The link between nature and 4+ Assessment Success!

Have you heard of nature based learning (NLB)?

In my personal opinion, this is is by far the best learning approach for our youngest students (in fact for students of all ages!)

As a child, I didn’t spend enough time in nature.We went on holiday once a year to Sicily and it was by far the highlight of my year. My father was half Sicilian and I adored going to Sicily (I still do). I remember these 6 weeks being the happiest of my life. I felt free. I adored going to the beaches and walking along the cliffs. Putting my feet deep into the sand and swimming in the warm mediterranean sea. Looking at the beautiful sunsets and sunrises. Nature has always fascinated me.

Living in the UK, we are also surrounded by beautiful nature but are we taking full advantage of all of the beauty that we have around us?

If you are, great!

If you’re not, I invite you to reflect of how your child can get more ‘nature time’.

I will be making an effort to take my child to different parks and to be in nature a lot more throughout the day.

We do go to the park every single day. We have a beautiful park near when were currently live which is always very peaceful. I’ve always noticed that he is enthralled by the nature that surrounds him. He is obsessed with cats, dogs, squirrels and birds. He hugs the trees and gives them a kiss! He is loves the moon - a lot. At night time we search for the moon who is ‘hiding from us!’

If you’re child is sitting their 4+ Assessment anytime soon, I have seen a strong link between nature and 4+ Assessment success. As in, my students who spend a lot of time in nature are often the ones who have incredible success. Instil a sense of wonder within your child, spark their curiosity and just watch as their little faces light up when they are out in nature.

Joshua is very lucky that we go on holiday at least 4 times a year. ‘Holiday’ is a word he uses at least 10x a day.

There’s a reason for that.

Prepare your child to be a play doh pro with these 3 simple steps.

These 3 steps are simple. They are not easy!

They take time, effort, dedication and consistency.

I speak to hundreds of parents each month and some parents seem to roll their eyes at me when I tell them that I prepare my students to be able to ‘play doh’ in their 4+ Assessments.

They can roll their eyes all they want. I’ve done this for over 15 years. I know exactly how to prepare my students to go into any Assessment and shine if they are asked to complete a play doh activity.

If your child is asked to completed a play doh activity, you will want them to be in the best possible position to actually create what they are asked to create and to create it in a way that will allow them to pass this part of the Assessment!

It is 100% not just the case of going in, handling some play doh, playing with some tools and that’s it. Absolutely not.

Here are the 3 simple steps for you to get started on with your own child.

1. Start young.

As in from as early as you think is safe for your child not to put a piece of play doh in their mouth and swallow it! I’ll let you be the judge of that. I started with my son from 12 months of age. Of course, he was always supervised. I would provide him with a few colours of play doh and just sit with him. He would touch and squeeze the play doh and he adored how it felt in his little hands. I believe that starting play doh so early is one of the reasons that my son has such amazing gross and fine motor skills.

If you haven’t started young, no worries - just start today!

2. Provide your child with new and fresh play doh when needed.

Old play doh is not inspiring at all!

3. Model to your child how to create what you have asked them to create.

Sit next to them, have the picture of what you’d like them to create in front of you both and make it together.

Play doh is beautiful bonding time for myself and my son. He actually likes to sit and do it independently most of the times. Occasionally, he will ask me to join him. Recently, he loved his pizza play doh oven which came with amazing accessories. He loved making his pizza with his pizza doh and toppings and then putting it in the pizza box and giving it to me!

Play doh provides tonnes of opportunities for questioning too!

We love it.

Do you?

In their 4+ Assessment, it is highly likely that your child will face a play doh activity. They could be asked to create something or it could be themed (eg. create something that we found in the story you listened to), they could be asked to use the play doh tools or they could simply be given a selection of play doh and freely choose what they would like to make.

Prepare them and prepare them well for this part of the Assessment. And if it doesn’t come up, who cares? You will have created amazing memories with your child and provided them with so many opportunities for play, growth, strength and just pure fun!

Preparing for your child’s 4+ Assessments? Join our Waiting List Today!

