How much and how often should your child be reading in preparation for their 7+ Assessments?

I get these questions a lot.

How much should my child be reading?

Which books should they be reading?

How can I boost their vocabulary?

So let’s answer them.

How much should my child be reading?

Your child should aim to be reading at least 10 pages a day. I choose this amount simply because this is the amount I challenge myself to read each day! And also because I’ve seen the best results from this amount. If you give too many pages as a goal for your child to achieve daily, it will seem overwhelming to them and most likely they won’t read any. 10 pages is very achievable. Even if they read 5 pages in the morning and 5 pages in the evening. Of course, if they can read more that is great. See this as a minimum baseline.

Which books should they be reading?

Your child must read books that interest them. This is far more effective than giving them books that they are just not that into or that they don’t really like. If your child is between 5 and 6, you will want them to choose picture books that challenge them in terms of vocabulary. If your child knows all of the words in the book that they have read, then if wasn’t challenging enough. You want your child to struggle with at least 5 words in a book that they are reading. In this way, they will boost their vocabulary by being exposed to new and unfamiliar words to them. If your child is between 6 and 7, they will need to be reading chapter books. We provide tailored book recommendations to all of our students.

How can I boost their vocabulary?

You can boost their vocabulary by making a glossary. The children that I teach love this!

Just get an exercise book (a nice one that your child has chosen preferably) and some lovely pens. On the top of each page write the letters A-Z or leave a couple of pages between letters (if the book allows). Each time your child is reading, they will take their glossary with them and write down new words. I ask my students to write the meaning of each word and to place each word into a sentence. Every evening, choose a word from the glossary and ask them what it means. If they remember, great. If they don’t, show them what they had written and then come back to it another time.

This is by far, the most effective way that I have seen to boost vocabulary.

Preparing for the 7+ Assessments? Book your Sample lesson today.

Preparing for a 7+ Assessment at a Top London School?

Are your preparing your child for the 7+ Assessment/s this year? If you are, you will already know how important it is to know your school/s very well. To know what they are looking for in their prospective new students, to know what will happen during the Assessment, to know what your child needs to be able to do in order to be successful.

In this blog, I will be doing a case study of a Top London boy’s school at 7+. Their Assessment is this week on Friday.

I have several boys sitting Assessment at this school this week. Some I have been preparing for nearly two years. Others I have been preparing for 6 weeks. Of course, I strongly believe that it is vital to begin early. As early as possible. The best results that we’ve had are when we prepare children for their 7+ when they are just starting in Reception. This gives us a full two years (and a bit) to prepare.

There is too much to cover to leave it to the last minute. Effective story writing alone takes at least 4 months of intensive work. So whether you are preparing your child alone or you are getting support in the form of tuition, please do start early.

At this top London school, their Round 1 Assessment will be split in this way:

1 hour Reasoning paper

45 minute English paper

40 minute Maths paper

I really like the way that this school splits their papers up because they give their students short breaks between each paper. This gives them a chance to have a little rest and focus their minds to the paper that they will be completing next (rather than having 1.5 - 2 hours of continuous Assessment)

The Reasoning paper

Let’s take a deep dive into the Reasoning paper at this particular school. Reasoning will involve verbal and non verbal reasoning. I recommend the Bond Books to my clients. We want to be aiming to have completed the 7-8 Bond Books in Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning before the Assessments. We can also dip into the 8-9 papers. Some questions are not relevant so make sure that you know which questions to focus on and which are not needed. I personally use Schofield and Sims with my students. I also create my own questions to support any gaps that arise.

Your child needs to be very confident with all aspects of Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning to pass Round 1 at this school. You will see that 1 hour is allocated to this paper (longer than to the other papers) therefore this school clearly believes that reasoning is very important. I agree. Reasoning shows logic, strategic thinking, accuracy, precision and focused thinking. It is also not really something that can necessarily always be taught. Yes, we can teach the skills but a question could come up that your child many never have encountered before and they will need to have developed the problem solving skills necessary to be able to solve them.

The English paper

45 minutes is allocated to the English paper. Historically at this school, the children will have a comprehension and a story to write. As the paper is so short, we can predict that the children will not be given long to write their story (perhaps between 20 and 30 minutes)

The comprehension will involve a short text that will be challenging to read. It will be at a year 3/4 level so your child does need to be able to read very well. Not just read very well but also be able to infer meaning because there will be plenty of words that they will not know. Again this takes lots and lots of practise. Lots and lots of exposure to a variety of texts that immerses your child into a lot of vocabulary. Vocabulary is key at all schools in the 7+ Assessment. The only way to build vocabulary is through voracious reading. Not passively reading but actively reading. Not coming across a word and skimming past it but coming across a word and writing down it’s meaning. Being able to place that word into a sentence. Your child’s vocabulary must be amazing. It just must be.

After the comprehension, your child will have a story to write. This could be linked to the comprehension (it usually is). Most likely your child will be given one title (they could also be given an option to choose from). I prefer it when they are just given one title otherwise they tend to waste time choosing the one that they like best! We don’t have time to waste if the paper is only 45 minutes long!

The story will need to be exceptional.

Handwriting will need to be beautiful. Joined or unjoined it needs to be really good, legible handwriting.

Spellings will need to be near perfect. Key words and high frequency words must be spelled correctly.

There will need to be a clear introduction, middle and ending.

Their writer’s voice will need to shine through.

They will need to have used higher level language and vocabulary.

They will need to have used some figurative language (either a simile or personification)

The maths paper

The maths paper will be at a Year 3 level so aim to prepare your child up to this level.

Of course not all of the Year 3 curriculum so it is important to know which part of the curriculum to revise.

This school is well known for asking lots of problem solving and reasoning questions and they will want to see working out. There will be two and three step problems so prepare for these.

Ensure you have covered all of the Year 2 maths curriculum with your child (at a minimum) and that they are confident with all aspects of this curriculum.

