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?