The easiest way to teach story writing for the 7+ (for parents)

Story writing seems to create a lot of negative feelings. I love story writing. I love teaching it. I love the progress my students make. I love that they can be as creative as they want and use their wildest imaginations. I love to see the improvements that they make each week. I love to see them persevering and trying their best. I love to see the resilience in them when they get something wrong and they are not afraid to try again. Story writing creates a lot of positive feelings for me.

This is what I strive for my students and clients to also feel.

It is very rare that I have a conversation with a parent where they tell me, ‘I love teaching story writing!’ or ‘I can’t wait to write another story with my child.’

My ultimate goal is to change this!

So here it is.

The easiest way I know to teach story writing.

1. Choose a title (I have provided 10 title below)

2. Plan the introduction (Introduce the character, setting and problem)

3. Plan the middle (Go into detail about the problem)

4. Plan the ending (Resolve the problem.

5. Provide your child with adjectives and adverbs to use and ask them to choose a few to put into each paragraph.

6. After you have planned, leave your child for half an hour and see what they can write!

7. Mark the story and give feedback. Ask your child to use your feedback to write draft 2.

8. Repeat step 7 and ask your child to write draft 3. This will be their final draft.

9. Keep completed stories in a beautiful folder and show them off to anyone who will read them!

10. Enjoy!

That’s it.

Super simple.

So enjoy the story writing process and if you need any help at all, book your Sample lesson today. We will be delighted to support you along the way.

10 Story Writing Titles for the 7+ Assessments

1. The picnic

2. The day I woke up and found out I was 10cm tall]

3. The picture that came to life

4. The visitor

5. The Secret Garden

6. The birthday surprise

7. My favourite school trip

8. Lost

9. The hungry sparrow

10. The quest

Phonics for the 4+ Assessments and common issues.

When I teach phonics, I see this most common error frequently:

Students adding additional sounds to the pure sound. See videos below.

Please correct this immediately. The longer it is left uncorrected, the harder it will be to correct.

Another common error when teaching phonics is teaching children the phonics using capital letters. When children read books, the most frequent letters that they will encounter will be the lower case letters. So it is logical that when teaching sounds, you will exclusively be teaching lower case letters. Once they are confident with the sounds, you can begin to introduce capital letters. When I teach writing for example, I teach capital letters and lower case letters. When it comes to reading, lower case letters are key.

The first 13 sounds that I teach my students are p, a , t , i, n, s, m, e, d, o, g, u, b.

Watch the videos below, to hear me saying the pure sounds.

Common issues from the 2022 4+ Assessments

1. Not preparing the child correctly for each round.

It is imperative that you prepare your child in the correct way for each round.

2. Child not following instructions.

Children being asked to draw something and they draw something else for example.

3. Child going into the Assessment upset.

Children arriving at the Assessment and not wanting to leave their parents and then becoming upset.

How to support your child with preparing effectively for each round.

Ensure that you know exactly what is expected at each round. The way to do this is of course to speak to an expert who already knows what is expected at each round. The other way is to spend time on the school’s websites and make a note of exactly what is expected at each round. Some website information can tend to be rather vague so you may want to call the school/s and ask. You can also speak to other parents who have already prepared their children for each round. Be aware that Assessments will change year after year so if a parent tells you something, this does not mean that the same will come up this year. In fact, I highly doubt that it will.

How to support your child to follow instructions

This just takes lots and lots of practice. You can also model yourself following instructions that your child has given you. Some children simply just do not want to follow instructions so they need to be taught how and why. It needs to be done in a very delicate and gentle way. Remember that nothing has gone wrong. Your child will be 3 or 4. It is completely natural for them to not want to follow the instructions all the time.

How to prepare your child to not go in upset

If your child is not used to being left alone for extended periods of time, it is vital that you begin to practise. Go to new and unfamiliar places together frequently. Ask your child to speak to a new and unfamiliar person (of course with your supervision!) Leave your child with someone new and unfamiliar to them for short periods of time (obviously someone you know!). Always remind them that you will come back for them. If they are really nervous about this, you can leave them a sand timer so they can monitor how long they have before you arrive. Of course only do this if your child is happy to do it. The more you practise this, the more comfortable your child will feel with being ‘left’. A lot of parents tell me that they are shocked that their child didn’t go in happily to their Assessment but when I ask them if that was the first time being left and they tell me yes, I don’t find this shocking at all. None of us like change.

