You are more than just a teacher, you have become their mentor, their teacher and their friend.

Today I had a beautiful conversation with an incredible client. I teach two of her girls and I adore teaching them. She was telling me about how much value she sees in the lessons that I have with her girls and that it is much more than just a lesson. She told me that she loves the relationships that I have created with both of her girls. I love it too. They are divine.

All of my students are.

I love how hard each and everyone of them works in every single lesson. I love that even when they get things wrong, they persevere and try their best.

I teach them early on that I really don’t care if they get it right or if they get it wrong. All I want to see is that they are giving it a good go.

I think sometimes we can get fixated on our children getting things right.

I praise failure. After all, that is the only way to grow. By failing.

As a child I was taught to get good grades, do well, to not get things wrong, to not get behind in my studies and just follow everything I was told.

My teaching methodology is very different with my students.

Yes, I want them to get good grades and of course this is what we work towards in our lessons and all of my students do very well in their assessments. However, if there is a day where they don’t do very well, I teach them to not beat themselves up about it and feel low about it. I teach them rather to learn from their mistakes and make the corrections needed to do better next time.

This is a life skill.

One I learnt quite late in life myself.

When I learnt that it was ok to fail. To get things wrong. To try again. My life transformed.

I will teach this to my son very early on. I want him to fail. If he’s not failing then he isn’t challenging himself enough.

This is what I teach my students. If they get great grades every time, then they need to be doing more challenging assessments!

So back to my discussion with my client.

When you sign up for tuition with me or with one of my team, you get far more than a lesson. You get an incredible relationship between myself, your child and yourself. You get a mentor for your child should they ever need on. Trust me they will. You get a friend, someone they can talk to about anything they desire. And of course you get a teacher, someone with a lot of experience who can support them to achieve any goal that they desire to achieve.

If you feel stuck with story writing, attend my Group 7+ Story Writing Workshop - May 7th

4 times a year I run a group story writing workshop. This will be the first one for this year.

It will be a multi sensory experience.

What does this mean?

We will all meet on Zoom on Sunday May 7th @ 5pm. There will be a maximum of 5 children. All children will attend with at least one parent. I would like a parent to be present because I would like parents and children to work together.

After a brief introduction we will look at our story title which will be ‘The Secret Garden’.

This is a title that has come up several times in the 7+ Assessments. But this isn’t the reason I chose this title for this workshop. I chose this title because I really like it and I like the stories that children write with this title.

After a brief discussion about the title, we will then go on a guided walk. Your room will now transform into the secret garden. Your child will use their amazing imagination to picture the secret garden.

You will have hidden four items around your room. The items will be:

1. A flower/flowers

2. A picture of a bird

3. Breadcrumbs scattered on the floor

4. Some strawberries

This is where we will all have an interactive experience.

I will guide you to find specific items. We will then stop to feel the items, smell the items (where appropriate!) and describe the items. You will be taking notes for your child (I will provide the framework for this).

It will be an incredible experience.

After the guided walk, we will come back together and share our ideas with each other.

We will then begin to plan our story.

At the end of the workshop, your child will have their story plan and they will have everything that they need in order to write their story.

You will then send me a copy of the story which will be fully marked and returned to you with detailed feedback and next steps.

There are only 4 spaces remaining for this incredible workshop.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Click here to book your place.

Why do TOP London Schools tell parents NOT to have their children tutored?

So, I worked at a Top London Prep School in Hampstead for 3 years and I remember having the same discussion over and over again with parents. It went a little something like this:

Parent: ‘The schools have all said that our child mustn’t be tutored yet everyone that I know is being tutored.’

Me: ‘If you feel your child needs additional tuition, you should provide it for them!’

Parent: ‘I’m afraid that if the school/s find out, they won’t accept my child.’

NONSENSE.

All of these Top schools are very well aware that the majority of students are tutored in preparation for their assessments.

So, why do they tell parents not to?

My honest answer is this.

I have no idea!

If you are sitting your child for an assessment, be it 4+, 7+, 11+ or anything in between, they will need tuition. Full stop. Whether you do it with us or you do it with someone else, they will need additional support.

Competition is fierce. You want your child to go to a certain school?

You will prepare them.

Whether you do this yourself or you seek the support of an expert in this area, you will prepare your child.

Sending a child to an entrance exam without preparation is not something I advise anyone to do.

It’s simply not fair to your child.

How can a child be expected to answer questions that they haven’t been prepared to be able to answer?

When I would write reports for children who were applying to sit at a Top London School, I would need to write that the child did NOT receive additional tuition. This eventually just didn’t sit well with me. I knew that ALL of my students had tuition. I knew this because children are very honest. They would tell me. I knew exactly who their tutors were.

Ultimately, if you are sitting your child for an assessment, please prepare them for it.

We will support you every step of the way. Please don’t sabotage your chances for success by not tutoring your child because you have been told not to.

Written by Maria Mazarese, Creative Minds Tutors Director.

What are Massive Action Month and why are they so effective?

I created Massive Action Months for two reasons.

1. I was receiving calls from clients who didn’t want formal tuition for their children but wanted to support their children themselves. However, they had no clue where to start and felt completely overwhelmed. I would spend hours speaking to clients on the phone about the curriculum and what they absolutely needed to do with their children. I then realised it was far more effective to create a programme in which I could guide and support parents with supporting their children themselves. I would provide them with all of the learning but they would be the ones doing all of the teaching.

2. I wanted to provide my current clients with the option of having 1:1 tuition but if they went away or if their child was unwell, they still had the opportunity to continue with their learning without stopping or pausing tuition.

Massive Action Months have been incredibly successful.

I have received so many positive comments and praise about our bespoke Massive Action Months so I wanted to detail exactly what is covered in the Monthly Action Months in this blog!

Perhaps it’s something you’d like to try or perhaps you know someone who you think would love to try it! Either way, keep reading if you’d like to find out more!

So, if you’d like to sign up for your first Massive Action Trial week, you would head to the shop and purchase one week worth of Massive Action.

Sample one week of Massive Action

After your trial, if you wish to continue, you will be charged monthly. Your teacher will set up an account for you on ‘Tutor Cruncher’. This is the platform we use for the scheduling and invoicing of lesson. After each month is completed, you will receive a new invoice. Massive Action Months can be stopped at any time.

