What is a school like Westminster looking for in the 4+ assessment?

500 applicants.

32 places.

100 shortlisted after round 1.

32/100 will be offered a place. Around 20-30 will be Waitlisted.

We prepared 4 children who were offered a place at Westminster last year (2026 entry).

We know exactly what they are looking for.

We know the children who passed.

We know the children who didn’t pass.

We know the attributes of the children who passed and we are able to share this expertise with our clients so that they fully understand the expectations at Westminster.

You see – we all think our children our amazing. All of us do!

You, however, (most likely) have no one to compare your child to.

I do.

I never compare children. But I can compare the children who passed and those who did not. And I can fully support my clients to understand the exact reasons why children were unsuccessful and support them to not make the same mistakes.

The children who we prepared last year who were offered a place to study at Westminster from September 2026 were able to go in and demonstrate the following (and these are just a few for you) …

The ability to communicate amazingly.

A broad and vast vocabulary.

They had a strong understanding of phonics.

They were able to write most letters of the alphabet.

They covered a broad and vast mathematical curriculum.

They were inquisitive.

They were very curious.

They had strong knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

They were artistic.

They had very strong fine motor skills.

They would have been able to follow instructions perfectly.

They would have been able to demonstrate resilience, perseverance and dedication.

They went in calmly.

We support all of our students to be able to go into any 4+ assessment and show exactly what the assessors are looking for. Far more importantly than this, we are able to provide our students with an exceptional curriculum and support them to achieve their fullest potentials.

That’s why we have the success that we have year after year after year. Each year, our results get better! Just you wait for our 2026/2027 results! I cannot wait to share them with you!

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

A Week In The Life Of A London Home Educating Mama (Blog 1)

First week of officially home educating my son is nearly done. And what a whirlwind of a week it has been. We only just got back from two weeks (Mykonos and Tenerife) and we had such a beautiful holiday. It’s always an adjustment coming back from holiday! Most of you know that I have been home educating my son since birth and he has been on my Curriculum Programme since the age of 18 months so none of this is new to either of us.

Every morning (as much as possible) since he was 18 months, we have woken up and studied and learned together. It is truthfully our favourite thing to do together. We both look forward to it so much. It brings us so much closeness, love, joy and laughter. I am delighted that I have created a life for myself that allows us to home educate myself. I have worked so, so hard to be in this position now and I pray and home that we will always be able to (as long as he continues to want to of course!)

In phonics this week we have been recapping digraphs. We worked on ng, qu and sh and ch this week. He is going so well. We continue to work on cvc words and he has moved onto longer words now and is doing very well. He has completed his 68 phonics books over the summer (phase 2) and I actually need to place an order today for the next ones. My son doesn’t like re-reading books he’s already read (unless I’m reading them to him!) so I always have to ensure that he has new books (at his level) so he can practise reading to me. It is important that he has physical books and not just online books (although we do use a lot of online books too). We have been doing a lot of writing practise this week and learning the correct formation of different letters. This is challenging and will need a lot of work in the next few weeks.

In maths this week, we have been learning about tens and ones and he is doing very well. The teen numbers are still difficult for him but we will persevere with them. I’ve been exposing him to timestables for a while now and he loves singing the songs. He’s been writing numbers to 20 daily and has excellent formation of most numbers to 20. 8 and 9 are still a little tricky for him. We will continue to practise these.

In Religious education, he learnt about the story of Jonah and he was enthralled by it.

In geography, he learnt about seas and oceans.

In history, he learnt about Burns Night.

He has been out in the woods so much more every single day. He has been so physically active. He attends 2 clubs a day at his gym doing things like sports, bike club, dance club and lego club. On Mondays he does Italian School (online) and on Sundays he will be starting at his gymnastics club (Little Gym).

His new nanny started this week and she is such an asset to our family. Joshua loves her a lot and so do we. Joshua will be with myself and his daddy on Mondays and Tuesday and we will have the support of our amazing nanny Wednesday - Friday so that we can both continue to work. I love that I can have lunch with my son every single day and be fully in charge of what he eats. I don’t think he ate well enough at nursery. I love that I can see him any time for a cuddle and little play throughout the day.

How is week one of learning for you?

Email me to let me know office@creativemindstutors.com

Is academic excellence as important as behavioural excellence in a 4+ assessment?

Excuse me but you’re neglecting so many other aspects of 4+ assessment success.

Academic excellence is important in a 4+ assessment.

Behavioural excellence is important in a 4+ assessment.

But so are the following …

Communication excellence.

Vocabulary excellence.

Fine motor skills excellence.

Gross motor skills excellence.

Understanding of the world excellence.

Listening excellence.

Following instructions excellence.

Kindness excellence.

These are just a few that I will name for you. There are countless others! If you want to know the rest, come and work with us!

