ assessments. Every single day, you want to be doing something that will support this! Puzzles, lego, play doh, beading, cutting, writing, colouring in etc etc. Every day (doing it at nursery alone will not cut it!).

4. Teach your child to read.

I have nothing more to say about this! Invest in an amazing phonics programme and go! Every day teach your child their phonics! (Don’t rely on nursery to do this for you!)

5. Teach your child and broad and vast mathematical curriculum.

Place value, addition and subtractions, geometry, measurement, writing numbers etc etc.

(Nurseries do not teach maths to the level needed at 4+).

6. Encourage curiosity.

Understanding of the world is key in this 4+ assessment (and the others too!)

7. Support your child to be able to draw and colour in to a very high standard.

And off you go!

We’ve all got a lot of work to do.

You want a place at Habs Boys?

You’re going to need to work very hard for it. All of us! Our students, our clients and our teachers. You’d better believe that they’re just not going to offer your son a place because he attended the assessment! He will need to demonstrate all of the above and to a very, very high standard.

I’ve just launched my incredible one month Success Programme and I have opened up 3 precious places. If you’re ready to take Massive Action and support your son or daughter for one full month with their Curriculum Acceleration, join me!

Learning is never linear!

Our most successful clients are the clients who understand that learning is never linear. They understand that learning does not just go in one steady direction. Learning is bumpy. There will be huge bumps along the way. There will be falling down and getting back up - over and over and over and over again.

Our most successful clients are the ones who manage their expectations beautifully.

The clients who stay with us for the least amount of time (2-3 months) are the clients who become discouraged because they don’t see the progress they assume they should be seeing. They blame the programme. Some even blame me. But that’s just not how it works. True learning the way I define it doesn’t happen in just 2-3 months! Sorry!

I compare it a lot to my weight loss journey. When I gain weight is when I eat 500 cals more than is on my plan, its not because my coach has a programme that does not work. It’s simply part of the weigh loss progress (and also because I went off plan!). It’s easy for me to just blame my £300 a month coach and her programme. I never do that.

Our most successful clients are the clients who don’t get discouraged when their children do not learn their phonics as quickly as they expect that they should.

Our most successful clients are the ones who know that it might take their child a long, long time to recognise numbers and even when they don’t recognise numbers, they will relentlessly continue to show them.

Our most successful clients are the clients who continue to ask their children a variety of different questions even though their children don’t answer in the manner that they would like them to. They model it to them. They show them. They explain.

Our most successful clients are the  ones who are willing to be disappointed and know that success will only come to them if they carry on and persevere. 

Our most successful students and the ones who understand all of the above to. They are the ones whose eyes light up when they see their teacher appear on their screen. They are the ones who have so much laughter throughout the weekly lessons that they have with their teacher and throughout the week with their parents.

Learning will never be successful if there is no laughter. If it is not light- hearted. If it is not fun.

Learning must always be fun.

Parents who believe that it is up to their tutor, their private teacher or their school to teach their child haven’t understood what learning is truly about.

Learning is not just a click your finger and voila type of experience.

Learning is messy, learning is frustrating, learning is infuriating.

Learning is also beautiful, joyful, exciting and full of love.

It is the full 50/50 experience. Embrace it. Climb that mountain and know that you will all fall down time and time and time again. It’s in the moments that you get up, hold hands and dust yourselves off that the magic happens.

Ready to accelerate your child’s learning? Join our Waiting List today.

'Natural Ability' Is not a Thing and especially not when it comes to the Westminster 4+ Assessment!

4/32 of the students who were offered a place at Westminster to start their Reception year were prepared by us! Simply amazing!

Westminster Under School claim that they are looking for children who can ‘demonstrate potential’. They claim that they are looking for children who have a ‘natural ability’.

I don’t believe that ‘potential’ is something that any of us naturally have. I believe that potential is something that is nurtured and something that is fully supported, guided and nourished over a long period of time.

I do not believe that any child is born with ‘natural ability’. A child is not just born naturally able.

A child develops ‘ability’ through hard work, effort, consistency and dedication.

Do you really think that the 4 children who we prepared and who were offered a place at Westminster came to us with ‘natural ability’? Obviously they were very able.

But ‘natural ability’ is actually not a thing. What went on behind the scenes to prepare them to be ready to be offered a place at a school like Westminster is something only we will know about.