What you need to be doing if your child is sitting Round 1 of their 7+ this week.

Ensure that your child is confident in all aspects of their 7+ Assessments.

Cover story writing a lot (if it will be assessed) Remember that not all schools have a story to write.

Fill any gaps that need filling.

Do past papers everyday.

Give them a break the day before if possible.

Talk to them about what to expect in the Assessment.

7+ Assessments Top Tips

1. Arrive earlier to the Assessment - Have a conversation with your child to ground them and centre them. Tell them exactly what will happen.

2. Wear a watch as long as it doesn’t distract them. The children need to pay close attention to the time available in their Assessment.

3. Have their pencil case ready so that your child isn’t searching for things.

4. Don’t bring a rubber if it will distract them. If you do want your child to bring a rubber, explain to them exactly how to use their rubber.

Important things to take into consideration when preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments.

Choose a teacher who has actual experience with the schools that you are applying to.

This is a must.

Year after year, I speak to hundreds of parents who speak to me and decide to either work with me and my team or not. The main reason I hear from parents for not working with me is because they desire a teacher who will come to their homes. This is all well and good and I respect everyone’s opinion. However, the teacher that you do choose to work with must have actual experience with the school/schools that you are applying to. Otherwise it actually makes no sense to me. After the Assessments, I then hear from many of these parents again who call me to tell that they’ve not been successful and they then ask for my help with preparing for the 7+. This again is all well and good but it could have been avoided with a bespoke programme of study with either myself or one of my team.

We do not guarantee entry to any school at 4+. This would be impossible because as much as we are amazing at preparing our students, it is down to them. How they perform on the day, how they feel on the day and how much they actually enjoy themselves on the day.

What we do guarantee however, is that your child will receive the highest quality tuition tailored specifically to the school/s that you are applying to. What we do guarantee is ongoing communication with your teacher each and everyday if it is needed. What we do guarantee is that you will see your child’s learning and understanding transformed. What we do guarantee is that your child will go into their Assessment fully prepared and ready to be able to show their truest potentials.

The 4+ gets more and more competitive each year. With hundreds of children fighting for 30-40 places, it is vital that you get the support that you need.

We will support you every step of the way. For only £200 a month, you will receive weekly lessons, bespoke home learning and ongoing communication with your teacher. I think that it is the best investment into your child’s education that you can make.

Book your Sample lesson today.

How to choose the best teacher for your child

1. Ask the teacher about their actual experience at the school/s that your are applying to.

Ask questions like:

Do you have experience with this school?

How do you know about the Assessment content at this school?

2. Sample a lesson with them before committing to working with them.

First of all you need to make sure that your child connects with the teacher. You will need at least 3-4 lessons to be able to see this connection or not.

3. Ask them about the curriculum that they will cover.

The curriculum that they will cover will show you if it is exactly what you are looking for. It needs to be a robust curriculum that will nurture your child but that will also take your child’s learning to the next level.

I strongly believe that we offer the best teachers for the preparation of the 4+ Assessments at all Top inner and outer London Schools.

Book your Sample lesson today.

What sets a child apart from others in the 4+ Assessments?

This is good question to ask.

Hundreds of children will be applying to the school/s that you would like your child to go to. A small percentage will get in at 4+.

So what will set your child apart from the other children?

You MUST know the schools very well and what the specific schools are looking for.

Your child needs to know what the schools are expecting.

If your child knows what they need to be showing, they will keep this in mind and show this in the Assessment.

Of course, your child MUST go in and be 100% their amazing selves.

Choose a Tutor who has already had exceptional results

This is obvious to me but it doesn’t seem so obvious to some of the parents that I talk to.

Common objections that I have for parents not wanting to do lessons with us is that we are exclusively online. When I speak to them again, they tell me that they’ve found a 4+ Assessment tutor who can come to their home. When I ask them if they have experience with the 4+ Assessments at the schools they are applying to, they often tell me that they do not. However, they always reassure me that they are ‘eyfs specialists’ or they have experience working in Reception. That’s great and I’m sure that they are amazing teachers. BUT if they don’t have actual experience with the school/s that you are applying to, how exactly will they know what the school/s are looking for?

Just something to consider.

A lot of parents think that in person is superior to online and it simply is not.

What is superior is a teacher who has real and actual experience with the schools you are applying to. As in has actually been successful in having their students be successful at gaining entry at those schools.

What is superior is a teacher who knows exactly what they school/s are expecting from the students in their 4+ Assessments.

What is superior is a teacher with proven results.

Qualifications and experience are great on paper. The ultimate measure of success, in my opinion is the actual ability to get a student into the school/s that they desire to go to.

So choose a teacher who has had exceptional results and not just because they can come to your house. This means nothing at all.

Don’t sabotage your chances for success because you won’t give online tuition a try.

Book your Sample lesson today.

The top 3 ways that your child can stand out in their 4+ Assessments

1. Answer all questions that they are asked in full sentences and with as much detail as possible.

A lot of students that I teach at this age, answer with very short answers and don’t go into a lot of detail. I encourage them to say more. With practise and repetition, they will know how to answer any question.

2. Get involved in all of the activities provided with enthusiasm and a fun spirit.

Your child will be asked to engage with a variety of activities. Children who have fun and enjoy the activities and engage with the activities are far more likely to succeed than those who don’t show much interest for them.

3. Persevere with the more challenging tasks.

There will be tasks that will be more challenging than others. If your child can persevere with them and keep trying, this will definitely make them stand out amongst other children who will just move on to something else.

Book your Sample lesson today.

How to encourage active listening rather than passive listening.

I see this all the time in my lessons.

I can clearly see the children who are actively listening and those who are passively listening.