If your child doesn’t know their phonics and they are asked their phonics in their 4+ assessment, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

If your child doesn’t know their number recognition to 10/20 and they are asked them in their 4+ assessment, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

If your child doesn’t have a broad and vast vocabulary and they are asked questions in their 4+ assessment, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

If your child hasn’t developed the skill to be able to sit and focus for 60+ minutes and that is the expectation, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

I could go on and on and on and on and on.

With my exceptional Curriculum Programme, our students practise these skills frequently and consistently so that when they go into a 4+ assessment they are effortless to them.

They practise these skills in every single lesson, and they practise these skills during their week with their parents as part of their Curriculum Acceleration.

The weekly lesson is a very small piece of the huge pie that we offer to our clients here at CMT.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Stop undermining what goes down in a 4+ assessment at a top elite school.

Time for some tough love.

Time for some brutal honesty.

Time for some wake up and be real talk.

So many of these so called ‘4+ assessment experts’ talk about the 4+ assessments as though they are a stroll in the park. Far from it. More like a trek in the desert I would say!

And by ‘4+ assessment experts’ what I mean is parents who have been through the process and now all of a sudden they are experts! Going through the 4+ process doesn’t make you an expert in the 4+ assessments.

Telling parents to relax and that these 4+ assessments are not looking for academically gifted children is a LIE.

Telling parents to just ‘take their kids to museums and provide them with opportunities’ is just a small piece of the huge pie. Sure- take your kids to museums and provide them with opportunities and provide them with a broad and vast curriculum that will challenge them and that will provide them with the real knowledge that they will need in order to even stand a chance in these incredibly tough 4+ assessments.

Telling parents that these schools are looking for more than just academic excellence is a LIE. It downplays academic excellence and the need for it. And sure, your child could have extreme academic excellence but go into a 4+ assessment and not listen to the assessor and not follow the instruction and may not pass. Absolutely!

And this is the exact reason I no longer offer ad hoc lessons (I used to!). They will never work. True 4+ assessment preparation and success comes from commitment, dedication, perseverance, resilience and total understanding of the 4+ process involved. You will never get that from 1 or two ad hoc drop in sessions. Ever. And if you want a drop-in session for your child, I can suggest many alongside my Curriculum Programme.

Preparing your child for a 4+ assessment? Prepare them properly. Prepare them well and if you don’t, don’t call me after the fact to moan about it. If your child is not successful at 4+, no problem, get started with our 2 year 7+ Curriculum Acceleration Programme or our 4 year 11+ Curriculum Acceleration Programme. It’s all good!

Drown out the noise. Only listen to those who truly want the best for you. Because sadly, we live in a world where that is not always the case.

I only want the best for every single child in this world. Every single child deserves the best education possible.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

‘My child will be offered a place because I have the means to pay for them to go to that school!’

Yeh, you and the hundreds of other parents planning to send their child to that exact same assessment.

Careful with your own thinking.

If a parent applies for a place at an independent school, it is because they have the means to pay for that school. Otherwise, they wouldn’t apply for it would they?

Perhaps you might be surprised to know that I am told this sentence multiple times a month!

Be crystal clear in the knowledge that your child will be up against hundreds of other children whose parents have the means of paying for their education. Of investing hundreds of thousands of pounds into their education. And of being delighted about doing so too!

Be crystal clear that the parents who prepare their children to be wildly successful and who work with us, put in hundreds of hours of work to support their children with their Curriculum Acceleration. They do not simply assume that because they have the money to pay for the private school fees that their child will be automatically offered a place.

If you’re sending your child to a non-  selective pre- prep – cool , that would be the case wouldn’t it?

You have means to pay = your child will be offered a place.

But in a selective school having the means to pay doesn’t equal the offer of a place.

The offer of a place will be based on so many factors.

Here are a few for ya!

Is your child academically gifted?

Does your child know how to behave well?

Can your child hold a pencil correctly and write?

Can your child answer questions to a very high quality and standard.

I’d be far more concerned about these factors than looking at my bank account and knowing I had the means to pay for my son’s education! It doesn’t really matter if I have the means if he’s not successful any where does it?

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

‘Hoping for the best!’ is not a strategy that I would use when it comes to my child!

It’s a weak position to take.

It truly makes you powerless.

And when it comes to my child, I do not wish to be either. I am my son’s biggest advocate. I am his biggest cheerleader. I will always do everything in my power to support him to have the best life possible. Will things always go right for him? Of course not!

I have never once uttered these words when talking to my friends and family about my son.

‘Well, I’m just going to hope for the best!’

And I will never, ever utter those words.

The best is totally in my control.

The best is totally in the opportunities that I will provide for him throughout his childhood.

The best will be what I choose to actively take the time to plan and prepare for him.