Ultimately, they need to practice being left alone for at least 1 hour.

Some schools do allow you to stay but most won’t.

Be prepared :)

To book a Sample lesson with one of our exceptional 4+ Assessment preparation teachers, click here. You will be contacted immediately to book a day and time that suits yourself and your child.

Our amazing, brand new 10 minute Comprehensions for the 7+

We have provided FREE sample papers on our website for nearly two years. They have been accessed by thousands of parents throughout the country and we have no doubt that they have supported thousands of children with their preparations for the 7+. We use them with our own students from around September time before the Assessments as they are a little more advanced.

There are a few reasons why I created these incredible 10 minute comprehensions:

1. There aren’t many resources available for the 7+ Assessment preparation. There are the usual 7+ past papers which have been available for nearly 20 years but these are now very outdated.

2. Many comprehensions that I do find are very long. Whilst these work well with some students, other students prefer shorter comprehensions and these work more effectively with them. Of course, we cannot predict whether the comprehension in the Assessments will be long or short so it is important to prepare for both eventualities.

3. Many of the comprehensions that you do find online are not at the level or the standard currently expected in the 7+ Assessments.

4. I needed comprehension texts that challenged my students and supported them to boost their vocabulary.

5. Many of the comprehensions that I do find are quite boring and I needed something fresh, new and exciting that would make my students actually want to read it and engage them in a way that will get the best out of them when it comes to answering the questions.

When you purchase my 10 minute Comprehensions for the 7+ Assessments (available until October 2023 @only £10) you will have access to 5 comprehensions. Answers are provided for each comprehension. After you have purchased the 10 minute comprehensions, you can also email our Company Director with any questions that you may have about the comprehensions or your child’s answers to any of the questions. She will be in touch with you immediately to answer any of your questions.

All of the comprehensions have been written by our Company Director, Maria Mazarese and have been written to reflect the level and standard expected in the 7+ Assessments. These are the comprehensions:

1. The Ice Cave

2. The Avalanche

3. Lost

4. The path

5. An amazing discovery

The Ice cave is a story about a boy who needs to seek shelter from the snow and discovers an ice cave. The questions that I ask require the children to show a strong understanding of what they have read, give reasons, answer true or false type questions, answer ‘why’ questions and give the meaning of more complex vocabulary.

The Avalanche is about a boy who witnesses an avalanche and is so stunned that he doesn’t know what to do. Tho only think that he needs to do is to get to safety and away from the dangers of the avalanche. The reason I chose this title is because many children may not know what an avalanche is. There have been many occasions in these last 16 years where titles have come up in the assessments that children may never have heard of. This can throw them off. If they are not adequately prepared and taught that it is absolutely not a problem if they do not know the meaning of the title, they may just decide that the comprehension is far too hard for them. However, you can easily take a guess at what an avalanche is just by reading the first few lines of the text. This is the same with any comprehension title.

Lost is about a girl who discovers she has no idea where she is whilst on a trip with her parents in Tanzania. That’s when she notices an old, decrepit boat and is filled with hope that she has been found. Incredible vocabulary in this comprehension. Questions include word meaning and prediction.

The Path is about a boy who remembers a trip to Australia and a path that he had discovered. He had never seen this path before and he wondered where this path might lead. Questions include ‘How do you know’ questions, phrase spotting, word meanings and why questions.

An amazing discovery is about a girl who discovers a miniscule wooden door that she has never seen before. Questions include phrase analysis, inference and prediction questions.

Another point that I’d like to make is for parents to really NOT underestimate the importance of vocabulary in the 7+ Assessments. Your child will need to have very strong vocabulary. I don’t mean that they need to understand every single word that they read. They won’t. But they do need to have developed the skill to be able to infer the meaning of the word within the context of the sentence. This is what we work on in our lessons. We do not work on memorising words. This is not an effective use of our lesson time. We work on inferring meaning by reading sentences that include words that my students might not have ever seen. The vocabulary will be advanced and that’s ok.