If your child is an active listener, they will be engaged. They will be delighted with what you are telling them. You will be absorbing everything that is being told to them. If they are an active listener, they will be able to answer any question that you ask them. They will also be able to ask you questions about what you are telling them.

A passive listener is still listening but they are not showing the skills involved in active listening and this is so obvious to me. Children who are sitting there listening but not truly absorbing what is being told to them. When I ask them questions, their eyes glaze over or they are looking around themselves. They won’t be able to answer my questions because they were only passively listening.

Active listening is a skill and one that I teach all of my students how to do and how to do well. It is a skill that is so important in all of the Assessments (not only the 4+!)

Is your child an Active or a Passive listener? How can you support them to be more of an Active listener?

Read every single day with your child

Seems simple enough but there are times that me and my son go a few days without opening a book. It’s so easy to just sit down with your child and open a book and start reading. I now allocate times to reading every day with my son. It is so important to me and I know that it is so important to him. Reading is fundamental when preparing for the 4+ Assessments.

Reading covers so many skills that will be assessed in the 4+ assessments such as listening, responding, analysing, predicting, inferring, summarising, communicating and vocabulary building to name a few.

It is also so much fun to read together with your child. It is one of my favourite things to do with him. To see his face light up when he receives a new book is priceless (he is 16 months old!)

3 Top Tips to support your child with engaging with adults

This is a very important one to take into consideration when preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments. They will need to engage with adults that they have never met before in their 4+ Assessments so it is vital that they practise engaging with adults before going into the actual Assessments. They will be assessed on this so please do practise this.

1. Introduce them to new adults every day.

These adults could be friends of yours that your child doesn’t know very well, these adults could be adults at a coffee shop/ supermarket/ restaurant etc.

2. Encourage them to talk with these adults.

Give your child little challenges each day. Eg. Ask her how her day has been or ask her what she is doing this evening or answer two of her questions.

3. Encourage your child to maintain eye contact.

Seems simple but a lot of children (even adults!) struggle with this one.

Book your Sample lesson today.

I hope you found this blog really informative and that you are able to apply some of the concepts that I have taught,

Wishing you great success with your 4+ Assessments preparations!

Maria

Write an Amazing Story by Friday Challenge November 2023

In the 7+ Assessment your child will be more than likely asked to write a story. Each school has their own criteria for the Assessments that they expect the children to sit.

Let’s take a look at one school as an example.

North London Collegiate School

This is a very popular school that we prepare our girls for. Our girls are starting earlier and earlier each year, which is great. Competition for this school is fierce at 7+. At 7+, there are on 8-10 places. However, if this is a school that you think you’d like your daughter to attend at 11+ anyway, it is definitely worth trying at 7+. If your daughter is successful, you won’t have the headache of the 11+! Considering how many girls they actually take at 7+, my personal success rates at getting girls into this school at 7+ are just exceptional (I also have amazing success rate at 4+ and 11+)

So in this Assessment the girls will need to:

Write an imaginative story using full sentences and some interesting vocabulary.

Read fluently with understanding and give answers to written questions.

Write the answers to these questions in simple sentences.

Understand the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and ‘sharing’/division and be able to apply these rules in order to solve word problems.

Know the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables.

Have a basic understanding of shape, time and money.

Interpret simple tables and charts.

In our challenge this week, we will be looking at Story writing and I will be providing you with the tools and strategies that you need in order to be able to support your child with their writing in the 7+ Assessments.

Here are a few things to take into consideration:

Each school will have different types of questions. I have been preparing children for over 16 years for their 7+ Assessments so I have a very strong idea about what will come up. Of course, things can and do change so it’s important to prepare for all eventualities.

Most schools ask children to write a fiction story.

However non- fiction can and does come up so please do practise this too.

Here are some examples of non-fiction writing:

1. Non chronological reports

2. Newspaper reports

3. Debate writing

4. Biographies

5. Letter writing (formal and non formal)

6. Instructional writing

We don’t spend too much time on these BUT it is important that your child knows the features of these genres of writing just incase they are asked to do one of these! So do revise these too. I usually leave these to close to the Assessments so that it is fresh in my students’ minds should they be asked to write in this way.

Most likely, your child will be asked to write a fictitious piece of writing. So this is what we will focus on this week.

We will use picture stimuli as our starting point. This has come up several times at several different schools. Your child will be given a series of pictures (between 3 and 5 pictures) and they will be asked to write a story about the pictures.

Here are the pictures:

So, your child would be given these pictures and they would be asked to write a story about them.

They will be given between 20 to 40 minutes to write their story, with most schools giving 30 minutes. Your child will need to know how to manage their time and be able to write their story within the timeframe provided. If your child doesn’t complete their story, this isn’t an issue. The main focus is that they write a high quality story filled with ambitious language, creativity and imagination.

I will show you model writing of a story title that has come up several times in the 7+ Assessment.

The story title is the path (it also relates to the images above)

The Path

Introduction

• Introduce the character

• Introduce the setting

• Introduce the problem

• Use higher level descriptive language

• Use a variety of sentence openers

  There was once a boy named George. An adventurous boy, George always found fun things to do. Kind hearted and fun, George was staying in a cabin in the deep, dark woods with his mother who was working on a new project. That morning, his mother had set off to work and warned George that he was not to go out exploring the woods alone. Nodding sweetly, George assured her that he would stay in the cabin until she returned. Happily, George stared out of the large window at the stunning nature that surrounded the cabin. Before he knew it, he heard roaring thunder and lightning struck in front of his eyes. Just then, it began to rain. Running towards the door, George decided he would go out just for a few minutes because he had always adored the rain.

  Middle

• Go into detail about the problem

• Use higher level descriptive language

• Use fantastic sentence openers

• Include speech

• Use figurative language (either personification or a simile)

  Filled with joy, George ran excitedly into the woods. The bitterly cold rain caressed his skin as he continued to run as fas as he could. Before he knew it, he had ran a little too far and he felt a little confused about where he was. Not knowing the way back home, George took shelter under a tall willow tree. In front of him were two paths. One was leading onto a storm and the other seemed as though it was leading towards a beautiful sunset. Unsure which path to take, George looked up and saw a wise owl.

