Bablake School: 8 Plus (8+)/Year 4 Entrance Exam Information

Introduction

Bablake School is an independent school for girls and boys, with a Pre-Prep School (ages 3 to 7), Junior School (ages 7 to 11), Senior School (ages 11 to 16) and Sixth Form (ages 16 to 18). Along with King Henry VIII School, Bablake is part of the Coventry School Foundation.

In the Junior School, pupils benefit from small class sizes, and the majority achieve results in maths, English and reading that exceed national expectations. Subjects studied include art, DT, computing, French and drama, with pupils stretched so that they are engaged in the learning process.

Life outside of the classroom in the Junior School is rich and rewarding. Pupils have a wide range of activities to choose from, enabling them to pursue their interests and step out of their comfort zones to try something new. Forest School sessions are a popular feature of the co-curricular programme. Pupils learn how to build shelters and cook over an open fire while enjoying the natural surroundings.

Every pupil has a form tutor who gets to know them well. This places the form tutor in a strong position to identify any pupils who are struggling and to step in promptly to offer appropriate support and guidance. 

If you are interested in your child joining Bablake in Year 4, please read on.

Before applying, you are encouraged to visit Bablake to see all that it has to offer. Various open events are arranged throughout the year, such as a Junior School Teatime Taster in February. You can also arrange a personal tour.

You should speak to the admissions team about Year 4 entry availability using the contact information above or when you visit, as it is not a standard entry point. If a place is available, you should complete the online application form and pay the non-refundable £90 registration fee.   

Your child will then be invited to attend Bablake for a morning or afternoon. Staff will get to know your child better, and your child can learn more about life at Bablake. Your child will also take short assessments in maths, reading and writing.

A reference from your child’s current school will also be reviewed as part of the admissions process.

The Head will contact you by phone to let you know if your child has secured a place in Year 4, and you will receive written confirmation of any offer soon after. 

You must complete the acceptance form and pay the £540 acceptance fee to accept an offer formally. 

Please note that scholarships and bursaries are not available for Year 4 (8+) entry.

Bablake School: Entrance Assessments for Year 4 Entry

The age-appropriate entrance assessments consist of the following:

• A maths assessment
• A reading assessment
• A writing assessment

The maths assessment will test your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills.

The reading assessment will involve your child reading aloud and completing a comprehension task. The comprehension will require them to make inferences. 

The writing assessment will evaluate your child’s writing skills, including the standard of their spelling, punctuation and grammar. 

Please don’t worry about the entrance assessments, as you can help your child prepare for them.

Tips to Help Your Child Prepare for the Bablake School Year 4 Entrance Assessments 

We hope that our following suggestions are useful, helping your child develop their skills and build their confidence before they take Bablake’s Year 4 entrance assessments: 

• Read regularly: Encourage your child to read a little every day to boost their reading comprehension. Ask them questions about what they have read to promote a deeper understanding of the text. Also, ask your child to read aloud so they feel confident doing so.  
• Give writing prompts: You can give your child writing prompts, such as an item or a starter sentence, so that they can practise their creative writing. Go through their work with them, giving one or two ideas on how to make it even better. 
• Practise mental arithmetic: Give your child mental arithmetic tasks when you are out together, such as adding up the cost of a few items in a shop. If you do this little and often, they will improve their arithmetic skills. 
• Promote wellbeing: Take a positive approach, praising your child for all the time and effort they put in. Make sure that preparing for the entrance assessments is just a small part of your child’s life so that it does not create any stress. Ensure your child eats healthily, exercises regularly and gets enough sleep. All these things will help your child’s emotional and physical wellbeing.
• Use targeted resources: Using our targeted resources will give you peace of mind, knowing your child has covered everything they need to know for the Year 4 entrance assessments. You can use them to identify any areas your child needs to spend more time on, which will help you devise an appropriate study schedule.  

The resources we recommend for Bablake School’s Year 4 entrance assessments are listed in the next section.

Bablake School: 8 Plus (8+)/Year 4 Entrance Exam Resources

English

We highly recommend the following practice papers to help your child prepare for the Bablake School 8+ English exam. They cover everything your child needs to know about reading and writing:

Comprehension Guide

This guide covers all the key comprehension question types in a clear, step-by-step manner so that both you and your child know exactly what to expect on exam day:

The Complete Guide to 8+ Comprehension

Price £79

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Writing Guide

Starting from the basics, this guide works its way through all the key skills your child needs to develop to become an excellent writer within the framework of what’s expected at the 8+ level:

The Complete Guide to 8+ Writing

Price £79

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If you’d like to have your child’s writing assessed and marked, you may be interested in our Writing Marking Service. Please click here to learn more.

Mathematics

We highly recommend the use of the following packs to help develop your child’s arithmetic and problem-solving skills within the examination context of the Bablake School 8 Plus maths test:

Targeted Skill Development

Each of the following skill practice 8+ mathematics packs focuses on just one specific topic, covering all the possible question variations your child may face on exam day:

8+ Mathematics: Mental Arithmetic

Sample Available

Price £20

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8+ Mathematics: Problem Solving

Sample Available

Price £20

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Don’t forget to use the code eppdiscount at checkout to get 10% off orders over £70 and 20% off orders over £250 if you don’t buy a bundle.

Please do contact us if you have any questions about our resources. We will do our best to help you. We want to take this opportunity to wish your child all the best in their entrance assessments for admission to Bablake School.

The information provided about Bablake School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware that there may be future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you need clarification on anything. School contact details are provided within the post.

Please note that Exam Papers Plus is an independent publisher of exam resources and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of Bablake’s assessments or any other test publisher.