Ready to prepare your child to be extremely successful in all of their 4+ Assessments?

The CMT Curriculum is all you need to support your child with their 4+ Assessments. This curriculum has been created after 15 years of extensive research an of preparing thousands of children for their 4+ Assessments at all top inner and outer London schools. I know exactly what is needed for your child to pass their 4+ Assessments at each individual school.

The CMT 4+ Emerald Curriculum is a bespoke, tailored plan for YOUR child to support them with their 4+ Assessment preparations.

Included in your 4+ Emerald Curriculum is personalised help and support from our Company Director Maria Mazarese.

Included in the CMT 4+ Emerald Curriculum will be ongoing 24/7 email support so any questions that you have about your child’s learning can be answered immediately.

Preparing for the 4+ Assessments can sometimes feel impossible to do. You have made the decision to send your child for their 4+ Assessments but you probably:

• Don’t know where to start

• Don’t know how often you should be doing things with your child

• Don’t know which resources will be relevant to your child

• Don’t fully understand what could potentially let your child down in their Assessments

• Waste time searching for resources that may be irrelevant

• Are worried about spending money on expensive tuition that may not even lead to the results that you want.

  Endless worry and not really knowing how to prepare your child for each individual school leaves you doubting, procrastinating and stuck. You deserve a way to empower yourself to know that you are doing everything in your power to prepare your child to go into any 4+ Assessment and have the highest possible chances for success. That is truly what I want for you and why I personally created this incredible programme.

  Turn your child’s 4+ Assessment preparations into a recipe for success.

  Step 1

  Choose the 4+ EMERALD Curriculum Package that works best for you.

  Option 1

  The Creative Minds Tutors 4+ EMERALD Curriculum (Months 1-3) with weekly tuition (with our Company Director or with a Senior Teacher.

  £260 per month + £50 Registration fee (one month notice to cancel)

  £220 per month + £50 Registration fee (one month notice to cancel)

  Option 2

  The Creative Minds Tutors 4+ EMERALD Curriculum (Months 1-3) without weekly tuition

  £260 per month + £50 Registration fee (one month notice to cancel)

  £220 per month + £50 Registration fee (one month notice to cancel)

  Both options include 24/7 email support.

  Step 2

  Say goodbye to overwhelm and confusion. You’ll start off with the EMERALD curriculum and we will tell you the exact steps to support your child to succeed in any 4+ Assessment.

  Step 3

  Teach your child to be the strongest they can be in all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum.

  Spend zero time searching for resources and have more time as a family.

  Accelerate your child’s learning with our incredible EMERALD curriculum. In just 3 months you will watch your child grow and develop in ways that you probably didn’t even think could be possible.

• All resources will be prepared for you and all you need to do is print.

• Any books you need to purchase will have a clickable link so you can just buy what you need.

• Ongoing 24/7 access to our Company Director to have any question answered.

  What you will get:

• The Creative Minds Tutors 4+ EMERALD Curriculum (Months 1-3)

• Unlimited expert support

• Peace of mind that you are covering the correct curriculum for your target schools.

• If you join by January 31st you will get this fantastic BONUS!

  One complimentary Additional Consultation with Maria Mazarese (worth £120)

  Are you ready?

  If you need a little more guidance and to discuss this further, book your FREE Assessment Consultation Discovery Call today.

What to expect from the 'Expect no Less than Habs Round 2 4+ Success' Intensive Course.

The second round at Haberdashers’ for both the boys’ and the girls’ 4+ Assessment will be very challenging to pass.

Hundreds of children will have been called back to sit their Round 2 Assessment at these very popular schools and only 40 boys and 40 girls will be offered a place.

Your child will have about a 1:3 chance of being successful.

That ratio is not one that you want to leave to chance or to luck.

It is one that you will want to prepare your child for… thoroughly.

With just over two weeks remaining until the Habs’ Boys’ and Girls’ 4+ Assessment (Round 2), I am offering you this very rare and very precious opportunity. To work intensively with your child for 7 days to ensure they are ready to pass the second round.

If you are looking for laser focus and massive action, this is the course for you. If you want to ‘leave it to chance’ and ‘just see how it goes’, this course is not for you.

We will have 5 precious lessons together on the following dates:

7/1/25 @ 6

8/1/25 @ 6

9/1/25 @4

10/1/25 @4

11/1/25 @

We will meet everyday on Zoom (I will only be sharing the audio recording with clients who sign up to this course) - If you are unable to attend, you will receive the recording to complete at your own time.

After each lesson, you will receive an intensive learning pack to complete in the evening/morning before the next lesson.

You can share videos and photos with your teacher to receive detailed feedback and guidance about how to improve.