3 reasons you MUST attend my Webinar this Saturday @5pm (2/11/24)

In order to PASS the 4+ Assessments at your Target schools, you MUST understand the process of the 4+ Assessments at the school/s that you are targeting.

In my opinion, there are 3 Pillars of 4+ Assessment Success and if you are able to master these, your child will have no problem passing any 4+ Assessment.

In this incredible Webinar, I will share with you what I think the 4 Pillars of 4+ Assessment are.

Preparation

Personality

Perseverance

I will go into a lot of detail about all three of these and I will answer any questions that you might have about your child and the likelihood of them passing their 4+ Assessments.

I can tell straight away whether or not a child has any chance of passing a 4+ Assessment and I am always very honest with all of my clients.

In this Webinar, we will discuss:

In this Webinar, Maria will discuss:

1. The THREE pillars of 4+ Assessment Success

2. How to prepare for your target schools specifically

3. Common reasons for children not passing the 4+ Assessments at your Target schools and how to avoid this from happening to your child.

The biggest problem that I am seeing as I talk to more and more of you each and every day, is that there is a huge misunderstanding about the 4+ Assessment process.

Empower yourself (and your child!) by understanding the process and being in the position to go into any 4+ Assessment and being offered a place.

Education is very important to me. High quality education is even more important to me. I know how important this decision is for you. Choosing the best school for your child and choosing the best education for your child is one of the most important decisions that you will ever make.

Make the decision to invest your time and energy into coming to this Webinar and ensure success by knowing exactly what to expect in each of the Assessments that your child will be going to.

This Webinar is FREE but is worth thousands of pounds! I have 7 places remaining.

Attend to:

1. Know exactly what to expect in your child’s 4+ Assessments.

2. Understand the reasons why children were unsuccessful in previous years to your target schools

3. Know how to prepare your child to go in and pass any 4+ Assessme

Join today!

What is the Group Assessment at St Paul's all about (7+)?

Having prepared hundreds of boys for St Paul’s personally for over 15 years, let me tell you that this is a very hard school to be offered a place at.

If you have your heart set on sending your son to St. Paul’s you will have wanted to have started preparing him from birth.

Yes, that’s what I think!

If your son does well enough in the Written Assessment (round 1), he will be invited back to the Group Assessment (Round 2).

As long as your son achieves the percentage pass mark at Round 1, he will pass and be invited back. If he doesn’t achieve the pass mark, he won’t be.

Simple.

The Group Assessment is a half day Assessment. Your son will be in a group of about 10 boys and will take part in lessons (maths and english lessons specifically). There will also be a group problem solving task. Whilst your son is having his Assessment, parents will meet with the Head.

Parents tell me that you cannot prepare for the second round and this is just not true.

I have been preparing my boys to be incredibly successful in their Round 2 Assessment at St. Paul’s for many years.

In order to pass round 2, your son will need to:

• Show that they are genuinely curious about the world around them.

• Show that they are hungry to learn more and more.

• Show excellent listening.

• Be respectful and kind.

• Answer questions with confidence.

• Show independence.

• Show excellent team working skills.

• Be genuine. They will see right through any sort of rote learning or memorization.

If you want to prepare your son for his Assessment at St Pauls, start from at least the Autumn Term in which they begin Reception. We will no longer be working with parents starting later than this for St Paul’s.

There is no point.

It will also be assumed that you will have been working with your child prior to beginning formal tuition. It will be assumed that your child can already read by this point (we have our own criteria for assessing this).

Preparing for St Paul’s? Join our Waiting List Today.

All you need to know about the 7+ at Westminster Under.

There are only 22 places available at 7+.

Yes, that’s right!

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds will apply to Westminster!

WUS are looking ‘for potential in the boys and for boys who have natural ability and will therefore thrive here.’

Careful with how you interpret this sentence…

‘Our challenge is to find that potential, rather than simply select intensely-tutored boys, and whose natural ability will grow with the challenges a Westminster education provides.’

Most parents will read this and not tutor their children.

Don’t do this.

Your child still needs to achieve the pass mark to actually pass the Assessment!

WUS actually write that they do not want boys who have been tutored.