During your trial week, you will receive an email from your teacher and you will reply giving as much information about your child as possible. Eg. Are they preparing for an entrance exam? The year they are currently in? What you would like to achieve after each Massive Action Week.

Each morning before 9am, you will receive bespoke learning for your child. It will be up to your child to maintain the discipline to complete the tasks daily. Once completed, you will send a picture or a scan to your teacher and they will provide you with detailed feedback and next steps. Perhaps there will be some gaps to fill or perhaps your child will need to be challenged further.

Here is a case study of a student that I personally did Massive Action Months with. He did 5 months in total of Massive Action and was successful to all of his schools of choice at 7+.

His mother was very keen to work with him herself and she asked me for support with the resources. Each morning I would send her the resources and she would complete them with her son when he would get home from school. We covered a different subject each day. So it worked on a rotation like this:

Monday - Grammar

Tuesday - Spelling

Wednesday - Maths

Thursday - Writing

Friday - Verbal

Saturday - Non Verbal

Sunday - Reading

So you can see, it is intensive and we do take Massive Action each and every day but the results are extraordinary.

To schedule your trial week, click on the link below and let’s get started taking Massive Action together.

Click here to trial your sample week

Modelled story writing for the 7+. Model written by Company Director Maria Mazarese

I wrote this model a few months ago for one of my students. He was having a bit of a block with his writing and I knew that I had to find something that would engage him and fascinate him. Something that would get him wanting to read more. Something that would motivate him to write his own story.

My student was fascinated with ships and often brought along toy ships to our lessons. He would spend time telling me all about the ships. So I decided to write a story entitled ‘The Shipwreck’.

Well, he loved it! I had never seen him so enthralled and interested in a story. He read it with such enthusiasm and wrote his own story using my model as a guide After 2 drafts, his story was perfect!

I am going to share with you my model of this story, in the hopes that it will support someone else to support their child with their story writing.

Of course, you do not want your child to copy the model. You want them to use it as inspiration. You want them to use it to support them to write their own story.

So here it is! I hope you enjoy it and I hope your child does too!

The Shipwreck 

Written by Maria Mazarese (Creative Minds Tutors Director) 

Walking along the tranquil shore, Tom was astounded by what lay in front of his eyes. A clever and inquisitive boy, Tom had always had an interest in ships. Big ships, small ships, old ships or new ships. He was completely fascinated with them. Happily, Tom walked along the peaceful shore as he did every morning on his way to school. He lived on the small island of Travi. Beautiful palm trees surrounded the island and the sea was mostly always calm. The other day, his father had taken him on a fishing excursion and Tom had been on the lookout for ships. Unfortunately, he hadn’t spotted one but he had caught a gigantic fish! As he continued on his way, he noticed something that he had never seen before. Feeling confused, he noticed that the sea wasn’t calm at all. Crashing against the shore aggressively, the waves seemed angry today. In the distance, he noticed that there was a broken ship. “Could this be?” whispered Tom to himself. “Is that a shipwreck?” 

Approaching the ship cautiously, he saw that it was broken in two and it looked very old. It seemed as though it had been under the sea for over one hundred years. Taking out his camera, Tom began taking photos of the ancient ship. Old and abandoned, Tom went even closer, curious to see more. Peering inside one of the broken windows, Tom observed that some items had been preserved. A table with one leg missing and two small, patterned tea cups that were leaning delicately on the rusty floor. Broken chandeliers that must have crashed to the floor brought a shiver to Tom’s shoulders and he shuddered. Wondering about what had happened, Tom was determined to find out how long this ship had been abandoned for and what exactly had occurred. 

Feeling sad and worried, Tom decided to return home. Filled with sorrow for what he had just seen, he proceeded to tell his mother and father that he had finally seen a shipwreck. Asking questions about which ship it might have been, Tom’s father told him that there had never in over 200 years been a shipwreck on the tranquil island of Trevi. Begging his father to come with him, Tom was determined to show him that what he had seen was real. Quickly, they dashed out of the front door and headed towards the shore. Noticing that the waves were calm and peaceful again, Tom rubbed his eyes and couldn’t believe that the ship was no longer there. Rubbing Tom gently on the back, his father told him not to worry and that perhaps he had imagined it. Returning home, Tom was still determined to discover the mystery of the shipwreck… 

To be continued …

The number 1 way to not pass the 4+ Assessments

This may be rather controversial depending on who might be reading this blog and I don’t mind. I wish to be completely honest and real in this blog.

I personally have taught at several top London Private Prep Schools and the messaging always given to parents was ‘Do not tutor in preparation for the assessments’. This was at 4+ and 7+. I never really understood and I never really questioned it. However, when parents asked for my opinion, I would tell them the truth, which is detailed below.

If you desire your child to be successful at gaining entry at a top London School, you will prepare them. Whether you have them tutored by a teacher who has the experience and the knowledge to do so or you will teach them yourself (using a programme of study appropriate to the school/s you are applying for).

Bottom line is this. The number 1 way not to pass the 4+ assessment is to NOT be prepared.

I think this is very unfair for the child because they will be going into an environment that they are unaware of. Children need to be completely informed about where they are going and what they are about to do.

So when I speak to a parent and they tell me. I spoke to the school and they told me not to tutor my child. I sigh. They ask me for my opinion and I give it to them. Some parents listen to me and some don’t. Unfortunately, in my 14 years of experience, the ones who didn’t listen are not successful. If they are, it is because they prepared their child themselves.

If you don’t prepare your child at all. They won’t succeed. I have enough evidence to back this up now.

We spend at least 1.5 hours per week on additional learning for our students at 4+ (lesson time and home learning). We make it fun and we make it exciting. Children look forward to their lessons and they love their home learning.

So if you’re sitting your child in 2024 for the 4+ assessments, please prepare them. Prepare them yourself if you wish or seek the support of professionals who know exactly what you should expect at each individual school that you will be sitting your child for assessment at.

To book your FREE online trial lesson, click the link below:

Are you tired of not getting the results you desire with your child's learning? Attend my Half Term Bootcamps!(April 2023)

Are you currently supporting your child with their 7+ and 11+ assessment preparation?

