Unpopular Opinion: It's NOT up to the School. It's up to YOU.

Unpopular opinion

Your child will not make accelerated progress only based on the school you choose to send them to.

Your child will make accelerated progress based on what YOU continue to do with them.

Parents are so fixated on choosing the ‘best’ schools for their children - as they should be.

But do not get it confused.

Your child will not make accelerated progress based only on the school you choose to send them to.

Having worked in both the state and private sector in many, many primary schools let me tell you this with certainty and clarity. The quality of teaching will not be superior in a private school compared to a state school. You will have exceptional teachers in both state and private schools. You will also have teachers who are not exceptional in both state and private schools. Sorry if that offends anyone. It is my belief based on my own experience.

I’ve worked with amazing teachers in both state and private schools. I’ve also worked with those who are not exceptional in both state and private schools. Sorry if that offends anyone. It is my experience. And it is the absolute truth.

We teach children who go to schools such as Haberdashers, NLCS, City, Forest, Westminster and Glendower to name a very few.

Our clients fully understand that it is up to them and them alone to support their children to make accelerated progress. And if they take the foot off the gas, guess what? What will happen?

It’s obvious to me.

It’s not so obvious to so many of you.

And it’s so easy isn’t it to place blame on the school?

‘Well, I’m paying them 25k/30k/40k/50k a year - what is my child doing all day?’

Do you know how many times I hear that ridiculous sentence!

Your child’s teacher has 16/20/24/30/32 students to look after.

Why place all of that responsibility on that one human being?

That is far too much to ask.

They have their own lives and problems (and most likely their own children!) to also think about!

So if you would like your child to make accelerated progress (whatever that means to you), it is on you. And only you. And it truly does not matter which school they go to. I’m talking about a ‘top’ prep school and a state school down your road.

And if you don’t like that, continue to give all the responsibility to the school. See how that goes for you. And see how that feels. It feels pretty powerless.

Take back your power. Only YOU are in control of the accelerated progress your child will ever make with their learning whichever school you send them to or however you choose to educate them.

And if you’d like the support of the best teachers in the UK, apply to join our Waiting List Today to receive the best Curriculum Acceleration Support available.

Why ‘They’re Only Three’ Is a Dangerous Mindset when it comes to 3+ Assessments...

The 3+ assessment at Merchant Taylors’ Prep School for 2027 entry will take place in November 2026.

We are preparing several boys for their 3+ assessment at Merchant Taylors and our clients have been working with us for a full 12 months.

‘They’re only 2/3’

I hear these words uttered even by my own clients at time. It comes out so innocently. But this one thought could truly derail you.

This school is hard to get into at any stage (3+, 4+, 7+ etc)

If this is a dream school for you, I highly recommend that you get in touch with us at least one year before the 3+ Assessment and commit to the full one year Curriculum Acceleration Programme.

Of course, we do not expect a child as young as this to have 30 minutes of weekly tuition with one of our exceptional teachers. But we do expect you to know the curriculum to follow and to cover in order to support your sons to be able to go into this 3+ Assessment and show the assessors (the early years’ practitioners) exactly what they are looking for.

If you truly desire to send your sons to Merchant Taylors’ Prep School, take it seriously and prepare them properly for the 3+ Assessment.

Hint: You don’t just rock up and expect that your sons will be offered a place.

85% of parents that we speak to here at CMT:

• Do not understanding the expectations at Merchant Taylors for the 3+.

‘It’s just a ‘playdate’ - Absolutely not!

‘My child is only 2, I can’t prepare them’ - Of course you can. The other parents whose children passed 100% prepared them - trust me.

‘My son will just go in and play’ - NO!

• Overestimating what their sons are actually able to do.

No disrespect at all, I also think my son is amazing. But I know for a fact that he would not have passed the MTs’ 3+ (He would have been 2 years and 4 months had I sat him). What you think your son can do and what he will actually do in the MTs’ 3+ are 2 different things!

Parents have said to us, ‘You don’t need to do puzzles/lego/play doh, he can do that already!’ Please don’t be so arrogant. Come down off that high horse and be humble to learning from someone who has been doing this for over 20 years. Here at CMT we know exactly how to prepare our amazing boys for their 3+ at Merchant Taylors and we have the results to show this!

• Do not understanding the statistics or even know what they are.

I’ve heard different numbers but in my opinion over 150 boys will attend the Merchant Taylors’ 3+ Assessment. Around 35 offers will be made. So your son has around a 1:5 chance of being offered a place at 3+. It is my opinion that around 35 boys will be placed on the reserve list. If your son is placed on the reserve list, it will be very difficult for them to be offered a place as it is very rare that parents turn down their offer of a place at this school.

4+ is even harder with only 3-4 places available.

So if you are serious about preparing for Merchant Taylors’ 3+, apply to join our Waiting List today!

Don't Let Complacency Derail Your Child's Chances at a top 4+ School.

Complacency is the biggest thief when it comes to 4+ assessment preparation and ultimately when it comes down to 4+ assessment success.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines complacency as a feeling of calm, self-satisfied contentment with your current abilities, status, or situation that stops you from trying harder or making improvements.

Couldn’t have put it better myself.

Many parents will be trying to get a place at a top 4+ school for 2027 entry. When I say ‘top’, I’m not referring to all 4+ assessments. Just to be crystal clear. ‘Trying’ being the key word in that sentence. How hard are they really trying?

