Everything you need to know about applying for the 7+ at Westminster Under School

2026 will be the first year ever that girls will be joining Year 3! There will be 60 places available into year 3 which is a huge intake for the 7+. Don’t take this to mean that it will be easy. It won’t be.

You can apply for 7+ entry here.

You can book to attend a 7+ open day here.

I encourage all of my clients to always visit Westminster before even considering to apply.

Here is what Westminster say that they are looking for in their students:

At the Under School we look for potential in the candidates and for boys and girls who have natural ability and who will, therefore, thrive here. Our challenge is to find that potential, and whose natural ability will grow with the challenges a Westminster education provides. We, therefore, strongly recommend that you do not “cram” your child, or have them specifically tutored. This can detract from the freshness, spontaneity and eagerness to learn, which are some of the qualities we are looking for.

Obviously I completely disagree with what has been written here but that isn’t what this blog is about!

The Westminster Round 1 Assessment (Friday 17th October) will be assessments in:

Maths (problem solving focus). Please note that they like to throw around terms like ‘basic’. It definitely will not be ‘basic’.

English - Reading, creative writing and spag.

Verbal reasoning

Non Verbal reasoning

The Westminster Round 2 Assessment (Wednesday 12th November) will be classroom based activities and an interview with the Master and another member of the senior management team.

Successful candidates will be informed of this by Monday 17th November.

We provide the highest quality of support possible for all of our students preparing for their 7+ Assessments at Westminster Under School.

Book your Sample Lesson Today.

Why the term 'gifted and talented' really didn't sit well with me off when I taught in schools.

One of the main reasons that I personally chose to go into teaching was because I wanted to provide ALL children with an amazing education and I knew that I had the capabilities to be able to do this. I didn’t go to the best schools myself as a child and I never felt that myself and my peers were treated equally. I always felt that other students were placed on a pedestal or taken more seriously than others. Obviously, I was a little girl and I didn’t understand it fully then but I do now.

And when I taught in schools, my focus was on the equal treatment of ALL of my students. In one of my first teaching jobs as a teacher in Year 1 in a top independent pre-prep, we had a meeting. In the meeting we were told that we had to identify 6 ‘gifted and talented’ children in our classes in art, music and maths. We were told to look for those children who demonstrated a ‘natural ability’ in these areas. So basically, the children who were better than the others at art, music and maths.

To be honest, I didn’t really think any one single child was ‘more gifted’ than another in art, music or maths but this one one of those compulsory paperwork activities that we had to do. So I I did it. I spent a week observing my students and seeing who showed some sort of ‘gift’ and ‘talent’ in art, music and maths. I really struggled with this. Not because my students were not gifted and talented but because I really didn’t agree with choosing one over the other.

By the end of the week myself and my colleagues submitted our paper work with the names of the 6 children. The head teacher then created a ‘Gifted and Talented’ club. This club took place during my students’ lunch breaks and they basically went to the club once a week to deepen their ‘gifts and talents'‘.

So what about my other students? Why weren’t they receiving the same treatment? And what would happen to those ‘gifted and talented’ students? They would just become even more ‘gifted and talented’ because 1:1 attention was being given to them.

It really did not sit well with me. I honestly thought many of my other students were ‘gifted and talented’ too but their skills weren’t being as focused on and refined as those in the ‘club’.

I personally don’t think that anyone is naturally born ‘gifted and talented’. I believe that we all have the innate ability to become ‘gifted and talented’ in anything that we put our minds to. In anything we put our focused and consistent effort into. And I think it’s damaging to other children to see this sort of treatment and to not feel valued in their own skills and talents.

Everything you need to know about applying for the 4+ at Westminster Under School

If you would like to send your son or daughter to Westminster to sit their 4+ Assessment, the first thing you must do it register. It really does not matter how early you register. What matters is that you register before the deadline and that you register before the school has 500 pupils registered. By that point, they will open a Waiting List and your child will not be guaranteed an invite to come to the Assessment.

I would encourage everyone who registers or who has an interest in sending their son or daughter to this school to attend an open day. At this point of writing this blog, very few places remain for open days at Westminster so book as soon as possible as they do have a limit. You must make sure that you like the school before sending your son or daughter there! Do you like their core values? Do you like the school itself? Do you like the children that you meet who are already at the school?

Next, you need to know exactly what Westminster Under School is looking for in their potential new students. They write that they are looking for students with ‘natural ability’ and who will ‘thrive’ in their environment. Take that to mean what you want but to me no child is born with a ‘natural ability’. Ability needs to be taught, nurtured and developed. No child is simply born a genius. Westminster use these two words over and over again on their website so clearly ‘natural ability’ is important to them.