If you’re like some of my current clients, you may be feeling frustrated that you are not seeing the results that you desire to see.

Perhaps your child has a block in a certain area. Perhaps your child has lost interest. Perhaps they are not as motivated to get up and study each morning. Perhaps they are bored of the materials and resources.

What better reason to attend my amazing Half Term Bootcamp. Even better, as it is online, your child can even attend if you are away on holiday!

I provide exceptional value and I guarantee that your child will leave the Bootcamp feeling motivated and enthusiastic and hungry to learn more.

I have provided my Bootcamps for the last 5 years and have always had exceptional results from all of the children who attend them.

So if you’re looking for that extra boost in your child’s learning, book today!

I only have three spaces available with me. If there is increased demand, one of my experienced, specialist entrance exam teachers will also take a Bootcamp. You will be in amazing hands!

Here is what to expect from the 7+ and 11+ Bootcamps:

Here is how the Bootcamp will work:
 
7+

Taking place on: Tuesday 4th April @10-12 and Wednesday 5th April @10-12
Location: Zoom
Price: £300 for both days
How it will work:
SIMPLE

11+

Taking place on: Tuesday 4th April @12:30-2:30 and Wednesday 5th April @12:30 - 2:30
Location: Zoom
Price: £300 for both days
How it will work:
SIMPLE

Day 1
 
10 – 10:15 Meet and greet and introduction
10:15 – 11 Comprehension- Complete a comprehension in timed conditions (this will be emailed to you prior to the Bootcamp) We will read the comprehension and the questions together first and discuss strategies for answering questions together. The comprehension will be emailed to me after the Bootcamp an it will be marked and returned to you with detailed feedback.
11-11:15 Verbal Reasoning – Complete a verbal reasoning task in timed conditions. First, we will look at some question types together and answer questions as a group.
11:15 – 12 Maths assessment – Complete a maths assessment in timed conditions. We will firstly do some maths revision.  
 
Day 2
 
10 – 10:15 Maths games
10:15 – 11 Story writing – We will plan a story as a group and the children will then write a story in timed conditions. Receive detailed feedback after the Bootcamp.
11-11:15 Non Verbal Reasoning - Complete a non- verbal reasoning task in timed conditions. First, we will look at some question types together and answer questions as a group.
11:15 – 12 Grammar – Complete a grammar test in timed conditions.
Next steps for the children to complete after the Bootcamp.
 
After the Bootcamp, your child will receive two comprehension tests, 2 maths tests and 2 new stories to write. All learning will be fully marked and returned back to you with detailed feedback. You will also receive a detailed report of how your child did.

To attend the Bootcamp, click the link below to

schedule a free call with me to discuss your child and what you would like them to achieve by attending the bootcamp. 

Online tuition and how it can support you with your exam preparation

We have been online for just over 3 years now.

I can hand on my heart say that I have been far more successful online than I was in the 10 years that I was tutoring in person. Why?

The reason why is simple. I can reach more people.

With online tuition I can teach 4- 6 children in the space of 3 hours, whereas in person, the most I could teach would be 1 or 2. And this would of course be completely dependent on the location of the students and on my other commitments.

Being able to reach more people has allowed my company to grow steadily these last 3 years. It has been incredible.

However, I’ve had a lot (a lot!) of discussions with parents who are simply not convinced that online works. I am not here to convince anyone. I know what I do works. I know it works better than most other things that are on offer for the 4+, 7+ and 11+ tuition.

How am I so sure of myself?

MY RESULTS.

I will be publishing all of our results in the upcoming week but we have had exceptional results.

Here are some common thoughts that I hear and why I disagree.

In person is more effective than online.

I disagree because I have taught in person and I have taught online. There is no difference at all. The connection and relationship that I create with my students is incredible online. I have students who are with me for 4+ years. This is a testament to the rapport I build with these students and with their parents.

My child will not focus online.

I disagree because all of my students focus incredibly well. If a student doesn’t focus, it is up to me or up to my teachers to find strategies that will get them to focus. This would be the same in person as it is online. Just because someone is in the room with you, does not mean that your child will focus better. It is just not true.

My child is too young for online tuition.

I disagree because the majority of our students are preparing for their 3+ and their 4+ and I have students as young as 2 years of age. As long as parents are fully involved and engaged in the lessons, the lessons work incredibly well. Even if I did in person tuition, I would expect parents to be in the room and present in their child’s learning. We live in a day and age where our younger children are more exposed to online communications so they are actually used to interacting with someone on the screen. I also don’k keep my students focused on the screen for the whole time and there is a lot of moving around. Especially with our younger students. We even go outside to do outdoor activities!

You won’t be able to engage my child online.

There are so many benefits to online tuition with us. See for yourself today! Our students are all engaged and focused and have ALL achieved incredible results. With consistent tuition, our students have all gained entry into at least one school of choice.

If your ultimate goal is to get your child into a particular school, that is what we are best at doing!

3 Next Steps you could take if you were unsuccessful in the 7+

I’ve spoken to a lot of parents in the last few months whose children were unsuccessful in the 7+. Many of them asked me how my students were able to be so successful. I don’t have a magical power that allows my students to be successful but I do know what each individual school is looking for so unless these school drastically change their content or format of their assessments, I am able to appropriately prepare all of my students so that they have the highest possible chance to be successful.

All of the students who followed these instructions were successful at gaining entry to at least one school of choice:

1. Apply to at least 5 target schools. I know some of you have your ultimate favourite school/s but you cannot just apply for one or two schools. You must always have a back up. This way you have options. If you still desire a certain school, you can apply again at 11+ or go on the school’s list for an occasional place (which do come up)

2. Have at least 9 months of consistent weekly tuition. Consistency is key because children who missed lessons or took long breaks weren’t as successful.

3. Complete all home learning tasks during the week.

4. Have consistent communication with their tutor during the week. Parents who communicated their children’s struggles/ gaps in the week between lessons had children who were more successful than parents who didn’t.

That’s it!

So if you were unsuccessful and are unsure about your next steps, here is what I advise.