Does ‘trying’ mean sending their kids to nursery every single day?

Or does ‘trying’ mean putting in the work every single day to support their children with their learning and with their curriculum acceleration?

I know which one it means for the clients we support here at CMT. You see, our clients here at CMT send their children to nursery AND they take full responsibility and ownership about preparing their children for their 4+ assessment.

And believe me when I tell you that our clients are not complacent.

Out clients are fully aware of the expectations in these 4+ assessments and they are fully aware of the numbers and the ratios. They know for a fact that merely setting foot in a 4+ assessment will not guarantee that their child will be offered a place.

Merriem Webster defines the key characteristics of complacency as follows:

Unawareness of Danger: It often involves a false sense of security while ignoring real risks, defects, or future problems.

Disapproval: The term almost always carries a negative or scolding tone, implying that someone has grown lazy or careless.

Stagnation: It leads to an unwillingness to adapt, learn, or grow.

Agree with all of those too.

If you are unaware of the fact that your child won’t automatically be offered a place, you won’t put in the work.

If you don’t put in the work to prepare your child and you rely on someone else to do it, will that ever really lead to success? I rely on no one but myself to have the success that I want to have in my life.

Complacency 100% leads to stagnation and leaving things to the last minute.

If you leave things to the last minute then you really haven’t understood a thing about child development.

I speak to so many smug parents who will tell me that their child doesn’t need to be ‘prepared’ because they go to an amazing pre- prep school. Listen up - I’ve worked in ‘amazing’ pre-prep schools and I know with certainty that they alone cannot prepare an individual child for success in a 4+ assessment at a top school.

If you want your child to have true success in a 4+ assessment, you are going to need to put in the work. A lot of it. Hundreds of hours of it. And if you’re not, then we are not the agency you want to be contacting.

We only work with parents who put in the work.

Preparing for Highgate for 2028 entry and beyond? Apply to join our Waiting List Today.

Will your child pass the Highgate 4+ Assessment?

No ballot again this year. Don’t take this to mean what it doesn’t.

Highgate will still have had hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of applicants. They will tell you around 480. I think this is pretty accurate (although I do believe it to be far more than this personally).

480 applicants.

60 places.

A 1:8 chance of passing?

Well, not really. Not if you take into consideration that siblings will be favoured and so will children of staff. Siblings are guaranteed to be offered round two. Read that again. In their policy, Highgate states that parents need to be aware that beyond that point no preferential treatment is given. It is my experience that siblings have a far higher chance of being offered a place than non siblings. However, I have seen siblings not be offered a place in my 2 decades doing what I do.

But let’s say 1:8 ratio for now.

Your child has about a 1:8 chance of passing the Highgate 4+ assessment.

After the first round, 300 children will not be invited back.

Highgate say that they will invite around 180 children back for the second round. Again, I believe it to be more than this but for now let’s use this number.

By this point your child will have a 1:3 chance of success. So the ratios improve significantly if your child is able to make it to this point.

In their policy, Highgate state that they assess ‘Learning Readiness’. Basically how able your child is to demonstrate that they are ready to learn.

Highgate will have a reserve list. So if your child does make it to the second round and they are not offered a place, they may be placed on the reserve list. If this is the case, they may or may not be offered a place at the school. It will really depend on how many of the applicants offered a firm place decline their place - and this does happen! Many of our students didn’t accept Highgate last year, for example. They chose the likes of UCS, Westminster, NLCS, South Hampstead etc.

So will your child pass the Highgate 4+ Assessment?

Unfortunately for this school in particular, it’s not going to matter how well prepared they are because of the simple fact that they will ultimately have a lot of siblings attending. It is crystal clear in their policy that siblings will be favoured.

Does that mean that you don’t prepare your child to the best of your abilities? Absolutely not. Undoubtedly, you will have other top schools that you are preparing for. And if you don’t, I strongly suggest that you do. Or that you have strong back ups. I definitely wouldn’t be putting all of my eggs in one basket for Highgate.

Understand the numbers.

Understand the competitive nature of this school (and all other schools and 4+)

Understand that you will need to put in the work for at least 12 months to prepare your child to have the best possible chances for success.

Preparing for Highgate for 2028 entry and beyond? Apply to join our Waiting List Today.

When Extraordinary Results Become Ordinary Expectations.

This financial year has been a year of extreme growth for my beautiful business. I more than doubled my income. I reached nearly 100 clients on the books. I am so proud of myself and what I have accomplished. Especially because all of this was done whilst taking care of the love of my life- my son who is only 4 right now.

But with growth comes realisations. Oh, so many realisations.

Alongside the incredible success that I have had as the Director of CMT, I have also experienced a lot of sadness, anger and frustration.

As with anything in this life of ours, I know full well that everything that I will do will come with the full 50/50 spectrum of emotions and I’m not writing this to tell you that I regret the negative emotions. I am writing this to tell you that because of everything I have experienced this year that I will be making changes with my CMT Business model. 50% of you will love these changes and 50% of you will not.

You see, at the point of writing this, we have already received results from a few schools. Guildford High, Manor Lodge, Chigwell, Forest and Aldenham. And so far we have had 100% success to all of these school. As in every single child we prepared for each individual school has been offered a place.

Yet, the feedback from some (not all!) of my clients has been underwhelming.

