Senior School Entrance Pathway
At Hereward House, we take great pride in helping our pupils reach their full potential when applying for 11+ and 13+ destination schools. Our small size enables us to take a personalised, holistic approach to each pupil’s learning journey and preparation for senior school life. Our dedicated teachers ensure that pupils receive comprehensive support, maximising their chances of success as they aim for their chosen senior schools. The process begins early in their time with us.
Junior School (Reception to Year 2)
At this stage, we focus on building character and personality; instilling the values of kindness, confidence and consideration of others which are at the core of our ethos at Hereward House. In the Junior School, teaching is led by the class teacher, with the help of a teaching assistant, and there are specialist lessons in languages, PE, art and music. There are also lessons in Creative Movement and Yoga once a week. There is a timetabled chess lesson built into the curriculum in Year 2 (and Year 3) and taught by a specialist.
Years 3 and 4
In Year 3, we begin introducing boys to verbal reasoning (VR) and non-verbal reasoning (NVR) through weekly timetabled lessons.
As they move into Year 4 pupils will start to have specialist teachers in a variety of core subjects as we start to prepare pupils for the Senior Schools exams sat in Year 6, focusing on the fundamentals of English, Maths, and reasoning. This is a gradual and thoughtful start to their exam preparation. Additionally, Year 4 pupils gain access to various virtual learning platforms, helping them become familiar with the exam format they will encounter a couple of years’ down the line.
Year 5
In Year 5, parents will have an individual meeting with the Headteacher to discuss their child’s future school aspirations (although parents are very welcome to chat with the Headmaster on this, or any other, topic at any time). During this meeting the we will review pupil data, as well as our knowledge of the pupil’s class performance, to identify the most suitable senior schools to target. Starting at Reception and running to Year 6, we monitor pupils' progress; tracking their development at each stage of their learning journey. This ongoing approach to gathering pupil data allows us to assess their progress and evaluate how well they are preparing for the various exams taken in Year 6. We understand that every child matures and progresses at their own pace, which is why continuous data collection is crucial. We pride ourselves on the individual flight path put in place for each pupil.
In Year 5, pupils continue to be taught by specialist teachers in core subjects, with two English teachers and two Maths teachers covering different aspects of the 11+ syllabus. Reasoning and non-verbal reasoning become key subjects in the school timetable, with more lessons allocated to them.
At this stage, pupils will also gain access to additional virtual learning platforms, all of which have their own strengths in preparing pupils for different aspects of the Year 6 exams. Pupils and parents will receive personalised recommendations on which areas to focus on based on individual needs.
Year 6
Year 6 is the crucial year when pupils take their ISEB common pre-test and complete the majority of their 11+ and 13+ entrance exams. In November, we conduct the ISEB pre-test on-site, ensuring a carefully planned environment where every pupil can perform at their best. Generally speaking, all pupils will have been registered by parents for at least one school that uses the ISEB pre-test. The ISEB common pre-test is sat in the November of Year 6 and is a set of four computer based, adaptive assessments (Maths, English, VR and NVR) that a large majority of Senior Schools use as an initial stage in what is a multi-stage process. Once the pre-test is completed, the various schools then view each pupil’s results, using them as the basis for who to invite in for the second stage of their particular admissions process (usually this is a further assessment in maths and English, along with an interview, but it does vary slightly from school to school). The second stages usually take place in the January of Year 6, and pupils generally receive their results in mid-February.
Alongside the ISEB common pre-test, a number of schools will have their own pre-tests. Increasingly, some senior schools have begun to move towards using bespoke-made tests. Throughout this period the school will also prepare Year 6 pupils for the individual entrance exams set by schools that do not use the ISEB common pre-test.
This process is a very busy time for pupils and their families. We understand these challenges and we place a strong emphasis on supporting pupils’ mental well-being during this time. To help secure their success, we provide targeted teaching, specialist support for interviews using external experts, and close collaboration with the senior leadership team, keeping both pupils and families informed and supported every step of the way. We also make sure that pupils continue to experience the broad and exciting curriculum synonymous with a Hereward House education throughout this period.