They write that ‘pupils joining at 4+ will usually progress to 7+…

I do not like the wording of that sentence at all. And if I was a mother sending my child to Westminster in 2026, I would be making sure that my child continues to be at the level they need to be at if I would want him to be in with a chance of continuing at the school at 7+. I definitely wouldn’t be leaving it solely to the school to do that. Please don’t do that.

Clearly if they are writing this, there will be some children who devastatingly will not make the cut. Children who will be told to leave at 7+?

How heart breaking.

Personally, I know I wouldn’t want to be in that position. What would I tell my son?

Listen carefully. If you are preparing for the 4+ at Westminster you’d better be laser sharp aware that this will not be ‘easy’. You’d better know that your child will need to cover a broad and vast curriculum before setting foot into this school (nursery or pre-school will not even scratch the surface and it does not matter which one you go to). And never leave it purely up to a Nursery or a Prep-School to prepare your child anyway. It will only lead to disappointment. Nurseries and pre-schools have a thousand other things to think about. Your number 1 priority will be to prepare your child to be ready for Westminster. They have a thousand other priorities. They have a thousand other things to deal with.

Preparing for the 4+ at Westminster? You still have time to join our 3 month Intensive Programme. But hurry! It will close on August 31st 2026!

The 2026 A level results and my thoughts about them. Part 1.

PART 1.

The 2026 UK A level RESULTS.

‘The 2026 UK A level results show that the proportion of top grades has risen slightly for the third consecutive year with 28.5% of entries achieving A or A% - up from 28.3% last year’

Quoted from the BBC.

That means 71.5% did not achieve A or A*.

I think what we really need to do is fixate on this number. 71.5%.

We have a growing population of 18 year olds and this year 320,505 students sat their A levels in England. Quoted from Gov.UK.

268,820 secured places at Universities across the UK. Quoted from Which School Advisor.

If these figures are accurate, this means that approx. 51,685 did not secure a University spot.

Private schools saw nearly 50% of A level results at A and above. Quoted from Ofqual.

Grammar schools saw nearly 44% of A level results at A and above. Quoted from Ofqual.

State Schools saw 23% of A level results at A and above. Quoted from Ofqual.

What a huge disparity between State V Grammar/Private.

In my eyes, all of these percentages are far too low. If our children are studying for 13-14 years, why aren’t more children securing A and A*?

Is an A or an A* really so important?

Well, ultimately yes it is.

As parents, we all want the best for our children. If you’re going to send your child to school for 8 hours a day/ 5 days a week/ 38 weeks of the year, we want to see them securing the best results.

That’s my opinion on the matter anyway.

What’s yours?

'Assessing 3 and 4 year olds is BONKERS!'

If you truly believe that then why put your 3 and 4 year old through a 4+ assessment?

That is truly what is BONKERS.

If something doesn’t sit right with me when it comes to my son, guess what? I don’t engage in it. I simply don’t do it.

I don’t go around insulting it. I don’t go around judging others.

I don’t want to send my child to State school. So guess what? I will not send him to a State school. I don’t go around insulting state schools. That would make me look like a moron.

Why is it bonkers to assess a 3 and a 4 year old?

Why?

Because of their age?

3 and 4 year olds are capable of far more than you think!

3 and 4 year olds are exceptional thinkers. They have amazing minds that need to be nurtured and nourished. They are the most creative and most imaginative students! They are simply amazing.

People will talk about 3 and 4 year olds and say that ‘3 and 4 year olds are not intelligent!’

How insulting and how incredibly rude.

My son is now 4 and people are always telling me how intelligent he is. How amazing he is. How well rounded and capable he is.

Do you know why?

Because I put in the work. Just like my clients do every single day with their children.

If you think a 4+ assessment is ‘BONKERS’, do not send your child to one. That’s cool. Do what you want! Just stop insulting this process and stop insulting these amazing 3 and 4 year olds and everything that they accomplish through preparation for this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment process.

Preparing for a 4+ assessment and want to support your child every single step of the way?

Book your Sample lesson and Sample week today. Final month at this price. From September the pricing will be increasing. Lock in this price for at least one year by booking your Sample lesson and Sample week today!

The MAIN Issue with the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment last year (2026 entry)

A lack of understanding with regards to just how fiercely competitive it will be.