Now, hear me carefully. I do not expect applause. I do not expect praise. I don’t even want it. But what I do expect is comprehension. What I do expect is my amazing programme not being taken for granted. What I do expect is knowledge and understanding that passing assessments is not ordinary. It is not just something you rock up to and pass.

I’ve had clients tell me that their child passed their assessments at one or more of these schools and not even a thank you. Not even an acknowledgement that my programme in some way contributed to the success of their child.

My extraordinary results were greeted with some pretty ordinary responses.

Not all of them. Some of our clients were delighted and told me as much. They acknowledged that without my CMT Curriculum Acceleration Programme their child wouldn’t have been where they were when they attended it.

You see preparing for assessments is very hard to quantify in terms of who contributed to the success. And of course it’s a team effort. And of course it’s not all down to me. However, it is frustrating to me because we work damn hard. We put in the hours to support each and every one of our clients. We sacrifice our days with our children to teach the children of others and to provide them with an amazing Curriculum Programme. We sacrifice our mornings to wake up and put in the work. We pour our lives into this programme and to not even have it acknowledged? I’m done with that now.

Because these people will never know what would have happened had they not had our support. We know exactly what would have happened. We see exactly where our students started and where they were at the point of their assessments.

So from January, CMT will become so much ore exclusive. I’m still working on the number of clients that I wish to have at any one time but it will drastically be less than the numbers we’ve worked with this year. Because, as the Director of this beautiful Business I really only wish to work with clients who see the extreme value that they are receiving from us.

More to come.

Apply to join our Waiting list today.

The Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment Report (2027 entry)

We prepared 5 children for their 4+ at Manor Lodge - for all of these children ML is not their parents’ first school choice.

They all had between 3-12 months of 4+ Assessment preparation.

All 5 were offered a place.

3 Key Reasons for Success

My recommendation is at least 12 months of 4+ assessment preparation for Manor Lodge (not because this is the timeframe that I think is needed for ML but because all of our students attending the 4+ at Manor Lodge will have other top schools that they are preparing for which do need 12 months of 4+ assessment preparation).

Children who perform to the standard required by ML across the board (in all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum).

Regular communication between parents and teacher during the week between the lessons, parents taking on board feedback and putting it into place during the weeks.

Consistent daily activity - Children completing all of the Curriculum Acceleration sent every single day in preparation for this assessment (or as close to this as possible!)

3 Key Reasons for Not Being Successful

All of the children that we prepared for Manor Lodge have passed. Does this mean it is easy to pass the 4+ at Manor Lodge? No. Does this mean all children who apply to Manor Lodge have been offered a place? No.

The children who have not passed were:

I have not yet spoken to a parent who has called me to tell me that their chid has not passed this 4+ assessment.

Manor Lodge is not an assessment that is taken very seriously by some parents. However, the other schools that we are preparing for are taken very seriously!

Manor Lodge is a 3 form entry school. With roughly 60 places available in each year group (I’ve heard that there are way more than 20 students in each class however), Manor Lodge will over offer for their 4+ Assessments. This is because they are laser sharp aware that parents will pay their deposit and then wait to hear from their preferred schools before not accepting their offer.

Many of our clients see this school as a ‘back up’ school. I do not and I tell our clients as much.

Many of our clients really like Manor Lodge because their pricing is far less than their competitors. Infants at Manor Lodge you will pay £5,999 per term v £8741 per term at Habs (boys and girls).

However, do keep in mind that Manor Lodge stops in Year 6 and your child will need to move on. Always keep this in mind!

If your child has passed the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment and if if this is your school of choice, congratulations! I wish your child tremendous success.

Preparing your child for a 4+ Assessment for 2028 entry and beyond? Apply to join our Waiting List today.

Progress is not the same as success.

Working is schools across London for nearly 2 decades, I have heard this word tens of thousands of times. It is a real buzz word in the education world.

PROGRESS.

And it was a word that infuriated me when I worked in schools across London. It infuriates me much less now but it can still be irritating.

Let me explain.

As a class teacher, I was ‘responsible’ for the progress of between 20-32 students. Wow - that’s a huge responsibility. I put the word ‘responsible’ in inverted commas because the responsibility is not solely on the teacher. The responsibility, when you send your child to school, is on the the child, the parents, the senior leaders at the school and the teacher.

This was never the case in any of the schools that I worked at. And to be honest, this is one of the hundreds of reasons that I left teaching.

There is a complete and utter lack of appreciation for the success of the child and the focus just on PROGRESS.

I would reflect on the countless hours and hours and hours that I would spend with each individual child to help and support them with their learning. And the success that they would have with their learning would be insane. It would blow my mind every single time. The child who hated holding a pencil who could now write beautifully, the child who couldn’t grasp numbers 1-10 and could finally count ‘effortlessly’ to 100. You get my point.

And then these children would have their assessments and I would be called in to a ‘Progress meeting’ and I would literally be asked this question.

Why has he/she not made the progress that he/she could have made?

And as a younger teacher , I would just sit there and nod. I would blame myself. I would tell myself that they should have made more progress. And it’s nonsense. It was never my fault.

6 years later in those meetings I would answer differently and the senior leaders hated my answer.

How about the success of that child? How about the fact that they answered x, y, z question correctly? How about how hard they’ve worked to achieve the mark that was deemed not good enough?

But it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

Well, sorry but I was not a miracle worker then and I am not a miracle worker now.