There are 2 stages to their 4+ Assessment. Westminster write that Stage 1 will be a ‘play focused’ activity which will be ‘informal’. Well I should think so given the children are 3? They write that the atmosphere will be ‘fun and relaxed’ and that the children are ‘encouraged to participate to the best of their abilities’. Westminster write absolutely nothing about their Stage 2 Assessment. Only that it will be in January.

It’s very obvious to me what they will be assessing and how they will be assessing it in Stage 2. Is it obvious to you?

If you are preparing for the 4+ at Westminster Under School, book your Sample Lesson today.

The BIGGEST mistake I've seen parents make when preparing their child for their 7+ Assessments.

I had a fascinating conversation yesterday with one of my new clients. She is currently preparing her son for his 7+ Assessments at a top London Boys’ School. My new student is currently in Year 1 at another top London Boys’ School. She was concerned about how much she had to support her son with his home learning. When I told her that the home learning was for him and not for her, she fell silent.

I am not interested in how my students’ parents answer the questions that I set them for their home learning. The only person I’m interested in is my student. How THEY answer the questions. What THEY struggle with. What THEY understand well. What THEY don’t understand well.

Only in that way, am I fully able to customise and tailor the curriculum that I create for them and have the best results in terms of the progress that they ultimately will make working with me.

When you help your child too much it is simply not helpful.

If you tell your child the answer, it is simply not helpful. I have sat and observed parents literally telling their child the answer to a question that they didn’t understand. Ok, great. So they got it right. Who cares?

I do not.

Do you know what I care about?

I care about whether they’ve understood the concepts or not. I care about whether or not they can apply their understanding to a new/different question involving the same/similar concepts.

When I explained to my client that my expectation is for my student to sit independently and complete the home learning alone, she breathed a sigh of relief. Not because she doesn’t want to help him. Believe me, she does. But because it took away that pressure from her.

When your child goes into their 7+ Assessment, will you be there to ‘help’ them to answer the questions? No.

When your child goes into their 7+ Assessment, will you be there to ‘help’ them to understand the questions? No.

When your child goes into their 7+ Assessment, will you be there to ‘help’ them to know how much time they have to spend on each question? No.

So, please think about this before you offer far too much help to your child than is even needed.

In our lessons, we expect our students to do 80% of the talking in the lesson. The 20% that our teachers talk is only to explain a concept to our students or to guide our students to be able to try to answer the questions being asked of them.

You will NEVER see one of our teachers telling one of our students the answers to questions. This is NOT learning. This is spoon feeding.

And it will not be helpful to your child when they go into their 7+ Assessments.

Book your Sample Lesson Today.

The CMT 4+ Assessment preparation process

I speak to so many of you every single day and I am always asked - How does it work?

So I thought I would explain it to you all.

We are a relatively small business supporting between 50-80 clients each year. There is myself as Company Director and I have three teachers who currently work with me - Helen, Emily and Greg. I specialise in 3+, 4+, 7+, 8+ and 11+ Assessment preparation (and occasional places), Helen and Emily specialise in 4+, 7+ and 11+ Assessment preparation and Greg specialises in Secondary Maths. I currently do all of the admin involved in having a business, I speak to all new clients myself and am in charge of all of the onboarding and off-boarding. I also currently teach 30 children each week. I have a nearly 3 year old son who I also take care of and I PT, teach group exercise classes and work with postpartum women helping them to lose weight and get fit and healthy. I am also an independent distributor for Enagic!

All of our tuition is currently online and 1:1 but I do offer a variety of group courses each year. My only in person offering is my in person Mock Assessments which currently are priced at £450.

Here is how 4+ Assessment preparation works.

Clients find us in one of three ways:

Referrals, Social media, Google search.

I currently don’t do any paid advertisement although I have done in the past. There is a reason for this but I’ll discuss that another time.

Usually new clients will send an enquiry form (which is on the website) and ask about 4+ Assessment preparation.

I personally always call potential new clients and we will usually have a 15-30 minute phone call. Sometimes clients book an Assessment Consultation Discovery Call. During the phone call we usually discuss their target schools, they tell me a little bit about their child and generally they tell me their concerns about their child passing their 4+ Assessments. After this initial consultation, new clients will book a Sample Lesson and Sample Week at a day/time convenient to them. In the Sample Week, myself or my team of teachers will conduct a small informal assessment of our new students. We will assess their phonics, their maths and their questioning skills. We will then look at their play doh, lego and cutting skills. After the Sample Lesson, a brief conversation is held about how the lesson went and how our new clients would like to proceed. If a potential new client sees the extreme value in what we offer (and most do!), they book their Emerald Curriculum.