I know that his Curriculum Programme will be the best of the best. I’ve taken the time (hundreds of hours!) to plan and prepare it. When I worked in primary schools as a teacher, I spent thousands of hours planning and preparing for all of my students. As the Director and Master Specialist Teacher of this incredible business, I do the same.

I will go above and beyond for my own child!

I will not ‘hope for the best’ when it comes to his bespoke CMT Curriculum Programme. It will be the best.

I will not ‘hope that he will figure something out!’ I will fully support him to figure it out.

I will provide him with highly stimulating and diverse activities that will support and challenge him mentally and physically. I will continue to travel the world with him and invest my money on experiences for us to fully enjoy together.

Sending your child into an assessment and ‘hoping for the best’ is definitely not a strategy I would use when it comes to the success of my child. It wouldn’t work. I know that as a fact.

The children who pass assessments and who accelerate their curriculum are the ones whose parents put in the work and effort. Are the ones whose parents dedicate their precious time and energy to fully supporting them. They are the ones who dedicate at least 3.5 hours of their precious hours each week to supporting their learning and development.

So don’t just ‘hope for the best’! Provide your child with the best of the best when it comes to assessment success and to the acceleration of their Curriculum. If it’s truly important to you, take full ownership of it and get to work. Don’t rely on any school to do it for you. I promise you that it just simply doesn’t work that way regardless of what these top schools will promise you. Behind every successful student is a team of support going on behind the scenes and it is not 100% down to the school.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

‘My child is not where he/she should be because of his/her age!’

Wrong!

If your child is not ‘where he/she should be’ it has nothing to do with their age. It has everything to do with what has been done to support them at home.

Many parents across the UK right now, believe that merely sending their kids to top school like Habs/Westminster/ St. Pauls/South Hampstead etc is enough.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it is not.

Expecting your child to be where he/she needs to be by relying only and exclusively on the school is pure madness. And I do not care that you are paying 30-40k+ a year to send them there. Who cares? That’s on you. That’s your choice to pay that money. Be delighted with your choice. Be delighted that you are in that privileged position. Not everyone is. But be laser sharp aware that a school (any school) is not the Holy Grail. A school is not the be all and end all when it comes to the success of your child.

And it has nothing to do with their age if they are not where they need to be.

A class in a private school will still have a ratio of 1:16-27 children. A teacher (no matter how great!) will never be able to provide as much support to a child compared to the support that can be provided on a 1:1 basis.

The support that you provide at home will still be the best support that your child will ever have regardless of where they go to school. 

A class teacher in a school (no matter how great!) has the responsibility of teaching, looking after and providing an education to all of the children in her class (not just your child).

A teacher has to deal with behaviour management.

A teacher has to deal with marking every single child’s learning.

A teacher has to deal with parents and their needs and complaints. A teacher has 1000 other things to think about during her working day (and the success of your child is 1/1000 of the things that she needs to get done!).

Whereas when it comes to working 1:1, you can have full control and ownership over how your child is doing. How empowering. Do you know that I’ve never once paid attention to reports from my son’s nursery. They will never know his academic capabilities and capacity as well as I do. Ever.

Do you know that many of our students continue to work with us long after they’ve been successful at gaining a place at their school of choice. We work 1:1 with children from Habs, NLCS, South Hampstead, Glendower, Falkner House and Westminster – to name very few!

Take full ownership of fully supporting them to be where they need to be (according to your standards). I expect my son (and of course my students) to always be at least 1.5 – 2 years above their current age across all areas of the National Curriculum. That is my choice and one that I am very proud of. So are my clients.

Where do you want your child to be? Decide. Write it down and go all in yourself to support them to be where they need to be according to your vision and to your standards. Please drown out the noise out there - because I can’t believe how much noise there is out there!

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

What someone tells you regarding the Assessment process will not always be the GOSPEL TRUTH.

‘I know they ‘age adjust’ for St. Pauls and Westminster!’

No.

You are so wrong to believe that this age adjustment would make any difference to your child’s chances for success. And if they do age adjust, it is truly minimal and to be honest, I wouldn’t bank on this age adjustment – not one little bit! I wouldn’t even consider it.

Parents tend to think age adjustments are huge.

Well, they are not.

And rather than just assume, why not ask the schools what percentage point the ‘age adjustment’ even is? I’ve never heard of a parent who has asked this question! Why not be brave and be the first?

Why just accept what they tell you?

‘Of course we ‘age adjust’ for summer born children!’

‘Ok, so what is the percentage point for this ‘age adjustment’?’

There you go, I’ve even written the question for you!

After all, we are talking about our precious children here. Sorry, but I do not make assumptions when it comes to my son. I spend countless hours planning and preparing for him. That is because I want the absolute best of the best for him.