If you want your child to make extraordinary progress, then you’d better be willing to pull up your sleeves and support your child every singe day to make this insane progress that you want them to make.

It’s not just going to somehow fall out of a tree and land in their brain.

You want progress, put in the work. Do not just put that on your child’s teacher.

It is simply not attainable.

Teachers heartbroken about teaching makes me never want to enter that world again.

It breaks my heart in more ways than you will ever truly understand.

I have many friends who are teachers.

Many teachers follow me.

I am a teacher.

And when I think about what I’ve been through to get to where I am today, it actually makes me very sad. And as a parent, I think it is important that you know about this.

Because most likely, as a parent, you do not follow many teachers. You see - it’s actually not allowed. You are not really allowed to have any sort of connection or relationship with your child’s class teacher outside the classroom. And it’s one of the main reasons that I left teaching full time in the first place (one of hundreds of reasons). A connection with the parents of the children you teach is fundamental to the learning experience and the success of your child.

I’ve been hearing and seeing a lot of comments lately about teachers feeling burnt out. Teachers wanting to leave the profession. Teachers not receiving the respect that they should be receiving.

And ultimately for me, as a mother it comes down to this. I do not want a teacher who is burnt out teaching the love of my life. A burnt out teacher will never be able to pour into my son’s cup in the way that I would expect. And it wouldn’t even be her fault. If a teacher is burnt out it is the fault of the system that we are in.

And let me be crystal clear about this - I am not just referring to the state school system here.

When I first started teaching at the fresh age of 25, I poured my life into my role. Literally. But as the years passed by, I found myself giving less and and less and less to the profession. And it was always blamed on me. It will always be blamed on the teacher. And I promise you this one thing. It is rarely the teacher’s fault (there are exceptions to this of course).

I don’t want the human being responsible for my son for 6-8 hours a day for 5 days a week to be feeling burnt out and sad about the profession that she is in.

And I’m not saying that all teachers feel this way. And if you don’t - great! But you are 100% the exception and not the rule.

I never want to enter that world again unless I really have to (as a teacher and my child as a student).

So why do I do what I do then?

Well, of course there are schools that are better than others. And if I can help even just a few children to have the best of the best learning experience possible then I will continue to do what I do.

Will schools be perfect?

No.

But nothing in this life will ever be perfect.

On a final note - let me remind you that these amazing humans teaching your children are humans just like you. We struggle. We have our own personal difficulties in life. Be kinder. Be more loving. Be more respectful. After all, these amazing teachers are the ones caring for your children every single day.

Love, Maria

The Chigwell 4+ Assessment Report (2027 entry)

We prepared 2 children for their 4+ at Chigwell - one boy and one girl.

They all had between 3-12 months of 4+ Assessment preparation.

Both were offered a place.

3 Key Reasons for Success

My recommendation is at least 12 months of 4+ assessment preparation for Chigwell (many parents across the UK will choose to prepare their children for far less than this amount of time).

Children who perform highly across the board (in all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum) and thorough prep for the 4+ Assessment at this school.

Regular communication between parents and teacher during the week between the lessons, parents taking on board feedback and putting it into place during the weeks.

Consistent daily activity - Children completing all of the Curriculum Acceleration sent every single day in preparation for this assessment (or as close to this as possible!)

3 Key Reasons for Not Being Successful

Both children that we prepared for Chigwell have passed but do not take this to mean that passing the 4+ assessment at Chigwell is ‘easy’. Many children have been Waitlisted. Many boys and girls have not passed.

The children who have not passed were:

• Not thoroughly prepared in the 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum.

• Not able to answer questions at the level expected from the school

• Children who needed to further develop their communication and language skills.

It is important to note that all of our students’ parents put in hours of dedicated focused learning with their children over the course of their time preparing them for this assessment. They worked hard. They dedicated their time and attention to their children. They persevered when it got hard (It got hard countless times!). They trusted in the learning process and despite a lot of negativity from their nurseries/friends/families, they continued. I admire their dedication. They are my ideal clients. They are the clients we want to be working with.

I’ve had it confirmed from several parents that fewer children attended this assessment this year. I have no clue why. They have their speculations. Does that mean it was ‘easier’ to pass this year? Perhaps. But who cares? Prepare your child thoroughly and well for the Chigwell 4+ assessment if that is your desired school of choice.

Preparing your child for a 4+ Assessment for 2028 entry and beyond? Apply to join our Waiting List today.

Shocking Guildford High Conversations 2026

Let me start off by saying that if your daughter has passed her Guildford High 4 Assessment, she has done incredibly well. With only 35 places available to study at Reception at Guildford High, this will be a very competitive 4+ assessment. It is every single year.

Parents will often ask us how many girls will attend this 4+ assessment and my answer is ‘hundreds’. At least between 200-300 girls will attend this 4+ assessment in my opinion.

This year, I had a mother sign up for my incredible programme and do a few lessons here and there and then tell me that I was a liar because I was supporting her daughter with her reading and she told me that ‘my friend down the road said they don’t assess reading and I am wasting my time!’

Shocking to put it nicely.

She cancelled my programme without giving her one month notice which meant I had worked one month for free! But hey who cares about that?

No one.

Did her daughter pass her 4+ assessment? I will never know. Obviously, I wish her daughter nothing but the best and I hope that she did.