All new clients begin with the Emerald Curriculum which is a bespoke, tailored curriculum created only for our individual students. No two curriculums will ever be the same. These curriculums are created based on the initial assessment during the Sample lesson and sample week and also based on the schools our students are applying to. The Emerald Curriculum lasts for 3 months (based on an assessment and criteria that children need to meet in order to pass their Emerald Curriculum). They then progress to the Sapphire Curriculum for another 3 months. Then the Diamond Curriculum for a further 3 months and then the Amethyst Curriculum. Children who stay for more than 12 months, move on to the 2.0 Curriculum.

I do recommend 12 months of 4+ Assessment preparation to have the highest possible chances for success.

Our clients have 24/7 email access to their teachers. This is something no other company offers and something that I’m so proud to be able to offer. Our clients send us photos and videos of their children completing their learning and receive feedback, they ask for advice and they talk to us about any concerns that they might have.

What we offer is of extreme value and all for only £65 per week (that’s less than £10 per day!). Every year our results are extraordinary and will continue to be more and more amazing each year.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

How do you support your child to keep going when they don't want to?

It’s all a matter of just one little word.

That word is ‘Why?’

I was brought up being told that you either do what you are told or there will be a consequence. This is not how I bring up my son. No judgement at all to any of you who bring up your children in this way. It is up to you how you raise your children. It just didn’t work well for me. I grew up never understanding the reasons why? I grew up continuing to think that if I didn’t do what was expected of me and what was asked of me that there will be a consequence.

So when your child tells you that they don’t want to do something, I invite you to ask them this one word question. ‘Why?’

Answers will show up differently depending on how old your child is and at their developmental stage.

At the age of two or 3, they may just tell you that they simply don’t want to. They may not even answer you. They may just run off. They may choose to do something else.

At the age of six or seven, they may start crying if you ask them to do something that they don’t want to do. They may tell you that they don’t want to do it and then want to do something else.

At the age of ten or eleven, they might simply refuse to do what you’ve asked them to do and sit there and sulk.

Whatever your child does, this is your opportunity to understand the reason behind why they don’t want to do what you’ve asked them to do.

Let me share with you a few examples.

My three year old student Sara came to one of her lessons with her father. I put the phonics on the screen and asked her to tell me the sounds. She told her father that she did not want to look at the phonics and instead she got her lego. Her father got so frustrated and told her that she ‘had to do what she was told.’ He was getting really flustered which led to his daughter becoming very upset. When she had calmed down, I simply asked her ‘Why?’

After a few moments she said to me ‘Maria, I just find them hard and I don’t want to get it wrong.’

We talked about it for a few moments and before we both knew it, she was looking at the screen and having a go!

My son is nearly 3 years old. He will be 3 in July. He’s always been open to doing learning with me but lately he’s been saying no to me. He wants to choose what he wants to do. I don’t make this a problem. Of course, it’s deeply frustrating and in an ideal world, I’d love for him to always want to do the learning that I’ve so lovingly prepared for him. But this is not how it is currently. When I ask him why, he usually tells me that he wants to do something else. So that’s what he does. Usually, he will choose to do the task that I’d initially asked him to do. At the moment, he wants to feel that he is the one choosing what to do.

So when your child doesn’t want to do something, use it as a learning opportunity to understand them more. Don’t use it as an opportunity to get frustrated and cross.

Do you always want to do something that you are asked to do?

If 'no special preparation is needed' at South Hampstead (4+), why does the school expect so much?

If ‘no special preparation is needed’ at South Hampstead why does the school have such high expectations of the girls in terms of their phonics knowledge?

If ‘no special preparation is needed’ at South Hampstead why does the school have such high expectations of the girls in terms of their mathematical ability?

If ‘no special preparation is needed’ at South Hampstead why does the school have such high expectations of the girls in terms of their ability to answer questions?

One of my students who I personally prepared for her 4+ Assessment at South Hampstead was initially placed on the Waiting List following her 4+ Assessment at South Hampstead. She was a very bright little girl who worked very hard to prepare for her 4+ Assessment at South Hampstead. She showed up every single week for 9 months to prepare for her 4+ Assessment at this school. She made a tremendous amount of progress and she was more than ready for her 4+ Assessment at South Hampstead.

So why was she not offered a place immediately?

Why was she placed on the Waiting list?

When her mother had a discussion about it with the school, she was told that other girls were stronger than her daughter in terms of their phonetic abilities.

Ok, so that contradicts completely what South Hampstead say about ‘no special preparation is needed’ doesn’t it?

