Wellington-College-Applying-to-Wellington ApplyingtoWellington_2019_web_single | Page 18

PREP SCHOOL ASSESSMENT PROCESS YEARS 1 AND 2 Your child will attend an hour long group session accompanied by a teacher where they will mix with the other children and participate in typical class activities. The teacher will be assessing their ability to interact with their peers, to listen, to demonstrate independent skills and respond positively to instructions. Also during the session, the class teacher will spend some one-on-one time with each child to assess their reading, writing, phonics and speaking skills. A member of the Admissions Team or Admissions Committee will also meet individually with parents to discuss their child’s developmental milestones and to discuss whether their child is ready to join Wellington. YEARS 3–8 The three-hour assessment comprises: – a computer-based cognitive ability test involving various abilities such as verbal reasoning ability, non-verbal reasoning ability, spatial perception and quantitative reasoning ability. – a reading comprehension test in English. – a creative writing task. – a one-on-one session with a member of the Admissions Committee to which younger applicants should bring a meaningful object that they are prepared to talk about. WHAT OBJECT SHOULD MY CHILD BRING? Children should bring a meaningful or personal object to the assessment which they will be required to discuss during the one-on-one session. By bringing an object to the session, your child will have an opportunity to talk about something that allows them to show a little of their personality. As they can prepare for this element of the assessment, it will also alleviate some of the ‘unknown’ and hopefully help to calm their nerves. There is no prescribed list of objects as there is no right or wrong object for them to bring, we really want to hear about anything that genuinely excites and interests your child. However, please note that we are not looking for a presentation or a review of an academic portfolio. OVERSEAS APPLICANTS Arrangements can be made for the entrance assessments to be carried out at the child’s current school (or local testing centre). Interviews can be completed via Skype. 18