Our girls who go through my programme know how to read and write to a very high standard before they go into the Guildford High 4+ Assessment and I’ve heard from all three of my clients that reading was assessed in one way or another - just FYI.

Another shocking conversation was one I had last week when a mother called me to tell me that her daughter had not passed the GH 4+ Assessment. She was so angry, shocked and confused. She told me that she had followed my work for years but she had not taken the process seriously. Her thought was that ‘I would just send her in and she would be offered a place!’

Well she wasn’t. GH was her only choice. That is where they live.

Of course, I supported her to find alternatives and if she wants she can sign up to my 7+ programme.

I’ve spoken to other parents whose girls have been waitlisted. They were shocked. All of them.

Why is it shocking? If your daughter doesn’t go in and demonstrate what GH expect to see, she will not be offered a place. Why is that so hard to wrap your heads around?

Some shocking conversations going on over here.

Keep in mind that you have exactly one year until the 2028 entry GH 4+ Assessment. So if you are preparing your daughter for this school then you are already late. My programme is a 12 month programme and we run a term time programme. So at best you would have 6-7 months of 4+ Assessment preparation. Better than nothing of course!

To join my Waiting List is now by Application Only. Submit your application below and if you are invited to join, you will then be asked to pay the £150 Registration fee.

The Guildford High 4+ Assessment Report (2027 Entry)

We prepared 3 girls for their 4+ at Guildford High School.

They all had between 3-12 months of 4+ Assessment preparation.

All 3 were offered a place.

3 Key Reasons for Success

My recommendation is at least 12 months of 4+ assessment preparation for Guildford High (many parents across the UK will choose to prepare their children for far less than this amount of time).

Girls who perform highly across the board (in all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum) and thorough prep for both rounds.

Regular communication between parents and teacher during the week between the lessons, parents taking on board feedback and putting it into place during the weeks.

Consistent daily activity - Children completing all of the Curriculum Acceleration sent every single day in preparation for this assessment (or as close to this as possible!).

3 Key Reasons for Not Being Successful

All of our girls have passed but do not take this to mean that passing the 4+ assessment at Guildford High is ‘easy’. Many girls have been Waitlisted. Many girls have not passed.

It is really not an ‘easy’ assessment to pass. The children that we prepared who passed were beyond ready for this assessment.

So do get that thought out of your heads. I have already spoken to a handful of parents whose sons have not passed this 4+ assessment.

The girls who have not passed were:

• Not thoroughly prepared in the 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum.

• Not able to answer questions at the level expected from the school

• Children who needed to further develop their communication and language skills.

It is important to note that all of our students’ parents put in hours of dedicated focused learning with their children over the course of their time preparing them for this assessment. They worked hard. They dedicated their time and attention to their children. They persevered when it got hard (It got hard countless times!). They trusted in the learning process and despite a lot of negativity from their nurseries/friends/families, they continued. I admire their dedication. They are my ideal clients. They are the clients we want to be working with.

Preparing your child for a 4+ Assessment for 2028 entry and beyond? Apply to join our Waiting List today.

Is X school a great school?

In our FREE School Choices Advisory Consultations, this is the most frequent question that we are asked.

Is (insert school name) a great school?

Parents want the best of the best for their children.

We want our children to have the best possible education so that we can support them to have the best possible future. Because for the majority of us, no one is coming to rescue us. We rely on ourselves to support our children. To make the money needed to ensure that they have the best possible lives. To be their guide. To be their anchor in this crazy, messed up world.

Many of us had mixed experiences of school ourselves. Some of you loved it. Some of you hated it. Nothing in between.

If you know me at all, you will know that I do not rate my school experience. I believe that it was a complete and utter waste of time. It was mediocre at best. I believe that the majority of the relationships I formed were not real (not all of them but the majority). I believe that I struggled for far too long as a young adult because I didn’t have the correct guidance. My education (what I learnt) was okay. Nothing more. The schools I attended treated their students as numbers and not as individuals. It was a tick box kind of thing.

I could go on…

But let’s focus on this.

When parents ask me this question, I know that deep down they feel so many mixed emotions. They want to invest 30k+ a year on their child but they also want to make sure that the schools that they are choosing are great.

But my answer will always be the same. A great school relies on great teachers. So if you happen to have a great teacher one year, you’re golden. If you don’t, then you will have issues.

Doesn’t matter which school it is.

The teacher your chid has is totally out of your control.

So sadly, this is a question that I cannot fully answer.

You can of course look at the school exit results and see how they did. If they results align with the results you are after, go for it. But results don’t always tell the full story.

So, how can I answer this question for you?

I suggest you go and see the schools in action. Feel the vibe. Sense if you think your child could flourish in that type of environment. But again this is just a snapshot and it’s not the full picture. Truthfully, you will only know if a school is a ‘great school’ after you’ve experienced it. And as I always say to all of my clients, be prepared to pivot. To make changes as and when they are needed.

Be your child’s biggest cheerleader. Be their biggest advocate. Listen to them when they tell you things that could give you a true insight to whether or not they believe this school to be great or not. Don’t listen to the opinions of others. Only yours truly matters.

Preparing for an assessment for 2028 entry and beyond? Book your FREE School Choices Advisory Consultation and have all of your questions answered and see how we can support your child to have the success that they truly deserve to have in any assessment.

The Forest School 4+ Assessment Report (2027 Entry) CMT RESULTS.

