Like nature itself, education has its seasons, and for prep schools the cold and the dark of January and February signal that the pre-tests of various Oxford senior independent schools are upon us.

These tests, generally a mixture of IQ-style “verbal” and “non-verbal” questions, literacy and numeracy exercises and interviews, are the means by which oversubscribed institutions seek to reduce the number of prospective candidates to manageable proportions in preparation for the Common Entrance examinations taken by 12 year-olds at the end of Year Eight.

The tests are highly competitive, and many will fall at this first hurdle. It is surely worth considering whether or not many should have been entered in the first place.

One of the key responsibilities of the prep school head is the advice and help offered to parents as they consider which school might be best for their child.

Here at Christ Church Cathedral School, parents are invited to come and discuss the possibilities with the Headmaster at the start of Year Six, when pupils are aged 11.

What we can bring to the table is as accurate and honest a view as possible of the likely academic strengths and weaknesses of a particular child, as well as a knowledge gained over a number of years about which senior schools excel or specialise in developing particular talents and if a particular social dynamic is likely to be a good fit.

The aim, of course, is to see a pupil move on to a school in which he or she will thrive, realise potential and, above all, be happy. So far, so good. The difficulty in a city like Oxford is that other factors come into play as part of the decision-making process: league-table positions can have a strong influence, as can local perceptions and reputations not always built on fact.

In a city full of academics it is not surprising that a school’s proportion of A*s and Oxbridge successes loom large in decision-making. None of this is a problem where the child is academic by nature, competitive in spirit and personally confident, but this description by no means fits all those pre-test candidates entered this year.

Just as many teenagers unsuited to the rigours of university work have in recent years been encouraged to apply for degree courses, so a number of pre-prep children each year are steered towards senior schools at which they are unlikely to thrive. Often they receive focused coaching to help them clear the entrance hurdle and it may be that this is successful: but are they likely to be happy in a pressured academic environment in which they have to work immensely hard just to keep their head above water?

Admittedly the theory of choice in the independent sector is not always as real as parents might wish. The oxygen of league-table publicity has fuelled a steady rise in academic standards in many of the city’s independent senior schools, which have become very selective.

The needs of the most able are well catered for. In the rush the middle-ability pupil has been overlooked, and it is often necessary to look further afield for the right school for such a child.

This may, certainly, pose awkward logistical problems for parents but our children, although they may become life-long learners, only get their school days once and as parents we must be very careful about the implications of our choices.

I often remark that having children is just one long process of letting go, and this is undoubtedly a difficult concept in these interventionist, often over-protective times.

Challenging though it is in making choices about senior schools, parents must stand back a little, weigh the advice from teachers carefully and focus on where their child is likely to be happy rather, necessarily, than on their aspirations for their child.

Mr Martin Bruce, Headmaster, Christ Church Cathedral School