1. If you have one school which is your ultimate favourite and you strongly desire to send your child there, it is highly likely that they will have entry at 11 (11+) so you can start tuition in preparation for the 11+. I highly encourage you to start when your child begins year 3. This will be an investment into your child’s learning and will ultimately lead them to being successful in their 11+. Please, please don’t wait until they are in Year 5. This is not enough time.

2. If you do not wish to tutor your child, please engage with a professional who has experience with the school/s that you are interested in. We also provide Massive Action where you can work directly with one of our teachers and receive bespoke learning for your child, without your child having formal tuition. It is of vital importance that you know exactly what to expect at the schools that you will be sitting your child.

3. Start preparing your child yourself as early as possible. Give them a break after their 7+ and begin when they begin year 3.

So those are my next steps for you.

I’m sorry if you feel discouraged by the 7+ assessment process or if you feel disappointed. It is a highly competitive process and each year it becomes more so.

Myself and my team of specialist 11+ teachers are here to support you with your next steps in supporting your child with their learning.

Book your FREE trial today and experience our bespoke online lessons for yourselves.

Why it's just as important to prepare for round 2!

Competition has been fierce this year for all assessments. From 4+ to 11+, the level of competition seems to be rising each year. As I’ve said in a few of my blogs, it is very important to know exactly the level that your child needs to be at in order to be successful in their examinations. I have over 13 years of experience preparing children for all assessments up to 11+. I can 100% say with total confidence that the assessments are getting more challenging each year. This year was no exception.

We prepare children for the specific schools that they are sitting for. I will of course mention no school names here but certain schools were more challenging than others in terms of what was asked of the children in their assessment and also what was expected of them.

Most of my clients spend a lot of time preparing for round one (especially at 7+ and 11+) and of course this is necessary. However. they do not spend enough time preparing for round 2. In the past this has been fine but now more than ever, it is vital to allocate time to prepare for round 2 assessments. Ideally, your child will have 4-6 lessons in preparation for round 2. This is at a minimum. For the 4+ it is the other way round and I’ll do a separate blog about this. For the 4+, more time needs to be focused around round 1 prep.

So what was asked at round 2 at 7+?

Of course, each school is different and each school has their own criteria. But here is a summary of what happened at round 2. Of course, if you choose to speak to one of our very qualified teachers, we will guide you specific to your schools of choice.

Round 2 preparation 2023 summary:

Interview questions

General knowledge

Problem solving (maths)

Spellings and dictation

Reading

Arts and crafts

Physical activities

Questions testing children’s knowledge and understanding of the world

How did your child get on with their assessments? Comment below and let’s all support each other!

Why it's important to use my Exam Preparation Success Planner

I created my Exam Preparation Success Planner to provide all parents with a simple framework to guide them with supporting their children with their exam preparation. More than ever, competition is fierce and this year I have had some disappointed parents who had expected that their child would get into their school of choice but unfortunately that was not the case. All of our students were successful to at least one school of choice if they started with us at least 6 months before their assessment/s and attended their lessons consistently.

The level expected of our children be it at 4+, 7+ or 11+ is higher than ever. Therefore, it is very important to prepare them so that they are in the best possible position to be successful. Many parents choose to prepare their child themselves, which is of course completely fine with one very important BUT. BUT you need to know the level expected. It is pointless preparing your child at the wrong level. Sadly, I’ve seen this happen time and time again. Which is why I truly believe that tuition with us is incredibly valuable to any parent preparing their child for an entrance examination. Whether you do tuition with us or choose our Massive Action programme, what we offer is of so much value.

Why is my Exam Preparation Success Planner important?

It will give you a focus.

I will structure things in a way that will allow you to cover a lot more with your child in a shorter period of time.

It will give you the opportunity to observe how you are thinking about the Exam preparations and see if these thoughts and feelings are serving you and your child.

You will receive 4 weeks of me for FREE.

It will give you the opportunity to celebrate your wins rather than focusing on what you’ve not yet done.

Are you ready to download yours?

Download your planner here

If you have any questions at all, please contact us at office@creativemindstutors.com

Three reasons why you shouldn't give up if you had a negative experience of the 4+

I’ve had several conversations with parents this week who haven’t had the best experience with the 4+. Parents who perhaps weren’t aware of what was truly involved in the assessment process. Parents who perhaps chose to not tutor their child in preparation for the assessments. Parents who are very disappointed because they had their hearts set on a certain school and their child was not successful.

First of all, I want to say this. Please don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s hard to know what is involved when it is not discussed much. When you google 4+ parent forums, you find information from 6 years ago which is now not relevant or you find forums that have been shut down. Top schools don’t want parents discussing assessments. They don’t want parents telling each other what came up and what didn’t come up. Well, I have no problem talking about it and I am here to support anyone who has a desire for their child to go to a top London school. I want the best for all children and it’s why I do what I do.

So if your child wasn’t successful or they didn’t get in to your school of choice, read on!

You shouldn’t give up because:

1) You now have the option of sitting your child for the 7+. Your eyes have been opened and you have seen what is involved in these assessments. Your child does need to be prepared and they do need expert support. Even if you choose to teach them yourself, you will need guidance. If you start preparing for the 7+ early, you will have time to teach your child calmly and without a need to rush. You will have the option to sit your child at the school that they were not successful at 4+. This is important because it gives you back the power to get your child to the level that they need to be at in order to be successful. By starting from when your child is in Reception, lessons can be 30 minutes once per week (with home learning during the week) and then you can increase them to one hour when your child is in year 1)

2) You have now discovered a teacher who has over 16 years of experience preparing children for their entrance examinations and who will guide you every step of the way.

3) By getting your child in at 7+, you don’t need to worry about the 11+! This is good news for everyone involved!

So, if you’re ready to discuss tuition for your child, book your FREE trial lesson and see how effective our lessons are for yourself!

My experience of the 7+ Assessments (2022-2023)

We currently await the final results from our current cohort who have now completed their 7+ examinations. All of our students have done exceptionally well and worked incredibly hard. When you choose to embark upon tuition with Creative Minds Tutors, you do not just get a lesson once a week. It is the ongoing communication between teacher and parent that sets us apart. You will have direct access to your teacher at any point from the end of the lesson to the start of your next lesson. In this way, your child will have the best possibility to succeed. I truly believe that this beautiful communication is what will allow us to have so much success this year and is what has allowed us to be so successful in the last 16 years!