After this intensive course, your child will be in the best possible position to go into the Habs’ Round 2 Assessment and show the Assessors exactly what they are looking for.

Passing Round 1 is amazing but it is not an indication that they will pass the second round.

Remember this. I have prepared children for this school for over 15 years. I know exactly what it takes for your child to pass their Round 2 Assessment and I know exactly the calibre of student who will be offered a place at this school at 4+.

1 final place remaining.

The Secret to Successful NLCS Assessment Preparation (4+)

Know what the school are actually looking for in their prospective new students.

Your daughter will need thorough and bespoke tuition for NLCS. You absolutely must only work with a teacher who has real and actual experience with this school.

NLCS is one of the hardest schools to get into at 4+ (and 7+!) but today I am talking about the 4+.

Don’t ever underestimate how hard it will be to get into this school.

This school is so overly subscribed each year. Hundreds of parents want their daughter to go to North London Collegiate School.

Having visited it several times myself and even having lunch there once with the teachers, I have seen exactly what it is like to be at this school. Their facilities are exceptional and the grounds are just divine. I get it!

I have prepared hundreds of girls for the 4+ Assessment at NLCS over the last 15 years and what I’ve learnt is this. Passing the first round is very challenging. As in, it’s very hard to pass!

If your daughter does pass, passing the second round is also challenging but not as challenging as the first round.

If your daughter makes it to the second round, it’s because NLCS have seen that she is the right fit for their school. They have seen through assessing her that she will be able to thrive at their school. In the second round, they will be assessing her further, deeper and more thoroughly.

In my experience passing the first round is the hardest part.

NLCS have a very specific Assessment criteria in the sense of what they are looking for.

Work with a teacher who knows this well and who can actually support your daughter to gain entry into this school.

We have supported girls to be very successful at gaining entry to NLCS for over 15 years. In fact, I supported one of my oldest students with her Spanish GCSE last year! She worked with me when she was 6 and I prepared her for her 7+ at NLCS!

Book your Sample Lesson today.

10 ways to prepare your child for their 4+ Assessments over the Christmas break.

Preparing a 3-year-old for an assessment is all about making it fun, interesting and engaging. At this age, it’s important to keep things simple and playful so they feel comfortable and happy. If your child isn’t enjoying their learning, something has gone terribly wrong and you need to check how you are approaching the Assessment preparations.

Here’s how you can help your child continue to get ready over the festive period:

1. Keep it Playful

Learning must always be fun otherwise it is no longer considered learning. Have some fun music on in the background and invite your child to join you to complete some of their learning. Have some of their favourite snacks ready and have a visually interesting learning environment set up.

2. Use Songs and Rhymes

Children love songs and rhymes. You can sing songs about the alphabet, numbers, or animals to help them remember things in a fun way. Read books that have rhymes in them - there are hundreds! Here are a few just for you!

3. Do tasks in short, sharp bursts.

Short and sharp. Plan to do tasks in short, sharp bursts. Do an activity and then move onto another. Your child will undoubtedly love doing somethings more than other - eg. cutting over counting or role play over colouring. Mix things up. Plan to do things that you know your child loves mixed with things that they don’t love as much.

4. Talk About the Assessment in a Calm but Honest way.

Many parents disagree with me on this one. They don’t think that their 3 year old should know that they are going into an Assessment. You don’t even need to use the word Assessment but make sure that your child knows exactly what you are sending them into!

5. Always use positive language.

Never refer to learning in a negative way. Always talk about it in a positive way.

6. Create a Routine

Many of my clients have taken some time off during the festive period. Some have taken a week off and other have taken 3 weeks off. Others have gone on holiday across the world and have continued to meet with me. Whatever you’ve decided to do, please don’t tell me that you’ve done nothing with your child during your break. You must continue with your study routine over the Christmas break. It really doesn’t matter how long you spend on the learning, what matters is consistently practising what needs to be practised in order for your child to be able to pass their Assessment.

7. Make Sure They’re Well-Rested

Try to keep up with a decent sleep routine over the Christmas break. Your child will need to be very well rested for their 4+ Assessments in January.

8. Stay Calm and Supportive

Kids pick up on how adults feel, so if you stay calm and relaxed, they will too.

9. Consistent work on the EYFS Curriculum

Focus on all areas of the EYFS Curriculum and dip into these areas every single day.

10. Don’t stress

We don’t know what the outcome will be. That is not in our control. The only thing that we have control over is how well we prepare our children to be in the best position to pass.

Final 5 places remaining to work with me from January 2025. Book your Sample Lesson Today.

The main reason you cannot prepare for a 4+ Assessment on your own.