As I know you all do too for your own children!

Just sometimes, some of you can get so caught up on these schools and what they tell you that you don’t stop to question them.

You think it will make you look ‘difficult’. Not at all! Great questions are more than welcome by the heads of these top schools (annoying questions are not – just fyi!)

Do you even know what an age adjustment even is?

Because some of you seem to think that because your child was born in July or August that they will somehow be given a golden ticket. Well, they won’t be and if you think they will, you will be severely disappointed. And you will tell me that it’s not fair! And I will tell you what I tell all of my clients and potential new clients…

Life is not fair!

There will be a very minimal adjustment for age. It is there but it won’t be the game changer to your child’s assessment success just because they are summer born.

Like I said, I wouldn’t even consider it. And if it were to give my ‘summer born’ child a little, tiny, minimal boost – great! But it wouldn’t if he wasn’t thoroughly prepared for the assessment.

There are no shortcuts to assessment success. Know that. Understand that. And go all in to prepare your children to have the success that they deserve to have in any assessment.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

My immense expertise in the 4+ field.

All of the clients who join CMT mostly know me well before they get started so I thought it would be important to re-introduce myself to all of you who are new to me and perhaps don’t know much about me.

I am Maria Mazarese and I am so passionate about the success of each and every one of my students.

All I want – truly – is for children to thrive and be delighted with their education.

I was not delighted with mine.

I did not love school. In fact, I found it a total and utter waste of my precious time.

And truthfully, it breaks my heart for little Maria.

I want my son to absolutely be obsessed with his childhood. I will provide him with all of the opportunities that I never had. I will ensure that he has the best of the best education. I will ensure that however he learns that he is delighted with his learning experience. I will do everything in my power to support him academically and emotionally to grow into a well - rounded young man who will have countless opportunities come his way. Opportunities that I never had. I will do everything in my power to support him to have doors opened for him rather than slammed shut in his face.

Your education should not limit you. Your education should support you to grow. I speak to hundreds of parents each month. I hear the full 50/50 spectrum of emotions when it comes to their own experiences of school. Either they loved it or they absolutely hated it. There isn’t really much in between.

All of the clients who join CMT are highly successful parents who only want the best for their children.

That’s exactly what I want and that’s exactly what we provide them with here at CMT.

I started teaching as an unqualified teacher 21 years ago. After completing my degree at UCS Bologna and Reading , I made the decision to do my PGCE at Goldsmiths and I qualified as a teacher at the age of 24.

I started my career as a qualified teacher at The Mulberry House School and I taught across the school in their nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes. I also had several Senior Leadership roles and let’s just say that it was an eye opening experience! I then moved to an academy in St. John’s Wood and then went to teach at Preston Manor in Wembley. That was my final year teaching full time in a school. I’ve taught across the Primary and early years age range.

When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately handed in my notice. You see, the job was far too stressful, and I did not want my stress to impact my health and that of my little baby. I forfeited my maternity pay and instead did supply teaching in many, many schools (private and state). In the meantime, I focused on growing my business. CMT has grown significantly every single year. Many of my clients stay with CMT for years and years and years – and long after their children have gotten into their target schools. Our clients are delighted with what we offer them, the support we provide them and the academic support and curriculum acceleration that we provide for their children.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Tell your child it’s just a ‘play date’ if you want them to go in and play!

If you want your child to go in and have a ‘fun play’ then tell them it’s ‘just a play date!’

But then don’t be annoyed, irritated and frustrated that they just went in and played!

Don’t be annoyed, irritated and frustrated that they didn’t ‘behave’ in the correct way.

Sorry but you told your 3 or 4 year old to ‘just go in and play.’ That’s on you. Own it. ‘Oh but the school told me it would be a play date!’ Bla, Bla nonsense. It is far from a play date. Unless you consider a play date a highly complex academic and behavioural evaluation of your child!

Do you really think that this is what we tell our 3 and 4 year old students?

Absolutely not!

I’m obviously not going to tell you what we tell our students!

But it is 100% not that!

Some parents will tell me (very innocently) that they don’t want their children to be ‘stressed out’. That they want their children to feel relaxed and calm when they go into their 4+ assessment.

That is exactly how our students feel when they go into a 4+ Assessment. Any 4+ Assessment. They feel calm and they feel relaxed. Never in my 20+ years preparing children to be wildly successful in their 4+ assessments have I sent a child into a 4+ assessment feeling stressed out.

Not once.

Do you know why that is? It is because our students are so well prepared that all of the activities that they are asked to do come ‘naturally’ to them – they have practised them thousands of times over the 12 months preparing for their 4+ assessments! They are beyond ready for whatever they are asked. Not because they are ‘over tutored’ (hint: that’s not what we do!) but because they are so well prepared.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

The madness of the UCS 4+ Assessment.