When I teach children for their 7+ assessments, I do not just have the 7+ assessment in mind. I am looking long term. I am looking to support my students to achieve to the best of their ability, not only to perform well in their assessment but to also develop skills that they can take with them well after the tuition is complete. In fact 75% of our students return to us after a year or 2 to continue with tuition because our clients see the incredible value that we provide.

The 7+ this year has been like every other year with one main difference that I noted at all schools. The level expected of children was higher. This is where you need an expert to guide you as to exactly what level your child needs to be at in order to be successful in their assessment. The biggest problem that I saw last year was with parents beginning one or two months before the assessment. This is a problem because it isn’t enough time. Of course the lessons will no doubt support them with their learning but it won’t be enough to help them to be successful in the 7+.

Children need to aim to achieve at least 80% in all of these areas (of course depending on the school)

1. Maths - reasoning and problem solving

2. English - comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar

3. Story writing

4. Verbal and non verbal reasoning

Please keep in mind that all schools have different assessment procedures and it is important that you familiarise yourself with exactly what your child needs to be able to do at the school/s that they are sitting assessment for. If you have tuition with us, we will guide you every step of the way. We have experience with every single school at 7+.

Ultimately, the children who scored the highest will be invited to interview (round 2 or 3, again depending on the school you are applying to)

Maths - At most schools, the level of maths has been at a year 3/4 standard. This may seem shocking to you but with enough preparation, your child will be ready to tackle any question presented to them. Problem solving has been big this year with schools wanting to see how children apply their mathematical knowledge to 2 and 3 step worded problems.

English - Some schools did a comprehension and others didn’t. Regardless whether the school you are applying to tests comprehension or not, it is still vital that your child practises their reading. They need to be able to read proficiently to answer even just their maths paper. So much mathematical language needs to be known and understood, otherwise questions cannot be answered. Some schools did story writing and others didn’t. The level of the story needs to be high. It’s not about the quantity but all about the quality. I provide a lot of support for story writing and have many FREE resources. Please email me if you’d like me to send you extra support for story writing (office@creativemindstutors.com). I have also written several of my own models which can help guide you as to the level needed.

Verbal and non verbal - This was challenging at most schools this year. Your child needs a lot of exposure and practise with both verbal and non verbal reasoning. The best resources that I have used for this are the Bond Books (aim to get to age 8-9 but start at the age your child is currently) and also Schofield and Sims have excellent resources.

Other areas - You will need to practise general knowledge with your child, interview questions if they are called to round 2, dictations if this is a requirement of the school/s you are applying to.

The children who were successful at round 1 this year (I’m still awaiting round 2 data and then will update) were the children who started tuition in January/February of the year of their assessment (so when they were in year 1, we also have several who started in reception who were also successful) and had nearly a full year of tuition, one hour once per week. The children who were successful were those who completed all of their home learning each week and worked on all of the feedback that I provided them. The children who were successful were those who were able to score excellent results (above 80%) in all of the areas I’ve mentioned above.

If you choose to support your child yourself, we also offer Massive Action Months where I will send you all of the materials each week, mark all learning and guide you as to exactly what you need to be doing each week to support your child with their learning. Massive Action Months are £75 per week. Schedule your FREE 15 minute trial lesson to see what these are like. Read our incredible reviews here to see what other parents have to say!

OUR INCREDIBLE REVIEWS

My experience of the 4+ Assessments (2022-2023) Round 1

All of our results are now in for Round 1 at all of the schools that our youngest children have sat assessments at. Our youngest students start with us as early as two years of age. When they sit their assessments (4+) they are either 3 or 4. Most schools have two rounds of assessments at this age. I am still awaiting final results but a lot of parents have been asking me about round 1 at different schools so I thought it would be best to write a blog about my experience with the 4+ so far for the last academic year. As new students get ready to begin tuition with us, it is my hope that this blog will help someone to apply something that they learn just by reading this blog post.

We prepare children for a variety of different private schools for the 4+. Our most popular schools this year have been:

NLCS

Haberdasher’s Askes

St Christophers

St Margarets

South Hampstead

Kensington Prep

Channing

The main thing that I have learnt from this year and that I would like to share with all parents is the importance of children carefully following instructions. So as an example, if your child is asked to draw a butterfly that they actually draw a butterfly.

Practise listening skills with your child in their preparation for the 4+ assessments. Provide your child with a series of instructions that they need to follow. Do this frequently. You can even ask your child to provide you with instructions and you model to them how you carefully listen and follow instructions provided.

Here is an example:

I would like you to draw a dog.

Please give the dog 5 spots.

Give the dog a smile

Draw a tongue.

Here’s another example:

I would like you to jump up and down 10 times.

Turn to your right once and stop.

Crouch down to the floor and count to 5.

Then stand back up and touch your head.

Make it really fun but do practice frequently.

Remember that at round 1, the schools are getting to know your child as an individual. They are looking to see a variety of things specific to each school. If you choose to do tuition with us, we will of course guide you and support you every step of the way. We have over 16 years of experience preparing children for their 4+ assessments at all top London schools.

Whether you choose to tutor your child or not, it is fundamental that you prepare your child for these assessments. So far, we have had exceptional results and I am very excited to share our final results once all round two results are released by the end of this month.

I provide a lot of FREE support each week to everyone who joins our mailing list.

To join, simply click the link below:

https://www.creativemindstutors.com/contactus

Why Reading Schemes & Book Bands Don’t Work and What I Teach Instead

I worked as a full-time teacher for 12 years. The main banded books used in the schools that I worked at was the Oxford Reading Tree scheme. In this scheme, books are banded by colour and in order of the child’s ‘reading ability’.

Below are the bands together with the year group, age and Oxford level. Oxford Reading Tree are famous for the Biff, Kip and Chip books that you may have read yourself as a child. I remember reading these books in Reception and Year 1.

Why I’m not a fan of Reading Schemes

 A reading scheme is ‘a series of books that have been carefully written to help children learn to read. The books are organised into levels, bands or colours.’

 I have a problem with a few things here.

