Today I turn 40 and I'm not afraid to admit ...

1. I was a school teacher for 12 years who hated the last 4 years of teaching full time in schools. If I am completely honest, I would say I enjoyed the middle years (years 4-6). These were the years where I felt confident as a teacher - I knew what I was doing and I could just show up and teach. However, I didn’t enjoy working as a teacher in the school, I enjoyed the social aspect of the school (this is not why I went into teaching!)

2. The bravest thing I ever did was the day after finding out I was pregnant, walking into the Headteacher’s office and telling him that I would be leaving that December because the health of myself and my baby came first. I walked away from a ‘secure’ maternity pay and went all in on my online businesses. During my maternity leave I only had statutory maternity pay for three months.

3. Being bullied all the way through school is one of the main reasons that I chose to become a teacher. I didn’t want one other child to go through what I did. All the way through my childhood all I ever wanted was to ‘fit in’, was ‘to be liked’ and not one single teacher told me that this was just nonsense. That’s the type of teacher that I chose to be. I didn’t allow for any nonsense in any of my classrooms and I alway put the health and wellbeing of all of my students first. Being bullied makes you lose trust in people and I am still working on rebuilding this trust every single day. No other child that I work with will ever go through what I did because I will always be there to support and guide them. And I have zero tolerance for bullies.

4. I was a socially anxious person for 35 years of my life. I had friendships that I thought were real but absolutely were not. It took me 35 years to learn that I was not the one who had to ‘fit in’ and that I was not the one who had to pretend to be someone that I wasn’t in order to be accepted. It took me 35 years to learn which of my friendships were real and which were absolutely not.

5. The day I finished university, I cried my eyes out because I had no idea what to do next. I had massive student debt and I ended up having to move back home. I went through the education system and I was never asked what I truly wanted to do. I was told of what was expected of me (graduate and get a job). I never want my son to feel this way and I will be his mentor and his guide.

6. I don’t tolerate rudeness. I am not rude to anyone so anyone who is rude to me, I will simply not accept it. I don’t have time for people to expect me to do things their way. I will do things my way and will do for the rest of my life. And if people don’t like it, they are simply not my people.

7. The main reason that I left teaching full time in schools is because I felt that it was no longer about the children. It had become all about the paperwork. And all of the paperwork took away from my time with the children. What I loved most in those early years of teaching was that I could just be with my students. I could just teach them and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Towards the end of my teaching career, it was no longer fully about the children. It was about the planning and the marking. It was about performing for Ofsted. It was about grades and marks on tests. Management treated staff poorly and I would no longer stand for it.

So today I turn 40. And I will always speak my truth. Because my hope it that it will help someone else to speak theirs. I hid away from my truth for far too long. I performed for a society who didn’t really care about my performance.

This is why your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work.

So many parents have no idea what to expect when they sign up to send their daughter to the 4+ Assessment at NLCS.

There are so many comments online that literally say how wonderful the 4+ Assessment is and parents saying that their daughter had an amazing time.

Listen, no one cares that your daughter had a great time at her NLCS 4+ Assessment. Who actually cares? Why are people even talking about that?

I read a comment that said something like, ‘Why do I keep reading that the 4+ Assessments are traumatic and stressful? My daughter had an amazing time at her 4+ Assessment.’

Ok, but was she successful?

And also who is telling you that the 4+ Assessments are traumatic and stressful? It would never be traumatic and stressful for a 3 year old. I’ve never heard this from anyone. Ever.

Perhaps it is traumatic and stressful for the parents who are unsuccessful at securing a place at any of their target schools?

Because of these comments and other people literally telling you not to prepare your daughter for her 4+ Assessment at NLCS, you might naively think that this is the case.

Well, let me tell you this, if you don’t prepare your daughter properly for her 4+ Assessment at NLCS and if you don’t take the process seriously, then don’t expect to have any sort of success.

NLCS receives over 500 applications every single year for the 4+ Assessment.

With only 40 places available, your daughter will have a 1:12 chance of passing her first round.

If she passes the first round, she will have a better chance of passing the second round as the ration lowers to about 1:4. Passing the first round is something exceptional!

Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if you read ridiculous comments online and believe them. Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if you believe that your daughter’s nursery alone can prepare your daughter for her 4+ Assessment. Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if you don’t thoroughly cover all areas of the EYFS curriculum that will be assessed in both rounds. Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if your daughter doesn’t have the skills of being resilient and being able to persevere.

