4+ Assessment Guide for Parents
Our 4 plus assessment preparation uses gentle, play-based learning to help children feel confident and calm for selective independent school entrance tests, without pressure or anxiety.
Who it’s for:
Parents applying to selective independent schools at Reception (4+).
The Result:
Children who enter assessment rooms feeling capable, curious, and ready to shine.
Our expert 4+ guide helps you:
- Understand what schools are looking for
- Prepare calmly and confidently
- Choose the right next step
Trust strip
- 100% of our 2025/26 cohort secured top school places
- ✓ Trusted by families at leading London schools
- Exclusive provider of 4+ Entrance Exam support to leading north London chain of nurseries Bright Little Stars
What is the 4+ Assessment?
The 4+ is usually a child’s first experience of being observed in a school setting.
It is not a formal exam. Most 4+ assessments are play-based and observation-led.
Children typically experience:
- Small-group activities
- Short adult-led tasks
- Story or circle time
- Gentle one-to-one interaction
- Transitions between activities
Schools are looking for confidence, communication, independence, and emotional readiness, not academic tutoring.
If you’d like a deeper explanation, you can read our full guide on what to expect on 4+ assessment day.
Why the 4+ Assessment Is Becoming the Key Entry Point
In recent years, the school landscape has changed significantly.
For many leading independent schools, the 4+ assessment has become the main entry point into the school.
Places at later entry points, such as 7+ or 11+, are often more limited because many children join earlier and continue through the school.
As a result, more families are preparing thoughtfully for the 4+ stage, focusing on confidence, independence, and emotional readiness rather than academic pressure.
Why one strong 4+ assessment performance can lead to multiple offers
Children who perform well in one 4+ assessment often receive multiple offers.
That’s because many schools are looking for the same core attributes:
- Behavioural maturity
- Independence
- Clear communication
- Social confidence
- Early literacy or numeracy awareness (at some schools)
While competition can be high at certain schools, well-prepared children often perform consistently across different assessments because the expectations are similar.
At this age, success is less about academic ability and more about:
- Social skills
- Listening and following instructions
- Comfort separating from parents
- Confidence in new environments
That’s why 4+ preparation should focus on confidence and readiness first, the qualities schools value most.
Your Expert 4+ Guide to the Assessment Process
At Academic Success, we use gentle, play-based preparation to help children feel calm and capable.
We build genuine readiness through activities that develop:
- Listening skills
- Following instructions
- Clear communication
- Confidence in new environments
The result:
Children who walk into assessment rooms feeling curious, secure, and ready to shine.
For a broader overview of the process, see our
Complete 4+ exam preparation guide.
What makes Us Different
What we're not
Pushy academic tutoring
Worksheet focused drilling
Drop off clases only
Generic playgroup
What we ARE
Gentle confidence building
Play based skill development
Parent partnership programme
Structured readiness with expeert observation
What Schools Look for in the 4+ Assessment
The 4+ assessment is used by many selective independent schools to understand how ready a child is for formal learning.
Assessments are typically play-based and observation-led, but they are carefully designed to assess key early skills.
6 Key Areas Schools Observe:
- Listening & Following Instructions
Can your child follow simple, multi-step directions? - Clear Communication
Can they express needs, answer questions, and engage in conversation? - Fine Motor Control
Pencil grip, mark-making, using scissors and manipulatives - Early Number & Letter Awareness
Recognising shapes, counting, identifying some letters - Social Confidence & Independence
Separating from parents, interacting with peers, asking for help - Calm & Resilience
Managing transitions, staying engaged, handling new situations
Important to Know
Most assessments are play-based, but the skills schools look for can be gently built through routine, language and independence. Preparation at this age is not about worksheets or academic acceleration.
It’s about habits, confidence and familiarity with adult-led expectations.
We explain this in more detail in our article on what schools are really looking for at 4+.
Free Live Expert 4+ Q&A for Parents
Not sure where to start?
Join our free 20 minute group Q&A with Reena, founder of Academic Success.