All boys will be ‘tutored’ for this assessment, whether you want to believe that or not. To me the word ‘tutored’ just means ‘taught’. You can of course teach or tutor your own son but please understand that each and every boy who will pass Round 1 will have been ‘tutored’ or taught and they will have achieved the very high percentage needed to pass the first round at WUS.

Maths Assessment- They expect that your child will be at master level in the Year 2 curriculum. In my experience of this school, assessment questions go way beyond the Year 2 curriculum.

Writing - It will be expected that your son will be able to write in any genre he is asked to write in.

Reading - Your son will have excellent comprehension skills and have a very high vocabulary.

Reasoning - Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning will be assessed.

50 boys (out of the hundreds and hundreds) will be invited back fro round 2. Out of these 50, 22 will be offered a place.

This will be a 50 minute classroom activity and interview. WUS are looking for boys with a ‘spark’ and a ‘passion’.

This is a wonderful school and one that we have prepared our students to be very successful at for over 15 years.

Take Assessment preparation very seriously if you plan to sit your son for his 7+ Assessment at WUS in 2026.

Join our Waiting List today.

Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment Report 2024

We finally received all of our results yesterday from Manor Lodge.

Some of our clients are delighted and thrilled and others are shocked and quite frankly devastated.

I am not shocked.

I know how hard it is to pass the 4+ Assessment at this school.

Myself and my team have personally been preparing our youngest students for Manor Lodge for many, many years.

Of course, I am sad for my clients and I am sad for the parents that I spoke to yesterday who were so distraught when they got their results. But I am definitely not surprised.

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

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

Both students who started with us at least 12 months ago passed and were offered a firm place at Manor Lodge.

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

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

1. Percentage of students who were offered a place at Forest (2025 Entry).

100% - As our results are of students who had at least 12 months of consistent, weekly tuition this means.

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

2. Number of students who have not been offered a place.

2 (either didn’t have enough tuition or didn’t have consistent tuition)

3. Three key reasons for success at Forest

• Consistent weekly tuition

• Regular communication between parents and teacher during the week between the lessons

• Consistent daily activity - Children completing all of the home learning sent each week

4. Three key reasons for failure at Forest

• Inconsistent weekly tuition (stopping and starting)

• Not completing the home learning tasks each week

• Not being ‘ready’ for the Assessment. Eg. Not answering the questions asked or not completing the tasks to the standard expected at this school.

Congratulations to all of our amazing students who have been incredibly successful. This is not an easy assessment to pass at all. We are all so incredibly proud of you all!

To those of you who were not successful, don’t let this get you down. Focus and move on. You have other Assessments to worry about now. You don’t want negative energy as your child will pick up on that. Take a few days to grieve if you need to, then brush yourself off and have faith in the process. If you work hard and take it seriously, you will be successful.

Our pricing will be increasing and our services will be changing from 1st November 2024. To secure our current rates, book your Sample lesson with a Senior Teacher today or Join our Waiting List to work with our Company Director from January/February 2025.

3 signs your child IS ready for the Latymer 7+ Assessment.

A popular school that we prepare children to be very successful at.

Latymer is a speciality of ours.

We know the school exceptionally well and what they are looking for.

We know because we have prepared children who have passed this 7+ Assessment (hundreds of them!) and we have prepared children who have not passed this 7+ Assessment. Generally, those who did not pass were those who didn’t have enough Assessment preparation (I have always recommended at least 12 months for 7+ Assessment prep at any top Inner or Outer London school)

Here are the 3 signs your child IS ready to sit their Latymer 7+ Assessment.

1. Your child is scoring 80-85% consistently in their comprehension papers.

Comprehension needs to be strong.

Vocabulary needs to be strong.

Spelling needs to be strong.

Use of punctuation needs to be strong.

Your child will be able to express their own opinions clearly and concisely and will have developed the skills of summarising, evaluating and predicting.

2. Your child has written at least 5 stories to the ‘Latymer standard’.

If you don’t know what the ‘Latymer standard’ is, I will publish a story for you later this week so you can see! If you need help with this, I have one place remaining in my story writing workshop which is next week.

3. Your child is scoring 80-85% consistently in their maths paper.

It is expected that your child is working at greater depth in the Year 2 maths curriculum.