Parents I speak to often seem to be super relaxed about this 4+ Assessment. Perhaps because of what they have been told at the Open Day by the school. Perhaps because they don’t rate the school as highly as maybe they do a Habs or an NLCS. Perhaps because they have been told by friends and family that it’s ‘just a little run around in their forest garden’.

It is a 4+ Assessment and 4+ Assessments need to be taken very seriously.

With approx. 60 places available, parents tend to believe that this is a lot! Well, that’s relative to how many children apply is it not? Hundreds upon hundreds of children will apply to attend their 4+ Assessment at Manor Lodge.

Parents will often comment about how overwhelming the Assessment Day is at Manor Lodge. ‘It was a sea of parents and children!’ One of my clients told me last year. His daughter became so upset and did not want to leave his side. She had to basically be ‘encouraged’ to go into the assessment with the assessor but she was visibly ‘distressed’ by the whole experience. She did not pass.

Also note that children already in the nursery will have preferential treatment although they still all need to complete the assessment process too and still need to pass!

Manor Lodge is also one of the ‘cheapest’ 4+ schools in the area. At £5,990 per term for the infants it is significantly more affordable than Habs (£8,741) or NLCS (£8,925) for example. The price point of the school is very appealing to many parents that I speak with. To some it is irrelevant and they would still choose Habs or NLCS over Manor Lodge (if they had the choice!).

Manor Lodge will over offer places so many children will be Waitlisted following their 4+ assessment. This is because it is a very early 4+ Assessment compared to the others and they are very well aware that many, many parents will accept other schools rather than theirs if they had the opportunity to do so. Several of our client’s children were Waitlisted last year and once they found out that their children passed Habs or NLCS, they promptly rejected the Manor Lodge offer.

Friday October 16th is the date for this year’s Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment. You can no longer join my programme for 2027 entry but if your would like to join for 2028 entry and beyond, please join my Waiting List. Once joined, please send your preferred days/times for weekly lessons and I will confirm your start date. 12 months of Assessment preparation is needed for Manor Lodge so the time to start is definitely in the Autumn Term (September 2026).

Don’t delay! Join today!

The Alleyn's Dulwich 4+ Assessment - Is your child really ready?

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

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

The Assessments for Alleyn’s Dulwich will be in January 2027 (7th-9th January 2027).

One of the most secretive schools in terms of the 4+ Assessments. Parents keep very hush, hush about this one. Perhaps because they don’t want to help others to have an edge over their child or perhaps they don’t wish to speak openly about their rejection. Alleyn’s Dulwich is a very challenging assessment to pass following the 4+ assessment.

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.

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 the assessment. I know for a fact that this is not enough time to prepare for a 4+ at a school like Alleyn’s Dulwich. The only thing the Admission Policy reveals is that children are assessmed based on the Early Years Curriculum. That is all.

Dulwich parents are drawn to this school for their children because of the simple fact that once in, they will progress (unless in exceptional circumstances) to the Senior School and therefore avoid having to do the 11+.

There are rumours that they have a sibling policy but I know of many, many siblings who have not passed so I wouldn’t even consider this to be honest.

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.

Last chance to join my Intensive 3 month Programme before I close in on August 31st. This is for 2027 entry only.

If you are preparing for the 4+ assessments in 2028 and beyond, please join our Waiting List.

'The hardest of the 4+ assessments!' The South Hampstead 4+ Assessment.

I was speaking with one of my dear clients last week and we were discussing the 4+ assessments. Her daughter did amazingly well and was successful at being offered places at the likes of NLCS, South Hampstead, Westminster and Glendower.

These were her words.

'The hardest of the 4+ assessments!'

The school she was referring to was South Hampstead High School.

Is South Hampstead a school you dream about for your child?

Would you love to send your daughter to South Hampstead at 4+? Yeh, you and the other 240+ parents who try to send their daughters to this school each and every year!

It is by far one of the hardest 4+ assessments.

I have been preparing girls for this school for over 20 years. This means that for 20 years, I have seen what works and I have seen what doesn’t. This means that for 20 years I have seen the girls who have passed and I have seen the girls who have not passed.

I know exactly what is expected of the girls in their 4+ Assessments and so do my team of exceptional teachers.

The most heartbreaking thing about this school, is that it is the least prepared for. Each year, we typically support 2-3 girls for this school. This is a very small percentage compared to the other school that we prepare our girls for. Perhaps those other girls go to other tutors? I do hope so. Last year we supported a record 7 girls for their 4+ at South Hampstead!

