7 plus (7+) Exam – Forest Preparatory School – What you need to know

School Name Forest Preparatory School

Age range 7-11

Size 270 approx.

Fees £4,146 – 4,487 per term

Address Forest School, Snaresbrook, London, E17 3PY

Email (general enquiries) info@forest.org.uk

Website http://www.forest.org.uk/prep-school

Telephone (general enquiries) 020 8520 1744

Head Mr Andrew Noakes

Overview

Forest Prep School is indeed in the middle of forest – hence the name!

It is also one of the few schools in the country to operate something known as the diamond education system, whereby children are taught in separate sex classes during certain parts of their educational journey. In the case of Forest this means boys and girls from four are taught together in the pre-prep before moving into single-sex classes at seven. From 7-11 in the prep school (and then 11-16 in the senior school), boys and girls are taught separately, before joining a coeducational sixth form at 16.

The main difference between this system and single-sex schools is that boys and girls do spend time together during breaks and during co-curricular activities.

Admissions Process for Forest Prep School at Seven Plus

There is a small intake at Forest at 7+. Twelve children join the school every year at 7 plus – six boys and six girls.

Applications

The deadline for Forest Prep School seven plus registration is in November.

Registration

Click here for a link to the registration form.

The form should be completed by hand and returned to: The Prep School Office, Forest School, Snaresbrook, London, E17 3PY.

Once the completed registration form has been received by the school, parents will be advised of the important dates for the 7 plus process.

Registration fee: £50.

Open Days/Visits

Forest Prep School’s open day takes place in September from 8.30am until 1.30pm and includes a dedicated 7+ talk from the head. The school will be in action and pupil-led tours will be on offer throughout the morning. Teaching staff will also be available for informal chats.

It is important to book your open day place in advance. Click here to book.

Prospective parents are also able to sample the Home to School Bus Service; full details of how to get to the school via the bus service can be found here.

Assessment and Entrance Exams

Forest Prep School has a unique entrance process at 7+ that begins with computer-based assessments in reasoning, mathematics and reading. These will take place in November and applicants will be allocated to attend either a morning or afternoon session.

If your child performs well on these tests and is selected for the second stage, then they will come back to do a written test in English, together with collaborative activities and a reading test. This will take place in January.

The initial assessment takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to complete and administer. The school is keen to stress that these computerised tests are enjoyable and fun and that for children it’s just like spending time at the computer.

The programmes have been specifically designed to give a good indication of a child’s general abilities. They are adaptive which means the next question will be generated based on the child’s response to the previous question. So if they answer two or three correctly in a row, then the questions will begin to get harder, and vice versa.

Should a child not be successful at this first stage, the school is happy to share the results of the assessments with parents, to aid their children in the future.

The second part of the assessment for Forest seven plus includes a creative writing task in which children will be given a title and asked to write a story. As general guidance, children will need to be able to write simple phrases in proper sentences, have an understanding of the basic rules of grammar and punctuation (eg a capital letter to begin a sentence, a full stop to end the sentence), and demonstrate a wide and varied range of vocabulary – in particular, the use of adjectives in descriptions.

They will also be asked to read aloud a passage chosen by the school and take part in some social tasks, team work and challenges in which they will meet and play with other children sitting for entrance to the school.

Recommended Materials

English practice papers, ideal for Forest Prep School 7+ exam preparation:

7+ English: Punctuation

7+ English: Vocabulary and Grammar

7+ English: Spelling

The Complete Illustrated Guide to 7+ Comprehension

The Complete Illustrated Guide to 7+ Writing

Maths practice papers, ideal for Forest Prep School 7+ exam preparation:

7+ Mathematics Pack 1

7+ Mathematics Pack 2

7+ Mathematics Pack 3

7+ Mathematics: Mental Arithmetic

7+ Mathematics: Problem Solving

The Complete Illustrated Guide to 7+ Mathematics

Reasoning practice papers, ideal for Forest Prep School 7+ exam preparation:

7+ Reasoning Pack 1

7+ Reasoning Pack 2

7+ Reasoning Pack 3

7 plus Listening practice papers, ideal for Forest Prep School 7+ exam preparation:

7+ Listening Pack 1

Parent Interview

Parent interview – once the school has assessed a child’s performance at stage two of the entrance process and received the report from each child’s current school, the parents of selected children will be invited to meet with the Head of the Preparatory School. This meeting will provide parents with the opportunity to better understand all that the school has to offer pupils and their families and ask any relevant questions.

Destination Schools at 11+

Pupils wishing to go from the prep school to the senior school at 11+ do not need to sit the school’s 11+ entry exam. A pupil’s progress to the senior school is assumed to be automatic, contingent upon sound academic progress.

If for any reason the school feels that it is not suitable for a child to progress to the senior school, they will be clearly informed by the head by the end of Year 5 at the latest. It may be the case that the child is then asked to sit the 11+ entry exam to qualify for transfer.

Prep school pupils wishing to apply for a scholarship or bursary at 11+ will need to follow the same process and take the 11+ entrance exam as external candidates.