  “Oh wise owl, please tell me which path I should take?” asked George quietly.

  “You should take the path leading towards the storm. Although this path is the most dangerous, it is the one that will lead you home little boy!” replied the owl.

  Ending

• Resolve the problem

• Use higher level descriptive language

• Use fantastic sentence openers

• End with a moral, a question or a cliff hanger (ellipses)

  Bravely, George set off through the path that lead him towards the storm. Lightning seemed to split the sky in two and thunder struck loudly. Covering his head with his hood, George continued down the path. This had been a terrible mistake and he should have listened to his mother. Tears began to fall delicately down his cheek and he closed his eyes and made a wish. Wishing to be back home safe and sound, he opened his eyes and to his surprise the mighty owl had swooped him up into the air and took him back home, soaring through the air…

  Story Analysis

  I worked for 3 years at a Top Pre Prep in Hampstead and I have marked hundreds (probably thousands by this point!) of stories. I know exactly what these schools are looking for and I support my students to be able to write the highest quality stories possible. I am always filled with joy when we come to around November/December time. This time of year is just magical for story writing. For my students who have been working consistently on their story writing since August, their story writing now is just exceptional. For those who have been with me for a shorter time, their writing is beginning to develop and each week, I see their confidence growing and their enthusiasm becoming more and more.

  Why is this a superb introduction?

  Let’s take a look together…

  There was once a boy named George. An adventurous boy, George always found fun things to do. Kind hearted and fun, George was staying in a cabin in the deep, dark woods with his mother who was working on a new project. That morning, his mother had set off to work and warned George that he was not to go out exploring the woods alone. Nodding sweetly, George assured her that he would stay in the cabin until she returned. Happily, George stared out of the large window at the stunning nature that surrounded the cabin. Before he knew it, he heard roaring thunder and lightning struck in front of his eyes. Just then, it began to rain. Running towards the door, George decided he would go out just for a few minutes because he had always adored the rain.

• Clearly introduces the character, setting and problem.

• Uses higher level description

• Uses varied sentence openers for effect

  Why is this an excellent Middle paragraph?

  Filled with joy, George ran excitedly into the woods. The bitterly cold rain caressed his skin as he continued to run as fas as he could. Before he knew it, he had ran a little too far and he felt a little confused about where he was. Not knowing the way back home, George took shelter under a tall willow tree. In front of him were two paths. One was leading onto a storm and the other seemed as though it was leading towards a beautiful sunset. Unsure which path to take, George looked up and saw a wise owl.

  “Oh wise owl, please tell me which path I should take?” asked George quietly.

  “You should take the path leading towards the storm. Although this path is the most dangerous, it is the one that will lead you home little boy!” replied the owl.

• Superb sentence openers

• Beautiful descriptive language

• Accurate speech punctuation used

• Links to the title (the path)

• Links to the introduction

  Why is this a wonderful ending?

  Bravely, George set off through the path that lead him towards the storm. Lightning seemed to split the sky in two and thunder struck loudly. Covering his head with his hood, George continued down the path. This had been a terrible mistake and he should have listened to his mother. Tears began to fall delicately down his cheek and he closed his eyes and made a wish. Wishing to be back home safe and sound, he opened his eyes and to his surprise the mighty owl had swooped him up into the air and took him back home, soaring through the air…

• Amazing descriptive language

• Superb openers

• Imaginative and creative

• Ends with a cliff hanger

  So there you have Story Writing for the 7+.

  I truly hope that you found this really helpful and that it will help your child to write an amazing story in the 7+ Assessments.

  At the end of the Challenge, I will ask students to use my model to write their own story called ‘The Path’.

  You are very welcome to ask your chid to also write this story and you can send me their story to office@creativemindstutors.com. I will mark all stories that I receive with detailed feedback and next steps.

  If your child is sitting their 7+ Assessments this academic year or the following one, book your Sample lesson today and let’s get started and get the best results possible in all of the 7+ Assessments.

  I have had exceptional results these last 16 years and will continue to have incredible results. I am certain of that!

8 Genres of Writing Masterclass Saturday November 18th @3pm

In this amazing Masterclass, I will cover the 8 genres of writing that could potentially come up in the 7+ Assessments.

It is highly likely that your child will write a fiction story or choose the option to write a fiction story.

However, other genres of writing could come up and in fact they have some up previously.

I personally don’t spend too much time focusing on these but it’s important that your chid is aware of how to write a story. if it is a different genre to the one that they are used to writing.

For example, if your child is asked to write a letter in their Assessment, they will need to be aware of the different features of a letter and be able to include these in their writing.

This workshop will be 40 minutes long and I will allocate 5 minutes to each genre. Here are the genres that I will cover:

1. Explanations

2. Formal and informal letters

3. Instructional writing

4. Fiction narratives

5. Newspaper reports

6. Non chronological reports

7. Persuasive writing

8. Diary writing

After the Masterclass, your child will receive a pack of learning which they can organise into a folder to help them to remember the different genres and be able to answer any question in their 7+ Assessments.

This is a workshop that you won’t want to miss if your child is sitting their 7+ Assessments this year.

Saturday 18th November 2023

Zoom

3:00

40 minutes

Maximum of 5 children only

£45

Book today

Lessons learnt so far from the 3+ Assessments (2023)

I have been preparing children for their 3+ Assessments for 16 years. Each year, the Assessments are very similar.

How do I know what will happen at each school that has Assessments at 3+?

It’s simple.

1. My clients tell me.

2. My students tell me.

3. I have seen Assessments in action at a variety of top London schools.

In most schools that have had a 3+ Assessment so far, parents have been invited to go into the room with their child.