Why this 4+ assessment is so hard?

1. There are only 24 places on offer at 4+.

Each year hundreds and hundreds of girls will sit their Assessment at this school.

At least 250 girls attend their 4+ Assessment at South Hampstead. Your daughter therefore will typically have a 1:10 chance of passing this assessment.

2. The majority of parents will consider it to be a ‘play date’ assessment because this is what they are told about it.

It is not a ‘play date’. Far from it actually.

3. The majority of parents will not prepare their daughter for this 4+ assessment (other than sending her to nursery or prep school)

Special preparation IS necessary.

South Hampstead are looking for very strong phonics and reading skills and very strong mathematical skills in their girls. How will your daughter pass without ‘special preparation’? Nurseries and pre- schools do not support children to the level needed to pass these 4+ assessments. It really doesn’t matter to me which one she goes to.

4. Formal knowledge IS expected.

A lot will be expected of your daughter in her 4+ Assessment for South Hampstead. Prepare her to a very high standard. Sending her to nursery or pre-school alone is not what I consider preparing for a 4+ assessment. Far from it.

5. To be offered a place at 4+ is something exceptional.

If you have been offered a place, you are in a very privileged position and I hope you are aware of that.

We have exceptional success with South Hampstead at 4+ every single year. This year 5 of our students have been offered a place to study at South Hampstead!

Trustpilot Review (South Hampstead 4+ Success)

Maria helped us with preparing our daughter for the 4+ assessment at SHHS. She is a summer baby and not in a nursery that formally prepares kids for the 4+. She comes to every lesson prepared but also flexible with content to suit the mood of our 3 year old. She is very patient and encouraging. The exercises she shares after the lessons are also useful to continue progress. All in all we are very happy especially after we got the offer from the school.

For your final chance to join our exceptional 3 Month Intensive Programme Book your Sample lesson and Sample Week today.

My long term VISION for my son.

I spend every single day supporting other parents to make very important decisions. Decisions about their children that will impact the rest of their lives (their lives and the lives of their children).

I take what I do very seriously.

It is of upmost importance to me to support parents all over the country to make the best choices possible for their children.

Will our choices be the ‘right’ ones? Only time will tell and we need to be prepared to make changes and pivot if need be.

You see, I didn’t have the best education growing up. We were certainly not ‘wealthy’ and my parents did the best they could with the knowledge that they had at the time and the circumstances they experienced at the time. However, it is very factual for me to tell you that my education could have been far superior. And if it had been, perhaps I wouldn’t have had to have struggled as much as I did between the ages of 18-35. Perhaps I would have made better financial decisions between the ages of 18-35 and perhaps my life would have just been filled with far more choices than those that I had between the ages of 18-35. I still did pretty damn well and moving forwards I will continue to make choices aligned with my vision and my dreams.

The education that our children receive is very important.

Currently, I am creating a long term vision for my son.

Having been state educated myself from the age of 5 to the age of 18, I know with certainty that I do not want him in a State School. People will say to me that I shouldn’t let my experience cloud my vision for my son. I will let my experience be the shining light to guide me very carefully in making this decision. My experience matters. What I believe matters. Not what anyone else believes - that’s for sure!

Having worked in state education for over a decade and having taught in hundreds of schools (including private), I know that I do not want him in a State School. I’ve seen too much. It’s a straight and easy no for me.

Private schooling is an option, sure. But not in his very early years. I want to have the flexibility to take him out of school and travel with him, to visit family, to go to new places and to have new experiences with him. I cannot do that if he begins school full time from September 2026. He won’t be. I will be Home Educating him from September 2026. To be honest, I have been home educating him since he was born. I have always been his main teacher.

I know that I can provide him with a ‘world class’ education that the government tell me they are offering all of our children. My education was far from ‘world class’. And I know that most of your education was far from ‘world class’, whether you choose to admit it or not.

Most of you will not.

Socially, it will be up to me or organise activities where he can interact with other children. Not because I think children socialise in schools (I don’t), but because my son adores to be with other children. And what I’ve actually noticed is that he loves being with different children of different ages.