How can a series of books help all children learn to read? It’s not possible. It is very generic. All children are different; therefore, one story may suit one child and may be totally wrong for another. We cannot continue to discuss children in such a generic way. Reading needs to be planned and tailored to each individual child.

 My second issue with this is that by being organised into levels, bands or colours, children will inevitably compare themselves to their peers and wonder why they are on a certain band when their friend is on a different one. It also brings up a huge issue for me when you have a child for example in Year 4, who is reading at Reception level according to the above table. I had a child who was in year 4 and had to read Pink Level of the Reception band. Each morning, she would need to go down the stairs into Early Years and choose her book together with the 4 and 5 years olds. This completely crushed her confidence and I immediately put a stop to this (of course the school I worked at had a big problem with this!)

Banded books are supposed to provide the ‘right level if challenge’ for children. The books are not supposed to be ‘too easy’ or ‘too difficult’ for the child. It will be up to the teacher to decide when the child is ready to move on or not.

I agree that there needs to be a degree of challenge but I don’t agree that if it’s too easy, their reading won’t get any better. So many times, I would see children being told off for sitting and enjoying their favourite book, only to be told by the teacher that the book was ‘too easy’ and that they should put it down. To be then handed a ‘harder’ book and basically be told to read it. How is that building a love for reading? Honestly, it was infuriating. Also, who determines whether a book is ‘too easy’ or ‘too difficult’? Surely, it should be the child who determines this? Again, here we need to be careful. A child may think a book is ‘too easy’ but then not be able to answer simple comprehension questions relating to that book. It is important to always check.

Again, it is about taking the time to getting to know the child as an individual. Knowing their specific needs and addressing them in a way that suits them.

In my classrooms, I would often read ‘easy’ books to children as a class and I would emphasise how much I personally loved the book and that I would often re- visit it. If a child in my class wanted to read a childhood favourite, I would never tell them it was ‘too easy’. To build a lifelong love of reading in our children, we need to encourage them to pick up the books that they love especially when they are younger. Give them the independence to decide the books they wish to read. I’ve seen that when I do this, they will inevitably go on to choose more challenging books. I would much rather a child choose their book than be told what to read.

Towards the end of my full-time teaching career, I really noticed how flawed the system is when it comes to teaching our children to read. First of all, if reading schemes work, why would some children get to the end of their primary education and still have issues with reading? Why did so many children in the higher year groups have such big gaps in their phonics knowledge? Why could some children read but not be able to answer simple questions about the books they had read? Why were children unable to answer simple comprehension questions?

My answer is this.

Children’s learning is not tailored enough to their individual needs. We cannot continue to see children as the same. Yes, there are 20 -30 children in a class and things need to be done to enable the teacher to be able to teach all of them but I also believe that it is important to find strategies to be able to truly support our children to become effective and confident readers. Not for results on a piece of paper, not to show OFSTED what we have achieved but to truly support children all the way into their adult lives to be able to read and truly understand what they have read. After all, why else are we teaching them to read? Is it so they can score well in their SATS or entrance exams or is it so they can develop further as proficient readers? I teach reading because I want to develop a love of reading in my students. I want them to be able to read books with ease. I want them to have an excellent understanding of what they have read. I want them to come to me and ask me for more books to read. I want to teach them that nothing is too easy and nothing is too hard. This is when I know I have succeeded in teaching a child to read.

I would much rather think of strategies that I know will enable a child to leave Primary school with a strong foundation rather than have a child leave Primary school unable to read as they should. This is simply not right in my eyes. I will not stand for it anymore.

 I personally no longer teach in order to see results on a piece of paper. I teach to see lifelong results in my students. Teaching a child is not about following a set plan, it is about knowing the child as an individual and knowing how to fully support and challenge them so that they can succeed.

How I teach reading

Very simply.

1.     I get to know the child as an individual

This is probably the most important one. When a child feels that you truly care about them and have an understanding of what they like and what they dislike, they will be more likely to take ownership and responsibility for their own learning. I’ve seen children flourish from children who couldn’t read to children who can’t put books down, simply by taking the time to get to know them.

2. I give them books that I personally choose (not banded) that I know will challenge them and support them

I choose books based on the individual child. I let them be the ones to tell me what they enjoy and what they don’t. I find this accelerates reading quality far quicker than ‘making’ a child read a book that doesn’t interest them in the slightest. Imagine being handed a book and just being told to read it. Would you? I don’t think so. So why should children?

3. I focus more on the comprehension and understanding rather than on the reading itself

You can have a child who can read beautifully and fluently but when you ask them a simple question about what they have read, they are unable to answer it. I don’t see the point in reading if you don’t understand what you are reading. I feel the same with spellings. Why give a child a spelling to learn if they don’t know the meaning of the word? If they can’t use that word within a sentence? Pointless.

4.  I focus on phonic sounds that I see the child struggles with and don’t move on until they are confident with them

By doing this, it fast tracks reading quality significantly. I see children in Year 5 and 6 who don’t know the sounds certain digraphs make and therefore are unable to decode even simple words. This will really set them back. I actually find this deeply upsetting. To go through school from Reception to Year 6, we must not allow a child to get to the end of their school life and not be able to decode simple words. It is unacceptable to me as a teacher and as a mother.  To me it is fundamental that children have a strong phonic base. You can see a huge difference in the reading quality of a child with excellent phonic awareness compared to one who doesn’t have that foundation.

5.  I encourage the child to create a vocabulary book and write down all new or tricky words and we revisit them daily

In this way they build a vast vocabulary and can remember words when they see them again. If you take anything from this blog, take this! Create a vocabulary book!

So let’s build a lifelong love for reading and instil that passion into our children. Be led by our children and get to know them as individuals. Support them fully to be the best readers they can be. And if they struggle, not put them down but encourage them and find strategies to support them. I can think of nothing more important when it comes to educating our children.

7 Plus Entrance Exams: Creative Writing Tips by our Company Director

How will you teach my child to write a story for the 7 plus exam? 

Easily. It is one of our passions here at Creative Minds Tutors. We adore seeing our younger students develop a love for writing and seeing their stories improving each time they do a new one! 

So, how do we teach story writing? 

This is how. 