We prepared 4 boys children for their 4+ at Forest School.

They all had between 6-12 months of 4+ Assessment preparation.

All 4 were offered a place.

3 Key Reasons for Success

My recommendation is at least 12 months of 4+ assessment preparation for Forest.

Children who perform highly across the board (in all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum) and thorough prep for the 4+ at Chigwell.

Regular communication between parents and teacher during the week between the lessons, parents taking on board feedback and putting it into place during the weeks.

Consistent daily activity - Children completing all of the Curriculum Acceleration sent every single day in preparation for this assessment (or as close to this as possible!).

3 Key Reasons for Not Being Successful

All of our children have passed but do not take this to mean that passing the 4+ assessment at Forest is ‘easy’.

Far from it. It is really not an ‘easy’ assessment to pass. The children that we prepared who passed were beyond ready for this assessment.

So do get that thought out of your heads. I have already spoken to a handful of parents whose sons have not passed this 4+ assessment.

The boys who have not passed were:

• Not thoroughly prepared in the 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum.

• Not able to answer questions at the level expected from the school

• Children who needed to further develop their communication and language skills.

It is important to note that all of our students’ parents put in hours of dedicated focused learning with their children over the course of their time preparing them for this assessment. They worked hard. They dedicated their time and attention to their children. They persevered when it got hard (It got hard countless times!). They trusted in the learning process and despite a lot of negativity from their nurseries/friends/families, they continued. I admire their dedication. They are my ideal clients. They are the clients we want to be working with.

Preparing your child for a 4+ Assessment for 2028 entry and beyond? Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

The devastating price of confusion when it comes to high quality tuition.

Notice I’ve used the words high quality to describe the type of tuition we offer.

High quality is 100% what we provide. Do all the other tutoring companies offer that? 100% no.

You are free to do as you please. You are free to choose what you want. But the issue that I’m seeing is a lot of confusion and unfortunately this confusion will be devastating.

Because ultimately what we all want is the best of the best for our precious children. They are the loves of our lives. And if you are here reading this I know that what I am writing resonates with you otherwise you wouldn’t be here reading it.

For the first time in 20+ years, I made the decision to not support new clients with assessments coming up in the next 1-3 months and there are very good reasons for that.

1. You need 12 months at a minimum to prepare your child for a 4+ assessment.

2. Parents are nervous, anxious and simply not a delight to work with when they have a short time frame to prepare their children for their assessment (that’s kind of obvious). Not all of them - but the majority.

3. As a company, I want the best results. I publish them every single year and my results are real and honest. I know that I will not get the best results if I try to support everyone.

I have created several amazing courses to support parents of children who are attending assessments for 2027 entry in the hope of being able to offer even a little bit of support to parents who would like it. But these courses have been met with some resistance by some parents. These parents are intrigued and interested when they first see my mini courses and the other courses that I have created for 2027 entry but then they tell me that they want ‘in person’ tuition.

Listen up. A few lessons here and there won’t cut it. Save your money and put it towards some high quality resources for your child instead. You do not need a teacher coming physically into your home. For what reason exactly?

What you need is an incredible curriculum, a teacher with the knowledge and experience in these assessments and you need to be taking MASSIVE ACTION every single day between now and the assessment/s to support your child to be able to in and demonstrate what they need to show in order to be able to pass. Many of you simply don’t wish to do that. And that’s just fine - again, that is your choice to make.

Don’t be confused.

Don’t pay the devastating price.

Support your child to have the success that they deserve to have in any assessment.

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond? Book your Sample Lesson an Sample Week today.

The secrecy around 4+ assessments is weird.

There I said it.

It is weird.

As a society, we should want to help one another. But that’s not how the story goes.

Sadly.

As a society, many of you are holding this secret so tightly to your chest as though it is your little teddy bear.

It’s weird.

Our Forest results have now all been received. I will share them later. I am of course delighted for our clients. They worked hard. So did we.

But when I speak to parents who contact me to ask me about my results and then I ask them back, the answers I receive are literally 3-4 word answers. They want to keep it a secret. They want to keep it quiet. Sorry, but this is not top secret information.

Parents I’m speaking to have told me personally that their children have passed the Forest School 4+ Assessment. These are parents that I’ve not personally supported. We have no ties. We have no relationship at all. And when I ask them how their children found their 4+ Assessment at Forest, they tell me things like this…

‘They loved it!’

‘They enjoyed it’

‘They came out happy!’

Ok.

And what?

I know exactly what goes down in the Forest 4+ Assessment. So I don’t actually need anyone to divulge information to me. I have the information!

But sadly, devastatingly actually is this… Other parents who have never been through this process will ask this question to friends or even family who have been through this process and they will hear the above and what will they think?

They will think that the assessment at Forest is ‘easy’. Well, it’s not.

They will think that if the child who passed ‘enjoyed themselves’ that it’s no big deal. Well, it is.

There were 48 places available (2027 entry).

It is my opinion that around 200 children attend the Forest 4+ assessment each year. So to pass, your child has a 1:4 chance.

Not everyone will pass.

In fact, I have spoken to many parents whose children have been Waitlisted. Some parents will turn down Forest for Chigwell which means that some more places will open up.

So if you attended this assessment with your 3 or 4 year old, please be completely honest when someone asks you how it went. Let’s help each other out as a Society.

Preparing for Forest for 2028 entry?