Here are some ways to help boost your child’s vocabulary:

1. Read, read and read some more. I encourage my students to read everyday for at least 20 minutes.

2. Create a glossary and add new words into the glossary together with their meanings. Dip into the glossary each day and ask your child what a certain word means or even to spell that word.

3. Read a variety of comprehension types.

Why I wrote these 10 minute comprehensions for the 7+

We continue to offer FREE comprehension papers. These Brand New 10 minute comprehensions (releasing end of this week!) were primarily written because I wanted to have slightly shorter texts which are very high quality but are quicker to read. Specifically for my students who currently aren’t super keen on reading very long texts. These are very hard to find specific to the 7+.

I also believe that there isn’t much material available out there for students preparing for the 7+ Assessments. Considering I teach children each year in preparation for the 7+, it is vital that I always have fresh and up to date material which reflects the current standard expected in the 7+ Assessments.

I want my students to be prepared for any type of text that they may experience in their 7+ Assessment. The only way to do this is to expose them to a variety of texts and to practise frequently.

Four Top tips when teaching comprehension:

1. Allow your child to try by themselves Try not to get too involved. Try not to intervene (as much as possible). Give them a chance to give it a good try by themselves first.

2. Read the questions together first and really ensure that they understand what the questions are asking. Let them tell you what the question is asking them to do. It’s not about you telling them. Trust me they won’t learn as much if you do this. Put the ownership of them. They will remember far more if it comes from them.

3. Encourage your child to underline new and unfamiliar vocabulary and discuss together. Make it safe and ok if your child doesn’t know something. Discuss these words and get to boosting their vocabulary.

4. Let your child attempt the question first themselves. You will be amazed how much more your child will learn when they try first by themselves Even if they get it wrong, they will be learning so much more than if you are telling them the answer.

Need more support with comprehension?

Download your 10 Minute Comprehensions for the 7+ Assessments TODAY!

Book your Sample lesson today.

Launching this week - The Ultimate Guide to 4+ Assessment Success!

So many parents that I have spoken to over the last few weeks have told me that there is so much confusing information online regarding the 4+ Assessments.

So I decided to have a look myself.

It’s not so much that it’s confusing but more that there isn’t all of the information that you might need in one place.

This leaves parents wasting a lot of precious time and energy searching for information that ultimately is not available.

I see the 4+ Assessments almost like a secret society. Many parents don’t want to share information because they fear that they ‘will be found out!’ or they themselves had a negative experience and would rather forget about it.

When parents ask other parents about the 4+ Assessments to parents who have already experienced them, often their answers are vague or overwhelming.

This is why I created this Ultimate Guide.

My truest desire is for it to be a One Stop Shop for everything that you need to know when it comes to the 4+ Assessment.

If you then need further support, you can simply email me or schedule a call with me and I will be more than happy to answer any specific questions that you may have.

This is what will be included in the Ultimate Guide to 4+ Assessment Success:

• 8 of the most important tips when it comes to preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments.

• Simple information to get your started in your 4+ Assessment preparation journey.

• Practical advice that you can use immediately to support your child with their 4+ Assessment preparations.

I am so excited to launch this new product and I hope that it will help support thousands of people with supporting their children to be successful in their 4+ Assessments.

If you have any questions at all about the 4+, simply send them over to office@creativemindstutors.com and you will receive an answer within 24 hours. You can also call us directly on 07956677783.

Why I've decided to offer an In person 4+ Mock Assessment 2023

After 3 years of being online, I know for a fact that online tuition is as effective as in person tuition. I have no doubt in my mind and I have the results to prove it. I’ve had hundreds of parents asking me to provide in person tuition and my answer has always been no. Our tuition is exclusively online. I simply cannot get to my students in time if I do in person tuition. I am always at full capacity (which for me is 30 students). My tutors are also unable to provide this type of service.

A few of my current clients have asked me to provide in person Mock Exams so I decided that I would. The Mock Exam will be an incredible experience. It will simulate what the 4+ Assessments will be like at your chosen target schools. Your child will get to experience what it will be like on the day. Of course, some Assessments are group Assessments and I will discuss these with both you and your child. Some Assessments will be 1:1 with a member of staff from the school.

