Years 3, 4 and 5 entry
Around 45 boys join Year 3 (7+) and between six to eight boys join Year 4 (8+) and Year 5 (9+) each academic year, from a wide selection of primary schools and independent schools.
Registration for entry to the Junior School in 2021 has now closed.
If you have registered your son, the admissions team will be in contact with you in the coming weeks to let you know about the examinations.
Registration for entry to the Junior School in 2022 will open on Tuesday 20 April 2021.
Entry Procedures
2021 Entry
Registration deadline: Friday 6 November 2020 by 12 noon
Due to COVID 19 we are having to modify our assessments to ensure social distancing. This means the Online Reasoning assessment will take place during the Michaelmas term. Boys in all year groups will come in for a couple of hours and do some assessments on a computer. Ideally they will have some working knowledge of how a mouse works, but this is not essential.
Age 7 applicants (for entry into Year 3)
- 7+ Online Reasoning Assessment: Saturday 14 November 2020
- 7+ English and Mathematics Assessments: Friday 8 January 2021
- 7+ Interviews: Saturday 30 January 2021
- Results Posted: Friday 5 February 2021
- Replies Deadline: Friday 12 February 2021 by 12 noon
In our January assessment, the boys will sit papers in Mathematics and English (writing and reading comprehension). The majority of boys who are successful in our entry procedure will be working at National Curriculum Scaled Score of 100-115 or teacher assessment of Greater Depth by the end of their Infant or Pre-Prep school, (which is above the national average for their age group). Candidates who have shown sufficient promise in the assessments will be invited back in late January for an individual chat with a member of staff in which they will do some reading and maths problems.
Age 8 applicants (entry into Year 4)
- 8+ Online Reasoning Assessment: Saturday 21 November2020
- 8+ English and Mathematics Assessment: Thursday 7 January 2021
- 8+ Interviews: Saturday 23 January 2021
- Results Posted: Thursday 4 February 2021
- Replies Deadline: Thursday 11 February 2021, 12 noon
Age 9 applicants (entry into Year 5)
- 9+ Online Reasoning Assessment: Saturday 28 November
- 9+ English and Mathematics Assessment: Thursday 7 January 2021
- 9+ Interviews: Saturday 23 January 2021
- Results Posted: Thursday 28 January 2021
- Replies Deadline: Thursday 4 February 2021, 12 noon
The Year 4 and 5 assessments include online Reasoning assessments and papers in Mathematics, English (writing and reading comprehension). Candidates who have shown sufficient promise in the assessments, will be invited back mid-January for an individual chat with a member of staff in which they will do some reading and maths problems.
Further Information
Applicants’ schools will be contacted directly for a confidential report in November.
Decisions on a boy’s suitability will be based on his assessment results, one-to-one chat, school report and his approach to learning as demonstrated throughout his time with us.
Successful candidates are offered a place subject to the College's Standard Terms and Conditions
Disability and Special Educational Needs
Please notify the Junior School Registrar by Friday 6 November 2020 if your child has any learning difficulties or disabilities, which might affect the administration of the 2021 assessment. Sending any professional reports and recommendations is helpful so we can ensure suitable arrangements are made.
Entrance Advice
What are we looking for in the Dulwich College Junior School Assessments?
It is important to stress that we are looking for potential in the boys; boys who will thrive at Dulwich College to the age of 18. Our challenge is to find boys with potentialwhose natural ability will grow with the challenges and breadth a Dulwich education provides. There are four areas of good practice for boys preparing for our assessment, all of which can and should be achieved through normal schooling.
Reading, reading and reading
Ideally, your son should be reading aloud to others as well as to himself; he should discuss the stories read, any new vocabulary encountered, their meaning and how they relate to other books, authors and the world around them.
Mathematics
Boys should be thinking about questions forwards and backwards so that they can understand and link topics. If they are given the answer, what was the question? They will be given questions and problems in forms they might not have seen before; can they apply their knowledge to these novel questions?
Writing
We are looking for boys who are able to express themselves creatively and accurately. Some awareness of writing an interesting and well-structured piece within 20-30 minutes is an excellent preparation for our assessment. This will not be a story. We will talk to the boys about a stimulus (e.g. a video or picture) and they will then be asked to write about it in some way. The initial discussion will take the form of a mini-lesson, which will give very clear ‘success criteria’ for their writing. Checking for spelling, punctuation and grammar is to be encouraged. Please be reassured that a teacher will be on hand to support and prompt your son, if he requires it during the task on the assessment day.
Speaking
Boys will be encouraged to talk about themselves in the chat with the member of staff, discuss their genuine interests and enthusiasms, share what they are reading and what they enjoy doing in their spare time. We are looking for boys who have a spark and a passion. Quiet or shy boys can very effectively relay the topics that fascinate them with our gentle and supportive staff.
Reasoning
The boys do not need to do any preparation for reasoning (e.g. non-verbal), although some familiarisation with these type of questions may increase confidence for the uninitiated. Ideally, the boys will have used a computer with a mouse beforehand, but this is not a barrier to doing well in these assessments. We have the support and means to help all boys in these assessments. If your son has never used a mouse before, please do share this in your application, so we can ensure the necessary support is available on the day.