We cover:
- What the 4+ assessment day looks like
- Whether your child is ready
- When to book a mock
- How to prepare at home
📌 Small groups
📌 Dates released monthly
📌 Places fill quickly
Choose Your 4+ Assessment Preparation Path
Every family’s journey is different.
Option 1: 4+ Mock Assessments
For many families, a mock assessment is the most helpful step in the 4+ journey.
Our 4+ mock assessments are designed to give children calm, age-appropriate exposure to the type of environment and expectations they will experience during a real school entrance assessment.
They also give parents clear, expert insight into their child’s readiness without pressure or over-preparation.
Option 2: 4+ Readiness Classes
Build confidence gradually in small groups. Classes are offered in separate blocks (Spring, Summer, Autumn), allowing parents to commit one term at a time.
Sessions remain playful, structured, and age-appropriate, helping children feel comfortable in a school-style environment while gradually building key 4+ readiness skills.
Proven 4+ Assessment Results
These outcomes were achieved through a calm, confidence-building programme focused on readiness, not pressure.
Start with clarity: Know Where Your Child Stands
For many families, a mock assessment is the most helpful first step in the 4+ journey.
Our 4+ mock assessments are designed to give children calm, age-appropriate exposure to the type of environment and expectations they will experience during a real school entrance assessment.
They also give parents clear, expert insight into their child’s readiness without pressure or over-preparation.
Places are released in small groups throughout the year.
Inside Our 4+ Mock Assessments
What Your Child Experiences
Your child will enjoy:
- Warm Welcome & Settling Play
We help children feel relaxed and comfortable in the space - Short Adult-Led Activities
Designed to mirror the types of tasks used in 4+ assessments - Natural Transitions
We observe how they listen, follow instructions, and move between tasks - Small Group Play
Interaction with other children to observe social confidence and communication - Shared Story or Circle Time
Observing listening, attention, and engagement - Gentle 1:1 Moments
Individual interaction where appropriate to understand quieter responses
To your child, it feels like a morning of guided play.
To us, it provides meaningful insight into their readiness.
What Parents Receive (Within 48 Hours)
You'll receive detailed, personalized feedback including:
- Summary of your child's strengths across key 4+ areas
- Clear identification of next steps to support development
- Practical home guidance you can implement immediately
- Insight into how they interacted with peers and adults during group assessment
- Professional readiness recommendation: timing, preparation, and next actions
This feedback is often the most valuable part of the experience, providing clarity, reassurance, and a simple plan forward.
Skills We Observe
- Listening and following instructions
- Expressive and receptive language
- Confidence and independence
- Fine motor control and pencil grip
- Early number and letter awareness
- Transitions between activities
- Emotional regulation and resilience
How our mocks are structured
When Should We Do a Mock?
Do a Mock Assessment Now If:
You're applying for 4+ entry this year and want clarity on readiness
Your child is generally comfortable separating from you for short periods
They're socially confident in small group settings
You'd value clear, professional feedback to guide what to focus on at home
You want your child to become familiar with a group assessment environment early
Wait a Little If:
Your child still finds separation from you very upsetting
Toilet independence is still emerging
They're not yet comfortable interacting with unfamiliar adults
A new environment may currently feel overwhelming for them
A new environment may currently feel overwhelming for them
Giving children a little more time can make the experience more positive and meaningful.
Not Sure?
Download our free parent checklist: "Is My Child Ready for 4+?"
This will help you reflect on key readiness areas before deciding on next steps.
When Do Mocks Run?
Our 4+ mock assessments run throughout the year, allowing families to:
There is no "one-size-fits-all" timing at 4+.
Next Steps
Places for our 4+ mock assessments are limited and released in small groups throughout the year.
We'll contact you when suitable dates become available and advise on the most appropriate timing for your child.
4+ Readiness Classes (Barnet)
Small Groups, Expert-Led, Confidence-Building
Classes are offered in separate blocks (Spring, Summer, Autumn), allowing parents to commit one term at a time.