Maths must be strong (the whole of the Year 2 Curriculum!)

IS your child ready for the Latymer 7+ Assessment?

Our expert team of 7+ teachers will ensure that they go into the Latymer Assessment with the highest possible chances of being successful.

Book your 15 minute Assessment Consultation Discovery Call and have all of your questions answered once and for all.

3 reasons why the 7+ at St Paul's is so hard to pass

I have personally prepared hundreds of boys for St Paul’s over the last 15 years (previously Colet Court).

I have seen what works and I have seen what doesn’t.

Here are 3 reasons why 7+ at St Paul’s is so hard to pass.

1.Starting too late.

You can absolutely be successful starting later but your son will need to study a lot more intensively than if they were to have started at least 12 months before the Assessment (which is what I advise)

If your son starts too late, it is going to be very hard to cover all of the curriculum at greater depths (which is the level expected at this school!)

St Paul’s write, ‘It is hoped that boys who apply are working at a Greater Depth standard within the Year 2 curriculum.’

This is not just the Autumn term curriculum. This is the whole of the Year 2 curriculum. So basically, your son will need to be at a year 3 standard at a minimum to even be in with a chance of passing the first round.

2. Not understanding the Assessment process well enough.

So much is expected of the boys in this Assessment. If you don’t understand the Assessment process well enough, how will you ever prepare your son to be able to pass?

3. Not being able to achieve the pass mark percentage.

When I prepare my boys for St Pauls (7+), I am aiming for 80- 85% in all papers. There is a reason for this!

It is very simple really.

If your son doesn’t achieve the the threshold percentage for passing the St Paul’s 7+ Assessment, they won’t be able to pass the first round.

Here’s a bonus reason for you.

Not preparing correctly for the interview.

We have personally prepared hundreds of boys for both rounds at this school.

We have had tremendous success at St Paul’s.

We would be delighted to support you to have the same.

Book your Complimentary 15 minute Assessment Consultation Discovery Call with our Company Director, Maria Mazarese to discuss your child's upcoming Assessments and how to best prepare for them.

Is it even possible to prepare for a 3+ Assessment?

This question really confuses me.

October is a big month for us here at Creative Minds Tutors as many of our students will be sitting their 3+ Assessments.

Yes, we teach children that are 2 years old.

Why is that so shocking to some of you?

My son is 27 months old. I’ve been teaching his since he was born.

Do you know how many calls I have had in the last 15 years from parents who are distraught that their child has not passed their 3+ Assessment to their dream school? Do you know how many of those parents sent their child to their Assessment without any formal prep?

Most.

Of course, it is upsetting for me when I speak to parents who are upset.

But it is so avoidable.

You must prepare your child for a 3+ Assessment.

My client asked me yesterday, ‘What are they even looking for from a two year old?’

Great question.

A very easy question for me to answer. But many of my clients or potential new clients do not know how to answer this question.

How can they ever have the success they want then?

As a mother or a father, none of us would be thrilled to receive a letter from our dream school telling us that our child has not passed their 3+.

So if you are preparing your child for the 3+ in the upcoming years.

Prepare them and prepare them well. Each school will have their pick of who they want to attend their school. They are so over subscribed. I know exactly what each school is looking for and I support my clients to go in to each Assessment and have the highest chances of passing each and every one.

It is possible to prepare for a 3+ Assessment. I will show you how.

Join the Waiting List for 2026 entry today.

If I only had 3 months left to prepare my son for the 4+ at UCS, here are 3 things I would do.

With only 32 places on offer and with this being one of the most popular boys’ schools in London, you will want to prepare thoroughly for this 4+ Assessment.

Perhaps you’ve had other things going on in your life and before you know it, we are already nearly in November! You realise you’ve not done enough to prepare your son for his UCS 4+ Assessment.

Fear not!

We have the best 4+ Assessment preparation for UCS. Our very small team of teachers have prepared hundreds of boys to be very successful at this school for over 15 years!

If I only had 3 month to prepare my son for the UCS 4+ Assessment and I wanted to ensure that my son went in as well prepared as possible, here are 3 things that I would do.

