Key Facts
| St Paul's Prep School 7+ group assessment | Half-day, groups of approximately ten: Maths lesson, English lesson, group problem-solving (Source: https://www.stpaulsschool.org.uk/admissions/entry-to-st-pauls-7-8/selection-procedure/) |
|---|---|
| Westminster Under School 7+ second round | About 120 children are invited back for classroom activities and an interview (Source: https://www.westminster.org.uk/admissions/7-entry-westminster-under-school/) |
| Latymer Prep School 7+ papers | English Comprehension 45 minutes, Creative Writing 35 minutes, Maths 40 minutes; interview for selected children the week after (Source: https://www.latymerprep.org/admissions/preparing-for-assessment) |
| Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield | 4+: about 36 children join two Reception classes; 7+: about 8 to 10 new places; applications in the autumn before entry, assessments in January (Source: https://www.alleyns.org.uk/admissions/admissions-to-our-junior-schools) |
| UCS Junior Branch 7+ | Main entry point; about 60 boys join three classes, roughly half from the Pre-Prep; January assessment lasts about three hours (Source: https://www.ucs.org.uk/admissions/admissions-process/year-3/) |
| National Curriculum, Year 2 mathematics | Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 tables; Year 3 adds 3, 4 and 8 (Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-mathematics-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-mathematics-programmes-of-study) |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
A 7+ maths assessment expects maths at the standard of Year 2, with some number and place value from Year 3, applied to problems as well as recalled. Schools describe the content as place value, the four operations, mental calculation strategies, missing-number problems, measurement, shape, time and fractions, and Alleyn's Junior School adds handling data. Latymer Prep School says children at 7+ would be working in line with expectations at the top of KS1.
The detail varies by school, because each sets its own papers and describes them in its own admissions page. For a child in Year 1 or Year 2, the Year 2 curriculum gives a common reference, and the areas where home practice counts most are the times-table facts, the step from knowing a fact to using it, and short daily practice.
What maths topics does a 7+ assessment cover?
Westminster Under School lists place value, the four operations applied to problem solving, mental calculation strategies, practical measurement and shape, and basic fractions as its mathematics content. Alleyn's Junior School and Alleyn's Oakfield say candidates are examined on number, shape, space and measure, handling data, and using and applying mathematics, and they expect candidates to have followed the National Curriculum syllabus. Handling data appears by name only in the Alleyn's description.
St Paul's Prep School says its Maths paper incorporates the Year 2 programme of study, and that boys apply the four arithmetic operations, number facts and place value to solve problems, including missing-number problems. The school also expects boys to understand shape, space, measure and time. Latymer Prep School names Maths as one of three formal papers, and the University College School Junior Branch page mentions a Maths test without listing its content.
What standard is the 7+ maths paper set at?
The standard is Year 2 of the National Curriculum, with St Paul's Prep School adding that the paper may include aspects of number and place value from Year 3. Within the Year 2 programme of study, children count in steps of 2, 3 and 5 from 0 and in 10s from any number, forwards and backwards. They also recognise, find, name and write fractions of a length, shape, set of objects or quantity, including one third, one quarter, two quarters and three quarters.
The same programme has children tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past and quarter to the hour. They identify and describe the properties of 2-D shapes, including the number of sides, and use mathematical vocabulary to describe position, direction and movement. A child who handles each of these confidently is working at the level the schools describe.
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Enquire about this tutorWhich times tables does a 7+ child need to know?
The Year 2 national curriculum lists the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables, with the matching division facts, and the Year 3 programme adds the 3, 4 and 8 tables. St Paul's Prep School expects boys to recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 3, 5 and 10 times tables, which takes in the 3 table from the Year 3 list.
The other school pages quoted here do not list times tables, so the Year 2 set gives a starting reference and the admissions page of each school on your list settles the rest. Practising every table in both directions, as a multiplication fact and as its division fact, matches the wording in both documents.
What is the difference between knowing a fact and using it?
Knowing a fact means recalling it quickly, whereas using it means choosing it inside a problem that does not say which fact is needed. St Paul's Prep School words its expectation as recall and use, and describes a key part of its Maths paper as applying knowledge of number, shape, space, measure and time to solve puzzles and problems.
Missing-number problems show the gap clearly, because the child must decide which operation leads to the hidden number. A child who recites the 5 table without hesitation but stalls when a number is hidden in a number sentence has the fact and not yet the use of it. Asking 'how did you know?' after a correct answer, and hiding one number in a sentence built from facts the child already recalls, turns recall into use.
How does a child build mental calculation strategies?