On the Assessment Day
We aim to make the day as normal and as comfortable as possible with our friendly teachers encouraging and supporting the boys. The boys will enjoy a morning similar to a typical school day and will be settled in with games before they start their papers. The day will include an outside play break and healthy refreshments. We hope to provide the boys with a positive and memorable experience of their visit to Dulwich College Junior School
Entrance Assessments
- 7+ applicants (boys who want to join us in Year 3)
- 8+ and 9+ applicants (boys who want to join us in Year 4 or Year 5)
7+ applicants (boys who want to join us in Year 3)
Boys will undertake assessments in Mathematics, English (writing and reading comprehension) and online reasoning assessments. The vast majority of boys who are successful in our entry procedure will be working at National Curriculum Scaled Score of 100-115 or teacher assessment of Greater Depth by the end of their Infant or Pre-Prep school, which is above the national average for their age group.
Mathematics
Boys will be expected to be able to demonstrate addition and subtraction. They can use whatever methods they have been taught; some schools, for instance, will not have taught vertical addition or subtraction by the time the children come for the assessment. They will need a good working knowledge of at least the two, three, four, five and 10 times tables and be prepared to use alternative methods to address other times tables. They need to be able to show an understanding of fractions of shapes, interpret simple bar graphs and solve a range of worded and pictorial mathematical problems
Sample 7+ Mathematics Question
English
The English assessment consists of a writing task and a reading paper.
- Writing task: Boys will be asked to write a simple piece based on a video or picture stimulus and will be expected to write for about 20 minutes (e.g. between eight and 15 sentences approximately). We will be looking for a piece that makes sense, includes some creative vocabulary, has a structure, and shows sound understanding of age-appropriate spelling, grammar and punctuation.
- Reading comprehension: The reading assessment has two parts. The first section is sentence completion, where pupils have to choose a word from a list to complete each sentence correctly. The sentences become increasingly difficult. The second part of the assessment consists of several comprehension passages with some multiple choice questions
Reasoning
Pupils will be required to do a mixture of online reasoning questions. This test is a means of looking at a pupil’s underlying ability. It is ‘age-standardised’, which helps us to identify the potential of candidates, especially for the very youngest boys who have July or August birthdays. We do not assume the boys will have had any experience of these tests before they arrive and we will prepare them for it with practice questions before they start the main test to ensure they understand what to do. Ideally, the boys will have used a computer with a mouse beforehand, but this is not a barrier to doing well in these assessments. We have the support and means to help all boys in these assessments. If your son has never used a mouse before, please do share this in your application, so we can ensure the necessary support is available on the day.
Activity Morning
After the written assessment morning, we invite back 80-90 applicants for an Activity Morning. The boys will be organised into groups of around ten students and will enjoy a carousel of activities including thinking, speaking, moving and music. We are not expecting accomplished musicians or philosophers, instead we will be monitoring the ability of the boys to follow instructions, their enthusiasm and capacity for working within a group and their ability to think and express themselves in novel situations. In addition, all the boys will have a one-to-one chat with a teacher during which they will read a short passage and answer questions on it, do some mental mathematics and engage in a friendly conversation about themselves and their interests; our staff are skilled at putting the most shy boys at ease.
8+ and 9+ applicants (boys who want to join us in Year 4 or Year 5)
The boys will undertake assessments in Mathematics, English (writing and reading comprehension) and online reasoning. Candidates who have shown sufficient promise in the assessments will be invited back for interview. The multiple choice assessments (reading and reasoning) may take place on a computer. Ideally the boys will have used a computer with a mouse beforehand, but this is not a barrier to doing well in these assessments. We have the support and means to help all boys in these assessments. If your son has never used a mouse before, please do share this in your application, so we can ensure the necessary support is available on the day.
Mathematics
The papers for these points of entry cover a wide range of concepts candidates will have already met at their current schools. A good working knowledge of all times tables will be helpful, and they will need a sound grasp of the four rules of number, including written multiplication and division methods at 9+. They will need to use their own strategies and methods to solve mathematical problems, including word problems involving two distinct calculation stages.
English
The English assessment consists of a writing task and a reading paper.
Writing task: All boys will be asked to write a piece based on a stimulus (e.g. an image or a video). There will be a mini-lesson in which the stimulus will be introduced and the success criteria for the writing are outlined. The piece should have a clear structure and be paragraphed. We will be looking for descriptive and figurative language in your son’s writing. Marks will be awarded for good knowledge of age-appropriate spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Reading comprehension: The reading assessment has two parts. The first section is sentence completion, where pupils have to choose a word from a list to complete each sentence correctly. The sentences become increasingly difficult. The second part of the assessment consists of a comprehension passage with some multiple-choice questions. The format is the same for all age groups, but the reading level becomes more demanding and the questions more challenging. This assesment may be completed online.
Activity Morning
After the written assessment morning, we invite back approximately half of the applicants for an Activity Morning. The boys will be organised into groups of around 10 students and will enjoy a carousel of activities including thinking, talking and movement. We will be monitoring the ability of the boys to follow instructions, their enthusiasm and capacity for working within a group and their ability to think and express themselves in novel situations. In addition all the boys will have a one-to-one chat with a staff member during which they will read a short passage and answer questions on it, do some mental mathematics and problem solving, and engage in a friendly conversation about themselves and their interests; our staff are skilled at putting even the most shy boys at ease.
Discover More
Mrs Polly Twisk
Junior School Registrar
The Junior School Registrar, Mrs Polly Twisk, is responsible for dealing with all enquiries to the Junior School and for the administration of the entry procedure for Years 3 to 6.
Please contact her if you have any queries:
Telephone: 020 8299 8432
Email: junioradmissions@dulwich.org.uk