1.Book 3 months of Intensive tuition

Ok so it will be less than three months of tuition at this point of writing this blog but we want to get 3 months of intensive learning completed before the 4+ Assessment at UCS. I would suggest two Bronze packages per month for the next 3 months.

2. Educate myself

I would want to know exactly what to expect from the UCS 4+ Assessment. The only way to do this is to speak to someone who actually know.

3. Ensure my son can do the following 5 things to the highest of standards:

-Write his name

- Write numbers 1-10

- Write all letters of the alphabet

-Know all of his phonics (single sounds)

- Be able to do all EYFS activities with accuracy and precision (eg. lego, puzzles, cutting etc)

Many parents assume that their son will just go to the 4+ Assessment, show his brilliance and pass.

All parents think their children are brilliant.

Let that sink in.

Take the Assessment process seriously and prepare seriously and well. If not, prepare to fail.

Our pricing will be increasing from the end of October. To secure our current rate, book your Sample lesson today.

2 things you should never do if you are preparing your daughter for the 4+ Assessment at SHHS.

If you are preparing for South Hampstead at 4+ as many of my clients currently are, here are 2 things that you should NEVER do.

1. Pay attention to what is written in the Admissions Policy.

Just don’t.

Here are some statements you should not pay attention to.

‘No special preparation is necessary as no formal knowledge is expected.’

Preparation is 100% needed for South Hampstead at 4+.

I’m not sure what they mean by ‘formal’ knowledge. But I know with 100% certainty that knowledge is expected!

2. Have less than 10 months of Assessment preparation at this school.

The first Round at South Hampstead this year is in early November (so in a few weeks as per the date of writing this Blog). I’m receiving so many enquiries now from parents who would like us to support their child with their Assessment prep for South Hampstead at 4+.

It’s too late.

We of course help. all parents who come to us for help but it is far too late. Unless your child is at the standard that they need to be, there is only so much you can do with 3 weeks.

It is my hope that if you are reading this Blog, you will take the 4+ Assessment process seriously and prepare your child to the highest quality.

If not, I really do not see the point in sending a 3/4 year old into an Assessment (which is definitely NOT a playdate)

Preparing for this school for 2026 entry?

Join our Waiting list today (January/February 2025 start)

3 Ways to MESS UP Highgate 4+ Assessment Preparation.

Highgate is one of the schools that offer the hardest 4+ Assessments in my personal opinion.

The First round of Assessments for Highgate will take place early to mid November (4th -15th November).

If your child passes the first round, they will be called back to the second round which will take place early to mid January (7th - 16th January).

Here are 3 ways I’ve seen hundreds of parents mess up 4+ Assessment preparation at this school.

1) Assume that 60 places is a lot of places.

It’s not.

Given that hundreds and hundreds of children will be assessed for entry to this school, 60 places is a very small number.

Some parents that I speak to feel more relaxed because there are 60 places ad therefore usually and historically have started preparing for the Highgate 4+ Assessment later and later.

Do not do this!

2) Underestimate the complexity of the curriculum covered at Highgate in the 4+ Assessments.

Never ever assume that the 4+ Assessments will be the same at each school that you have applied to. They will not be.

Many parents that I have spoken to historically (as in over the last 15 years) have used words like ‘rigorous’, ‘hard’ and ‘over whelming’ when describing the 4+ Assessment at this school. Prepare well so that you don’t need to feel this way!

3) Not prepare their children well enough.

What I mean by this is not preparing their child to be able to go into Highgate and do everything that they are asked to do to the highest possible standard.

You want your child to be offered a place at Highgate at 4+?

Prepare them well and take the process seriously.

If not, you will most likely be contacting me or another tutoring company for 7+ Assessment prep which is far harder and complex and there are far fewer places available and you need twice the amount of prep in order to even have a chance to be successful.

Preparing for Highgate for 2026 entry? Join our Waiting List Today. Once purchased, you will be contacted to secure your time and day for weekly tuition from January 2025.

Preparing for Highgate for 2025 entry? Book your Sample lesson with a Senior Tutor today. You don’t have much time but you will have a far better chance if you start now than if you do not!