If you want to be successful in the NLCS 4+ Assessment, work with a teacher who has been preparing girls for this assessment for over 16 years. Work with a teacher who has real and actual experience of supporting girls to pass their 4+ Assessment at NLCS.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

What your daughter MUST be able to demonstrate to pass the 4+ Assessment at Glendower?

Glendower are looking for many important traits in their prospective new students.

There are 9 main skills that Glendower will be assessing in their 4+ Assessment.

1. Ability to cooperate

2. Ability to be flexible

3. Ability to have a go

4. High levels of english language

5. High levels of numeracy skills

6. Knowledge of phonics

7. Ability to follow instructions

These are all very important and your daughter must be prepared to a very high standard in order to be able to demonstrate these 9 skills.

But the most important thing that your daughter MUST demonstrate in order to pass the 4+ Assessment at Glendower is this…

Confidence.

Now when I say confidence, I don’t mean that your daughter has to be loud nor does she have to be able to talk to people that she doesn’t know as though they are her bet friends. What I mean is a quiet confidence to go in to her 4+ Assessment and just shine. To confidently try all of the activities set out for her. To confidently answer all of the questions asked of her. To confidently look the assessors in their eyes and converse with them.

Confidence is key in the 4+ Assessment at Glendower.

Preparing for Glendower for 2026/2027 entry?

Book your Sample Lesson today.

3 signs your daughter is READY for her Kensington Prep 4+ Assessment

We have prepared hundreds of girls for their Kensington Prep 4+ Assessment over the last 15 years.

Here are the 3 signs that your daughter is READY for her Kensington Prep 4+ Assessment.

1. Your daughter is switched on and alert.

   Historically, the girls that we have prepared for this school have been so easy to teach. They have been so switched on and so alert. Our girls would show up every single week for their lesson and they would be able to sustain a conversation with their teacher for the duration of the lesson. They would ask so many questions and they demonstrated maturity (for girls of the age of only 3)

2. Your daughter is curious.

   Your daughter has a deep desire to learn more and more. Your daughter is hungry to learn more, more, more. Your daughter is intrinsically curious about everything. She will ask you why? several times a day and she will expect a proper answer from you. And if she isn’t satisfied with your answer, she will keep on asking. Our girls who have historically passed the 4+ Assessment at Kensington Prep were able to answer up to Level 4 questions with ease. They spoke clearly and with certainty. They answered with confidence and clarity. They questioned me if they didn’t understand something and their eyes lit up every time I would introduce a new concept to them.

3. Your daughter shows enthusiasm to learn.

   Your daughter wants to learn every single day. She will ask you do do certain learning activities that interest her. She won’t need to be asked to go and do her learning. She will be the one who tell you that she wants to learn. Your daughter will tell you what interests her. She will want to learn by herself and with you.

If you are preparing for Kensington Prep for 2026 entry and your daughter doesn’t currently show you these 3 signs, it’s time to start preparing her with our exceptional Emerald Curriculum. You have about 9 months left to prepare for the 4+ at Ken Prep.

Book your Sample lesson and Sample Week today.

Your 4+ Assessment preparation got better since you stopped doing this one thing

Making excuses.

Look, we all have lives to live, children to raise, jobs to go to, finances to deal with, friends to see - the list goes on and on…

But this is the only thing that happens when you make excuses…

Nothing.

Nothing happens.

Let me give you an example. My son has passed all elements of his Emerald Curriculum apart from the phonics part. He doesn’t know how to identify the 13 sounds that he needs to be able to identify in order to move onto his Sapphire Curriculum. I had set myself the goal of teaching him all 13 this month (the month of April). Today is the 13th of April. Do you know how many times I’ve pulled out the phonics sounds from his folder? Do you know how many times I’ve put on a phonics video on YouTube? Do you know how many times I’ve planned to do phonics with him? Maybe three times.

Why?

Because of excuses.

Here are just a few…

‘We’re on holiday this week?’

‘He’s not in the mood to do them?’

‘He would prefer to do something else!’

Not good enough.

I can turn things around of course but I’ve missed at least 10 full days of focused phonics learning with him.

I speak to so many of you who are just full of excuses.

‘She’s only 1/2/3 years old!’

‘I don’t want to damage him!’

‘I’ll just wait until next week/month/year!’

‘We’re having our house done!’

‘We have family over!’