I’ve spoken to several parents these last few weeks who have told me that they simply do not need my support. They’ve told me that they know what they need to do. They’ve told me that it’s simply not that hard.

And they are wrong.

I mean, I hope they are right. I hope that their children get into their target schools. I know what a huge decision this is for them to have to make. I’m currently having to make the same decision for my son who is turning 3 in July.

Guess what? Even myself and my partner will be seeking the support of professionals who can guide us. I am open to being humble and learning from experts who can guide us in making the best possible decision for the most precious person in our lives. Our son.

It often surprises me when I hear these sorts of comments. Why would parents risk it?

The reason is that they’ve not been through this process before. I have. I’ve been through this process for over 15 years now. I’ve supported hundreds of parents with their children’s 4+ Assessment preparation. I still speak to clients that I supported many years ago. I still want to know how my students are getting on.

If you’ve never been through the process before, you just simply cannot understand it.

But they will. When I hear from them in January/February and they tell me how their children got on.

You cannot prepare for a 4+ Assessment on your own because you do not know what the school/s that you are applying for are even looking for in their prospective new students. I do.

How can you prepare for something that you do not understand?

We have several very important Assessments coming up in the next few weeks for our students’ 4+ Assessments, including Habs’ Round 2 (boys and girls), Highgate Round 2, NLCS and South Hampstead.

I really hope that if you are preparing for these schools that you are taking the process seriously and that you are working every single day with your child on their learning.

I wish you all tremendous success with the 4+ Assessments.

Habs' Boys' Round 2 - Expectations.

Your son has passed the first round at Habs’ Boys’ for the 4+ Assessment.

Congratulations!

A very hard assessment to pass and many parents are not in the same position that you are in right now. You have clearly prepared your son very well to make it this far.

Round 2 is yet to come.

Perhaps you are feeling a mixture of emotions. Excitement, fear, nervousness and perhaps a little unsure.

Not to worry.

I’ve been preparing students for Haberdashers’ Boys’ and Girls’ for over 15 years.

A key difference between the first round and the second round is that in the second round your son will be seen on a one-to-one basis. The first round, your son will have mainly been assessed as part of the group that he was in. Another difference is that the Assessment is shorter - 60 minutes compared to 90 minutes in the first round.

You will also have your parent interviews. If you would like to discuss these further with me, book your Additional Consultation here.

What you want to focus on is the following:

Questioning - Your son will need to answer questions to a very high standard and quality.

Ability to solve problems - Problem solving has come up a lot historically in the second round of the Assessment at Habs’ Boys’.

Academic Capability - Your son will need to demonstrate excellent academic capability in all of the areas of the EYFS that they will be assessed on:

• communication and language.

• personal, social and emotional development.

• physical development.

• literacy.

• mathematics.

• understanding the world.

• expressive arts and design.

I have three spaces available for my exceptional Intensive Course.

Book your son’s place today.

Lessons learnt from the Habs' Boys' and Girls' Round 1 Assessment Results.

Wow!

What a day Friday 20th December was for all of us here at Creative Minds Tutors.

It was a whirl wind of excitement. Receiving all of those messages from our clients blew my mind.

I know with certainty that we are the best at preparing for Haberdashers’ boys’ and girls’ not only at 4+ but at all ages and entry points. As a company, we have been preparing for this school for 4 years. Personally, I have been preparing children for this school for over 15 years. To work with me means gaining valuable insights into this incredible school and being in the best possible position to actually be offered a place.

Enough about me.

Onto my incredible students who clearly stole the show!

They clearly performed better than most other boys in the Assessment given that ALL of our boys passed their first round! It was slightly harder for our girls (I’ll publish our results later today - the boys’ results were published yesterday on our Instagram page @creative_minds _tutors)

Here is was we have learnt so far from the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ Assessment.

• They are looking for calm and confident boys.

• They are looking for boys who follow instructions well.

• They are looking for boys with strong academic capabilities (more of this will be explored in round 2)

Here is was we have learnt so far from the Habs’ Gilrs’ 4+ Assessment.

• They are looking for girls who are compliant and follow instructions perfectly.

• They are looking for girls who listen well all of the time.

• They are looking for girls with strong academic capabilities (more of this will be explored in round 2)

Our boys had varying preparation times. Some started preparing 9-12 months ago and some started preparing 3 months ago. They have all passed. Will this make a difference in Round 2? I will of course let you know.

Our girls also had varying preparation times. However, the girls who passed round 1 were the ones who have 9-12 months of Assessment preparation. Those who had less than this did not pass.

Habs’ Boys’ also had a very strong focus on the physical assessment, Habs’ girls’ did too but not as much focus on this as at the boys’ assessment. Habs’ for sure are looking for strong and confident boys and girls to come to their school.