The madness of the UCS 4+ Assessment.

A very popular school that we prepare for here at CMT.

The UCS 4+ Assessment. With 500+ boys applying for 32 places, you’d better believe that competition will be fierce. And you’d better believe that your son will need to be thoroughly prepared to stand a chance in both rounds of this 4+ assessment.

The UCS 4+ Assessments (2 rounds) will be in January 2027. This gives you a Term to prepare your child (at the point of writing this). Sending your child to nursery or pre-prep is not 4+ Assessment preparation.

My suggestion is one full year of 4+ Assessment preparation for UCS (4 terms).

1. There are 32 places available to join the pre- prep Reception class each year.

Many parents that I speak to often seem surprised about this. They tend to think that there are far more places available than there actually are. Not sure why?

Hundreds and hundreds of boys will apply to attend their 4+ Assessment each year at UCS (500+). If you’ve ever been to the first round at UCS (4+) you will know how incredibly overwhelmingly oversubscribed this school is!

2. You can register for the 4+ Assessment at UCS any time after birth!

UCS is very oversubscribed. Be aware of this. You will pay a registration fee of £210.

3. Everyone who applies to attend the 4+ Assessment at UCS will be invited to the first Round. There will be hundreds and hundreds of boys at the 4+ Assessment dates at UCS at Round 1. There are 2 different dates for the Round 1 4+ Assessment at UCS (4th and 5th January 2027).

4. You are told to not prepare your son for this school, and I highly recommend that you completely disregard this. If you want your son to stand a chance, you will prepare him. End of story (sending him to nursery or pre-school full time is not 4+ assessment prep – let’s be crystal clear on that one). You can send him to nursery or pre- school if you desire. But just see this as the cherry on top. Nursery/pre school will never even scratch the surface when it comes to 4+ assessment preparation and ultimate success.

5. It is 100% NOT a playdate Assessment so don’t treat it as one.

We have had tremendous success preparing our boys for the 4+ at UCS for over 20 years and we would be delighted to support your son too.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

3 MISTAKES Made by parents applying to Guildford High (4+)

Mistake #1

Believing that you do not need to prepare your daughter for this assessment.

Mistake #2

Starting preparations far too late.

Mistake #3

Believing that every single girl who applies will be offered a place.

That one is beyond insane to my brain! That is so obviously not the case.

Around 35 places available to join Reception each year.

Hundreds and hundreds of girls applying. How would that even be possible? It is not.

There will be girls who do not pass this 4+ assessment. There will be girls who do pass this 4+ assessment. That is how an assessment works, in case you needed me to explicitly write that.

Prepare your daughter and prepare her well for the Guildford High 4+ Assessment.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Guildford High Delusional thoughts that will inevitably lead to failure.

The Guildford High 4+ Assessment this year will be on October 8th and October 10th 2026.  This leaves you with less than 1 month to provide your daughter with the Curriculum Acceleration that she will need in order to go in and have the highest possible chances for success. My recommendation is one full year (or 4 full terms) of CMT 4+ Assessment Preparation for Guildford High. So if you are preparing for 2028 entry, the time to start would have been last term (this is one of the earliest of the 4+ assessments)! If you are preparing for Guildford High for 2028/2029 entry, get in touch and you will be invited to join my Waiting List.

Historically, they have always done the first round on a day of the week in October and the second round on a Saturday in October.

It is one of the earliest 4+ assessments. For our clients, this will either be their one and only choice or it will be their last choice (due to the location of the school).

It is a firm favourite with our clients here at CMT. Mainly because of their exceptional GCSE/A level and University exit results.

Guildford High is an excellent, highly academic school. We have supported many girls to be incredibly successful in this 4+ assessment, and we will continue to do so.

This is what GH say that they assess:

We will evaluate the learning potential in language development, number and general cognitive skills, manipulative and social skills in line with the EYFS Framework.

They say that they do not assess reading ability.

Our girls are taught to read as part of my 4+ Curriculum Programme. Whether they are asked to read or not is highly irrelevant to me.

Who cares? Don’t fixate on that. I had a client once who stopped working with me because her daughter’s bespoke curriculum programme was teaching her to read and she ‘didn’t see the point when it wasn’t an expectation!’ Yeh, totally not suited to working with me and my business! Let’s see how she gets on this year with her 4+ assessment at GH. Obviously I wish her nothing but the best. She is a gorgeous little girl.

If it’s important to you to teach your daughter to read as part of her Curriculum Acceleration, do it. If it’s not important to you, don’t do it but you definitely won’t be clients of CMT if you think like the latter. And you most likely won’t be offered a place at the likes of GH. So please don’t moan about it after the fact. If your daughter is not successful at 4+, you can get busy preparing her with 2 years of 7+ assessment prep!