Should I tell my child that they are being assessed or not (4+)?

To my brain this is like asking me, ‘Should I tell my child that they are going to the park or not?’

It makes no logical sense.

Why would you not tell your child that they are being assessed?

Ok, perhaps not using those words (a 3 year old will not know what assessed means unless you explain it to them).

Here is what tends to happen…

I speak to a parent who perhaps enquires about 4+ Assessment preparation and he or she says something along these lines…

‘My child is only 3/4, I don’t want them to be stressed out.’

‘My child is only 3/4, I don’t want them to know that they are going to an assessment.’

‘My child is only 3/4, it’s not right for them to be assessed.’

I say to them something along these lines…

Your child should not be stressed out at the age of 3/4. I don’t understand why you don’t want them to know that they are going to an assessment when that is just merely a fact. It is right that they are being assessed because that is what YOU have chosen for them.

Usually, I am met with disbelief and the parent continues with his or her strategy of NOT telling the child that they are being assessed.

So what tends to happen on the day of the assessment?

The child goes in and ‘messes around’, doesn’t following instructions, doesn’t listen to the story being read to them, doesn’t focus and pay attention. Then the parent phones me and tells me that their child did not pass (in most instances). And they are surprised about it.

MAKES

NO

SENSE.

They set their child up to fail.

FACT.

They told them - ‘You are going on a play date.’

Hmm.

Ok, what does your child do an a play date?

PLAY.

That is not what an assessment is about and if that is what you think, you are very misinformed and mistaken.

So yes. Please tell you child they are being assessed and tell them EXACTLY what they should expect on the day.

And if you don’t do this, don’t be surprised at the outcome.

Let’s take this process seriously if we want to have serious success.

Forest (2025 Entry) 4+ Assessment Report

I’ve never done this before but as so many of you want to know our success rates and results, I am going to be very transparent and I will be writing a report for each school that we prepare our students for at 4+.

We will begin with Forest.

The results came out yesterday.

There have been a full spectrum of emotions. Anger, despair, joy, happiness, sadness and gratitude.

This report is based on the results of our students who had nearly 10 months of Assessment preparation. This is because I recommend 12 months of Assessment preparation at this school. Last year none of our students started a full year before. This year, I am thrilled to say that several parents have already started preparing their children with us for Forest (2026 entry).

1. Percentage of students who were offered a place at Forest (2025 Entry)

100% - Myself and my team prepared 6 children for their 4+ Assessment at Forest (those who had consistent weekly tuition for 10 months). All of these children were successful yesterday when they received their results!

All of our students who had CONSISTENT weekly tuition passed their Assessment at Forest.

2. Number of students who have been Waitlisted

2

I will update the report once places have been finalised. I strongly believe that these students will be offered a place at Forest.

3. Three key reasons for success at Forest

• Consistent weekly tuition

• Regular communication between parents and teacher during the week between the lessons

• Consistent daily activity - Children completing all of the home learning sent each week

4. Three key reasons for failure at Forest

• Inconsistent weekly tuition (stopping and starting)

• Not completing the home learning tasks each week

• Not being ‘ready’ for the Assessment. Eg. Not answering the questions asked or not completing the tasks to the standard expected at this school.

Congratulations to all of our amazing students who have been incredibly successful. This is not an easy assessment to pass at all. We are all so incredibly proud of you all!

This is why your Kensington Prep Assessment preparation may NOT be working.

The Ken Prep 4 plus Assessment is one we have been preparing for for years and years.

We have over 15 years of experience preparing girls to be extremely successful at this school.

So you’ve applied to Kensington Prep and you’ve been to visit it. You’ve decided this is the school for your daughter. Perhaps you’ve prepared her a little bit. Perhaps you’ve been unsure about how to prepare her. Perhaps you’ve spoken to a few parents who have provided you with snippets of information about the Assessment (I would avoid listening to what other parents tell you about the assessment!).

Now the Assessment is approaching and you are feeling more and more anxious about it. I don’t blame you.

This is a VERY challenging school to get into.

Without the correct preparation, it will be virtually impossible to pass the 4+ Assessment at this school.