If my student wasn’t as strong as the other girls in terms of her phonetic abilities (and trust me her phonics were strong!) then what did the other girls show in order to have performed better or as the school said ‘to be stronger’ than my student? Do you really think that they did not have ‘special preparation’ in order to demonstrate such strong phonetic ability? I highly doubt it.

So to those of you who call me and tell me that you don’t need to prepare for South Hampstead because the school have told you not to, are you ready to question this now?

Or will you send your daughter to the South Hampstead 4+ Assessment with ‘no special preparation’? I encourage you to not do this.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

'Teach my child' V 'Teach my child to learn'

If you’ve ever observed one of my lessons, you will know that you don’t hear my voice as much as you hear my students’ voices.

This was something that made me stand out in mainstream education. I was often told how amazing it was that I would ‘allow my students to have such a powerful voice in my lessons’. And I didn’t really understand this until I started observing other teachers myself.

What I would often notice was that they would be the ones talking for 80-90% of the time. The students would be passively listening to the teacher for 20-25 minutes before being told to go to to their tables to complete their learning. Learning simply does not happen in this way. We do not learn by being passive listeners. We learn by doing. We learn by asking questions. We learn by getting things wrong and then trying again and again and again. Sadly, with a class full of 20-30+ students, one human being cannot do all of this. And if they can, they cannot do it well.

I taught a Sample lesson last week and at the end of the lesson, my student’s father asked me this question, ‘But will you actually teach him? You didn’t really say much in the lesson!’

Here was my exact response to him.

I was teaching, you just didn’t realise it because I gave centre stage to your son.

He was blown away by my response.

Who cares about what the teacher has to say? Yes of course, teachers need to teach new concepts but the best teaching (in my opinion), is the teaching where children are left to their own devices.

So interesting that those teachers who would talk at their students for 20-25 minutes and then tell their students to go to their tables would then have 5-6 children with their hands up asking for help. Why didn’t they know what they had to do? Why did they need their teacher to talk at them again for 2-5 minutes explaining what she’d just been explaining for 20-25 minutes?

I am a strong believer in teaching my students to learn. In giving them the opportunity to see a new concept and give it a go before being instructed how to do it.

Parents freak out about this. They don’t want their child to get it wrong. Oh please let your child get things wrong. And tell them that it is okay. Just as okay as them getting things right.

Let’s support our next generation to be independent learners. To be resilient learners. To be determined learners. To be passionate learners. To be able to persevere. To want to learn. Not to be told what to do but rather be supported to be able to it themselves.

3 lessons learnt after preparing children for their Faulkner House 4+ Assessment

I have personally been preparing boys and girls for the Faulkner House 4+ Assessment for over 12 years. It is a popular school but the 4+ Assessment process is very misunderstood by the parents that I speak to who would like to send their children to this school.

Many of my clients are drawn to this school because of its exit results at year 6. They are impressed by the schools that boys and girls go onto after completing their time at Faulkner House.

With many boys and girls being offered places at St Paul’s (11 boys and 6 girls respectively offered places at St Paul’s for 2025 entry) you can understand why this is such a popular school. Godolphyn and Latymer is another popular school for the girls to go onto at year 7 (17 places offered) and another popular school for the boys are the likes of Ibstock, Harrodian and City of London.

For my clients, Secondary education is very important. Understandably so. The school your child will go to at Secondary level will shape their futures.

Here are 3 lessons I’ve learnt after preparing children for their Faulkner House 4+ Assessment.

1. If your child doesn’t have a sibling already there, it will be virtually impossible for them to pass this 4+ Assessment regardless of how much you prepare them for it.

2. You won’t be given much information about the 4+ Assessment process at Faulkner House as it is very much Top Secret.

3. Many parents are often shocked that their son or daughter wasn’t offered a place at Faulkner House after their 4+ Assessment.

So, if you are preparing your child for this school, do consider that Faulkner House has a very strong sibling policy (siblings do still need to pass the 4+ Assessment criteria!) and if you don’t already have a child at the school, it will be very hard for your child to be offered a place. Do ensure you have a variety of other schools that you are also applying to. Do prepare your son or daughter to the highest standards to ensure that they have the highest chances for success in their Faulkner House 4+ Assessment.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Today I turn 40 and I'm not afraid to admit ...

1. I was a school teacher for 12 years who hated the last 4 years of teaching full time in schools. If I am completely honest, I would say I enjoyed the middle years (years 4-6). These were the years where I felt confident as a teacher - I knew what I was doing and I could just show up and teach. However, I didn’t enjoy working as a teacher in the school, I enjoyed the social aspect of the school (this is not why I went into teaching!)