GH also write that The sessions are designed to be fun and interactive and reflective of the girls’ ages.

‘Summer born’ have never been assessed differently in this 4+ assessment. In any 4+ assessment.

Why on earth would they be?

Do not take that sentence to mean that.

Some parents still believe that GH is a school that doesn’t need to be prepared for which is simply crazy to me.

This school is exceptional.

This school will only take the best of the best in order to continue to be the best of the best.

What will make your daughter stand out from the crowd? Being thoroughly prepared.

That is all.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Don’t be Manor Lodge foolish – be Manor Lodge prepared!

Manor Lodge needs focused 12 months of Curriculum Acceleration (4 terms minimum).

Manor Lodge is not ‘just a school where your child will go in and play in their forest garden!’

Manor Lodge may ‘just be your back up!’ but if you don’t prepare for it, it really won’t be!

Manor Lodge is so oversubscribed at 4+ that it will blow your mind when you see just how many children will attend the assessment.

Mumsnet does not give accurate information about this assessment so do not even waste your time reading the absolute garbage on there.

Many children will not pass this 4+ Assessment (just like the rest!).

Many children will be Waitlisted following this assessment. If your child is waitlisted, it is very likely that they will be offered a place because many, many parents will reject the offer at ML if they are offered the likes of Habs or NLCS.

For many parents (not all), Manor Lodge will not be their first choice of school. Their first choice of school will typically by Habs or NLCS. Many of our clients keep Manor Lodge as their back up and even pay the deposit but ultimately end up accepting their top school of choice. The majority of our clients receive offers at their top schools of choice if they have the recommended 12 months of 4+ Assessment preparation that I recommend. If they have less, the chances obviously will be far lower.

Success is simply inevitable following our 12-month programme. That’s exactly why I created it.

The Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment is just like any other 4+ Assessment at top, elite schools.

It will be conducted on a 1:1 basis. Your child will need to separate from you happily. And your child will need to go in and demonstrate all of the skills and attributes that Manor Lodge will be assessing and looking for in their potential new students.

Do you even know what these skills and attributes are? Do you even know the level expected of your child?

We do.

And we will support you every step of the way to truly understand this 4+ Assessment and have the level of success that you dream of having.

Knowledge is power when it comes to anything in this life. Knowledge is definitely power when it comes to the 4+ Assessments. Empower yourselves with the knowledge and awareness needed in order to have the highest chances of passing the Manor Lodge 4+ assessment.

The 4+ Assessment at Manor Lodge will take place on Friday 16th October 2026. It will be a 45 minute (mostly 1:1) assessment and the assessors will focus on communication, confidence, collaboration, curiosity and creativity. As well as all of those, ML will also focus on the academics. Obviously!

With only 60 places available, competition will be fierce. What will make your child stand out from the rest? It’s obvious is it not? Being thoroughly prepared.

Unrealistic Expectations. A true 4+ story.

Names changed - obviously.

Sally came to me in July 2026. Her daughter Suma was currently studying at a ‘top’ central London Pre-School. Sally was very keen on Westminster and several other 4+ schools. She seemed determined to do everything in her power to support her daughter to be successful in her 4+ assessments. I was very clear with her that I did not think that she had enough time to prepare her daughter for a school like Westminster (and the others on her list). However, she was determined, and she told me that she would do everything she could for her daughter. So, we got started.

At our first lesson, it was clear that her daughter had a lot of gaps in her learning. She didn’t know any of her phonics. She struggled with holding her pencil and was unable to use scissors to cut. She was unable to identify numbers 1-10. She also really struggled to focus. Suma needed a lot of support from her parents during that first lesson but she did try her best.

In the second lesson, Suma cried. She was very upset about something that had happened earlier. I tried my best to guide her back to me and to the lesson but she was far too upset. I explained to Suma’s mother that she was far too upset and that it would be better for us to use the time to discuss her curriculum together so that she could go with her nanny and calm down.

Sally did not like this. She told me that she was paying for a lesson and she expected her daughter to stay. When I told her learning didn’t work that way, she was furious with me. Learning does not work that way - just FYI. If a child is upset, you must never force learning on them. It will be very detrimental.

Suma went off to play and I asked Sally how Suma was getting on with her phonics.

‘How on earth should I know? Isn’t that what I’m paying tens of thousands of pounds so her Prep school will teach her?’

No, was my answer.

She didn’t like that either!

The lesson after that, Suma really tried her best, but her mother would tell her that she ‘could do better’ and that ‘she knows that already!’

Clearly, the lessons were not working well for any of us.

We will not be continuing together and Suma will continue to go to her Prep School. Clearly, they hadn’t done a great job in the first place. What will be different from the autumn term?