Interestingly, I have spoken to several different parents (some my own clients and some not) who have been telling me about their experiences.

The most common theme is that preparation is key.

I have spoken to several parents who have told me that they were completely shocked by the expectation in the 3+ Assessment.

It does not shock me.

It’s the same each year.

So what exactly do you have to do to ensure that your child is ready for their 3+?

It’s simple.

1. Prepare them for the separation - Even though, you might be in the room with them, they still need to be prepared to detach from you and go and engage in the activities calmly and confidently.

2. Teach them how to answer questions asked by others and practise asking them a variety of different questions.

3. Expose them to a variety of activities that will be assessed in the Assessment,

We have a bespoke programme of study for all of our students preparing for their 3+ Assessments No two programmes are the same as they are tailored towards to schools that you have chosen to sit Assessment at.

Preparation is key.

Whether your prepare your child or you have tuition.

Check out our Entrance Assessment Support Packages to see how we can support your child to have tremendous success in their 3+ Assessment.

The Write an Amazing Story by Friday Challenge November 2023

Are you joining us?

This Challenge will begin Monday 6th November 2023!

This Challenge will be perfect if your child is preparing for their 7+ Assessments or if you’d like to just work on your chid’s story writing in general!

This Challenge will take your child’s writing to the next level and give them the confidence to be able to write any story in the future!

My clear framework for teaching story writing has already supported thousands of children with their story writing. I would be delighted to support your child too!

So join us.

It’s completely FREE to join!

The Number One Way to Support your child with their Confidence

As I've said many times before your child's confidence in the Assessment is the most important aspect of the 4+ Assessment in my opinion. 

Because ultimately if your chid doesn't go in happily and confidently how else will they do well? How else will they show their capabilities? How else will they show how much they are able to do? 

If your child goes in upset, they won't be able to show confidence. 

So this is something that you need to work on with your child from as early as possible in the lead up to the 4+ Assessments.

Take them to new places where they need to interact with new children and new adults. 

There are so many options available living in London. 

Please don't just assume that taking them to nursery is enough. Their nursery is familiar to them. The adults there are familiar to them. The children there are familiar to them. The building is familiar to them. 

When they go to their 4+ Assessments, it will all be new to them and if they havent practised, they will find it challenging. 

Even adults find it challenging to go somewhere new. Even adults struggle with change. 

Imagine a 3 or 4 year old? 

Put yourself in their shoes.

They arrive a new and unfamiliar building to them. How will they be feeling?

Probably a little bit overwhelmed.

They are escorted by a teacher or two to a room they’ve never been to before. How will they be feeling?

Probably a little bit worried.

They are placed in groups of 6-12 other children that they’ve never met before. How will they be feeling?

Probably a little bit anxious.

It is up to you to prepare your child for all of this

I tell my students EXACTLY what to expect at each Assessment. Remember that each Assessment will be different and it is vital that your child understands exactly what will be expected of them at each different school.

If you would like further support with 4+ Assessment preparation, book your Sample Lesson today.

Top three 4+ Frustrations 2023

I have been personally preparing children for the 4+ Assessments for over 16 years! That’s a very long time!

I adore teaching children at all ages but I particularly love this age.

At the age of three, students often start off with their guard up. They don’t know me. In the first few lessons it’s all about warming up. After a few lessons, they transform and the relationship that we develop is something that I cherish long after our lessons are complete and they go to their ‘big’ schools.

Each year, I speak with parents and each year I hear the same things come up that cause many of my clients a lot of frustrations. And it’s understandable!

So here are the top three 4+ frustrations that I hear from many clients and many potential new clients.

1. My neighbour/ My aunty/ My cousin told me not to have my child tutored for the 4+

This is a common one!

Parents feeling very frustrated because they put so much effort into preparing their children for their 4+, investing in tuition and investing their time and energy into actually coming to the lessons with their children and then completing the home learning tasks. Then they are told ‘You don’t need to prepare your child.’

First of all, let me say this.

If a child is sitting the 4+ Assessments they will have been ‘tutored’.

Hear me out.

In one way or another a child sitting the 4+ needs to be prepared, So whether you pay for formal tuition or you ‘tutor’ your child yourself, they are still being ‘tutored’. Being ‘tutored’ just means that your child is being taught.

2. I thought my child would automatically get in because of the school’s sibling policy and they didn’t get in.

Schools may tell you that they have a sibling policy but I personally wouldn’t pay attention to this. Regardless of if they have one or not, please assume that there isn’t one. Your child still needs to pass the Assessment! Several parents have made the mistake of thinking that because there is a sibling policy that they don’t need to prepare their child. The result of this will always be that a child who is not prepared will not be successful. I’ve seen it happen countless times.

3. I thought my child’s date of birth would be taken into consideration.

Again, even if the schools tell you that your child will be grouped with children of the same age group (and this may be the case), please disregard this. Whether your child is August born or your child is December born, they need to still pass the Assessment. Ok, the criteria may be (slightly) different for summer born children, I NEVER prepare my summer born students differently to my Autumn / Winter born students.

I have taught children who are July/ August born who surpassed their peers who were born in September/November. Ok, you can argue with me that nearly one year makes a difference. And perhaps it does. But rather than put your energy into worrying about this, put your energy into ensuring that your child is appropriately prepared to be able to pass any Assessment!

I am 100% certain that our results this year will be just as incredible as every other year!

Need further support with 4+ Assessment preparation?

Book your Sample lesson today.

The Blend three letter words by Friday Challenge begins today!

On Day 1 we will look at the following sounds with our children:

p

a

t

i

You will work on sounding out each individual sound correctly and ensuring that your sound is saying the pure sound.

Once your child is able to identify each individual sound with accuracy, you can move onto blending. It is worth mentioning that some children are very good at memorising the pictures and linking them to the sounds so do ask them to say the sound with and without the picture to help them.