Listen, you’ve make the decision to sit your child for their 4+ Assessments. So enough with the excuses. 4+ Assessment preparation needs planned and focused energy and attention. 4+ Assessment preparation needs dedication and determination. It doesn’t need wishy washy excuses.

You want your child to pass their 4+ Assessments?

Then do the consistent and focused work to prepare them to actually go in and pass.

If not, continue making your excuses and stay stuck.

If you’d like our support, we offer the highest quality tuition to all of our clients preparing their children for their 4+ Assessments.

Book your Sample Lesson today!

Prepare for St. Paul's Cathedral school like a BOSS.

Another very popular school at 4+. Children will be assessed on a Saturday in November. The school’s Admission policy says that children will be invited to a ‘play group assessment' and they will be assessed by the pre-prep staff in the reception classrooms. 10-12 children will be grouped together and assessed. The school state that the emphasis is on a ‘group play session’.

The Admissions policy clearly states that ‘no preparation’ is required which is interesting considering how many children I know of who have not passed this assessment and followed the instruction of ‘no preparation’.

It is important to note that only the first 80 children registered on the 1st of September, 12 months before entry to St. Paul’s Cathedral School will be assessed. There are 34 places available at this school. A waiting list of up to 20 children will be held and they will be offered a place if one becomes available.

If you want to prepare for this school like a BOSS, I suggest you start preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments from the age of 2. I then suggest that you make sure that you apply by the 1st of September (12 months before entry to St Paul’s). Make sure that you make a note of this in your diary. You can also register your child from birth if you are super organised. The assessment WILL be academic regardless of the school telling you that ‘preparation is not needed’. You want your child to be offered a place at this school, you will prepare them to the highest of standards.

To prepare like a BOSS, you will support your child to be a curious and inquisitive learner. This of course can be practised. You will teach your child to work well with others as part of a group, to engage with them and to collaborate with them. This can of course be practised.

These are all requirements in the 4+ Assessment at this school.

The Nursery report will also be important at St. Paul’s Cathedral School as they will ask to see this.

Let us support you every step of the way to prepare for St. Paul’s Cathedral school. You don’t have to do it alone. We have incredible success year after year at supporting our students to be offered a place at this school.

Book your Sample Week today.

3 things you could do right now prepare for the Jags 4+ assessment

James Allen’s Girls’ School - Another popular school that we prepare our girls for at 4+.

Located in East Dulwich Grove in South East London, this school is very over subscribed at 4+ and needs thorough 4+ Assessment preparation. With only 36 places available, you will want to ensure that your daughter is able to go in and show exactly what the assessors are looking for.

It is important to note that Jags do not have a sibling policy.

In order to prepare for the JAGS assessment with confidence, you firstly need to know exactly what they are looking for in their successful candidates.

JAGS want to see how your daughter will get on as part of a classroom setting. Therefore when you are preparing for the 4+ Assessment at JAGS you will want to be working on things like social skills, independence, team working skills, listening skills, maintaining eye contact with adults when they speak to her and interacting with confidence with both adults and children. Of course, you still need to work on all areas of the EYFS curriculum.

The JAGS website give absolutely nothing away about the 4+ Assessment. We have been preparing many girls for assessment at this school for many years and we know exactly what the school is looking for in their prospective new students!

Here are 3 things you could do right now prepare for the Jags 4+ assessment:

1. Take your daughter to a variety of clubs where she has to interact with new and unfamiliar adults and children.

2. Play games with your daughter every day. Games where she has to listen, take turns, follow instructions and also be able to demonstrate independence.

3. Read stories with your daughter daily and ask her a variety of questions (up to level 4 question types)

Prepare with confidence by working with our team of exceptional teachers. We will support you every step of the way to have tremendous success at Jags.

Book your Sample Lesson today!

Distraught, devastated and shocked

One of my ex- clients told me that I am scaremongering parents and this is absolutely not the case. She had 4 lessons with me and took up far more hours of my time than she had paid for with my support and dedication towards her family and her child – who by the way was successful to a top Boys’ school for his 4+.

I am simply speaking the truth to you. Because I know how important the best quality education is for our children. The futures it will open up for them and their experiences of childhood are very important to me and I take them very seriously. Why would I need to scaremonger? For what reason? I am here to attract the highest calibre of clients and students. Clients who take the 4+ Assessment process seriously and children who want to work hard and be dedicated to their learning.

 I have no need to scaremonger, believe me. Upon reflection, it says more about her than about me. She was the one scared about the 4+ Assessment process. I’m not.

