LD: Thank you for inviting me to UCS Junior School. Let’s start with the most important question: should parents register their sons for a place here at birth, and at what age do they start?
LH: The best way forward is to register your son by the time he is 6 years old.We don’t close registration until quite soon before the 7+ exam at the end of October, but the best time to register him is at any time between January 1st and 31st August in the year he turns 7.
Do you take preference with boys that are attending the pre-prep?
Our policy says there’s no specific preference for either pre-prep or siblings, however we are joining up as a foundation and therefore the expectation is that, in due course, more and more of the pre-prep boys will transfer automatically to us.Statistically, if you wanted to send your boy here from the pre-prep, they are already far more advantaged than anywhere else, and I expect that advantage only to grow within the next few years.
And how many boys do you take at 7+?
We have 60 places, and I keep quite close to that, I don’t like to overfill in Yr 3 because the boys are young, and they need extra support and help.Last year there were 220 applicants for 60 places. About 200 actually sat the exam.
Please explain the exams & interview process?
After you have registered you are invited to come in for a more informal assessment, the equivalent of the interview stage elsewhere before the children sit the exam.They will do a couple of exercises with our teachers, and we get to see what they are like in group situations and find out a bit more about them as well.
For the exams in January we have 3 papers, one in NVR, which we customise ourselves, but you can practice on the bond papers. The idea is that it’s an intelligence test.We do maths, pitched no higher than the level they would be doing in school already. English is comprehension and writing a story, again it shouldn’t be anything too daunting. Parents ask me what they can do to prepare their child, and I say reading; I would do as much reading as possible and ask questions to check a child's understanding of the text.
I am looking for signs of tutoring because, there have been cases where boys have struggled throughout their time with us, and that’s because parents have over-prepared them for the 7+, which has given a false picture and as a result of this, the boys have sometimes found the academic pace challenging here.The whole point of the entrance process is to establish that boys are at a sufficient level to access the curriculum and thrive during their time at UCS.
I believe from my experience that there’s an element of fear of the unknown with tutoring; as an adult you would prepare yourself for any test, to be the best you can be.
Yes I agree, I think being considerate towards others is another essential feature of a UCS boy. The most important thing to consider is that the child can work independently. What I’m really trying to avoid is tutoring for the test, there’s lots of good preparation you can do, and boys who are being tutored for their all-round academic potential is fine and works well.What’s not so good is trying to know what the test involves, and teaching for the tests themselves, and that’s where you get some false results.
And is the process for the 8+ exam the same or have you stopped this entry point?
There is, on occasion, an 8+test but, in fact I’m trying to move away from having an annual 8+. We have a lot of parents in contact about casual vacancies, and, when they arise, I try and get the boys in to school to see what they are like and do a few more tests in a low-key way.I do favour boys coming to us on a casual basis from either state or International schools; I prefer not to take boys from neighbouring independent schools.
Once the boys have gained entry into the school, how do you continue to expand their character, academic ability and individual growth?
Developing soft and interpersonal skills is one of the key features of a UCS education. Boys need to develop character, and in particular the learning characters of creativity, independence, risk taking and resilience. We also place a huge emphasis on good manners.UCS is rightly famous for its rather exceptional ethos, in not regarding race or religion; everybody is who they are.
We also allow individuals to be individuals as far as possible, and that gives us lots of opportunity to encourage good manners and respect for other people.Boys are encouraged to be rounded individuals and participate in many different extra-curricular areas, as well as working together in group, and take on positions of leadership.
UCS boys love to tour and host visitors and show off their school. They take a great pride in it too. We want people, by the time they leave us, to go onto the next stage of their academic careers as confident young men.
During my last visit to the school I was privileged to have a little tour. The 2 boys who showed me around were incredibly excited and proud to be guiding me and sharing all the wonderful opportunities they are offered within their school.
When do you start to prepare the boys to exit the school?
It’s an ongoing process and we are keen on developing these skills from an early time, but it’s fair to say that from Yr 5 and Yr 6, we increase the academic pace a little. Homework increases. We do our own informal assessment in Yr 6 in which we benchmark our boys' academic progress against external candidates who are joining the senior school at 11+.
And how many boys look to leave at 11 as opposed to 13?
The last 4 years, I think we’ve had 2 leavers out of every year group of 60, all but one of those left for international schools because parents were relocating for work; in other words, just about every boy goes from here to our senior school.Do we ever recommend a boy doesn’t go to the senior school? In very rare cases.This is the reason why the selection process is so rigorous at 7+; we want to be confident that boys are going to be able to make that transition successfully.
Thank you for having me, Lewis. It has been a pleasure.
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