CAT4 and GEMS Wellington International School admissions

WIS describes itself as providing education for children aged 3 to 18, following the National Curriculum for England and Wales and the International Baccalaureate. Families complete an online application and upload supporting documents, which include a copy of the child's most recent school or nursery reports from the previous two years, a personal statement for Year 5 upwards, and any special educational referrals.

The admissions process page describes a report-first approach: “Students from Years 1-13 are not required to sit assessments unless the Academic Team decides to have the child assessed after reviewing their school report.” Reports from previous schools or nurseries are reviewed by the academic teaching staff and, if deemed necessary, may be followed by an assessment or interview.

Places can be tight. The page says places for new students in Foundation Stage and Lower School may be limited and strongly recommends contacting the Registrar's office to check availability. It also says the school has limited spaces for children with additional learning needs, while the Admissions Overview states that students who experience SEND receive sibling priority and are not refused admission based only on their SEND experience.

The WIS admissions process page does not mention CAT4. It does not ask for an existing CAT4 result in its document list, and it does not say what an assessment would involve if the Academic Team decides one is needed. If you are asked to bring your child in for assessment, ask the Registrar's office what form it will take.

For IB Diploma applicants, the page says students will need to have achieved a minimum standard in their GCSEs or equivalent. It does not publish the standard, so check it with the school.

Applicants for Year 5 upwards are asked to tell the school about themselves in no more than 400 words. The page suggests focusing on hobbies and interests, talents and achievements, says the statement can include pictures and should be handwritten, and explains that it helps the school get to know the child and plan a smooth transition. A member of the academic team then contacts the family about the application.

CAT4 matters more after entry than before it. The WIS assessment policy (reviewed June 2023, with its next review stated as June 2024, so check for a newer version) lists the GL Cognitive Abilities Test among the National Agenda Parameter tests the KHDA requires. Its table lists CAT4 for whole cohorts in Years 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, and for new students in Years 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13. The same table lists GL Progress Tests once a year in Years 3 to 10 and the New Group Reading Test three times a year in Years 2 to 10.

The policy says CAT4 results “form the basis of our target setting procedure” for the end of Key Stages 2, 3 and 4. Internal assessments and prior results can be used to raise a target suggested by CAT4, but the policy states that targets must never be lowered below what CAT4 predictions suggest. In Key Stage 2, CAT4-based targets for reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling are expressed as standardised scores, where 100 is average.

For entry, the evidence WIS asks for first is your child's school reports, plus a personal statement from Year 5. Keep reports up to date, and let older children write the statement themselves, in their own hand and voice. There is no published CAT4 requirement to prepare for.

After entry, CAT4 feeds directly into the targets your child works towards, so it is worth your child understanding the four question types and the on-screen format before they sit it. That is familiarity, not drilling: GL Assessment, which publishes CAT4, advises against extensive practice.