 Distraught, devastated and shocked are three words that I have heard parents use when they called me to tell me that their child did not pass the 4+ Assessment at Manor Lodge. Manor Lodge is a dream school for many parents for many different reasons.

They don’t realise how hard it is to be offered a place at this school. They don’t take the 4+ Assessment process seriously enough. They say things like, ‘What would they even ask a 3 year old anyway?’ and ‘Isn’t it ridiculous to prepare a 3 year old for an assessment?’ They assume that because they are paying for their child’s education that they will just be offered a place. It does not work that way. You and 500 + other parents can afford to pay for a private school education for their children

So don’t be distraught, devastated and shocked. Be delighted, thrilled and over the moon. Prepare your child for the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment and prepare them well.

 And if you don’t, don’t expect miraculous results. If your child doesn’t meet the assessment set by the school (sibling or not), they will not pass the 4+ at Manor lodge.

 Book your Sample Lesson today.

Manor Lodge Misunderstandings

Lately, I’ve been speaking to a lot of you who are very interested in Manor Lodge. And it leaves me very surprised. If you are so interested in this school, why have you not started preparing your child for it?

You do realise that this 4+ Assessment is in October 2025? Meaning you only have 6 months to prepare for this school.

I’m always very surprised that this is one of the schools that parents are least worried about preparing their child for.

Well, you should be worried.

Manor Lodge is a tough 4+ Assessment to pass for two reasons.

1. It is a very popular school and hundreds of parents will be sitting their child for their 4+ Assessment here.

2. Competition will be fierce in terms of the calibre of students that your child will be up against.

I know how hard it is to pass the 4+ Assessment at this school. I’ve spoken to hundreds of parents who have called me to tell me that their child did not pass their 4+ Assessment at this school.

Myself and my team have personally been preparing our youngest students for Manor Lodge for many, many years and we have incredible success year after year.

I hear words thrown around such as 'devastated’, ‘disappointed’ and ‘heart-broken’ when clients tell me that their child did not pass the Manor Lodge Assessment. Yet when I asked them how long they had been preparing their child for the assessment, they tell me that they didn’t or they tell me that their nursery prepared them. A nursery alone cannot prepare a child to pass any 4+ Assessment. Understand this.

If you want your child to pass the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment, your child does need at least 12 months of Assessment preparation either by yourself or by a teacher who has knowledge of the 4+ Assessment at this school and who has had real and actual results at supporting students to pass their 4+ Assessment at this school.

Our results for Manor Lodge show exactly why your must start with at least 12 months of preparation before sending your child to their Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment.

We prepared 4 students for Manor Lodge (for 2025 entry).

Both students who started with us 12 months before their 4+ Assessment were offered a firm place at Manor Lodge.

One of our students started in September (one month before the Assessment). She did not pass.

The other student did not have consistent and weekly tuition. He also did not pass.

Both of our students who had CONSISTENT weekly tuition passed their Assessment at Manor Lodge.

So many of you do not understand the 4+ Assessment process at Manor Lodge. You don’t understand how fiercely competitive it will be. You don’t understand the sheer volume of parents applying for this school. You don’t understand that if your child is not ready for their 4+ Assessment, they will simply not pass.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

5 reasons boys failed their 4+ Assessment at Habs Boys this year (2025 entry)

Habs Boys at 4+ is a tough Assessment.

You may not believe that it will be but you would be very wrong.

It is not a ‘play based assessment’ or whatever you are making that phrase mean in your head. It simply isn’t. Sure, your son will ‘play’ but no one cares about your child ‘playing’. Do you really think their ‘playing’ is being assessed at this top boys’ school?

Oh and it’s an hour and a half by the way. I’ve never known my nearly 3 year old son to engage in focused ‘play’ activities for 90 minutes! Perhaps your child has? I doubt it.

The groups will be with children in close proximity of age but don’t for one moment think that your summer born son will be assessed differently to an autumn born boy. He won’t be.

I’m thrilled that Habs haven’t written that the second round will be ‘play based’. No, it is a 1:1 with your son in which your son will engage in focused activities with an assessor (a teacher or senior leader at Habs).

With 40 places available and over 500+ boys applying, you have to prepare thoroughly for this Assessment (for all 4+ Assessments!)

This is real feedback from real students who did not pass their 4+ Assessment at Habs Boys (2025 entry). I share it with you because some of you are not preparing thoroughly enough for this school and you have to if you want your son to pass.