1.Start with either: 

A story title 

An image or a set of images

A sentence opener 

2. Plan the introductory paragraph 

Discuss what an introduction is 

Introduce the character – decide who the main character will be and describe him/her

Introduce the setting – decide where the story will take place and describe it

Introduce the problem – decide what the problem will be (remember this could be a good problem or a bad problem!) 

3. Plan the middle paragraph 

Go into detail about the problem

4. Plan the ending 

Resolve the problem

End with a moral or a question 

5. All about the vocabulary 

Adjectives 

Encourage your child to describe everything! Remember that when your child is writing, they are writing with a purpose. They are writing to engage their reader! They want to build a picture in the mind of the reader. Description will be key. Print out an adjective sheet for them to use or encourage them to come up with their own! 

Sentence openers

Use a variety of sentence openers. At this age, children will want to use simple sentence openers like – He, She, Then, When, If. Encourage them to use a variety of sentence openers. Again, print these out and practice using different ones. 

Punctuation 

Check that each sentence has correct punctuation (full stops and commas)

In the middle section, your child will need to include speech punctuation. Check that this is also correct. 

Spelling – Accurate spelling is very important. Encourage your child to check their spelling. Underline, spelling errors and create a spelling test for your child based on the words that they spelled incorrectly. Make it fun and not a problem. It’s absolutely fine to make mistakes! 

6. Re-read 

Get into the habit of editing. Read and re- read the story and make changes or improvements where necessary. 

7. Composition

Once the plan is complete, your child can write their story. Remember that they will need 3 clear paragraphs and all of the above! 

I have written a very informative blog about how story writing is assessed in the 7+ examinations. Read it here.

4+ Exam Preparation and How We Can Support Your Child

We have been preparing children for their 4+ assessments for over 12 years. If you choose online tuition for your child, you might have many questions regarding the lessons. I thought it would be helpful to write a blog post and answer as many questions as I can. These are questions that I’ve banked over the years through many hours of discussion with parents about their child’s tuition and their learning.

Reading consistently with parents is key

How can lessons work online when my child is only 3 years old?

This is the most frequently asked question. Many parents have been sceptical at first. They wonder how lessons will work when their child is so young. However, lessons work very effectively online and the value that we provide is certainly one that you will not find elsewhere.

 Parents will of course need to be present and involved in the lessons. Lesson will not be effective if the parent is not fully engaged in their child’s learning. It is a three-way involvement between the parent, the child and the teacher. Some children take longer than others to warm up to their new teacher but you will be amazed at the relationship formed between the child and their teacher. The conversations had and the laughter throughout the lesson is something that is always such a pleasure to see.

Reading visually appealing phonic books

How will you engage my child in the lesson?

 All children are different and all children learn differently. Therefore, there is not a one answer fits all for this question. All children will be engaged in different ways. Your teacher will get to know your child from the first lesson and identify how they best like to learn. If your child is a very visual learner, your teacher will provide bright images on the screen to capture their attention. If your child is a kinaesthetic learner, your teacher will provide activities that are more active and will involve your child moving around more. This could include for example a treasure hunt, where your child needs to find hidden phonics or numbers and then read them out. If your child is an auditory learner, there will be more of an emphasis on lots of discussion and speaking. Lots of singing will be see with these types of learners. If your child is a learner who loves to write, they will always have their paper and pencil and will be encouraged to take lots of notes in the lesson! Lessons at this age will never be more than 30 minutes at a time. In those 30 minutes, so much will be covered and we will make the lessons fun!

Daily Writing practice

What should my child be reading to support exam preparation?

Your teacher will provide your child with phonic books. You will read these books to your child and encourage them to follow along as you read. Your teacher will also provide book recommendations for your child in order to best prepare them for the assessments. Of course, the emphasis is on the assessments, however we encourage all of our younger learners to develop a passion for reading!

 Here are some of our book recommendations for our younger learners:

1.We love all of the Bob books collections.

They are visually attractive and they are sequential in the sense that once your child can read with confidence the first set, they can move on to the next.

Here is the Amazon link, if you’d like to purchase these.

2. Usborne – My first reading library

Here is the link, if you’d like to purchase these.

3. Usborne - My first phonics reading library

Here is the link, if you’d like to purchase these.

What will my child need to know in terms of maths?

The 4+ assessments are different every year. We will prepare the children mathematically but we cannot predict what they will be asked in the assessments.

 We will cover the following with your child:

 Place value – Numbers to 10 and then to 20 (reading and writing them)

Addition and Subtraction – Adding and subtracting numbers to 20 using objects such as number blocks or objects that specifically interest your child.

 Shape – learning simple shapes and being able to describe their properties (eg. number of sides and corners)

 Measures – Discussing simple measure such as liquid and weight.

 Length and height – Discussing language such as taller, shorter, tallest, shortest.

 What can I do every day to support my child with their maths?

Having lots of discussions is key. Noticing maths in the every day. Eg. Which shapes can you see in our house? Practising for short snippets of time throughout the day. Your teacher will provide you with home learning that will guide you with how to support your child on a consistent, daily basis.

 What makes you different to other tutoring companies who provide 4+ support?

First of all, all our tutors are fully qualified teachers who have at least 4 years of experience in a school setting. The majority of our teachers have over 10 years of experience and some currently work as head teachers, deputy head teachers and SENCOs. . We have worked in schools where children are prepared to sit these assessments and therefore have a lot of knowledge about what is expected in each individual school. We have also had a lot of interaction with these schools, including visiting the schools and seeing 4+ exams in progress.

If you’d like to book your complimentary online trial lesson, please click on the button below.

Creative Minds Tutors 7+ and 11+ Bootcamps What are they and why are they beneficial?

 I have been having a lot of conversations lately with clients about our fabulous 7+ and 11+ Bootcamps. The main questions were – What are they? What happens? Why are they beneficial?  So, I thought I’d take some time to answer each question in detail here.

 1.    What are they?

We launched our monthly Bootcamps in September 2020. They are for children who are sitting their 7+ and 11+ examinations. They are also for children who want a boost in their exam skills and techniques. Since September, we have had many children across the country take part in our Bootcamps and they have all achieved phenomenal results. The majority of children who sign up, do these on a monthly basis. Parents can see the value of what is offered and they have been very impressed with the progress their children have made after attending our Bootcamps. The Bootcamps are priced at £300.