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Preparing for the 4+ at Highgate for 2027 entry? Here's what you need to know...

Yes, it’s true that you will need to prepare your child to the highest of standards but even after that, you cannot guarantee that your child will pass their first round at Highgate.

You must still absolutely start working with an expert in the 4+ assessments 12 months before the first round at Highgate but even after that, you cannot guarantee that your child will pass their 4+ assessment at Highgate.

So I read all of these blogs (my own included up to this point) that support parents to understand the 4+ process at Highgate but then I roll my eyes. It really is not enough to simply prepare our children to the highest of standards for the Highgate 4+ assessment. Even though children were prepared to the highest of standards last year, some still did not pass Obviously they were offered other schools. Other amazing schools.

You see, last year, we prepared 8 children for Highgate and it was a tough year last year for us in terms of Highgate!There were a few surprises. And it is important that these tutoring companies (including my own), share with you the truth about their results and not just the positive ones but also the negative ones (as I always do by publishing a detailed report of our achievements for each individual school that we prepare our students for). This builds trust for my company. When companies only share their positive results it leaves parents doubting and dubious. Obviously not everyone will be successful. That is the nature of any assessment is it not?

Do you know that Highgate have their own special criteria when choosing the children that they will invite back for Round 2?

Did you know that they automatically offer second round assessments to children of staff and to siblings.

Two of our girls did not pass the first round at Highgate who absolutely would have demonstrated ‘readiness for learning’. So why did they not pass?

Because they are not siblings and because they are not children of staff?

There is no other reason.

Initially 480 children will be assessed. I believe that 240 children will be called back for Round 2 (they say 180). So if your child passes round 1, they will have a 1:4 chance of passing round 2.

Siblings and children of staff will have the preference.

If there are 60 places and there are so many siblings and children of staff attending this year, what will your child need to demonstrate in order to pass?

Everything I always talk about.

But ultimately, will it be a true assessment of academic capability? Let’s wait and see how we get on this year with Highgate shall we?

So if you are sending your child to Highgate for 2027 entry, I hope that you have prepared them to the highest of standards (they will undoubtedly be attending other 4+ assessments too) and I wish your child the very best.

If you are preparing your child for 2028 entry to Highgate, book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Assessments are arranged largely in order of the applicants’ birthdays...

This one sentence that catches thousands of parents out each and every year.

Some parents who read this sentence make it mean that because their child is ‘summer born’ that they will have some sort of get out of jail free card and it does.. not… work… that… way.

So if that is what you are making that sentence mean, I invite you to re-think.

That is not what that sentence means.

What that sentence means is literally what it tells you. Nothing more than that.

‘Children are assessed along with similar aged children.’

This one sentence catches thousands of parents out each and every year too.

Some parents make this mean that because their child is ‘summer born’ that their assessment will somehow be different to their autumn born peers. Oh dear. Do you really think these top schools have the time and energy to differentiate 4+ assessments?

Never in over 2 decades have I ever had a parent call me to tell me this…

‘Maria, guess what? My summer born child did a completely different exam to their autumn born peers!’

Never…Not one single time.

If you want a school like Highgate for your child then prepare your child properly for it.

If you’re not too fussed about it, then don’t.

But understand that top schools like Highgate are top schools for a reason. They take the brightest and the best.

If that offends you, then the 4+ process is simply not for you.

Preparing your child for the 4+ for 2028 entry and beyond? Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

The True Cost Of A Private School Education.

It’s important to start off by saying that we all have our own personal financial situations. It is also important to say that we all have a choice about what we want to spend our hard earned money on. And finally before I begin, it is important to say that this is not about judging anyone at all, it’s merely me sharing my opinions about a very important topic.

Private School Education…

All of our clients here at CMT have their own financial situations. Some talk to me about it and others don’t. Both are perfect. I speak very openly about my financial situation and others do not. There’s no right or wrong. We are free to choose!

I’ve been having many discussions with many of my clients in the last month or so about the cost of a private school education. Many of our clients are coming to the realisation that pretty soon they will need to choose the private school that they would like to send their children to. Up until this point it hasn’t been a reality for them and now it is.

It is important to note that I have personally been supporting children with their assessments for over 2 decades. This means that I have seen hundreds of journeys through a variety of different private schools. The good and the bad.

Everything in life is 50/50. Please don’t go thinking that it will all be sunshine and daisies. It won’t be.

There will be good aspects to a private school education.

There will be negative aspects to a private school education.

And when I talk about cost, I’m not just talking about financial costs either.

I’m talking about the time commitment that you will need to invest into your child’s education too. I’m talking about the emotional commitment too.

The average lifetime cost of a UK private school education ranges from £350,000 to over £535,000 per child for day schooling, and can exceed £440,000 to nearly £700,000 for boarding school, depending on location, age range, and recent 20% VAT changes on school fees.

Based on the ISC data, leading financial planning group Tilney estimates that for a child born this year (2026), whose parents intend for them to go to independent day schools from nursery at age 3, followed by prep school and then board at a senior school from age 11-18, the average total nominal cost of their education will be £534,702. This assumes an annual average school fee inflation rate of 3.7%.

To say that school fees represent a significant expense for many people who wish to give their child a private education is putting it lightly.

I personally believe that this is a substantial amount of money.

Ultimately it truly does come down to this as far as I’m concerned. Is it worth the nearly half a million pounds that you will be ultimately investing into your child to send them to a top private school?