Reason #1

Didn’t show enough independence.

Reason #2

Reluctant to try when it was harder.

Reason #3

Didn’t answer the questions immediately when asked.

Reason #4

Didn’t speak enough when spoken to.

Reasons #5

Didn’t consistently follow the instructions.

As you can see none of these are curriculum focused. So you must’t only prepare your son to be academically able. You must focus on your son in a holistic way and support him to demonstrate the core values of Habs Boys in their 4+ Assessment.

Book your Sample Lesson Today.

Why is story writing so hard to teach for the 7+?

Not knowing what the schools expect.

If you don’t know what the schools expect then how can you ever prepare your child to pass this part of the Assessment?

In their 7+ Assessments, your child will most likely need to write a story in the first round of the Assessment (not always!). It could come up in the second round.

Each school will have their own criteria that they will use to assess story writing.

It is important that you know what this criteria is so that you can prepare your child to go in and show everything that these schools are looking for.

I know exactly what each school is looking for.

How?

Because I have been preparing children for their 7+ Assessments for over 15 years now.

I have prepared children for ALL top inner and outer London schools for their 7+ Assessments.

I know that not all schools assess story writing in the same way and I prepare my students knowing exactly what the schools that they are applying to are looking for.

SIMPLE.

Know what the school/s are looking for and then prepare a plan to help support your child to go in and actually write the best story and to pass that section of their 7+ Assessment.

Story writing is not easy to teach for most people.

It is very easy for me to teach. It is my super power. Let me work with your child for only 30 minutes each week and see their writing transform. Watch as they begin to understand exactly what needs to be included in a story and how to actually write an amazing story.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

The Ultimate Guide to Westminster 7+ Assessment Preparation.

Welcome to this Ultimate Guide which has been lovingly created for you. If you are reading this, you might be considering sitting your son for his 7+ Assessment at Westminster Under School. Perhaps you have other schools in mind. This Guide will still be very helpful to you.

My hope is that this guide will provide you with an in depth and thorough understanding of the 7+ Assessment process at this very popular school.

Here are some key points for you:

Entry point - 7+ (Year 3 entry)
School current age range (will be changing from 2026)
7-13 (boys only currently)
Apply by: September 30th 2025 (you can apply up to 2 years before if you like!)
Round 1 and Round 2 Assessments will both be in November 2025 (mid November)
We provide FREE 7+ Assessment papers on our Website

Why Westminster at 7+?

Westminster Under School is one of the top prep schools in the UK. It prepares boys for entry to Westminster School at 13+ and other schools such as Eton and St Paul’s. An academically challenging school that also has an incredible extra curricular programme, the children will be exposed to so many options. Westminster offer clubs such as chess and fencing! Children who attend Westminster are said to be 'not only academically gifted but also curious, creative but also well-rounded.'

Why so competitive?

A strong chance for entry to Westminster at 13+
The challenge it provides for its students.
The rich co curricular programme of study it offers.
Small class sizes.
Individual attention for the students.
Entry to top universities in the future.

We have personally prepared hundreds of boys for their 7+ Assessments at Westminster Under over the last 16 years and have had exceptional results year after year. This is because we are very aware of the expectations and know exactly how to prepare our students to have tremendous success.

1. Register 
2. Stage 1 Assessment
Online Reasoning Test
English paper - comprehension and SPAG
Maths
3. Stage 2 Assessment
Interview - group and 1:1
Activities- listening and following instructions tasks, team work and independence, reading out loud and answering questions.
Creative Writing task

Our Emerald Curriculum starts from £220 per month and will support your child every step of the way to have the highest chances for success. The Emerald Curriculum is a personalised, bespoke programme of study created only for your child and for the schools that they are preparing for. With the Emerald Curriculum you will have something that no one else is currently offering - 24/7 email support from your very own highly experienced teacher. 

The CMT Emerald Curriculum is all you need to support your child with their 7+ Assessment to WUS.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

The #1 excuse for not tutoring

‘My child is too young.’

 ‘I don’t want my 2/3/5/7/9 -year-old to be tutored.’

‘My child is only 6, why should she have to be tutored?’

 Why are some of you so against tutoring your child from a young age?

 I’ve been tutoring my son since he was 17 months old. That’s when I started his own personal curriculum plan. We have several students currently working with us who are 17-18 months old.