Long term, I do want him to be very, very academic. I want to follow his lead and see what he is drawn to and provide him with everything he needs to achieve what he wants. I do want him to achieve high grades at GCSE and A-level. Not because of the grades themselves but because they will open doors for his future endeavours. Most likely, we will aim to do his GCSE’s and A-levels far earlier than the norm.I would like him to go to University but this will be completely up to him when he is mature enough to make that decision (I do not think 18 is the age to make these choices personally).

I don’t necessarily want him to work full time or have to work full time as an employee (unless he tells me that he wants to do this). I will always steer him towards the entrepreneur route. I know that this will give him the freedom that I have been creating for myself and my family over the last 2 decades.

I want him to feel positive and negative emotions in equal doses. I want him to develop the tools and skills to be able to handle both to the best of his ability.

I will be his main teacher.

I will be his main guide.

I want him to continue to have the hunger for learning that he currently has. I do not want this to be taken away from him by anyone.

I do not want anyone telling me what I should or should not be doing when it comes to my son. I do not want to follow rigid rules. I want freedom. It’s what I have always wanted - it’s just not what I was conditioned to want. It took me a long, long time to unravel that conditioning and thankfully I have!

This is my long term vision for my son.

What is your long term vision for your child?

Working online with an experienced teacher is far superior to working in person with a teacher who lacks experience.

We are all different and we all want different things and of course if you want in person tuition, that’s your choice. If you want online tuition, that’s your choice.

However, there’s this assumption by some that ‘in person’ is better than online. It is not.

There’s this belief that if the teacher is in the room with the child, they will have better results. This is not the case.

Careful what you assume and believe.

Some parents who contact me are fixated with this idea that in person tuition is better than online tuition. I disagree. Not just because it is what I do but because I know with certainty that it is not superior to what I offer to my clients. I never try to prove these parents wrong. That would be futile. What I do however, is tell them the truth as far as I see it. It is then up to them to decide if they want to work with us or not.

You may be very limited to the area that you currently live in.

There will be a limited number of teachers who prepare for the 4+ Assessments in your area. This means that you will need to go with whoever you find that actually offers 4+ Assessment preparation in your area. The teachers that you do find who offer 4+ Assessment preparation may not actually have any experience with the schools that you are applying to. So just because they can physically come into your home doesn’t mean that what they offer you will be any better than what you would receive online with teachers who have real and actual experience with the schools that you are applying to.

Not taking anything away from these teachers do (I was one of them myself for years and years!) But at the end of the day if you are sending your child for the 4+ Assessments then you will want the best of the best. And the best of the best is someone with real and actual experience with the schools that you are applying to. Someone who can actually answer your questions with facts and not opinions!

There are many teachers who claim to be so called ‘experts’ simply because their children are currently studying at the schools that parents are preparing for. How on earth that makes you an expert is beyond me. Just because my son goes to Gymnastics once a week doesn’t qualify to teach kids gymnastics!

You don’t need to waste time travelling anywhere.

Rather than wasting 2 hours of travel time actually getting to the in person tuition, use all of that extra time to actually prepare your child using the resources that we provide for you. Using our expertise. Using our knowledge.

You will cover a far more robust curriculum with a teacher who has real and actual experience with the schools that you are applying to compared to with someone who is just early years qualified. Again, taking nothing away from these teachers (I was one of them myself!) but if you want to make sure that you have covered absolutely everything that needs to be covered then you 100% need to be working with a teacher who actually knows the schools that you are sending your child into sit their Assessments at.

If you are going through the 4+ Assessment preparation process, make sure that you choose the best of the best. The best teacher for your child to support them to have the best possible chances for success.

Inviting someone into your home for tea and biscuits will not cut it. Sorry.

Also someone with our level of experience would charge at least double what we charge per hour to actually waste their precious time travelling to you and back.

Book your Sample lesson today.

Contradictory views about the Habs' Boys' 4+ Assessment.

Habs’ Boys’ School is a very popular school that we prepare our boys to be wildly successful in here at CMT.

It is a much loved school and I personally have friends who send their sons to Habs and I personally have hundreds of clients who I have supported over the last 2 decades who send their sons to Habs. Honestly, to this day, I’ve not heard negativity about this school. Which truly is a testament to them!

They offer approx. 40 places but this year it was far more than that. Ask the school directly how many places will be available this year (2027 entry). Although it was far more than 40, Habs did not disclose this until after the 4+ assessments to parents of boys who were offered a place (2026 entry)

With the applicants in their hundreds, you want to be laser sharp aware of the high expectations of your son and prepare him and support him accordingly. Prepare him and support him to go in and truly shine in this 4+ assessment (if it is truly a school that you want for your son).