I don’t think it’s that important to simulate the group experience because your child will already undoubtedly be mixing with other children. It is more important to discuss with them, what will be observed on the day of the exam so that they are aware of this. Also, it is very difficult to replicate what it will actually be like for them on the day, the types of characters that they will meet on the day and the types of interactions that they will have. I always tell my students to be themselves. To let their true character’s shine through and to let their personalities sparkle. Therefore it really doesn’t matter that they practice being in a group in my opinion.

How it will work?

Once you’ve decided that you’d like to Book your Mock Exam, you can make payment in our shop. I will then be in touch with you to discuss a few things and arrange a day and time convenient to both of us for the Mock Assessment to take place. Once organised, I will come to your home to do the Mock Assessment. I will bring all resources although I may ask you to provide a few.

What will happen on the day?

• Questioning and General Knowledge.

• A Maths Assessment.

• A literacy Assessment.

• A writing Assessment.

• An Art and Design Assessment.

• A physical activity.

How much does the Mock Exam cost?

£350

Where will it take place?

In your home.

When will it take place?

At a day and time convenient to both of us.

How often can I book the Mock Exam?

A maximum of two times.

Which locations will you travel to?

Any locations within 8 miles of NW9.

To book your Mock exam follow the link below.

Book your 4+ Mock Exam Today

Here’s to exceptional 4+ Success!

Why I do what I do

I thought I’d make this blog post a little more personal for those of you that are wondering who I am, what I do and why I do it. Most client who contact me know a lot about me already because they come to me through recommendations. Some clients don’t know anything about me but are intrigued by my website or by my testimonials. I think it is important to know a little bit about me so that you know why I actually do what I do.

I started teaching full time in a Top London Prep school nearly 13 years ago. This seems insane to me! 13 years have passed since I started teaching as a qualified teacher. However, I have been teaching far longer than this. At the age of 18 (20 years ago!) I started working in a little creche with children aged 3 months - 5 years of age. This is when I realised I had a gift. My gift was that of having an incredible ability to work with children. I was passionate about looking after these little children and teaching them.

After working in the creche, I went on to teach Spanish at a local Primary school and I loved it. That’s when I decided to do my PGCE. I studied full time at Goldsmiths University. As soon as I graduated, I got my first teaching job in a popular prep school in Hampstead.

I learnt so much here. I loved it. But the hours were long (7am - 6pm) and I decided to leave after 3 years. When I left, many parents followed me. They wanted me to tutor their children who were sitting their 4+ and 7+. They knew about the amazing results that I had had teaching at this school. I had an incredible success rate at 4+ and 7+.

I continued tutoring part time, whilst working full time in several different schools.

When Covid happened and everything went online, I also took my business online. I realised how many more people I could help online. So for 3 years now, I have been exclusively online.

A few months after everything returned back to ‘normal’, I was pregnant and made the decision to leave my full time teaching job and focus on my business.

Since then, it has been an incredible journey.

And here we are today. I am currently at capacity for the 4+, 7+ and 11+ but I have the most amazing tutors who are currently available.

So I do what I do because of this reason.

As a child, I didn’t feel ‘seen’ at school. I knew I had a talent. I knew that I was special but no one saw that. Only me. I felt other children were given more attention and I didn’t have the truest opportunity to really flourish. I didn’t want any other child to feel this way. Ever again.

I do what I do because I truly desire each child that I teach to have the possibility to reach their truest potential. To achieve any goal that they desire to achieve.

When I was in Secondary school, I wanted to apply to Oxford. I was simply told ‘no’. I didn’t know any better and I just believed that I wasn’t ‘good enough’ to go to Oxford. Of course, this is ridiculous and I was just as able as any of the chosen Oxbridge candidates. I ended up studying at UCL, Reading and Goldsmiths.

If any of my students tell me that they have a goal, a desire, I listen. And I support them every step of the way. And I support their parents to support them. To have a voice and to truly allow their child to flourish and succeed. Why shouldn’t each and every child have the chance to do what they truly desire to do?

This is why I do what I do.

And this is what I will teach my own son. That he is truly capable of doing whatever he wants. Whatever he sets his mind to. I will never tell him, ‘You can’t do that’ or ‘That’s too hard’ or ‘That’s meant for someone else’. This is what I was told as a child and this is what I believed until quite recently actually.