When you do the blending, it is worth showing them one word at a time so that they don’t get overwhelmed with the amount of words on the page.

Get creative with this and do a treasure hunt! Hide the words around the house and when your child finds the word, they need to read it out to you. If your child struggles with blending, help them. Model to them how you would sound it out. Ensure you sound out each individual sound correctly and then show them how to blend it. I love to use robot arms for this and most of my students love this too. You will often see my students using their robot arms to blend words.

On Day 2, we will look at these sounds:

n

s

Again see if your child already knows how to sound these out. If they don’t then model it to them and ask them to repeat it after you.

Follow the same instructions as yesterday.

The same thing with the blending. Remember that we are not asking children to read digraphs (2 letter sounds) until they are confident with the single sounds. So only ask them the words with the single sounds. Digraphs are in green.

On Day 3, we will look at these sounds:

m

e

We will have fun sounding them out and again have a go at the blending.

Please don’t be disheartened if your child finds the blending aspect challenging. It is! IT takes time, patience and practise. But I promise you with consistency, your child will be reading all of the words on the page. Keep modelling it to them and asking them to repeat what you are saying. Point to the sounds in the words as you read them.

On Day 4, we will look at these sounds:

d

o

g

Spend time looking at the pictures and asking your child to explain to you what they can see. Then ask them is they know these sounds, if they do move straight onto the blending.

On Day 5, we will look at these sounds:

u

b

This will be the end of the challenge and you should see amazing results!

To join the challenge, click here!

How do you teach a 3 year old online?

Easily.

Some parents are really shocked and surprised when I tell them that all of our lessons are online. I guess perhaps because some parents have a view of what learning should look like with a 3 year old. Perhaps an image of someone sitting with them in a room. As some of you might already know, I taught in person for over 13 years before moving everything online. The main reason for moving everything online was that I had to. Covid happened. My students still had Assessments to do and lessons had to continue. The other main reason for moving everything online is that I reached capacity and could no longer make it from lesson to lesson online. The other main reason for moving everything online is that I had a deep desire to support as many children as I could to be successful in the Assessments. I couldn’t do this if I continued with in person tuition.

My team of exceptional teachers who also teach 3 year olds are also amazing.

We have all had levels of success that we didn’t even imagine to be possible at 4+.

How will you teach my child to read?

In preparation for the 4+ Assessments, we will be teaching your child how to read.

First of all, we will teach them their phase 2 and phase 3 graphemes (single sounds) eg. c, t, s.

There will be a lot of practise and a lot of repetition.

Next, we will learn the phase 2 and phase 3 digraphs (2 letters representing one sound) eg. ch, sh, ng.

We will then learn how to blend words. Eg. c-a-t or d-o-g. We also read lots and lots of books together.

We make all of this incredible learning very interactive and fun.

Some parents ask me if their child will really be asked to read in their 4+ Assessment. My answer is always - ‘Yes!’

In one way or another, they will be asked to read. Even if it is just discussing pictures in a book - this is still reading in my opinion!

They could be asked to read a letter displayed on the board, they could be asked to blend a word in a book that the teacher is reading to them, they could be asked to blend a 3 letter word. In one way or another, they will be asked to read.

We develop amazing relationships with all of our students and our clients. You can read them here in our Trustpilot reviews.

We cover so much in our very short 30 minute lessons with our students preparing for their 4+ Assessments and the time literally flies!

Our students love their lessons so much that 75% of our students continue with tuition even after the Assessments are over.

Interested to see how our Online lessons work? Curious to see how our success rates are so high?

Book your Sample lesson today

Teach your child to read by Friday Challenge!

Your child won’t be able to read without practise and consistency!

To be able to read, your child needs to practise and they need to practise a lot!

Here is the good news! I have the formula to support YOU to support YOUR CHILD with being able to read.

I want to make it easier for you to help your child to learn how to read. That’s why I created the ‘Teach your child to blend 3 letter words by Friday!’ Challenge.

The challenge starts Monday 30th October and ends Friday 3rd November.

We will meet everyday @8pm -8:30pm.

Not able to make it? No problem! Once you sign up for the challenge, you will receive all replays.

If you accept my challenge, I’m going to give you my special formula to support you to support your child with their reading.

I’m handing you the exact formula that I use to support my own students. It is a step by step plan that every parent will wish that they had had several months ago to help their child to be able to read in time for their 4+ Assessments!

To get the personal invite simply click here.

Perfecting writing for the 4+ Assessments

As our students are currently sitting their 4+ Assessments and have more coming up in the next few months, we are currently perfecting writing for the 4+ Assessments.

There are many ways that we are doing this.

1. We continue to work consistently on pencil grip. Some students have their own unique ways of holding their pencil and we never make it a problem. We work with how they hold their pencil. We show them how to hold it and if they like it they can have a go. If they don’t, we continue to encourage them to hold their pencil in a way that will make it easier for them to write.

2. We continue to work on the precision and size of the writing. Some students at this stage either write very big or very small. We model for them how they should write their letters. We do it together. We practise consistently and the results always follow!

3. We continue to work on writing numbers, their name and letters of the alphabet. All of these could be Assessed so we continue to perfect them.

It is always a joy when I see my students be able to write and to form their letters beautifully. When I see their faces light up, it truly fills me with pride.

Yes we are preparing for the 4+ Assessments but more than that, we are preparing our students for a lifelong love for learning which will stay with them for many years to come after our lessons have completed.

We are also currently perfecting drawing.

Some of the problems that I am currently seeing is a reluctance to put the pencil to paper and draw what they are asked to draw. In the 4+ Assessments your child will be asked to draw independently. We therefore want to really encourage our students to draw independently.

We want to initially model to them how to do it. Show them step by step.