Please do stop having unrealistic expectations. You want your child to go to a school like Westminster? Start 4 terms before the assessment and give your child the chance to really shine and show their capabilities. And be fully prepared to support your child yourself and not leave it up to anyone else.

Ready to work with the best teachers in the UK to support your child to have the success that they deserve to have in any 4+ assessment? Join my Intensive 3 month programme today as I will be closing it tomorrow (for 2027 entry).

5% - Your child's chances of passing a 4+ assessment if they go in upset.

Many parents will disagree with me on this. You can disagree with me all you want, this is what I truly believe to be true not based on my thoughts but based on what I have experienced, lived and witnessed over the last 2+ decades that I have been doing this.

And if you had a child who went into a school like NLCS, Habs or South Hampstead and they cried and they passed then you are exception and you are definitely not the rule. And to be honest, I would find it very hard to believe what you are saying.

Here is my reason why for you.

When a 3 or a 4 year old goes into a 4+ assessment, they are going into a new and unfamiliar environment. This in itself will feel daunting and overwhelming to most children (the vast majority). If your child skips in happily with a smile of their face and a wink in their eye as they say goodbye to you – they are the exception and not the rule (and this is so incredibly rare!)

Most 3 and 4 year olds that I know (and I know many!) would feel overwhelmed, nervous and anxious being left in a new and unfamiliar place without their parents. Nothing wrong here it’s just the nature of how we are wired. None of us like new and unfamiliar.

This is why we provide our clients with many strategies to help and support their children to go in as happily as possible to their 4+ assessments. Obviously we cannot control how exactly they will behave on the day. How exactly they will feel on the day. But what we can definitely do is provide them with strategies to support them to go in feeling calm, happy and able to show their true potential to the assessors.

It's actually not the mere fact that a child cries that will lead them to be unsuccessful.

This is why…

When a child cries it means that they don’t feel good. It means that something has gone wrong according to them and they feel upset. This leads them to feel sadness and to cry. How on earth can a child go in and complete play doh, lego, a puzzle or draw a picture if they are feeling sad that their mummy and/or daddy have just left them in a new and unfamiliar place with adults and children that they do not know?

They won’t be able to.

And that is the reality of that.

They may calm down after a few minutes and if they do, then they can perhaps show their true potential at that point but if not, then sadly it’s game over. They simply cannot show their true capabilities if they are busy focusing on being upset rather than focusing on the activities provided.

Is that fair? No, of course not! But who on earth ever told you that this life we are living is fair?

Final 2 days to join my exceptional 3 Month Intensive Programme (2027 entry).

4+ schools are open and honest about their assessment process.

Really?

So telling parents not to prepare their children for a 4+ assessment is open and honest is it? It’s really not.

You must prepare your child for a 4+ assessment – especially the 4+ assessments that we prepare our students for.

Don’t twist my words. I am not calling them liars at all. I am giving my views and my opinions about the 4+ assessment process. Feel free to listen to what they say and see how that goes for you and for your child. I personally don’t mess around when it comes to my students. I take their success very personally.

Parents will tell me that I am lying. That I am being dishonest. That I am deceiving parents.

Well, I’m not. Why would I? Of what benefit would that be to me?

It wouldn’t benefit me at all.

And it truly makes my blood boil when parents send their children into a 4+ assessment without thorough preparation. It really is not fair to the 3 or 4 year old that they are sending into an assessment.

An assessment is an assessment – however you wish to sugar coat it.

There will be children who pass and there will be children who don’t pass.

In a process like the 4+ process, the winners will always be the ones who put in the work. The ones who try their best. The ones who do everything in their power to make sure that their children actually go in and answer the questions that they were asked. That their children can actually do all of the activities that they are asked to do to a very, very high standard and quality and to meet the expectations and exam criteria of the school/s.

Final 4 days to join my Intensive 3 Month Programme to give your child the best possible chances for success in any 4+ Assessment. CMT clients are the clients who will have their choice of where THEY want to send their children to school!

‘Everything happens for a reason, and it was not meant to be!’

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

I am a firm believer that if something is not meant to be, it will not be and vice versa.

However, I am also a firm believer that if you prepare properly for something, you will be in a far better position than if you do not.

I have spoken to far too many parents who have really opened up to me. Who have told me that they wished they had drowned out the noise when their children were younger. That they wished they had been better prepared. That they wished they had started sooner. I feel for them – truly – I do. We can’t go back in time. We can only move forwards.

But what we can also do is share our stories in the hope that they might help someone going through the same process.

4+ Assessment prep can be a lonely process. A lonely journey. Unless you are going through it with many other parents and children of the same age of your child (which to be honest is rare). You see, even if your child is in a pre-prep ‘supporting’ with 4+ assessment prep – the majority of parents won’t openly discuss the 4+ prep process.