Now I know that I can do whatever I put my mind to and I want to teach all of my students the same.

Why I encourage my students to embrace the 'hard'.

As a child were you taught to embrace hard things? Or like me, were you taught to be a ‘good girl’, listen well and get things right. Were you taught to try not to get things wrong? Were you taught that if you did badly in a test that it was your fault, that there was something wrong with you, that you should have done better or that you needed to revise more?

I desire to teach my own son something different. And I feel the same with my students.

99% of the time, when my students begin tuition with me, they are petrified of getting things wrong. When I tell them they’ve got something wrong they become upset, frustrated, annoyed and even angry. They so desperately want to get things right.

They quickly learn that I feel no different about them getting things right as I do about them getting things wrong. In fact, I encourage them to get things wrong. We discuss how we feel. I tell them about my own life and what I do when I get things wrong. I tell them about how much success I’ve had because I finally allowed myself to get things wrong.

I’ve seen students truly transform.

From children who hated to get things wrong to children who embrace getting things wrong.

Children who tell me ‘We learn from our mistakes after all’ and ‘It doesn’t matter, I will try again’ and ‘Let’s go through this together and find out why I went wrong’.

Incredible.

What an incredible life skill to have. To learn from early on that it is absolutely ok to make mistakes.

Why I think everyone sitting the 7+ this year should attend my Summer Workshops.

Whether you are planning on going on holiday or not in the Summer break, my 7+ Assessment Summer workshops are for everyone who is sitting their 7+ this year. As they are all online, your child can login from their holiday (it’s only 30 minutes!) and get the immense benefits from all of these workshops.

What makes my approach different to what else is out there? 

It is very rare to find 7+ Summer Workshops at this price in preparation for the 7+ Assessments. It is also very rare to find Workshops run by the Company Director who has over 15 years of experience supporting children all over the country with their 7+ assessments.

Why does attending my workshops make sense? 

I have created my own bespoke curriculum for the 7+ which reflects the content of the 7+ Assessments at various top London Schools from the last 3-4 years. I study these assessments and I always update what I am teaching to be in line with what the children will be asked in the assessments for the specific schools that they will be attending. This is why I have such incredible success. Of course I cannot predict what will come up but I can plan and prepare based on what has come up previously. This is what I will cover in the workshops.

Starting Monday 24th July (for 6 weeks inclusive) we will do Creative Writing.

I will cover 6 different genres of writing. This is important because although it is very likely that your child will be asked to write a story, other genres have come up before. If your child isn’t exposed to the different genres then they will not be able to write accordingly.

Starting Tuesday 25th July (for 6 weeks inclusive) we will do Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning.

I will take your child’s verbal and non verbal reasoning to the next level by giving them the opportunity to practise all of the different questions types and exposing them to a variety of questions.

Starting Wednesday 26th July (for 6 weeks inclusive) we will do Reasoning and Problem Solving.

I will cover all areas of the maths curriculum and focus on the reasoning and problem solving aspects in each area. It’s not enough for your child to be able to just do the calculations. They will need to apply their knowledge to answer those more complex reasoning and problem solving questions. I will provide them with the tools that they need to be able to do this.

Starting Thursday 27th July (for 6 weeks inclusive) we will do Comprehension Strategies.

We will focus on those more complex comprehension questions that are worth the most marks in the assessments. I will expose your child to different comprehension genres and boost their vocabulary. We will also create a glossary together (if your child doesn’t already have one).

How can I help your child to be successful? 

You will see by attending your chose workshops how much progress your child can make. I can guarantee that you will see your child become more enthusiastic, more motivated and more engaged in their learning. 

How do I know that your child will make accelerated progress after attending my Summer Workshops?

I've seen it time and time again. 

What ongoing support do you provide? 

You will have unlimited access to me before, during and after the Summer Workshops. Should you decide to continue working with me after the workshop, you will have two options. Weekly Tuition (meeting weekly on Zoom for 30 or 60 minutes) or Massive Action (bespoke learning emailed to you for your child to complete each week). This can be discussed upon completion of your workshop.

How much are the workshops?

The Summer Workshops are £270 for the six weeks (per subject). This is non refundable.

How do you book the workshops?

The workshops are on sale only in the month of May. Book your place by paying for your spot.

Book Here

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!