 2.     What happens?

 Once you have signed up for the Bootcamp, you will receive a welcome email from our company Director, Maria Mazarese. You will also receive a link with the details of where and when the Bootcamp will take place. We use a platform called Bramble (https://about.bramble.io/) You will also receive the first 4 test papers which will be completed during the Bootcamp together with your Tutor. These papers will need to be printed so that your child can have them to hand. The Bootcamp will take place over two days (two hours on each day). During the Bootcamp, there will be breaks when needed. There will never be more than three children attending. During the two days of the Bootcamp, your child will receive intensive exam preparation in Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Your child will complete the tests together with their tutor, who will have the questions up on the screen. When those trickier questions come up, your tutor will take time to explain how to answer those question and go through tips and techniques for answering these effectively in the exams. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussions. It’s fantastic because the children get to interact with other children who will also be sitting exams and there is a lot of teamwork involved with the children supporting and helping one another. After the intensive two days of the Bootcamp, your tutor will email you feedback and bespoke resources for your child to immerse themselves into to revise the areas that they found most challenging in the Bootcamp. You will then receive the next two tests which your child will be asked to complete independently and in timed conditions. Once this is complete, you can send a scanned copy to your tutor, who will mark it and provide feedback. Again, bespoke resources will be provided in areas that need further revision and reinforcement. Once these tests are fully completed, you will receive the final two tests and the same process will apply. At the end of the Bootcamp, you will receive a detailed report about how your child performed, what they did well and areas that they need to work on. There will be two weeks allocated to complete the remainder of the tests after the lessons with your tutor. You will also have unlimited email contact with your tutor during this time.

 Why are the beneficial?

 Of course, this is my opinion and the opinion of our clients and you can see for yourself when you sign up for the Bootcamps! In my personal opinion, they provide a massive boost in confidence. They expose children to questions that they may at times find complex and they will have the opportunity to work with a tutor who has many years of experience in preparing children for their examinations. They provide a lot of revision in preparation for these assessments. The Bootcamps will also very quickly highlight any gaps or areas of concern, which can then be quickly addressed. Above all, they are fun, engaging and motivating!

 If you would like to know more about our fantastic Bootcamps please email office@creativemindstutors.com or call 07956677783.

We look forward to seeing you at our next Bootcamp!

 Maria Mazarese

All things grammar

All things grammar – for children aged 4-6 

Blog written by Maria Mazarese, Creative Minds Tutors Director. 

A lot of my clients will often ask me the following questions: 

What do I need to do in order to help to support my child to do this? 

How can I help them to understand? 

Where do I start? 

When it comes to grammar, it can be a little overwhelming! There is a lot to cover! However, I’d like to share the strategies that we use here at Creative Minds Tutors to support our children. We will be a providing a series of courses to parents to help to support their children in developing their grammatical skills, ensuring that they have fully understood concepts and helping them to excel in their learning. 

Here is a sneak peek into what the courses will look like! We will be covering all age groups and all grammatical elements that your children will need to know. We will explain the best methods (in our opinion!) to teach them! 

So, let’s start with children aged 4-6. 

Of course, you will need to decide when it is the best time for your child to start learning these grammatical concepts. We will be here to guide you with anything you may need. We are here to support you and answer any questions that you may have. 

1) Regular plural noun suffixes: 

Children will need to be able to correctly use these suffixes within their sentences. They will need to use the suffixes ‘-s’ and ‘es’. They will need to understand their effect on the meaning of nouns. First of all you need to ensure that your child knows the meaning of the words plural, noun and suffix. A plural is more than one, a noun is a name, place or thing and a suffix is a group of letters that are placed at the end of words. 

Once they are secure with this, you can ask them to write sentences with words ending in 

‘-s’ or ‘-es’.

Eg. trees, birds, foxes, boxes. 

The trees were beautiful.

The birds sang a joyful song.

The foxes hid behind the trees.

2) Verb suffixes

Children will need to use verb suffixes which can be added to verbs where no change is needed in the spelling of the root words. 

Eg. -ing and -ed

Again, before beginning you need to ensure that your child know what a verb is and recap what a suffix is. A verb is a doing or an action word. 

Examples of sentences: 

The girl is playing with her toys.

Dad cleaned the table. 

Mum looked surprised. 

3) The prefix -un 

The children will need to know that the prefix -un changes the meaning of verbs and adjectives. 

Before beginning, ensure that your child knows what a prefix is. A prefix is a group of letters that are placed at the beginning of a word. 

Examples of sentences: 

The girl was unable to complete the puzzle. Here the prefix ‘un-‘ tells us that she was NOT able to do it. 

The carpet was untidy. The prefix ‘un-‘ tells us that the carpet was NOT tidy. 

She felt that it was unfair. The prefix ‘un-‘ tells us that is was NOT fair. 

4) Conjunctions 

The children will need to know that conjunctions are joining words. They join clauses using the words ‘and, but and so’. 

Before beginning, ensure that your child knows what a phrase is. A phrase is a part of a sentence. This is something children tend to forget so repetition is key here. 

Examples of sentences: 

The girl opened her package and was delighted. 

She wanted to study but it was dinner time. 

He was hungry so he ate his dinner. 

5) Punctuation 

The children will need to be able to use capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks correctly within their sentences. They also need to know that the personal pronoun ‘I’ needs a capital letter. At this stage they don’t need to know what a personal pronoun is. Just that the letter ‘I’ on its own is ALWAYS capital. 

Examples of sentences:

Why is the girl sad? 

What a wonderful gift! 

6) Proof reading to ensure that sentences make sense. 

This is a wonderful skill to develop from a very young age. I find that the younger children that we teach love to be ‘done’. But when we ask them if they have checked their learning, they mostly say that they haven’t. We teach all of our children from a very young age to read carefully over their sentences. Check if they have left important words or punctuation out. We teach them early on that it is absolutely fine to make mistakes but that it is important to correct them. Proof reading is certainly a vital skill to develop early on. 

Happy Creative Grammar Learning everyone! 

Email us if you have any questions at all regarding this. If you would like extra support with your child’s learning, please contact us at:

office@creativemindstutors.com 

07956677783