Perhaps this shows you just how hard it is to pass this Assessment.

Round 2 will be even tougher! I don’t know the exact number of children called back but it will at least be 150. With only 40 places available at both Habs’ Boys’ and Girls’ are your really going to leave it to chance? Please don’t. You’ve worked way too hard to get to this point for me to let you do that!

Onto Round 2!

We are at full capacity but will be offering Curriculum Coaching to the first 5 children who book their Sample week by today.

Why the VAT increase has had no impact on many parents.

When the government first announced the 20% VAT increase on fees, I had mixed responses from my clients and parents that I speak to every single day.

Some were initially outraged. Others expected it. Others were indifferent about it.

A 20% increase on yearly private school fees will of course make a difference but I was fascinated to see how little parents were bothered by this.

And let me tell you why.

The clients we work with love investing in their children’s education. I am the same.

When I spend money on my son’s education, it delights me. Especially if I know that it is of tremendous value. Our clients value their child’s private school’s education and they see it as value for money.

I personally don’t know of anyone who has removed their child from their private school education to go to state school because of the VAT increase on termly fees.

Some parents have said to me that there will be more places available now that the VAT increase has been confirmed to be going ahead from the 1st of January 2025. This is absolutely NOT the case. These top private schools are more over subscribed than ever.

Preparing for a 2026 Assessment? Book your Sample Lesson today (please note this will be in January 2025)

Your child coming out of their 4+ Assessment happily is NOT an indication that they have passed.

So many parents are very excited when their child comes out of their 4+ Assessment happily. They make it mean that they did well and that they most likely have passed.

It does not mean this.

Of course, it’s great if your child comes out all smiles, happy and telling you with excitement and energy everything that they did (especially after a 90 minute assessment)! and of course you don’t want your child to come out upset, crying and telling you that they didn’t have a good time.

However, be very careful not to make it mean that they passed because they came out happily.

These 4+ Assessments are carefully designed by EYFS experts to be fun, exciting and engaging. How else would a 3 or 4 year old manage to stay in the Assessment for 60-90 minutes? The 4+ Assessments are supposed to be ‘fun’ for your child.

But hear me when I say, it is not the deciding factor.

As a parent what I would want to ask my child would be these questions:

What did you do?

Did you follow the instructions?

Did you listen to the teacher well?

Did you answer her questions?

What did you say?

What did she ask you?

Which activities did you do?

These will all give you an insight into whether or not they have passed their 4+ Assessment.

We now have to wait 2 full days until we receive our Haberdashers’ Round 1 results and I am so excited to hear how our little loves got on!

Preparing for the 4+ Assessment for 2026 entry? Book your Sample Lesson Today (please note that these will now be in January 2025)

Your child being nearly 12 months younger than their winter born peers means very little in the 4+ Assessments.

Their final percentage score will be age-adjusted but please don’t think that this will be a huge adjustment. It won’t be.

A lot of parents that I speak to have the belief that because their child is summer born that they will some how be assessed differently in their 4+ Assessments.

They seem to think that the expectation of their summer born child will be different in their 4+ Assessments.

They think that their summer born child will not have to do things to the standard of an autumn/winter born child.

They would be wrong.

When parents start working with myself or my team, they will often tell me something like this…

‘She is summer born so she can’t cut as well as she should.’

‘He is an August baby so his vocabulary/speech isn’t as well developed as his peers.’

‘She is July born and therefore cannot hold her pencil.’

In their minds they are merely stating facts. To me these all sound like justifications.

The harsh reality is that all of these are irrelevant in the 4+ Assessments.

The expectation will be just as high.

Your child WILL need to cut with accuracy and precision.

Your child WILL need to hold their pencil correctly.

Your child WILL be expected to answer questions in detail and have excellent vocabulary.

My child is a July baby. I don’t even take his birthday into consideration when it comes to his learning development. He WILL be able to do everything he ‘should be able to do’ just as well as an autumn/winter born baby in his cohort.

Preparing for the 4+ Assessments for 2026 entry? Book your Sample Lesson today.

3 Reasons top Schools Tell Parents Not To Prepare their children for the 4+ Assessments

Why exactly do these top schools tell parents NOT to prepare their children for their 4+ Assessments?

I get this question all… the… time.

My clients go to the open days at their desired schools and they are told this…

‘You do not need to prepare your children for their Assessment.’

‘Tuition is not necessary.’

‘We will know who has been tutored.’

It is utterly confusing for them when they hear this.

Should they believe what they are told?

90% of parents will believe this and they will not prepare their children. Most of these children will not be offered places at their desired schools.