The Ken Prep 4+ Assessment is 60 minutes long. Your daughter will need stamina and focus to be able to last the full 60 minutes! We prepare all our girls to be able to go into Ken Prep and focus to the best of their abilities. Your daughter will be observed with a small group of girls by the Assessors at Ken Prep (these are usually members of the SLT or teachers within the school).

Being successful at Ken prep means preparing your daughter to be able to go in and answer questions well, focus, show confidence and independence, be able to interact well with children and adults and have the stamina to complete the full 60 minute assessment and complete it well!

Kensington Prep write that they are looking for girls ‘who are alert and curious with an enthusiasm to learn.’

Alert

Curious

Enthusiasm for learning

This is EXACTLY what they will be observing.

If you are NOT preparing specifically for these three things then it is very likely that your 4+ Assessment preparation may NOT be working.

When we prepare our girls for their 4+ at Ken Prep, we focus specifically on these three main aspects. That is why we have the success that we have at Ken Prep!

Book your Sample Lesson Today!

Everything you need to know about preparing your child to be successful in the Glendower 4+ Assessment

Glendower is a very popular school that we prepare our students for at 4+.

We have tremendous success at the school and the reason for this is that we know exactly what the school are looking for in their prospective new students.

Over the years, we have had children pass this assessment and we have seen children not pass this assessment.

Usually, the girls who do not pass this Assessment are the girls that:

1. Started tuition less than 3 months before their Assessment at Glendower

2. Did not have the confidence to go into the Assessment

3. Were not ready for the activities that they were asked to complete.

The Glendower 4+ Assessment involves being assessed in very small groups of 6 girls. Four adults will be observing. Glendower are looking for:

Social maturity

Readiness to learn

Cooperation

Flexibility

A ‘can do’ approach to learning

Excellent language and vocabulary

Strong mathematical skills

letter recognition

Ability to follow instructions

40 places are offered for entry to 4+ at Glendower. Hundreds and hundreds of girls will have applied to sit Assessment at this school.

Is your daughter going to be able to demonstrate all of the skills listed above?

If show doesn’t, she will not pass her 4+ Assessment at this school.

Simple.

Ensure she is ready by working with us. Our team of expert teachers will support you every step of the way. With us, you don’t just get one lesson a week. You get one lesson a week and ongoing communication with your teacher. Your teacher will be available to you 24/7. No one else offers this!

Book your Sample Lesson Today!

Independence of thought or being told what to think.

When I turned 18 (nearly 22 years ago!), I had no idea what I wanted.

I remember the day as though it were yesterday. I remember it so vividly. I remember that I was in my room and my mum came in and asked me what I wanted to do with my life.

I had no idea.

No one had ever truly asked me that question before. Perhaps on a superficial level but not on a deep level of actually knowing what I wanted to do with my life.

I remember as a student, being told that I was wrong. The problem was that at times I thought I was right! But I was still told that I was wrong. And I listened. I always wanted to be a good little girl.

That’s why when I became a teacher and an educator, I decided that I would never tell my students what to think. Ever. I would never tell them that they were wrong if they had an opinion. I would never tell them that they should be ashamed or afraid to get things wrong. In fact, I did the opposite.

Even when my students are ‘wrong’, I challenge them to explain to me how they got that answer. If they get things ‘wrong’, I tell them to be proud that they got it ‘wrong’ and then go and figure out how to get it ‘right’. I don’t want fearful students in my classes. I don’t want my students to be afraid to make mistakes. I have worked in so many classrooms where my students would be heart - broken if they scored below a certain percentage in their exams or if they didn’t know the answer to a question. It took me months to get rid of this belief system that they had to be right all the time.

It is so limiting.

I never tell my students what to think. I encourage them to develop their own processes from a very young age.

I have a student that I’ve taught since she was 6. She is now 11. I am so proud of the young lady that she has become. She is not afraid to be wrong. She used to be. She is not worried to get things wrong. She tells me that she will figure it out. I am so proud that I was a small part of supporting her to be able to be proud of her mistakes and to take risks, to get things wrong and to try again. What an amazing future she has in front of her.