Another problem is that some of my students want to draw their own thing rather than following the instruction given. This will be an issue in the 4+ Assessments because the students will be expected to follow the instructions given to them. The way we get better at this is simply by practising. Lots and lots of practise!

Need more support with 4+ Assessment preparation?

Book your Sample Lesson today.

Problems I'm seeing currently with 4+ Assessment preparation

Writing

Here are some problems that I’m seeing with writing.

1. Pencil grip - Children struggling to hold their pencil ‘correctly’. Some of my students are currently experimenting with how they hold their pencil (which is absolutely fine!) The only problem is that if the pencil is not held ‘correctly’ it will be harder to write on the paper.

2. Writing independently - With some students there is still a reluctance to write independently. Some students still want to trace. It is very important that students are able to write independently as they will be asked to do this in their Assessments.

These are the two main problems that I’m seeing.

Other problems are with forming numbers correctly (accurate sizing and precision in the formation) and the same with writing letters of the alphabet. This is of course a lot more advanced for our youngest learners but they absolutely can do it. It just takes time, patience and practise!

How is your child getting on with writing in preparation for their 4+ Assessments?

Drawing

Drawing doesn't come naturally to all children and some will grasp it quicker than others. It doesn't matter. Follow your child's lead and be very patient with the process. 

I promise you with consistent practise and effort, your child will be able to draw with accuracy and precision and be able to do what they need to do in their 4+ Assessments. 

In the 4+ Assessments your child will be asked to draw a picture. It could be anything. Things that have come up previously have been:

A boat

A car

Animals

Family

Portrait

Puzzles

The problems with puzzles are:

1. Now we are using more pieces some of my students can get a little overwhelmed due to them now using more puzzle pieces.

2. Not looking at the picture on the box before attempting to find the missing pieces. It is important that they locate the edges first to give them a framework and then they can start filling in the puzzle.

This is a skill that needs to be taught.

Looking at the box, finding the edges and looking and colours, shapes or patterns within the puzzle that will help them to fill it in.

Make it really fun. Keep it light hearted and go with your child’s flow. If they want to stop, then you stop and come back to it another time or help them and get involved yourself.

Need further support with 4+ Assessment preparation?

Email me and let me know office@creativemindstutors.co

Book your Sample lesson today.

What are the 4+ In person Mock Assessments and why are they important?

As most of you already know all of our lessons here at Creative Minds Tutors are exclusively online. After several requests from current clients to offer in person Mock Assessments, I decided that I would offer this. It is very hard to find 4+ 1:1 Mock Assessments and it is even harder to find them with a teacher who has as much experience as I do with the 4+ Assessments.

I believe that my in person Mock Assessments are worth way more than I am charging for them. First of all, I will come to your home. With other 4+ Mock Assessments, you need to take your child to a centre. Second of all, I will create a bespoke Assessment specific to the schools that you will be taking your child for Assessment at. And finally, I will be very thorough. I will assess all areas of the EYFS curriculum specific to the 4+ Assessments that your child will be attending.

The 4+ Mock Assessment will last 1 hour.

Your child will show me a variety of different areas of learning and I will assess:

Their listening skills

Their ability to follow instructions

Their focus levels

Their concentration

How they answer questions

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.

The price of the Mock Assessment is £450 and I will travel to any area within 8 miles of NW9. If you live further than this and would still like to book a Mock Assessment, please email me directly to discuss further.

4+ Mock Assessments take place on Saturdays at 16:30 and last 1.5 hours, including a detailed discussion with me after the Mock. You will also receive a detailed report about how your child did and next steps.

If you are looking for a 4+ Mock Assessment for your child, look no further!

Book Today!

Our incredible 4+ Assessment Advent Calendar and why it is so valuable to you!

Pre - prepare for the 4+ Assessments by purchasing our 4+ Assessment Advent Calendar.

Not your usual Advent Calendar. This Advent Calendar is digital and exclusively online!

Each day in December (up until the 24th December!) , you will receive a beautifully wrapped email with a 4+ Assessment pre- prep task for your child to complete. It could be a phonics task, a maths task, a cutting task or a writing task etc.

By the end of the 24 days, your child will have built so much confidence and you will see their learning being taken to the next level.

Also, on day 25, your child will receive a beautiful Christmas gift!

The price of this exceptional pre-prepare package Advent Calendar is £300. If you sign up before November 10th, you can purchase it for £150.

So much value, I can’t even explain it!

Don’t delay! Sign up today!

This is your chance to work with me for 24 days at such a low price! You will have access to me anytime during these 24 days to ask me anything that you need to know.

Simply click this link to purchase your advent calendar and from December 1st, we will get started!

The Creative Minds Tutors 4 Stages of Learning

After 16 years of teaching children, I have discovered 4 stages of learning. When I teach my students, it is very apparent which Stage they are in.

Here are the 4 Stages of Learning that I have identified:

I don’t want to learn.

I might want to learn.

I want to learn.

I’m excited to learn.

These stages are fluid, which means, one day a child might feel one way and another day they might feel another way. However, the way I often see these Stages of learning appearing in my lessons is like this.

When a child first starts with me, they will often be in the ‘I don’t want to learn’ stage or the ‘I might want to learn’ stage.

I don’t want to learn.

When a child is in this stage of learning, they will use language like -

‘I don’t know?’

‘Why are you asking me?’

‘Why don’t you just tell me the answer?’

Their body language might be a little rigid and tense.

They might be moving around a lot and unable to sit still.

They might even say ‘I don’t want to do it!’

When a child is in this Stage of learning it is important to listen to them and understand why.

What I see most teachers doing is either telling them off or giving them a consequence.

Do you really think this is going to allow them to progress to the next stage of learning?

No, of course not.

