Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Introduction
Westminster Under School is an independent school and preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School in London. Around 285 pupils attend Westminster Under School. The school has a strong musical tradition, providing choristers for St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey. Westminster Under School also emphasises sports, drama, chess, and Latin. Most pupils who attend Westminster Under School move onto Westminster School.
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Key Information
School Name: Westminster Under School
Website: https://www.westminsterunder.org.uk/
Age Range: 7-13 years old
Fees: £6,834
Address: 27 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2NN
General Enquiries: 020 7821 5788 penny.keeley@westminister.org.uk
Admissions: 020 7821 5788 alycia.lee@westminister.org.uk
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Overview
Westminster Under School was founded in 1943 with the principle to enable pupils to benefit from the principles and practices of a liberal education from a young age. Westminster Under School still upholds these principles today. The school wishes to nurture a love of knowledge, plus an ability to question and serve others. In practice, this means that despite Westminster Under School’s reputation of giving its pupils the highest standard of education, the school does not focus solely on academic achievement – this means that Westminster Under School students receive a well-rounded education which includes sports, the arts, and many opportunities for engaging in community outreach.
Westminster Under School hosts two open mornings for 7+ candidates, with one in May and one in September of the academic year prior to entry. Parents will need to book a entry in advance on the school website (linked below)
Westminster Under School Open Morning Booking: http://wusentry.westminster.org.uk/apply/openday/openDayForm.asp
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) School Life
https://www.westminsterunder.org.uk/extra-curricular/
Westminster Under School does not aim to teach students to simply pass tests, but with the aim of well-rounded individual development. Pupils are encouraged to work hard, participate in group discussions, and to ask questions. Of course, Westminster Under School also prepares students practically for the next stage of their academic careers by ensuring that they have the best preparation for future entrance and scholarship examinations to reach the senior school of their choice.
Westminster Under School places great importance in drama, from simpler lessons in the early years – such as, looking at short skits, role-playing, dances, and music – to more complicated teachings as they grow older – such as, surrealism, slapstick comedy, mime, and improvisation. Westminster Under School holds three drama productions every year, which every year group participates. Westminster Under School also hosts an annual Latin play competition. Westminster Under School believes that drama has a huge positive impact on pupil’s confidence, self-expression, and creative thinking, and therefore all boys are encouraged to perform on the stage or provide assistance behind the scenes, such as, helping with the audio and lighting, painting the sets, and programme design.
Westminster Under School also places great emphasis on sports. All lessons are prepared with the goal of helping pupils to develop an understanding of their bodies in action and enabling the pupils to perform with competence and confidence in a range of physical activities to promote a positive attitude towards a leading a healthy lifestyle.
Westminster Under School has a wide range of private sports facilities, including its own outdoor playing fields at Vincent Square, the Westminster Under School Sports Centre also offer a rowing training suite, fencing pistes, indoor cricket nets, a fully equipped gym, two climbing walls, a Judoka, a table tennis area, and courts for basketball, netball, volleyball, and badminton. Westminster Under School also employ professional coaches in many sports, prepares pupils to represent themselves and the school in local and national events.
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Admissions
https://www.westminsterunder.org.uk/admissions/entry-points/
Parents who wish to register their children for the Westminster Under School 7+ application should first complete the online registration form on the Westminster Under School admissions website (link above).
The deadline for all applications is usually in mid-October of the year prior to entry.
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Entrance Exam
Westminster Under School claims that the 7+ entrance assessments aim, ‘to find [a candidate with] …potential, rather than simply select intensely-tutored boy, and whose natural ability will grow with the challenges a Westminster education provides’. Westminster Under School recommends parents to avoid having their children receive specific tutoring as it would, ‘detract from the freshness, spontaneity and eagerness to learn’ which are some of the qualities which the school is looking for.
The Westminster Under School 7+ entrance exam includes written papers in Mathematics, English, Verbal Reasoning, and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Westminster Under School states that all the materials within the 7+ entrance exam can be covered through normal schooling.
The entrance assessment will take place on January prior to the academic year of entrance.
Mathematics
The Westminster Under School 7+ mathematics paper is entirely covered by the subjects within the UK National Curriculum. 7+ candidates should show strong understanding of place-value, the four arithmetic operations, and the ability to apply them in problem solving situations.
Westminster Under School also recommends having practical experience of measurements and shapes. 7+ candidates should also employ the basic concept of fractions. Finally, Westminster Under School recommends 7+ candidates to have a range of mental calculation strategies, i.e., doubling and dividing for the 2,4,5, and 10 times tables, and to be able to use these timetables to deduce other results.
English
The Westminster Under School 7+ reading paper assesses both creative writing and reading abilities.
For the writing section, Westminster Under School looks for 7+ candidates who can express themselves both creatively and accurately.
The creative writing section is thematically linked to the comprehension passage. Westminster Under School requires 7+ candidates to write in a style which should be familiar to any pupil who has completed Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in the UK, or equivalent. Good spelling, punctuation, and grammar are encouraged. The format of the creative writing task may cover an informal letter, a diary entry, a short news report, or a brief piece of descriptive writing.
The reading section requires the 7+ candidate to discuss stories, their meanings, and any new vocabulary that they encounter. This will prepare the candidate for studying at Westminster Under School, where they will be required to read aloud regularly to others as well as to themselves.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Westminster Under School explains that both the Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning papers aim to test the 7+ candidate’s thinking skills. Westminster Under School states that candidates do not need to prepare for Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning but recognises that familiarisation with these types of exams may increase the candidate’s confidence if they have no prior experience of these types of examinations.
Westminster Under School states that teachers will offer support and prompts to candidates if they require it during the tasks on the assessment day. Westminster Under School try to make the assessment day an enjoyable experience and assures parents that most candidates finish the assessment day with enjoyable experiences.
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Classroom Activity and Interview
Based on the results of the written papers, Westminster Under School will invite around 50 7+ candidates back to complete some classroom activities and an interview. This usually takes place during January prior to the academic year of entry in September. Westminster Under School aims to use this chance to get to know the boys by making the experience as normal and as comfortable as possible.
The classroom activities are structured as a simulation to a typical school morning at Westminster Under School. 7+ candidates will play games before the start of their assessment (due to the emphasis that Westminster Under School places on all-round performance and development, it is likely that the candidate’s team-playing attitude and perhaps performance will both be assessed also).
The 7+ interview will be conducted by The Master of Westminster Under School and a member of the Senior Management Team. Candidates are encouraged to talk about themselves and discuss their interests and enthusiasms. Westminster Under School states that they, ‘look for boys who have a spark and a passion’. Westminster Under School also assures parents that quiet or shy candidates are equally effective in discussing topics which fascinates them.
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Post Assessment
https://www.westminsterunder.org.uk/admissions/key-dates/7plus-timeline/
Westminster Under School will send offers to successful candidates by late January of the academic year prior to entry. The deadline to accepting the offer will also be in late January. For example, for September 2022 entry, the offers were sent by 21st January 2022, while the acceptance deadline was on 31st January 2022.
Westminster Under School 7 Plus (7+) Bursaries
Westminster Under School only offers bursaries to those entering into Year 7, therefore 7+ candidates are not eligible for bursaries.
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