If the answer for you is yes, go all in.

If the answer for you is not, find other solutions - there are many!

Drown out the noise. No one cares what Sarah Jane down the road is doing and what Karen thinks of your choices. Literally no one.

Choose your path. Choose the path for your child. And then be delighted with your choice. And if it’s not what you thought it would be, be prepared to pivot and make changes.

Will people judge you for what you choose to do? Oh, you’d better believe that they will.

Who on earth cares? Seriously though!

No one.

The real, raw reasons why I left full time teaching after nearly 2 decades (Part 1)

Teaching, like all other careers is very hush, hush.

With all the confidentiality laws in place you literally have to be so careful what you say.

One of my best friends is an amazing teacher. She literally tells me in her voice notes that she cannot divulge information because her call could be traced! And she only tells me things regarding her work when we are together, safely hidden away in my home!

The reason I share my truth is twofold.

Firstly, I want new, vibrant teachers to hear my truth. Perhaps it will help them to make decisions that could change the trajectory of their lives!

Secondly, I truly believe it is important that parents get an insight into what it is really like for the people who take care of their precious children each and every day.

When I started my career as a full time teacher at the fresh age of 25, I had no idea what I was walking into. I had studied hard my whole life, I had done everything I was told to do. I went to University and then I did my PGCE. And as soon as I finished that I landed my first job.

Terrible pay - let me tell you that first and foremost. It was at a Private School in Hampstead and I was working the most ridiculous hours but I would tell myself - ‘It will be worth it!’ Well it was not.

It was (and still is) an extended day school which basically means if you work there you might as well live there! I would get in by 7am (sometimes as early as 6:30 am) and yes others would already be there at their desks! And I would leave by 7pm. 12 hour days! I was basically earning £5 an hour if I truly calculated my pay v the amount of hours I was doing. That’s not even to tell you about all the hours I would do outside of school and at the weekends! We didn’t even get half term at this school!

I wasn’t appreciated. I wasn’t valued. But I got the school incredible results (so did the other teachers who worked there at the time). We worked hard. Too hard.

The real, raw reason I left is that I was burnt out.

As are many teachers. They simply don’t admit it.

From this private school, I went on to work at an ‘outstanding’ state school in St. John’s Wood. Well, it was far from outstanding.

I went from teaching 20 children to teaching 30 children and the difference was huge. Behaviour was horrific and there was little to no support from senior leaders. Once, a child in my Year 4 class threw a clock from the top of the stairs to the bottom of the stairs with the aim to strike me! He could have also hit another child with it. It was brushed under the carpet - the child had a hard life - he didn’t mean it.

So many things brushed under the carpet. And as a teacher you have to keep your mouth shut. If you speak, you could literally end your career.

Many, many things went down at this school. Things that I will never openly be able to speak about. Which is heartbreaking and devastating. But you can read between the lines if you wish.

Part 2 continues tomorrow.

5 FACTS about the Notting Hill And Ealing 4+ Assessment (from someone who knows)

1. The school 100% expects your daughter to have formal knowledge and education in her 4+ Assessment.

Sorry, but what else do you think they are looking for?

The school writes that they are looking for ‘potential and readiness’ rather than formal knowledge. Actually they are looking for all three and they all go hand in hand with each other. A child’s potential is nurtured and nourished to support them to have the readiness. Knowledge comes after the child has received the support they need in order to obtain it.

The girls we have prepared historically for Notting Hill and Ealing (over the last 20+ years) have all gone in at a very high academic standard with a very high level of knowledge (call it formal knowledge if you wish).

2. Preparation is needed.

Sorry but why would you assume that it wouldn’t be needed? Do you assume that every single girl who attends this assessment will be offered a place? Well, you would be wrong if that is your assumption.

I think that it’s just very unfair to send a girl into an assessment unprepared.

‘Oh but she’s only 3/4!’

Ok, well if you think like that - then please just don’t send her in to a 4+ Assessment and expect to have a positive outcome! And if you think like that, you are really undermining your child’s potential.

3. If tell your daughter that she is going in ‘to play’ with other girls - guess what? That is what she will do!

How about all of the other things you should tell her?

Here are just a few for you!

I would like you to go in and listen perfectly to all of the teachers.

I would like you to go in and show how well you share with the other children.

I would like you to go in and follow all of the instructions immediately.

But no, just tell your daughter she is going in for a ‘play’ and have the expectation that she will just be offered a place at this incredibly competitive school!

‘Just go in and play darling - have fun!’

That is not what we tell our students - just as a side note.

4. Our girls preparing for this school will be taught numeracy and literacy skills to a very high academic level.

So many of you want to prove me wrong on this - and in nearly 2 decades of doing this no one ever has. And even if you do prove me wrong, who really cares? We prepare our students to be able to read, write and have a high level of maths regardless of whether or not it is assessed!

Numeracy and literacy are part of the Early Years Curriculum.

And I know what the school write on their website.

5. Your daughter WILL need to go in happily and calmly in order to pass this assessment.

They say that if your daughter is upset that they will invite her on another date. Sure, that does happen. But on that second occasion she WILL need to go in happily and calmly in order to pass this assessment.

Let’s not overthink this.

The Notting Hill and Ealing 4+ Assessment is in late November/Early December 2026.

If you are preparing your daughter for 2028 and beyond, book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.