Preparatory school application
A preparatory school (or, shortened: prep school) in the United Kingdom is a fee-charging independent primary school that caters for children up to approximately the age of 13. The term "preparatory school" is used as it prepares the children for the Common Entrance Examination in order to secure a place at an independent secondary school, typically one of the English public schools. They are also preferred by parents in the hope of getting their child into a state selective grammar school.
Admissions process and requirements for preparatory school
Generally speaking, pre-prep schools enroll students when they are 3 or 4 years old to help them successfully enter primary schools at the age of 7 or 8. Many schools have pre-prep and preparatory primary schools at the same time, and students can seamlessly connect, but there are also some preparatory primary schools that only start enrolling students when they are 7 or 8 years old.
The entrance point for pre-prep schools is usually 4+ (reception). Some schools require you to register after your child is born or within the first year of birth, and others require you to register one year before enrollment.
Preparatory schools are usually non-selective, but some very popular schools will adopt methods such as assessment and lottery for admission. The assessment method is generally that parents lead their children to school, and school teachers evaluate the overall development of children through social interaction, games, and dialogue.
In the British education system, the 7+/8+ exam can be said to be the first level for children to start on the road of exams (compared to reception and first grade, it is beginning to really focus on testing children's academic level). Your child will take the 7+/8+ test in Year 2 or 3.
The main test subjects for the 7+/8+ exam are mathematics and English, and more and more schools are now adding verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Tests are usually in written form to examine children’s intelligence, spelling, memory and dictation. In addition, there may be some creative assignments at hand. In addition to the written test, there is also an interview. Interviews are usually one-to-one or group interviews.
For popular preparatory schools, the competition for 7+/8+ exams is very, very fierce. Especially in some top schools, an admission ratio of greater than 10:1 is very common.
How to choose the best preparatory school?
It is very necessary for parents to plan early. Firstly, you need to think about what type of school to apply for. Do you want your children to avoid the pressure of 7+/8+ exams? If you want to take the 7+/8+ exam, your child needs to prepare since Year 1. If you choose a preparatory school aged 3-13 or 4-13, you can avoid the 7+/8+ exam.
Secondly, consider clearly what kind of secondary school your child wants to go to in the future, co-ed school or single-sex school, 11+ or 13+ starting to enroll students, is there a transfer relationship between the target senior school and the preparatory school?
Investigate the specific factors of the preparatory school's school scale, class size, teachers, music, sports and beauty venues, etc. The most important thing is to visit the school as much as possible to experience different schools on the spot, whether your child feels happy in this school. How do teachers interact with students in school? In addition, it is also very necessary to understand the school’s admissions policy and entrance examination requirements. If your child still has special education needs, how does the school respond?
How can we help you?
We are good at applying for top preparatory schools in the UK. To match students with the most suitable schools, we maintain long-term friendly cooperative relations with the admissions departments of major preparatory schools . Whether it is a British family who wants to plan the first step in school for their children, or an overseas family who wants to send their children to top preparatory schools, Hyde Global Education is able to provide families with the most professional school plans, guidance suggestions, and test preparation guidance based on our application experience. At the same time, we are familiar with the admission requirements of different preparatory schools, different entry points, as well as interview preparation.