2. The bravest thing I ever did was the day after finding out I was pregnant, walking into the Headteacher’s office and telling him that I would be leaving that December because the health of myself and my baby came first. I walked away from a ‘secure’ maternity pay and went all in on my online businesses. During my maternity leave I only had statutory maternity pay for three months.

3. Being bullied all the way through school is one of the main reasons that I chose to become a teacher. I didn’t want one other child to go through what I did. All the way through my childhood all I ever wanted was to ‘fit in’, was ‘to be liked’ and not one single teacher told me that this was just nonsense. That’s the type of teacher that I chose to be. I didn’t allow for any nonsense in any of my classrooms and I alway put the health and wellbeing of all of my students first. Being bullied makes you lose trust in people and I am still working on rebuilding this trust every single day. No other child that I work with will ever go through what I did because I will always be there to support and guide them. And I have zero tolerance for bullies.

4. I was a socially anxious person for 35 years of my life. I had friendships that I thought were real but absolutely were not. It took me 35 years to learn that I was not the one who had to ‘fit in’ and that I was not the one who had to pretend to be someone that I wasn’t in order to be accepted. It took me 35 years to learn which of my friendships were real and which were absolutely not.

5. The day I finished university, I cried my eyes out because I had no idea what to do next. I had massive student debt and I ended up having to move back home. I went through the education system and I was never asked what I truly wanted to do. I was told of what was expected of me (graduate and get a job). I never want my son to feel this way and I will be his mentor and his guide.

6. I don’t tolerate rudeness. I am not rude to anyone so anyone who is rude to me, I will simply not accept it. I don’t have time for people to expect me to do things their way. I will do things my way and will do for the rest of my life. And if people don’t like it, they are simply not my people.

7. The main reason that I left teaching full time in schools is because I felt that it was no longer about the children. It had become all about the paperwork. And all of the paperwork took away from my time with the children. What I loved most in those early years of teaching was that I could just be with my students. I could just teach them and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Towards the end of my teaching career, it was no longer fully about the children. It was about the planning and the marking. It was about performing for Ofsted. It was about grades and marks on tests. Management treated staff poorly and I would no longer stand for it.

So today I turn 40. And I will always speak my truth. Because my hope it that it will help someone else to speak theirs. I hid away from my truth for far too long. I performed for a society who didn’t really care about my performance.

This is why your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work.

So many parents have no idea what to expect when they sign up to send their daughter to the 4+ Assessment at NLCS.

There are so many comments online that literally say how wonderful the 4+ Assessment is and parents saying that their daughter had an amazing time.

Listen, no one cares that your daughter had a great time at her NLCS 4+ Assessment. Who actually cares? Why are people even talking about that?

I read a comment that said something like, ‘Why do I keep reading that the 4+ Assessments are traumatic and stressful? My daughter had an amazing time at her 4+ Assessment.’

Ok, but was she successful?

And also who is telling you that the 4+ Assessments are traumatic and stressful? It would never be traumatic and stressful for a 3 year old. I’ve never heard this from anyone. Ever.

Perhaps it is traumatic and stressful for the parents who are unsuccessful at securing a place at any of their target schools?

Because of these comments and other people literally telling you not to prepare your daughter for her 4+ Assessment at NLCS, you might naively think that this is the case.

Well, let me tell you this, if you don’t prepare your daughter properly for her 4+ Assessment at NLCS and if you don’t take the process seriously, then don’t expect to have any sort of success.

NLCS receives over 500 applications every single year for the 4+ Assessment.

With only 40 places available, your daughter will have a 1:12 chance of passing her first round.

If she passes the first round, she will have a better chance of passing the second round as the ration lowers to about 1:4. Passing the first round is something exceptional!

Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if you read ridiculous comments online and believe them. Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if you believe that your daughter’s nursery alone can prepare your daughter for her 4+ Assessment. Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if you don’t thoroughly cover all areas of the EYFS curriculum that will be assessed in both rounds. Your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation may not work if your daughter doesn’t have the skills of being resilient and being able to persevere.

If you want to be successful in the NLCS 4+ Assessment, work with a teacher who has been preparing girls for this assessment for over 16 years. Work with a teacher who has real and actual experience of supporting girls to pass their 4+ Assessment at NLCS.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

What your daughter MUST be able to demonstrate to pass the 4+ Assessment at Glendower?

Glendower are looking for many important traits in their prospective new students.

There are 9 main skills that Glendower will be assessing in their 4+ Assessment.

1. Ability to cooperate

2. Ability to be flexible

3. Ability to have a go

4. High levels of english language

5. High levels of numeracy skills

6. Knowledge of phonics

7. Ability to follow instructions

These are all very important and your daughter must be prepared to a very high standard in order to be able to demonstrate these 9 skills.