It is their dirty little secret (for whatever reason).

Parents won’t openly tell each other that they are tutoring their 1/2/3/4-year-old. For some reason, some parents feel truly ashamed about it. Which quite frankly, is just rather sad. I am personally delighted that I started my son’s bespoke, tailored Curriculum Programme when he was 18 months old. I am delighted at the progress he’s made and above all how much he is obsessed with learning.

So yes things happen for a reason. And yes if something is not meant to be it will not be.

But equally, it you do everything in your power to support your child with their learning and with their curriculum acceleration, perhaps you won’t even need to utter that sentence once they have completed the 4+ assessment prep process. Perhaps, like our clients, you will be in the position to be contacting me and asking my opinion about which school you should choose given the multitude of offers that you have! (Which is exactly what happens to the vast majority of clients who work with CMT).

Preparing for a 4+ assessment. Last few days to join my exceptional CMT Intensive 3 Month Programme before I close it on August 31st.

‘Assessing 4 year olds for teachability is a sad state of affairs.’

No it is not.

And you sound ridiculous.

Why do people talk like this?

Literally makes no sense to me.

If you think that it’s pathetic, disgusting, child abuse or whatever then it really is very simple…

Don’t send your child to a 4+ assessment.

4+ Assessments happen.

It’s nothing new. They’ve been happening for years and years and years and years and they will continue to keep happening. Parents want top schools for their children for their own very personal and unique reasons and when people talk like this (and many do!), it truly makes me stop and think.

Instead of saying nonsense like that sentence I’ve just quoted above, say something more interesting. Because ultimately, your child will need to learn in one way or another. Whether you choose to send your child to school or not, your child will need to learn and your child will need to study.

So, if you don’t like the idea of an assessment of a 3 or a 4-year-old, it really is super simple is it not?

Just be quiet and send your child to a non - selective pre-prep. Or to a state school.There are many! Or home school your child. Whatever. Do what you want. It’s your life. But stop going around spouting nonsense like that sentence above. It’s annoying. It’s misleading. It’s simply not true.

And ultimately, there will be children who are beautifully teachable and those who are not. There’s nothing wrong with the ones who are not – at all. They just wouldn’t pass a 4+ assessment at a top elite school.

Simple.

 Preparing your child for a 4+ assessment for 2027 entry? This is your final chance to join my Intensive 3 Month Programme before it closes on August 31st.

High expectations, higher demand - The Habs' Girls' 4+ Assessment (2027 entry)

High expectations, higher demand.

Parents are often shocked when I tell them how many girls will be attending this 4+ assessment. There is very, very high demand for Habs Girls School. 400 - 500 girls will attend this 4+ assessment in my opinion. Keep in mind that you most likely will be told that this is not the case. That’s fine - you can believe what you wish to believe.

‘We have high expectations for our students, so it is important that we ensure your daughter would be given the space to thrive at Habs.’

I love that Habs has written this.

To me this makes it very clear what they are looking for.

Is it clear to you?

They are looking for girls who would actually be happy and thrive at their school.

With 40 places available at Habs’girls’ school (perhaps ever so slightly higher than this), competition will be fierce again this year.

Your daughter will absolutely need to be thoroughly prepared. She will need to be prepared so that she can actually go in and complete everything that she will be asked to complete!

Round 1 is a group activity session which will last about 50 minutes. ‘Children with birth months in close proximity are placed in the same group’ - please note that this does not mean that their Assessment will be different because they are summer or autumn born. Never have I ever heard the parent of a summer born child telling me that their child was assessed differently to their autumn born peer. Never! Not one single time in over 2 decades of doing this!

But that’s not fair! I hear you say! Oh well, get over it - that’s how it is. And if you don’t like it then start preparing your summer born child earlier. Simple!

The second round is a 1:1 Assessment and parents will be invited to meet the Headteacher for an informal meeting. This is an interview. And they will be looking to see if your values are aligned with theirs and if you are a good fit for their school.

Habs then go on to write…
’Admission at 4+ and 7+ involve straightforward assessments. We strongly recommend against tutoring your child for these. Everything they have already done and learnt will be enough to show us their potential.’

Believe what you want but I’ve never spoken to one single parent in over 20 years who have told me that they have sent their daughter to The Habs’ Girls’ 4+ Assessment with no preparation.

‘Straightforward assessments’ is also misleading. Very. Parents will read that and think that the assessments will be ‘easy’. Far from it.

We have an incredible success rate with preparing our girls to a very high standard for their 4+ Assessments at Habs Girls. The first round is mid-December so you still have time to get our support.

Our exceptional Intensive 3 month Programme closes in 6 days. This is your final chance to join and give your child the highest possible chances for success. To go in and truly shine!