Tutoring is just another word for teaching. I have taken full responsibility for teaching my son. I tutor him. He has a bespoke, tailored plan for his learning. Just as our own students do.

Why wouldn’t I teach my own son?

 Your child is too young for what?

 Too young to sit with you and do a puzzle?

 Too young to sit with you and work on developing their vocabulary?

 Too young to sing a song?

 Then I hear the #2 excuse for not tutoring.

 ‘I don’t want her to have to do learning at this age!’

 Why not?

 And by the way, your child is learning every second of every day. You don’t like that either?

 So before you start to bad mouth tuition to your friends and family, think again about what your problem even is with tutoring?

 If you still have something bad to say, that’s on you. But perhaps challenge these ideas and ask yourself…

 Is my child really too young? Or are you the one associating learning to something negative? Is it something to do with your own childhood traumas?

Your child is not too young. Your child loves to learn. Your child loves to sit and play with you. Your child loves that you invest your time and energy planning and preparing their resources. Your child loves quality time with you. Your child loves learning.

And if you have some sort of trauma relating to your own learning as a child, please try your best to not project this onto your child.

3 problems with starting late when preparing for the 7+ Assessments

I’ve personally been preparing children for their 7+ Assessments for over 15 years. The sweet spot in terms of when to start 7+ Assessment preparations is 24 months before the 7+ Assessment. So if the Assessment is in December, you want to be aiming to begin a bespoke 7+ programme of study from your child’s Autumn term in Reception.

This is where I’ve seen the highest chances for success in terms of children being offered a place at top schools after their 7+ Assessments.

Many parents that I speak to contact me far too late in terms of preparing their children for their 7+ Assessments. Usually through no fault of their own. They simply don’t understand the 7+ Assessment process or they haven’t taken the time to try to understand it. They have just assumed that because their child is only 6, that is surely can’t be that difficult to pass an assessment. That because they are willing and able to spend 30-50k a year on their education that somehow this is enough.

Well, I’m here to tell you that this is not the case. Far from it.

The 7+ Assessments need thorough, bespoke and rigorous preparation for the specific schools that your child will be sitting assessment at. No two schools will have the same assessment preparation.

 Here are the 3 biggest problems with starting late when preparing for the 7+ Assessments

 1.     You simply do not have enough time to cover all of the curriculum.

Unless you want your child to be meeting with their tutor 4x a week, you simply will not have time to cover the vast curriculum that needs to be covered in order for your child to be successful in their 7+ Assessments.

I know of many parents who send their children to group classes every Saturday for 4 hours. I personally do not agree with this. And I’ve never met one single child who has told me that they enjoyed spending their Saturdays in that way. I wouldn’t do that to my own son so I wouldn’t recommend it to any of my clients. Obviously up to you what you choose to do with your child.

2.     You are more likely to feel stressed out and overwhelmed.

Of the parents that I’ve worked with who have started far too late preparing their children for their 7+ Assessments, all of them have been stressed out and overwhelmed because of the fact that they started too late. Many of these parents have blamed the reason that they felt stressed out and overwhelmed on the 7+ but it has nothing to do with that. It has to do with the fact that they started too late. Of course, you are going to feel overwhelmed if you start with only 6 months of preparation time and you see the vast curriculum that your child has to not only cover but master.

3.     Your child is more likely to not enjoy the process.

Parents who start late generally project their feelings and emotions onto their children. Their children see that their parents are not enjoying the process. They pick up on their negative attitude and then surprise surprise, they show up to their lessons with the exact same negativity. I don’t blame my students at all.

You want your child to feel calm, positive and in control when they are preparing for their 7+ Assessments and that is exactly how you should feel too.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

10 ways to fail a 7+ Assessment

I see sabotage happening daily when I speak to parents.

Do not sabotage your 7+ Assessment preparation by doing the following…

 1.     Procrastinating when to start 7+ Assessment preparations. 2 years before is 100% needed.

If you’re reading this too late, don’t panic, just start. So you don’t have two years? Who cares. You have what you have. Start.

2.     Working with a tutor who does not have real and actual experience of actually supporting children to pass their 7+ Assessments at your target schools. Trustpilot is the best place to look for real and authentic reviews.