But the most important thing that your daughter MUST demonstrate in order to pass the 4+ Assessment at Glendower is this…

Confidence.

Now when I say confidence, I don’t mean that your daughter has to be loud nor does she have to be able to talk to people that she doesn’t know as though they are her bet friends. What I mean is a quiet confidence to go in to her 4+ Assessment and just shine. To confidently try all of the activities set out for her. To confidently answer all of the questions asked of her. To confidently look the assessors in their eyes and converse with them.

Confidence is key in the 4+ Assessment at Glendower.

Preparing for Glendower for 2026/2027 entry?

Book your Sample Lesson today.

3 signs your daughter is READY for her Kensington Prep 4+ Assessment

We have prepared hundreds of girls for their Kensington Prep 4+ Assessment over the last 15 years.

Here are the 3 signs that your daughter is READY for her Kensington Prep 4+ Assessment.

1. Your daughter is switched on and alert.

   Historically, the girls that we have prepared for this school have been so easy to teach. They have been so switched on and so alert. Our girls would show up every single week for their lesson and they would be able to sustain a conversation with their teacher for the duration of the lesson. They would ask so many questions and they demonstrated maturity (for girls of the age of only 3)

2. Your daughter is curious.

   Your daughter has a deep desire to learn more and more. Your daughter is hungry to learn more, more, more. Your daughter is intrinsically curious about everything. She will ask you why? several times a day and she will expect a proper answer from you. And if she isn’t satisfied with your answer, she will keep on asking. Our girls who have historically passed the 4+ Assessment at Kensington Prep were able to answer up to Level 4 questions with ease. They spoke clearly and with certainty. They answered with confidence and clarity. They questioned me if they didn’t understand something and their eyes lit up every time I would introduce a new concept to them.

3. Your daughter shows enthusiasm to learn.

   Your daughter wants to learn every single day. She will ask you do do certain learning activities that interest her. She won’t need to be asked to go and do her learning. She will be the one who tell you that she wants to learn. Your daughter will tell you what interests her. She will want to learn by herself and with you.

If you are preparing for Kensington Prep for 2026 entry and your daughter doesn’t currently show you these 3 signs, it’s time to start preparing her with our exceptional Emerald Curriculum. You have about 9 months left to prepare for the 4+ at Ken Prep.

Book your Sample lesson and Sample Week today.

Your 4+ Assessment preparation got better since you stopped doing this one thing

Making excuses.

Look, we all have lives to live, children to raise, jobs to go to, finances to deal with, friends to see - the list goes on and on…

But this is the only thing that happens when you make excuses…

Nothing.

Nothing happens.

Let me give you an example. My son has passed all elements of his Emerald Curriculum apart from the phonics part. He doesn’t know how to identify the 13 sounds that he needs to be able to identify in order to move onto his Sapphire Curriculum. I had set myself the goal of teaching him all 13 this month (the month of April). Today is the 13th of April. Do you know how many times I’ve pulled out the phonics sounds from his folder? Do you know how many times I’ve put on a phonics video on YouTube? Do you know how many times I’ve planned to do phonics with him? Maybe three times.

Why?

Because of excuses.

Here are just a few…

‘We’re on holiday this week?’

‘He’s not in the mood to do them?’

‘He would prefer to do something else!’

Not good enough.

I can turn things around of course but I’ve missed at least 10 full days of focused phonics learning with him.

I speak to so many of you who are just full of excuses.

‘She’s only 1/2/3 years old!’

‘I don’t want to damage him!’

‘I’ll just wait until next week/month/year!’

‘We’re having our house done!’

‘We have family over!’

Listen, you’ve make the decision to sit your child for their 4+ Assessments. So enough with the excuses. 4+ Assessment preparation needs planned and focused energy and attention. 4+ Assessment preparation needs dedication and determination. It doesn’t need wishy washy excuses.

You want your child to pass their 4+ Assessments?

Then do the consistent and focused work to prepare them to actually go in and pass.

If not, continue making your excuses and stay stuck.

If you’d like our support, we offer the highest quality tuition to all of our clients preparing their children for their 4+ Assessments.

Book your Sample Lesson today!

Prepare for St. Paul's Cathedral school like a BOSS.

Another very popular school at 4+. Children will be assessed on a Saturday in November. The school’s Admission policy says that children will be invited to a ‘play group assessment' and they will be assessed by the pre-prep staff in the reception classrooms. 10-12 children will be grouped together and assessed. The school state that the emphasis is on a ‘group play session’.