I know that when she is 18 and her mother asks her what she wants to do, that she will either know or that she won’t be afraid to admit that she doesn’t and be brave enough to go and figure it out!

I am proud to be a very small part of helping her to be the brave, strong, tenacious and fearless woman that she is becoming.

Parents and teachers, please stop telling children that they are wrong. Please encourage our children to not be afraid to be wrong. Encourage them to get things wrong rather than always strive to get things right.

Spoon feeding V Using their own hands.

Having worked at several top pre-preps in Central London and at state schools/academies all across London for nearly 15 years, I have observed many styles of teaching. I worked as SLT at several of the schools I taught at and I had to observe teachers teaching their students.

There are two distinct teaching styles in my opinion.

The first one is what I call ‘Spoon Feeding’. The second one is what I call ‘Allowing children to use their own hands.’

In the society that we are currently living in, it is vital that we teach our children to be able to ‘use their own hands.’

What I mean by this is having their own independence of thought. Having the opportunity to problem solve without heavy guidance and being able to make mistakes without freezing and thinking that something has gone terribly wrong.

I observed one lesson in a year two classroom in which the teacher was teaching writing (I was English Head at this school). She spent the whole lesson modelling the writing to the children and the children essentially copied her writing. Some of the more advanced writers were able to change some of the words but the majority of the children ended up having identical pieces of writing. The writing was excellent. But here is the problem.

It was HER writing.

She spoon fed the children. What had they actually learnt?

They had learnt how to copy words off a screen.

Their books looked beautiful and neat but it wasn’t their writing.

When I asked a group of children to write a sentence independently for their introduction describing their character, they could not do this.

One of them said to me, ‘Miss, what shall I write?’ Another one said to me, ‘Is this right?’

Oh dear.

Another lesson I observed, the teacher had set up tables with visual stimuli such as objects, jewels and story books and she simply asked the children to hold the objects and describe them using their own words. She then provided the children with envelopes that contained three adjectives and asked them to put the adjectives into their sentences.

Their books didn’t look as good as the other teacher’s books but it was THEIR OWN work.

Do you see the difference?

When should you start preparing for the Guildford High 4+ Assessment?

I’ve now spoken to all of my clients who have sat their daughters for their 4+ Assessment at GHS.

The 4+ Assessment at this school was challenging. I of course will not be revealing much about it in this blog but I wanted to say one thing.

If you are preparing your daughter for GHS next year (2026 entry), you should be looking to start now.

12 months will be the sweet spot when preparing for Guildford High School.

There is far too much to cover. The Assessment is far too challenging. Expectations are high and the school is very over-subscribed.

Book your Sample Lesson with a Senior Tutor today.

5 reasons you shouldn't listen to the advice to 'not tutor your child!'

With OpenDays currently in full swing, I know that many of you will be hearing this famous phrase…

‘We strongly recommend you don’t tutor your child in preparation for their 4+ Assessment!’

I worked in a very popular Central London pre-prep and we used to tell parents the same (knowing full well, each and every one of them tutored their children!)

I know many of you really look up to these schools and respect what they tell you. However, I strongly recommend you don’t listen to this advice and here are 5 reasons why.

1. 85% of students will have been carefully prepared.

2. These top schools are incredibly over subscribed. Think that applications will be in the high hundreds with very few spaces available.

3. If you don’t prepare your child, how on earth do you expect them to do everything that they will be asked to do in their 4+ Assessment?

4. Most of my clients who have followed this advice in the past, have not been successful at passing the 4+ Assessments.

5. Most of my clients who didn’t prepare their children for their 4+ Assessments, are now preparing with us for their 7+ or 11+ Assessments (or anything in between!)

The schools will tell you that they know which child has been tutored and which child hasn’t been tutored. I would ask them this question. ‘How can you tell?’

I don’t think any one has ever asked them!

If they give you an answer, let me know what they say! I’d love to know!

How can you tell a child has been tutored? And why would it go against them?

I’ve been teaching my son since he was 1. Would it go against him in a 4+ Assessment if he was able to answer all of the questions and do all of the tasks that he was asked to do?

I doubt it very much!