Banding Assessment FAQs
What are banding assessments and why do you do them?
What exactly happens at the banding assessment?
When are the assessments?
Why do you run them before I apply?
When will I be told the results?
Can my daughter fail the assessment?
Does my daughter need to attend the assessment?
I don’t live nearby. Should my daughter sit the banding assessment?
Can I give you the results from another school’s test instead?
Can she sit it remotely, via Skype?
I didn’t know about the banding assessment so I missed registering on time, can my daughter still turn up to the banding?
I missed, or cannot attend, for various reasons, the banding assessments – can the school arrange for another session for my daughter?
My daughter has not sat the assessment, can I still apply?
Does sitting the banding assessment mean my daughter has a place at Camden School for Girls?
How do I register?
What are banding assessments and why do you do them?
The assessments are to ensure we have a mixed ability intake every year. The banding assessment is set and marked by GL Assessment and is a cognitive test.
The banding assessment is only used for admissions purposes. The results are not used in school after enrolment. We cannot use data from your child's primary school as this is not available when places are offered.
The bands often bear little or no relation to your child’s performance at school. They are cognitive processing tests. No extra time or special arrangements are given.
The allocation to a band by the GL assessment is regarded by the Governors as final.
What exactly happens at the banding assessment?
We use four assessments namely the non-verbal, verbal, quantitative and spatial assessments. This is a well tried and tested system widely used by schools for these purposes.
On the day of her assessment session your child will be met by staff who will explain how the assessment is conducted. Your child will take warm-up test questions before each test to give them an idea of what to expect. Your child does not need to prepare or train for the assessments. All the assessments will be completed in a single half day session to avoid tiring out your child. Before each assessment there will some time for warm up practice. There will also be time for comfort breaks and administrative time for instructions, taking in papers, etc. Please would your child bring a pencil and an eraser to the assessment.
Please click here for the list of dates.
Why do you run them before I apply?
This is to ensure that you have the results of the assessment in advance of submitting your application to your local authority.
We need to do this because the Admissions Code 2012 states that banding is a form of selection. Although in practical terms the school bands to ensure a mixed ability and the results of the test have no real bearing on your child’s likelihood of getting a place at the school under any admissions criteria, a ruling by the Office of the School’s Adjudicator has determined that the school must run these assessments before application.
When will I get told the results?
You will receive an email informing you of the outcome of your child's banding assessment on or before Monday 24 October 2022.
Can my daughter fail the assessment?
No. The assessment is not something you pass or fail, and it should not be a source of anxiety for your child. The band your child is placed in has no bearing on their likelihood of getting a place. The number of places in each band available under the distance criterion varies from year to year as the number of children in each band who have applied under the other criteria also vary. These numbers cannot be known in advance of application.
Does my daughter need to attend the assessment?
Yes. The school gives priority to applications under criteria 2, 3, 4 or 5 to those applicants who have sat the assessment.
I don’t live nearby. Should my daughter sit the banding assessment?
If you are applying under the distance criterion, and you live outside the historic maximum offer distances, the test is likely to prove an unnecessary burden on your daughter.
The school offers places to those who live closest.
Can I give you the results from another school’s test instead?
No. All schools have their own assessment processes. The schools’ bands represent averages generated from the results from those who sit the test so your child may be in a different band when assessed by a different school.
Can she sit it remotely, via Skype?
No. Your child must come into school and sit the assessment. If your child has a statement of Special Educational Needs, you are applying under criteria 1, or if you have been advised by your local authority that you are able to apply to school in the UK despite currently living abroad, please telephone the school office on (020) 7485 3414 to discuss your specific circumstances.
If you missed the registration deadline, but are not too late for the sessions, please telephone the school office on (020) 7485 3414. If the sessions are not full, your child may be able to still attend. However, if they are full, unfortunately your child will not be able to sit the assessment.
No. If the sessions have taken place, your child will not be able to sit the assessment. Nor can the school make special arrangements to accommodate individual circumstances.
My daughter has not sat the assessment, can I still apply?
Yes, you can still apply. However, as our application numbers are so high, it is highly unlikely that your application would be successful. Please refer to our Admissions Policy for full details. Priority is given to those who sit the assessment.
Does sitting the banding assessment mean my daughter has a place at Camden School for Girls?
No. Sitting the assessment does not guarantee an offer of a place. But it means if you decide to apply, the school will consider your application under the relevant criterion.
Complete the online application form for banding assessments. You should register an account with the school. Registration means you can change your agreed assessment sessions should you need to (and places are still available).
You will receive an automated email confirmation of your child’s assessment times. The email address supplied to the school needs to be regularly checked. The school cannot take responsibility for incorrectly spelled email addresses. Please add CSG to your safe lists or address books to ensure that emails don’t get caught in a spam filter. Please review this email carefully to ensure that all your details are correct.