The Admissions policy clearly states that ‘no preparation’ is required which is interesting considering how many children I know of who have not passed this assessment and followed the instruction of ‘no preparation’.

It is important to note that only the first 80 children registered on the 1st of September, 12 months before entry to St. Paul’s Cathedral School will be assessed. There are 34 places available at this school. A waiting list of up to 20 children will be held and they will be offered a place if one becomes available.

If you want to prepare for this school like a BOSS, I suggest you start preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments from the age of 2. I then suggest that you make sure that you apply by the 1st of September (12 months before entry to St Paul’s). Make sure that you make a note of this in your diary. You can also register your child from birth if you are super organised. The assessment WILL be academic regardless of the school telling you that ‘preparation is not needed’. You want your child to be offered a place at this school, you will prepare them to the highest of standards.

To prepare like a BOSS, you will support your child to be a curious and inquisitive learner. This of course can be practised. You will teach your child to work well with others as part of a group, to engage with them and to collaborate with them. This can of course be practised.

These are all requirements in the 4+ Assessment at this school.

The Nursery report will also be important at St. Paul’s Cathedral School as they will ask to see this.

Let us support you every step of the way to prepare for St. Paul’s Cathedral school. You don’t have to do it alone. We have incredible success year after year at supporting our students to be offered a place at this school.

Book your Sample Week today.

3 things you could do right now prepare for the Jags 4+ assessment

James Allen’s Girls’ School - Another popular school that we prepare our girls for at 4+.

Located in East Dulwich Grove in South East London, this school is very over subscribed at 4+ and needs thorough 4+ Assessment preparation. With only 36 places available, you will want to ensure that your daughter is able to go in and show exactly what the assessors are looking for.

It is important to note that Jags do not have a sibling policy.

In order to prepare for the JAGS assessment with confidence, you firstly need to know exactly what they are looking for in their successful candidates.

JAGS want to see how your daughter will get on as part of a classroom setting. Therefore when you are preparing for the 4+ Assessment at JAGS you will want to be working on things like social skills, independence, team working skills, listening skills, maintaining eye contact with adults when they speak to her and interacting with confidence with both adults and children. Of course, you still need to work on all areas of the EYFS curriculum.

The JAGS website give absolutely nothing away about the 4+ Assessment. We have been preparing many girls for assessment at this school for many years and we know exactly what the school is looking for in their prospective new students!

Here are 3 things you could do right now prepare for the Jags 4+ assessment:

1. Take your daughter to a variety of clubs where she has to interact with new and unfamiliar adults and children.

2. Play games with your daughter every day. Games where she has to listen, take turns, follow instructions and also be able to demonstrate independence.

3. Read stories with your daughter daily and ask her a variety of questions (up to level 4 question types)

Prepare with confidence by working with our team of exceptional teachers. We will support you every step of the way to have tremendous success at Jags.

Book your Sample Lesson today!

Distraught, devastated and shocked

One of my ex- clients told me that I am scaremongering parents and this is absolutely not the case. She had 4 lessons with me and took up far more hours of my time than she had paid for with my support and dedication towards her family and her child – who by the way was successful to a top Boys’ school for his 4+.

I am simply speaking the truth to you. Because I know how important the best quality education is for our children. The futures it will open up for them and their experiences of childhood are very important to me and I take them very seriously. Why would I need to scaremonger? For what reason? I am here to attract the highest calibre of clients and students. Clients who take the 4+ Assessment process seriously and children who want to work hard and be dedicated to their learning.

 I have no need to scaremonger, believe me. Upon reflection, it says more about her than about me. She was the one scared about the 4+ Assessment process. I’m not.

 Distraught, devastated and shocked are three words that I have heard parents use when they called me to tell me that their child did not pass the 4+ Assessment at Manor Lodge. Manor Lodge is a dream school for many parents for many different reasons.

They don’t realise how hard it is to be offered a place at this school. They don’t take the 4+ Assessment process seriously enough. They say things like, ‘What would they even ask a 3 year old anyway?’ and ‘Isn’t it ridiculous to prepare a 3 year old for an assessment?’ They assume that because they are paying for their child’s education that they will just be offered a place. It does not work that way. You and 500 + other parents can afford to pay for a private school education for their children

So don’t be distraught, devastated and shocked. Be delighted, thrilled and over the moon. Prepare your child for the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment and prepare them well.

 And if you don’t, don’t expect miraculous results. If your child doesn’t meet the assessment set by the school (sibling or not), they will not pass the 4+ at Manor lodge.

 Book your Sample Lesson today.

Manor Lodge Misunderstandings

Lately, I’ve been speaking to a lot of you who are very interested in Manor Lodge. And it leaves me very surprised. If you are so interested in this school, why have you not started preparing your child for it?