10% will be sceptical and wonder if this is really the case or not. 10% will choose to thoroughly prepare their children anyway. Most of these children will be successful and will be offered a place at their desired school.

Obviously, you need to work with the best teachers and not every teacher is of the same calibre when it comes to 4+ Assessment preparation.

Having worked in top pre - prep and prep school myself, I have witnessed senior leaders telling parents not to prepare their children for these assessments and of course they would never tell us why.

Here is what I personally think.

3 Reasons top Schools Tell Parents Not To Prepare their children for the 4+ Assessments

1. They want to downplay the complexity of these assessments.

If parents truly knew how challenging it was to get into their dream schools, perhaps they wouldn’t even bother trying?

2. They don’t think parents wouldn’t take them seriously anyway.

Preparing a 2/3 year old for an assessment is ludicrous isn’t it? Obviously I don’t think so and neither do my clients who so far have been offered a place at all of their target schools!

3. They want the process to seem easier than it is.

The 4+ Assessments are far from easy but the majority of parents that speak to me have no idea about this.

I would never send my 2 year old into a 4+ Assessment unprepared. Even if I was told by the school not to prepare him, I would thoroughly prepare him. I don’t think it would be fair to send him into a room to be assessed if he was unprepared.

Would you?

Preparing for the 4+ Assessments for 2026 entry? Book your Sample Lesson today.

How is Physical Development Assessed in the 4+ Assessments?

As Physical Development is one of the 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, it is obvious that it will be assessed in your child’s 4+ Assessment. Do not neglect this part of 4+ Assessment preparation. It is just as important as the others. Probably more so, in fact. Because without excellent physical development your child will struggle with the other areas of learning.

Physical development in the early years refers to the growth of the body and brain from birth through early childhood. This includes:

Changes in body size

Muscle strength

Balance

Co-ordination

Sensory development

Movement and handling.

3 key skills of physical development will be assessed in your child’s 4+ Assessment. These are:

Gross - The use of the whole body - eg. crawling, walking and running.

Fine - Activities that involve the smaller muscles of the body - eg. pinching, grasping and handling.

Stability - controlled and coordinated movement using the strength of the core eg. balancing.

Physical development is closely linked to mark making which is another important area that is assessed in the 4+ Assessments. If your child hasn’t developed excellent fine motor skills, they will struggle with holding their pencil/pen and will therefore find it challenging to write.

When my clients think about physical development they usually think about the gross motor skills that will be assessed but I would like you think about all three motor skills being assessed.

Physical Development could be assessed in the following ways:

A sports activity - eg. A good kick around with a ball or throwing and catching a smaller ball.

A balance activity - Walking across a ribbon without touching the floor.

Mark making - making marks on a page, following carefully the lines with their pencil/pen.

Letter formation and number formation - Accurate letter formation and number formation will be assessed

Physical development is an amazing part of the early years and we need to ensure that our children are having countless opportunities to just move more. Be offered opportunities to handle small items/objects (with supervision obviously) and to develop and strengthen those little hands.

Preparing for the 4+ for 2026 entry?

Join our Waiting List Today.

Will your son pass the Habs' Boys' 4+ Assessment?

I’ve spoken to over 200 parents this year who have contacted me to ask about the Haberdashers’ Boys’ 4+ Assessment.

Oh my what a popular school this is!

If I had to guess how many boys will be sitting their 4+ Assessment next week at Habs’ Boys’, I would guess at least the very high hundreds.

With 40 places available, this is going to be a tough competition for these 3 and 4 year old boys!

Habs’ Boys’ have ‘very high expectations for their students’ and this is obvious in their 4+ selection process.

Will your son pass the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ Assessment?

Obviously we cannot answer this and we will have to wait and see but let me share some insights with you.

The boys who have passed both rounds at Habs’ Boys’ over the last 15 years that we have preparing them have always been those boys who have had at least 9 months of consistent Assessment preparation. Parents will say to me, ‘But Habs’ say not to tutor children in preparation for their 4+ Assessments.’

Ok, good luck with that! Let me know how you get on!

Parents will then ask me, ‘But why do they write that then or why did they tell us that then?’

Who cares?

Spend your time preparing your child rather than asking these sort of questions.

Some parents tell me that because their child has a sibling at the school that it will be easier to pass the 4+ Assessments - Nope. The school doesn’t have a strong sibling policy and this 100% not the case.

Some parents tell me that because they are alumni at the school that their child will have a better chance of getting in at 4+. Again, this is simply not the case.

Whether your son will pass their 4+ Assessment at Habs’ Boys’ will depend on the following factors.