 3.     Not covering the maths curriculum to the depth needed in order to pass the 7+ Assessments.

4.     Not covering the English curriculum to the depth needed in order to pass the 7+ Assessments.

5.     Not covering verbal and non - verbal reasoning to the level needed.

6.     Not have completed the Bond Books up to age 8-9 level.

7.     Being too much of a crutch to your child. Yes, support your child, sure. But telling them the answer or giving them too much support is not going to help them in a 7+ Assessment. You will not be in there with them!

8.     Not teaching story writing to the level expected at your 7+ Target schools.

9.     Not teaching your child handwriting to the standard expected at the schools that you are applying to.

10.  Getting stressed out, worried and anxious about the process. Your child will pick up on this and you do not want them to feel those emotions about this process.

 Here’s a bonus one for you - your child not being an avid reader. Your child needs to be reading everyday and your child needs to be boosting their vocabulary everyday by learning new words and their meanings.

Point number one is the most common sabotage I see. Parents who call me two years before and then decide to start 3-6 months before the 7+ Assessment. How can you even think that this is enough time to prepare your child? It is not.

 Take the 7+ process seriously. If you do not, do not expect to have serious results.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

10 ways to pass a 7+ Assessment

I speak to many parents every single day who sabotage their 7+ Assessment preparation and I do not want you do the same.

 Here are 10 ways to pass a 7+ Assessment and have the highest chances for success.

1.     Start preparing 2 years before the Assessment. Anytime between September-December of your child’s Reception Year (depending on when the 7+ Assessment is).

If you’re reading this too late, don’t panic, just start.

2.     Work with a tutor with real and actual experience supporting real and actual students to pass their 7+ Assessments at the schools you would love to send your child to. Trustpilot is the best place to look for real and authentic reviews.

3.     Cover the maths curriculum to at least greater depth of the Year 3 curriculum. Dip into some of the year 4 curriculum (you need to know what is relevant to cover - don’t waste your time).

4.     Cover the English curriculum to at least greater depth of the Year 3 curriculum. This includes spelling, grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing.

5.     Ensure your child has completed up to the age 8-9 Bond Books for Verbal and non- Verbal Reasoning. In order to do this well, your child needs to be completing Bond Books once a week at a minimum.

6.     Ensure your child has completed the age 8-9 Bond books for maths and English. Remember that the English bonds are tough so only give these to your child if they are able to handle this level. 8-9 maths bonds are also tough. Also, we only ever want to see your child’s independent answer and not yours. We are not interested in your answers!

7.     Ensure your child can complete their learning independently. It is not YOU taking the 7+ Assessment. As above!

8.     Teach story writing to the standard expected of the schools you are applying to.

9.     Teach your child cursive handwriting (only when they are correctly forming their letters)

10.  Go into this with positivity and calm. Your child will pick up on your negative emotions and no 6 year old should be stressed out about their learning.

 Most importantly is point No.2 in my opinion.

 Why do this alone?

 Get the support of teachers who actually care as much as you do about your child’s success.

 After all your success is our success as a company. We need clients recommending us because they’ve passed!

A rare opportunity has come up to work with me personally. I have 3 places opening to work with me for 2026 entry. Book your Sample Lesson today.

A question that a headteacher at a top independent school could not answer.

I went to visit a top independent school. I won’t say which one. We were escorted into the beautiful school hall and we all sat down to listen to the head teacher’s talk. There were hundreds and hundreds of us. She was so beautifully well dressed and she looked perfect. Nails perfectly done and hair immaculate. Everyone listened with interest and fascination to her every word.

She spoke about her school and she was clearly passionate about her job and about her school. Then she displayed the school’s exit results (this school goes up to year 6 only). She said their results were ‘out of this world’ and that her teachers are very skilled at preparing children for their 11+ Assessments.

 One parent raised his hand and asked ‘Should I tutor my child if I would like them to go to St. Paul’s?’ and she said this…

 ‘Absolutely not. Tutoring is unnecessary if you send your child to this school. We will prepare them.’

 I raised my hand.

 ‘What do you have against tutoring?’

 She went on talking about the school’s values and how hard they work to prepare their students for their assessments but she did not answer my question.

 Because what is her problem with tutoring?

 The highest quality tutoring can be the deciding factor in whether or not a student passes an assessment or not. I don’t say that as a thought, I say it as a fact.

Look at more than the school exit results.

When one of my clients is looking at their dream schools for their beloved children, they naturally look at the exit results at 11+. This is normal of course. They want the best of the best for their children. They want them to go to the best school possible for them. They want them to have the highest quality of education for them. So it makes sense to look at the exit results.