You do realise that this 4+ Assessment is in October 2025? Meaning you only have 6 months to prepare for this school.

I’m always very surprised that this is one of the schools that parents are least worried about preparing their child for.

Well, you should be worried.

Manor Lodge is a tough 4+ Assessment to pass for two reasons.

1. It is a very popular school and hundreds of parents will be sitting their child for their 4+ Assessment here.

2. Competition will be fierce in terms of the calibre of students that your child will be up against.

I know how hard it is to pass the 4+ Assessment at this school. I’ve spoken to hundreds of parents who have called me to tell me that their child did not pass their 4+ Assessment at this school.

Myself and my team have personally been preparing our youngest students for Manor Lodge for many, many years and we have incredible success year after year.

I hear words thrown around such as 'devastated’, ‘disappointed’ and ‘heart-broken’ when clients tell me that their child did not pass the Manor Lodge Assessment. Yet when I asked them how long they had been preparing their child for the assessment, they tell me that they didn’t or they tell me that their nursery prepared them. A nursery alone cannot prepare a child to pass any 4+ Assessment. Understand this.

If you want your child to pass the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment, your child does need at least 12 months of Assessment preparation either by yourself or by a teacher who has knowledge of the 4+ Assessment at this school and who has had real and actual results at supporting students to pass their 4+ Assessment at this school.

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

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

Both students who started with us 12 months before their 4+ Assessment were offered a firm place at Manor Lodge.

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

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

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

So many of you do not understand the 4+ Assessment process at Manor Lodge. You don’t understand how fiercely competitive it will be. You don’t understand the sheer volume of parents applying for this school. You don’t understand that if your child is not ready for their 4+ Assessment, they will simply not pass.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

5 reasons boys failed their 4+ Assessment at Habs Boys this year (2025 entry)

Habs Boys at 4+ is a tough Assessment.

You may not believe that it will be but you would be very wrong.

It is not a ‘play based assessment’ or whatever you are making that phrase mean in your head. It simply isn’t. Sure, your son will ‘play’ but no one cares about your child ‘playing’. Do you really think their ‘playing’ is being assessed at this top boys’ school?

Oh and it’s an hour and a half by the way. I’ve never known my nearly 3 year old son to engage in focused ‘play’ activities for 90 minutes! Perhaps your child has? I doubt it.

The groups will be with children in close proximity of age but don’t for one moment think that your summer born son will be assessed differently to an autumn born boy. He won’t be.

I’m thrilled that Habs haven’t written that the second round will be ‘play based’. No, it is a 1:1 with your son in which your son will engage in focused activities with an assessor (a teacher or senior leader at Habs).

With 40 places available and over 500+ boys applying, you have to prepare thoroughly for this Assessment (for all 4+ Assessments!)

This is real feedback from real students who did not pass their 4+ Assessment at Habs Boys (2025 entry). I share it with you because some of you are not preparing thoroughly enough for this school and you have to if you want your son to pass.

Reason #1

Didn’t show enough independence.

Reason #2

Reluctant to try when it was harder.

Reason #3

Didn’t answer the questions immediately when asked.

Reason #4

Didn’t speak enough when spoken to.

Reasons #5

Didn’t consistently follow the instructions.

As you can see none of these are curriculum focused. So you must’t only prepare your son to be academically able. You must focus on your son in a holistic way and support him to demonstrate the core values of Habs Boys in their 4+ Assessment.

Book your Sample Lesson Today.

Why is story writing so hard to teach for the 7+?

Not knowing what the schools expect.

If you don’t know what the schools expect then how can you ever prepare your child to pass this part of the Assessment?

In their 7+ Assessments, your child will most likely need to write a story in the first round of the Assessment (not always!). It could come up in the second round.

Each school will have their own criteria that they will use to assess story writing.

It is important that you know what this criteria is so that you can prepare your child to go in and show everything that these schools are looking for.

I know exactly what each school is looking for.

How?

Because I have been preparing children for their 7+ Assessments for over 15 years now.

I have prepared children for ALL top inner and outer London schools for their 7+ Assessments.

I know that not all schools assess story writing in the same way and I prepare my students knowing exactly what the schools that they are applying to are looking for.

SIMPLE.

Know what the school/s are looking for and then prepare a plan to help support your child to go in and actually write the best story and to pass that section of their 7+ Assessment.

Story writing is not easy to teach for most people.

It is very easy for me to teach. It is my super power. Let me work with your child for only 30 minutes each week and see their writing transform. Watch as they begin to understand exactly what needs to be included in a story and how to actually write an amazing story.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.