Your son’s academic abilities and excellence

Your son’s ability to follow instructions to a very high level

Your son’s ability to demonstrate independence and team work

Your son’s listening skills

Your son’s ability to answer questions in a detailed way

Your son’s ability to show excellent social interaction with the adults and children in the assessment.

Will your son pass the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ Assessment?

Let’s see!

Preparing for 2026 entry? Join our Waiting List today.

3 signs your daughter is 'ready' for the Habs Girls' 4+ Assesssment.

With less than 7 days remaining until the first round at Habs Girls’ for the 4+ Assessments, many of my students are working incredibly hard preparing for this Assessment. Many of my girls are meeting with me as much as 4 times a week to prepare for this Assessment.

We are all working very hard.

Habs girls’ offer 40 places at 4+.

Let that sink in.

Hundreds and hundreds of girls will be applying for 40 places.

This school is very over subscribed.

Round 1 is a Group Activity session lasting 50 minutes.

Group 2 will be an ‘informal meeting’ with parents and children.

Here are the 3 signs your daughter is ‘ready’ the the Habs Girls’ 4+ Assessment (Round 1)

1.Your daughter is happy to leave your side and go into a room with adults and children that she doesn’t know. If your daughter cries when she leaves your side or is resistant to leaving your side she will not pass.

2. Your daughter can focus for at least 50 minutes.

3. Your daughter can answer questions well and in detail.

That’s it.

If she can do all three of these, she will pass the first round.

Obviously, she will need to also complete all of the activities that she is asked to complete to the highest possible standard - eg. puzzles, play doh, drawing, cutting etc.

Please note that Habs’ Girls’ ‘strongly recommend against tutoring’ for the 4+ Assessment and I strongly recommend you read this and smile and carry on.

Preparing for Habs’ Girls’ for 2026 entry? Join our Waiting List today.

The ONLY way to pass the second Round at Highgate (4+)

We have all of the dates now for our students who have been invited to sit their Round 2 at Highgate (4+).

All of our students who had at least 9 months of Assessment preparation passed Round 1.

All of the students (apart from 2) who had less than 9 months of Assessment preparation did not pass round 1.

The reason the 2 children passed (who had less than 9 months of Assessment preparation) is because their parents had been preparing them. So when we started working with them, they were already at a good level and ability in terms of what they were able to do. They still had work to do and lessons did have to be more intensive however.

I have spoken to MANY parents who have called me to tell me that their child did not pass Round 1 at Highgate. Let me tell you that most of these parents are very surprised.

They did not think it would be so hard to pass the first round at Highgate.

Well it is.

And the second round is even harder to pass.

With 180 children having been invited back and only 60 places available - your child has a 1:3 chance of passing their Round 2 Assessment.

Still feeling super confident about it? That’s great. Keep going.

If you’re feeling worried about it, here is the ONLY way to pass the second Round at Highgate (4+)

THOROUGHLY PREPARE YOUR CHILD

And if you think you’re going to have a relaxed Christmas break and not touch learning for the next 3 weeks, I encourage you to reconsider.

And if you don’t know how to, work with someone who does.

If Highgate is your dream school, you want your child to have the highest possible chances for success.

7+ is even more challenging and with far fewer places available.

11+ is ok but you have to wait many years before this.

I’ve just launched an incredible course which will be open to only 3 students sitting their Round 2 Assessment at Highgate in January 2025.

This intensive 5 day course will take your child’s learning to the next level and give them the highest possible chances for success in their Highgate Round 2 Assessment.

Book your place today! I am only offering this to 3 very lucky students! Once the places are gone, they’re gone. My Habs Intensive course sold out in 48 hours!

BOOK TODAY.

3 do's and don'ts if you are preparing for the UCS 4+ Assessment.

Having prepared hundreds of boys to be very successful in their UCS 4+ Assessment over the last 15 years, I know a lot about this school. I still teach boys who go there and therefore I get quite a lovely insight into the school. UCS is an excellent school and my students are very happy and thriving there.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to preparing for UCS at 4+ so I am going to shed some light on a few of these.

Do this if you are preparing for the UCS 4+ Assessment (2026 entry)

• Be aware that there are only 32 places available at 4+

When I think about how many boys I’ve prepared over the years and how much success we’ve had as a company, it fills me with so much pride. With such few places and with so much competition, getting into UCS at 4+ is incredibly challenging.

• Visit the school

Book a tour of the school. It is vital that you visit the school and make sure that you love the school before applying your son for a place there.

• Be aware that UCS will tell you not to prepare for their ‘play date’ assessment and be prepared to completely ignore this.

If you’ve never prepared for a 4+ Assessment and you are told this, you are highly likely to just do what you are told. Do not do this.