If one of my students is ever in this stage, I stop what we are doing and engage with them. I listen to them. I ask them what is wrong? They will often tell me. It could be as simple as they’ve just had a really bad day or it may be that they genuinely don’t understand how to do it. A child that feels listened to is much more likely to move onto the next stage. If not, I find they remain stuck in this stage for far too long which of course has severe consequences in the long term.

I might want to learn.

In this stage, students are a little more open and receptive. They loosen up a bit and might want to give it a try. However, they are still unsure about it.

In this stage, you might see their eye gaze looking down rather than looking up. You might see them giving certain questions a try but still withdrawing from others. You might see them glancing up occasionally. In this stage, they are thinking about wanting to learn.

When a child is in this stage, they will use language like:

‘Ok, I will try’

‘Can you help me a bit please?’

‘What if I get it wrong?’

‘I don’t want to get it wrong!’

‘I don’t understand it’

They may experience frustrations at time at wanting to learn but not being able to.

This stage is a fine line between moving to the next stage of learning or moving back to the previous one. In this stage, teachers need to be knowledgeable about how to really maintain their attention and spark their interest and build up that love for learning which is inside of them.

We don’t want our students stuck in this stage for very long.

I want to learn.

This stage is always a pleasure. In this stage, students come to the lessons with a thirst for learning. They want to learn.

They will use language like:

‘Tell me more!’

‘When can we do this again?’

‘I get it!’

‘I understand!’

‘Let’s move on!’

‘Let’s learn more’

If is truly a delight.

Their body language is light and open and receptive.

They are glancing up at you and eager and keen to learn.

This is where we get to the best stage in my opinion.

I am excited to learn.

When your child gets to this stage… Wow!

It is just pure delight.

You will hear language like:

‘I want to learn more!’

‘Tell me everything!’

‘Let me write this down!’

‘I love this so much!’

‘I can do it!’

‘Look at me!’

Again, such a delight when I see students in this stage of learning.

This is where I want all of my students to be.

Where I see the Stages of Learning most prominently is in story writing!

See if you can identify which stage of learning your child is in the next time you do some learning together.

Do you have any questions about the Stages of Learning?

Email me directly and I will always reply: office@creativemindstutors.com

Come and write a story with me! (7+ Assessment preparation)

The stories that are shared and 100% NOT to be copied in the 7+ Assessments. They are simply here as guides to support students across the country to have the best chances of success in their 7+ Assessments. Remember that the Assessors marking these Assessments are experts and they will know if a story has simply been memorised and this will be an immediate fail.

So use my stories as a guide. Use them as a prompt to support you with supporting your child with their story writing.

Remember that your child’s writer’s voice needs to come out and flow naturally. I personally have marked Assessments for the 7+ and I can tell when a story flows naturally and one that is forced (remembered and copied) Don’t do this. It will not help your child to be successful.

What makes an excellent introduction?

1. Always links to the title

Your child’s introduction MUST link to the title. If it doesn’t, it is likely that your child will go off tangent and the story will not be relevant to the title provided. Always mention the title somewhere in the introductiory paragraph.

2. Incudes these 3 things

Introduces the character

Introduces the setting

Introduces the problem

If your child includes each of these, they can’t go wrong!

3. Uses higher level vocabulary and descriptive language.

Your child must use some higher level vocabulary. As you can see in my introduction, I’ve chosen words such as ‘compelled’ and ‘intricate’. Of course, your child must know the meaning of these words as they could be asked!

I hope you enjoy my Introduction model to my story. It is called ‘The surprise’ - A story title that has come up several times in the 7+ Assessments in the last 16 years.

Enjoy!

The Surprise

The sky was a blanket of stars. Feeling excited, Tim knew something special would happen today. A kind and caring boy, Tim adored surprises. Surrounding him was a dark forest which contained a variety of trees. Some he had never seen before in his life. One particular tree caught his attention. This tree had leaves which were different to all of the others. Beautifully golden in colour, Tim felt compelled to touch one of the leaves. As he did this, he noticed that one of the leaves had intricate writing on it. It said one simple word - ‘Surprise!’

I will mark any story introductions sent to me this week and give personal feedback and next steps. Simply email your child's introductory paragraph to office@creativemindstutors.com

3 Top tips for doing puzzles in preparation for the 4+ Assessments

In their 4+ Assessments, your child will most likely be asked to complete a puzzle. Usually the puzzles are between 25 and 50 pieces, however it could be more and it could be less. It completely depends on the school that your child is sitting Assessment at. However, a good benchmark is for your child to be completing 25 piece puzzles with confidence.

So here are my 3 Top Tips for doing puzzles in preparation for the 4+ Assessments.

1.Quality over quantity

The amount of pieces your child completes is important but not as important as the quality in which they complete their puzzle. What I mean by this is HOW they complete their puzzles.

2. Strategy over speed

How fast your child completes their puzzle in the assessment is important but not as important as the strategies that they use in order to complete their puzzle. What I mean with this is HOW they put the pieces together, how they observe the outer edges of the puzzle, how they look at the picture of the completed puzzle and use this to support them to complete their puzzle.

3. Team work or independent?

Depending on which assessments your child is attending, they may be asked to complete their puzzle independently or as a group. You must prepare for both. As a group, your child needs to have the skills of working as a team, listening, taking turns and being patient. Independently, your child needs to have the skills of focus, perseverance and dedication. All of these take time and practice.

If you need more support with 4+ Assessment preparation, book your Sample lesson today.

With Company Director

With a Senior Tutor

The 3 best books for 4+ Assessment preparation

If you are preparing your child for the 4+, it is vital that you read with them every day. Even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes everyday.

Read to them

Ask them questions

Ask them to make predictions

Ask them to summarise

Ask them the meaning of certain words

Ask them to blend words

Ask them to ask questions

Ask them to talk about the pictures

I could go on!

Top Book 1

The Gruffalo

Top Book 2

Dear Zoo

Top Book 3

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Happy reading!

To book your Sample lesson, click here!