I encourage you to look at far more than just the school’s exit results.

I spoke to one parent last week who told me that she wanted a top Independent girls school for her daughter because ‘their exit results are just incredible.’

Sure, but have you been to see the school?

No, she hadn’t.

 Did she know the school’s core values?

No, she didn’t.

Could she imagine her daughter going there every single day?

She couldn’t answer this.

Before looking at the exit results, go and actually view the school. Do you even actually like the school? Do you see your child going there every single day? Do you like their core values? Do you like their curriculum programmes? I think that is far more important than their exit results.

Exit results are great but do keep in mind that behind every great exit result, is a great tutor who has supported the child (together with the school!) to pass and be offered a place.

Parents think that schools have some sort of magical connection with the destination schools. And perhaps some of it is political – perhaps. But most importantly, you must know and understand that if your child doesn’t achieve the percentage needed to actually pass the entrance exam, they will 100% not pass the Assessment regardless of the school you send them to.

3 ridiculous things that I’ve been told at Open Days at top independent schools.

Before I start this blog, let me tell you this. I have nothing but respect for schools. I have nothing but respect for teachers. Teaching is a hard job. Teaching 20+ students is a hard job. You have to be passionate about your job to survive. Trust me.

I taught full time for 13 years in all year groups from Nursery through to Year 6. Before my teaching career, I taught Spanish at GCSE and A level. I have been immersed in the school system for a very long time (over 16 years). After my teaching career, I supplied all around London in state, independent schools and at academies. I know what it’s like to work 9 hours a day, 6 days a week as a teacher.

So respect to all of you amazing teachers and all that you do for our children.

This blog is not being written to disrespect or disregard anyone. It is written as educational for those of you attending school open days in search for the perfect schools for your children.

You will hear these things when you attend open days but it’s important that you truly understand the assessment process.

Here are 3 utterly nonsensical things that I’ve been told at open days at top independent schools.

1.     Do not tutor your child for their Assessment.

2.     Our results speak for themselves, why would you need to pay for a tutor?

3.     Your child will be penalized if we find out that they’ve been tutored.

If you want your child to have any chance of passing a 4+ or 7+ Assessment, you will have them tutored. A school alone cannot prepare an individual child for their 4+ or 7+ Assessments. Why do you think that we teach teach children who go to the likes of Eton College, Glendower, Faulkner House, Notting Hill and Ealing, NLCS, South Hampstead and Queen’s College?

 I would never discredit what a school does and I will no longer allow them to discredit what we do.

We work far too hard and they take all the credit.

Not anymore.

The not so shocking truth about top independent school’s exit results.

My son is now of nearly school starting age. He would be starting school in September 2026. We’ve not yet decided on my son’s learning journey and what that will look like but we are keeping all of our options open and we are looking at private schools and several other options for him. Going to these school’s open days is fascinating to me.

 I used to go to visit many private, independent schools when I worked at a top pre-prep myself. I taught at the Mulberry House School for 3 years. It was where I first started my teaching career. I prepared children for their 4+ and 7+ Assessments at this school. I prepared hundreds of children. We would be invited to visit these top schools for two reasons. The first reason was so that we could talk about these schools with our parents who often had thousands of questions and secondly to build a relationship with the schools.

Now that my son is of school starting age, I am going myself as his mother to these school’s open days. I am currently booked to go and see Westminster, St. Paul’s and Merchant Taylors.

I have visited two schools already. One of these was St. Martin’s Mill Hill.

It fascinates me that these schools show their exit results and claim all of the success. It fascinates me how they bad mouth tuition like it’s the worst thing in the world. Like they alone are the ones who can prepare their students for their 11+ Assessments. One school literally told us, ‘Do not tutor your child, we will know who has been tutored and who hasn’t.’

Oh they will not like me at these open days.

 When I asked, ‘What is wrong with tutoring?’ The whole senior management team looked at me like I had completely lost my mind.

 ‘You don’t need to waste your money on tutoring if you send your child here.’

Wow.

 Funny how they bad mouth tuition and then many of these school are recommending my company to their students. Do you know how many enquiries we get from prospective new clients who are recommended by their child’s teachers and head teachers from schools like Wetherby, St. Margaret’s and other top schools? Many!

 Behind every child’s exit result is a hard- working tutor caring and supporting that child to have had the success that they had. I have nothing to take away from their school. It is a partnership. I don’t bad mouth these schools so why do they?