Don’t do this if you are preparing for the UCS 4+ Assessment (2026 entry)

• Leave it until the last minute to start preparing for it.

I don’t know why but UCS is the one school that many of my clients leave way to late to start preparing for. This school needs 9-12 months of thorough Assessment preparation if you want your son to have the highest chances for success. Trust me on this.

• Believe that it will be a ‘playdate’ Assessment.

This is the biggest source of frustration in parents that I speak to after the fact. They believed this and sent their child in to ‘play’ and they were not successful.

It is NOT a PLAYDATE.

• Assume that your child can do everything that they are asked to do.

Don’t assume - check. Don’t assume - Practise with them every single day for a VERY… LONG. … TIME before their Assessment.

We will prepare your son to have the highest possible chances for success in his UCS 4+ Assessment.

Join our Waiting List today.

3 things you must stop doing today if you want to send your child to St. Pauls at 7+.

We have all of our results now from St Paul’s and all of our students have now sat their interview rounds.

There were three types of reactions from our clients.

1. Despair - This was the school that they dreamed of for their son and their son did not make it and did not pass Round 1.

2. Indifference - Our clients weren’t too bothered about the no and didn’t put all the effort needed to pass Round 1 in the first place.

3. Joy and delight - Our clients are delighted that their son has passed Round 1 and they know just how hard it was for them to be able to do so.

I speak to hundreds of parents every year who want to send their sons to St Paul’s at 7+. They have variety of reasons for wanting this particular school. Some have heard great things about St Paul’s from friends and family, some are very interested in the exit results, some love the facilities at the school and some are incredibly excited about the academic opportunities for their children if they are to be successful in passing their 7+ Assessment at this school.

Let me tell you one thing straight away.

St Paul’s is hard to get into at 7+.

If you do not have at least 1 year of intensive preparation, don’t for one moment think that your son will just go in and pass their first round. Absolutely not.

I recommend at least 2 years of Assessment preparation for St Paul’s at 7+ and many of our current clients are in fact following that exact instruction and are working hard towards their 7+ Assessment at St Paul’s.

3 things you must stop doing today if you want to send your child to St. Pauls at 7+.

1. Assuming that your son will be ‘fine’.

Your son will not be ‘fine’ unless he is prepared thoroughly.

2. Not having a clear pathway and plan

If you don’t have a clear plan, time will just pass you by and before your know it you will have 3 months left to prepare. This is not good enough.

3. Being confused about which school you’d like your son to go to.

Don’t be confused. Choose 6-7 schools that interest you and go and view them. Attend a school in action day and just choose. Then commit to preparing for these 6-7 schools and go all in to ensure your son has the highest possible chances for success.

Did your son pass Round 1?

Congratulations!

If you are preparing for St Paul’s for 2026 entry, join our Waiting List today!

7 signs your child is 'school ready'.

With ‘school readiness’ playing such an important role in whether your child will be ready or not to pass their 4+ Assessments and be able to demonstrate to the assessors that they are ‘school ready’, it is imperative that you know what ‘school readiness looks like’.

This what PHE (Public Health England) say a ‘school ready’ child is able to do.

• Able to recognise numbers and quantities (to 20)

• Participate in singing

• Ability to collaborate with others (adults and children)

• Ability to communicate their needs

• Have a good vocabulary

• Ability to socialise and make friends

• Have strong gross motor control and engage in a range of physical activities

If your child is able to do all 7 of the above, you are golden and there is a very high chance that your child will pass their 4+ Assessments. If your child is not able to do all of these, it is up to you to ensure that they can.

Otherwise there is absolutely no point sending them into any 4+ Assessment!

Let me give you an example of my son who is currently nearly 2 and a half. So he would be sitting his 4+ for 2026 entry (what the majority of my students for the 4+ are preparing for). Do exactly the same with your child and go all in to ensure that they are able to do all of these with confidence.

• Able to recognise numbers and quantities (to 20)

  Not currently able to do this.

  My son is not yet able to count to 10 - he misses out numbers or muddles them up. He is not able to recognise numbers 1-5 yet. He is able to count objects to 5.

  So this would be a clear focus for my son.

• Participate in singing

  He is amazing at singing and sings along to all popular songs and nursery rhymes with confidence and clarity. He would do very well if they had singing in his Assessments.

• Ability to collaborate with others (adults and children)

  This is hit and miss. When he feels like it, he collaborates well with adults (although at nursery, they tell me he can do this very well). He struggles to share with other children currently.

  So this would be another clear focus for my son.

• Ability to communicate their needs

  Very strong at this.

• Have a good vocabulary

  He has exceptional vocabulary.