There are a lot of contradictory views to mine about the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ assessment and I wanted to truly shine a light on some of these so that if you are preparing your son for his assessment for Habs’ Boys’ for 2027 and beyond that you are laser sharp aware of what will actually be expected of your son and how to really prepare him to the best of your ability.

Habs themselves ‘strongly recommend’ against tutoring which I truly find fascinating considering that each year at least 1/4 of their cohort have been prepared by us! Also, I have only ever spoken highly about Habs. They’re not speaking very highly of what I do are they? To add to this - I also continue to teach boys long after they have got in at 4+ who attend Habs!

There are a lot of contradictory views to mine about the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ assessment and I wanted to truly shine a light on some of these so that if you are preparing your son for his assessment for Habs’ Boys’ for 2028 and beyond that you are laser sharp aware of what will actually be expected of your son and how to really prepare him to the best of your ability.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to this very, very popular boys’ school.

1. Thorough preparation is needed.

2. Just send my boy in to play (after all it is a play based assessment)

Interesting then that in this play based assessment our boys were asked to do the following (obviously I’m not giving you a full list but just a flavour for you):

• Counting and identifying numbers to 20

• Drawing

• Geometry

• Writing

• Lego

• Reading

• Listening

• Vocabulary

• Drawing

• Phonics

Obviously my school of thought is that thorough prep is needed for the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ assessment. And just to be crystal clear - what I mean by this is 12 months. We are not miracle workers here. We can do our very best and we always will do. But a 12 month curriculum needs to be covered for this school (and many others!).

So, you decide if you want to ‘send your boy in to play’ and let me know if he is able to do all of the above (which is a fraction of what came up).

If you are preparing your son for 2027 entry and beyond, join our Waiting List today.

Why do girls fail the NLCS 4+ Assessment?

I have been preparing hundreds of girls to be incredibly successful at NLCS in their 4+ assessment for over 2 decades!

I know exactly what it takes for girls to pass this incredibly tough 4+ assessment.

The obvious answer to this question is that there will be over 500 girls applying for a coveted place at NLCS to start in Reception. NLCS is so incredibly oversubscribed for obvious reasons:

It is an all through school.

It produces exceptional Exit Results.

Contrary to popular belief, NLCS are not looking for only the brightest and most intelligent girls to join their school. They are also looking for girls who have a strong ability to fail and be ok about it.

This is the part of 4+ assessment preparation that many parents can neglect. And yes, it is part of my exceptional curriculum. Supporting my girls to be exceptional at failing. Because guess what? They will need to go in and demonstrate this! They will need to go in and not get frustrated and irritated when they get something wrong and believe me when I tell you that they will get many things wrong in this 4+ assessment!

Girls who pass the 4+ assessment at NLCS historically are of course very bright. Are of course girls who have been prepared to exceptional standards. But the most important piece is this. The girls who have passed have had the ability to fail.

Here’s what I mean.

I’ve been analysing my data from the last three years and looking at the girls that we have prepared for NLCS. I’ve also been analysing the data from parents that I’ve spoken to who have called me to tell that their girls have not passed their 4+ assessment at NLCS.

And the reason is so obvious to me.

The girls who have ‘failed’ this assessment - as in have not been offered a place have been the girls who haven’t been strong at failing.

Perhaps they were asked to do something and simply told the assessor - ‘I don’t know!’

Perhaps they were asked to do something and simply told the assessor - ‘I don’t want to do that!’

Perhaps they gave up quickly when they were unable to do something the first time.

NLCS are looking for girls who are resilient, strong minded and have the ability to persevere when something is hard.

Girls who are unable to demonstrate that will not be successful in this assessment. Simple.

That is my opinion. If you disagree, it is your right to do so!

Preparing for the 4+ at NLCS for 2027 entry? This is your final chance to join my Intensive 3 Month Programme which I know will be a game changer to your daughters chances for success in this incredibly tough 4+ assessment.

What is Curriculum Acceleration and why is it important?

I have always specialised in Curriculum Acceleration but I’ve only just recently started using those two words to describe the work that we do here at CMT.

You see, we do prepare for Entrance Exams and we do that exceptionally well and we will continue to support students to be wildly successful in any Entrance Exam. But that’s really not our main focus (it may be the main focus of some of our clients sure).