Mental calculation strategies grow from secure addition and subtraction facts, which the Year 2 programme sets out as recall and use of facts to 20, plus deriving and using related facts up to 100. St Paul's Prep School asks for efficient mental calculation methods, and Westminster Under School lists mental calculation strategies among its mathematics content.
The programme has children add and subtract using concrete objects, pictorial representations and mentally, so counters or drawings are a sound first step before the same sum is done in the head. Counting in steps of 2, 3 and 5 from 0, and in 10s from any number, forwards and backwards, gives a quick route into the times tables and into mental addition.
How can parents build fluency through games and short daily practice?
Short daily practice, kept to one fact family or one skill at a time, builds fluency without turning home into a classroom. Latymer Prep School advises that parental preparation should be low-key and the child's routine as normal as possible, and that keeping up favourite activities helps wellbeing, which the page sums up as a need for balance.
Stopping while the child still wants to carry on keeps practice something to look forward to. Games that fit into ordinary moments include:
- Counting in steps of 2, 3, 5 or 10 on a walk or car trip, forwards and backwards
- Dice or card games that practise addition and subtraction facts
- Reading the time on an analogue clock to five minutes, including quarter past and quarter to
- Sharing a set of objects to find one third, one quarter and three quarters
- Hiding one number in a number sentence for the child to find
For one-to-one help with number facts, mental calculation and problem solving at 7+ level, read about our 7+ tutors for English, maths and reasoning, or tell us about your child and the schools on your list and we will reply with tutor recommendations.
What do schools say about preparing for 7+ maths?
The advice differs by school. Westminster Under School says no preparation is needed for its reasoning papers, that familiarity with the format may help, and that excessive practice is not recommended. It also advises parents to avoid outside tuition, which it feels can dull the freshness and eagerness to learn that it values.
Latymer Prep School sends exemplar Maths and English papers after registration to show the expected standard, and gives no advice about tutoring. St Paul's Prep School says it does not publish past papers, and links a suggested reading list and Maths and English guidance for 7+. The University College School Junior Branch page gives no specific preparation guidance, so reading each school's own admissions page is the reliable step.
Where does one-to-one help fit alongside school and home practice?
One-to-one help is one option some families use alongside school and home practice. Where a child is working through the Year 2 list above, a session can follow the school's own wording on content, such as a particular times table or missing-number problems. The schools' advice quoted above remains the guide to how much practice suits your child.
Related guides
- 7+ tutors for English, maths and reasoning
- 7+ exam: format, schools and preparation
- 7+ past papers and practice questions
- What is assessed at 7+
- primary school tutoring
7+ Maths tutoring with Taylor Tuition
Families who come to us for 7+ Maths usually want a tutor who can diagnose where the marks are being lost and then build a steady routine around it, and that is how our programmes are set up. Our tutors are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject. There is no registration fee. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check and families receive progress reports after sessions.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is there a separate reasoning paper alongside the maths paper?
- It depends on the school. St Paul's Prep School tests English, Mathematics and Reasoning, and Alleyn's Junior School assesses English, mathematics and reasoning at 7+. Westminster Under School sets Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, which it describes as thinking skills. Latymer Prep School names three formal papers, English Comprehension, Creative Writing and Maths, and the University College School Junior Branch page does not mention a reasoning paper.
- Does a school give feedback on a child's maths result?
- Latymer Prep School states that it gives no written or verbal feedback on a child's performance or ranking on any paper. The other pages quoted here do not address feedback, so ask the admissions office of each school what it offers before assessment day, and do not assume a breakdown of the Maths paper will be available.
- Can a child with special educational needs have access arrangements for the maths paper?
- Latymer Prep School gives access arrangements to children with diagnosed special educational needs, and parents must notify the school during registration. Alleyn's asks parents who know or suspect a disability, language or learning difference to notify the school in writing at registration so that arrangements can be made. Raise it at the registration stage.
- What is the room like when children sit the maths paper?
- Latymer Prep School has children sit at desks, discourages talking, provides pencils, rulers and rubbers, and says staff will gently prompt a child who is stuck on a question. There are short breaks between the parts. Westminster Under School runs the tests in small groups in classrooms with at least two staff present, and describes the day as informal and friendly.
- Does a school take a child's age into account at 7+?
- Alleyn's says that at 7+ some elements of the assessment are standardised and that relative age is considered. Candidates are expected to have followed the National Curriculum syllabus for English and mathematics. The other pages quoted here do not mention age adjustment, so check the school's own admissions page for how it treats the youngest candidates.
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