• Ability to socialise and make friends

  He loves to socialise and make new friends. He can be shy at first however, which could be a potential problem in his 4+.

• Have strong gross motor control and engage in a range of physical activities

  He has amazing gross motor control and loves physical activities - his favourite currently being kicking his precious football around the park!

Is your child school ready?

Would they even be able to pass their 4+ Assessments?

Let me know! Email your answers to office@creativemindstutors.com

If you're a parent preparing your child for their 4+, this is WHY it is CRUCIAL that you understand 'School Readiness'.

‘School Readiness’ is a term that is bounced around a lot when schools describe their 4+ Assessment process.

These top schools are looking for ‘School Readiness’ when they are assessing the children at their 4+ Assessments.

If you don’t truly know what this means, you will be unable to fully prepare your child to actually go into any 4+ Assessment and demonstrate ‘School Readiness’.

Public Heal England define ‘School readiness’ as ‘a measure of how prepared a child is to succeed in school cognitively, socially and emotionally.’

The good level of development (GLD) is used to assess school readiness (I discussed this in more detail in my previous Blog).

Children are defined as having reached a GLD at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage if they achieved at least the expected level in the early learning goals in the prime areas of learning (personal, social and emotional development, physical development and communication and language) and in the specific areas of mathematics and literacy. This is why the report from your child’s nursery is so important (I’ll talk about this in more detail in another blog)

So basically if your child has a good GLD they will have demonstrated school readiness in their 4+ Assessments.

So what does school readiness look like exactly?

Having worked in over 100 schools during my time as a full time teacher (3 schools were long term contracts and then I did a lot of Supply work- both state and private) I was able to see exactly what a ‘school ready’ child looks like

Here is how PHE defines a ‘School Ready’ child:

• Able to recognise numbers and quantities (to 20)

• Participate in singing

• Ability to collaborate with others (adults and children)

• Ability to communicate their needs

• Have a good vocabulary

• Ability to socialise and make friends

• Have strong gross motor control and engage in a range of physical activities

If your child can do all of the above, you are golden. If they cannot, then they will be unable to demonstrate ‘School Readiness’ and therefore it is highly unlikely that they will pass a 4+ Assessment.

That’s why working with us is so beneficial to all of our clients. Because we know EXACTLY what each school is specifically looking for in their 4+ Assessments, we are able to provide a very bespoke and highly tailored learning journey for our students. This supports them to have the highest chances for success. For this reason we have amazing results year after year after year.

This year will be no different.

Preparing for 2026 entry? Join our Waiting List today.

Why is education attainment one of the main markers of wellbeing through the course of someone’s life?

The main reason that I started Creative Minds Tutors 3 years ago was because I had a deep desire to ensure that more children had access to the highest quality education possible. Working full time in a variety of schools for over 13 years, I noticed that there were several things lacking. The main one being enough personalised attention to ensure that all children were able to achieve to the highest of their potential.

As a child myself, I feel that I had to work so hard to be noticed by my teachers. I don’t think that I received enough attention and I don’t think I was given the best opportunities by the schools that I went to. I don’t want this for any child. No matter the education chosen for a child, they deserve the highest quality that will enable them to go on and succeed later in life (whatever that means for them).

Ensuring all children have access the high highest quality education is vital. Not enough children are receiving the highest quality education and therefore there are way too many gaps in children’s knowledge and understanding as they continue through their educational journeys.

Educational attainment is one of the main markers for wellbeing through the life course and so it is important that no child is left behind.

PHE London published a report (2015), ‘Improving school readiness. Creating a better start for London’ which looks at the importance of school readiness.

Considering that ‘school readiness’ is one of the most important components of the 4+ Assessments, it’s imperative that you actually understand what this means.

‘School readiness’ is a measure of how prepared a child is to succeed cognitively, socially and emotionally.

Children who don’t receive a quality level of development by the age of 5 will struggle with:

Social skills

Reading

Maths

Physical skills

All of these will impact their future lives in terms of:

How well they will do with their education

How good their overall health will be

‘School readiness’ is measure using GLD (Good level of development)

A child with a GLD at the Early Years Foundation Stage will have reached the expected level in all the prime areas of learning. Evidence shows that those who do not reach a GLD by age five, will go on to struggle with key skills such as communication, language, literacy and mathematics.

I sadly witnessed this every single day working full time in the state and private education system for over 13 years.

Remember that teachers in schools have to look after 18-32 children so it is up to you to ensure that your child had an excellent GLD.

By having high quality support from parents in their early years, children will be able to acquire the social and emotional skills and deepen their knowledge in order to be ready to succeed later in life.

This is why myself and my clients firmly believe that investing in quality early care and education has a greater return on investment than many other parents can even imagine.