Our main focus is building a love for learning that goes far beyond any Entrance Exam. This is where Curriculum Acceleration comes in.

Getting into their schools of choice is the initial goal of the thousands of parents who have worked with us to this point. Their ultimate goal typically ends up being to support their children to truly love their learning. That’s why the majority of our clients stay with us for the whole of their children’s Primary Education.

To me Curriculum Acceleration means always working 2 years above their current age. So essentially if your child is in Reception, my goal is that they will be working at a Year 1/2 level.

Obviously this is important for Ultimate Assessment success. But I truly believe that it is vital for true accelerated learning. In order to truly accelerate our students’ learning, my teachers, myself and my clients work beautifully together to support each other to have the results that we truly want.

And ultimately getting 100% in a test is not the end goal for us.

Of course we want our students to score highly and to do well. That’s obvious. But true Curriculum Acceleration happens only when our students love to learn. They become obsessed with learning. They want to learn.

When learning is forced and not nurtured correctly the results can be catastrophic. Sorry to be dramatic. But it’s the truth. I’ve sadly seen in happen in thousands of children year after year after year when I worked full time as a classroom teacher all those years ago!

So many parents will tell me to ‘Stop putting pressure on these children’ but that is so far from the truth of what we do here at CMT. If you ever had the delight of watching one of our lessons what you would see would be laughter, joy and lots and lots of curiosity. You would see enthusiasm, determination and perseverance.

Curriculum Acceleration ultimately is important because in the world we live in right now, life is becoming more and more competitive. I want my son to be offered a top tier education. I know that his education will compare to a Westminster education. Most likely it will be even better as he will have my 1:1 support. Those children will have a 1:16 level of support.

Want to learn more about what we do here at CMT?

Book your FREE Assessment Consultation Discovery Call today and discover how we can support your child to truly love their learning and to truly achieve Curriculum Acceleration.

How do you solve a 'problem' like socialisation?

There are countless studies on socialisation and if you wish to read more about it, go for it.

These are my views based on my own childhood, my own opinion of socialisation and what I’ve experienced and observed working as a teacher for over two decades.

We all have different opinions of what socialisation and socialising means.

It will not mean the same thing to every single one of us.

Merriam-Webster defines socialization (spelled socialisation in British English) as the process, beginning in childhood, by which people learn and acquire the values, habits, and attitudes of their society.

For me, that’s where the first issue arises. I want to be nothing like most of our society and I want to spend very little time with many people in this society of ours! Does that mean I’m anti social? To some of you it will mean that. To me it does not. To me, it means that I am very selective about who I wish to spend my time with.

I also wish to acquire my own values - not the values of others (unless they are aligned with mine).

I would rather stay far away from the majority of habits held by the society I live in!

I can’t stand the attitude of many people in my society!

Here is what socialisation means to me personally.

Socialisation is the act of socialising with people who I choose to socialise with. Socialisation means spending time with the people I love and whose values are aligned with mine.

I want my socialising to be real and not fake.

In childhood, most of our socialising comes either from the socialising we do with our parents and our families and the socialising that we do at school (or the place we are educated - for some of us this will be home school).

Many of us are fortunate enough to have had excellent experiences socialising with our families as young children. Many of us didn’t.

As a child I did not.

My mother was always working and mostly stressed out and tired.

My father was barely present and then he died when I was 10.

Many of us are fortunate enough to have had excellent experiences socialising at school or by being home schooled. Many of us didn’t.

I went to a 7 form entry Secondary School where teachers didn’t really know us as individuals. In many of my lessons, we would need to write our names on bits of paper so teachers could call on us if we raised our hands! I had few friendships (one or two close friends) and I was fine with that but that wasn’t acceptable to the society I lived in. I should have been more popular. I should have had more friends. I should hang out with the popular girls (who FYI were sneaking out of school to take drugs).

Now, as a 41 year old woman, I adore my definition of socialisation. I adore my close circle of friends. My son has real and beautiful relationships with people who actually, truly adore him and would do anything for him.

So stop putting everyone into a little box that we should all fit into. We are all different. Our children are all different. What works well for one, will work terribly for another.

Socialisation is not a problem. How we view it may be the only problem.

Decide on your meaning of socialisation for you and for your child and live a life aligned with your definition of it and not on what society makes it mean!