Sessions remain playful, structured, and age-appropriate, helping children feel comfortable in a school-style environment while gradually building key 4+ readiness skills.
Spring Term 2026 (4+ Readiness Programme)
Saturdays 9:00–10:00am
7 Mar | 21 Mar | 11 Apr | 25 Apr
Location: Barnet
Places: Very Limited
Summer Term 2026 (4+ Readiness Programme)
Saturdays 9:00–10:00am
9 May | 23 May | 6 Jun | 20 Jun | 4 Jul
Location: Barnet
Places: Very Limited
What Your Child Will Gain (And How You Can Support at Home)
Through expert-led group sessions and clear guidance for home, children develop confidence and readiness at a pace that
feels natural and supportive.
Your child will develop:
- Confidence working independently and in small groups
Carefully structured, play-based activities build social skills - Improved listening, focus, and attention
Built through consistent routines and adult-led tasks - Strong early literacy and numeracy foundations
Introduced in age-appropriate, engaging ways - Fine motor control and pre-writing skills
Developed through practical, hands-on activities - Familiarity with adult-led tasks and transitions
Helping children feel secure in school-style environments - Calm exposure to school expectations
Reducing anxiety and building emotional readiness
What Parents Receive
Alongside the sessions, parents receive:
- Simple, practical activities to use at home, linked to class content
- Clear milestone guidance showing what's typically developing at this stage
- Expert support on how to nurture next steps without pressure or over-preparation
Sessions remain structured yet playful, allowing children to feel safe, confident, and supported as key skills develop gradually over time.
Proven outcomes: 2025/26 4+ Cohort
⭐ 2025/26 Results
Every child in this cohort secured a school place at one of their chosen independent schools.
These outcomes were achieved through a calm, confidence-building programme focused on readiness rather than pressure.
We are incredibly proud of the children from our 2025/26 Bright Little Stars Nursery 4+ cohort and deeply grateful to the parents who trusted us at such an important stage.
Every child in this cohort went on to secure their school place, supported through a programme centred on confidence, calm and age-appropriate preparation.
What parents said:
These reflections capture exactly what Academic Success aims to provide every family:
clarity, reassurance and confident children, delivered through a calm, expert partnership with parents.
Offers from Top Schools After 4+ Preparation
Our 4+ students have received offers from:
Trusted by families applying to leading independent schools.
What Parents Say About Our 4+ Preparation
— Parent, North London Collegiate School
— Parent, Haberdashers’ Girls’ School
— Parent, Westminster Under School
— Parent, Merchant Taylors’
Our Teaching Approach
Led by Reena Damani, Founder and Lead Educator at Academic Success, the programme draws on over 20 years of early years and assessment experience.
Reena is a qualified EYFS and KS1 specialist with over two decades of experience supporting young children through key developmental milestones and school transitions.
Our Teaching Philosophy
- Nurturing, Not Pressured
We believe young children thrive when they feel safe, valued, and supported - Structured, Yet Playful
Activities are carefully designed but feel natural and engaging to children - Focused on Long-Term Confidence
We prioritize emotional readiness and resilience over short-term performance - Parent Partnership
Parents receive regular guidance on supporting learning at home, creating a strong parent–child–teacher partnership
Helpful 4+ Preparation Guides
Parents often find these articles useful:
These outcomes were achieved through a calm, confidence-building programme focused on readiness, not pressure.
Is My Child Ready for 4+?
Free Parent Checklist
One of the most common questions we hear from parents is:
"Is my child actually ready for 4+?"
To support families, we've created a free 4+ Readiness Checklist that helps you reflect on your child's development across the key areas assessed by leading independent schools.
The Checklist Covers:
- Cognitive and early academic readiness
- Fine motor and physical skills
- Social and emotional development
- Independence, confidence, and communication
This is not a test.
It's a gentle, reassuring guide to help you understand where your child is now and what skills can be nurtured next.