Upper case or lower case when teaching reading?

There are many studies completed about this. You can read these for yourselves if you wish. 

I disagree with many of these studies. I sometimes wonder if teachers themselves have conducted these studies or if they have been conducted by people who don’t even work with children. 

I’m here to share with you my insights and my beliefs based on the thousands of children that I have taught over the last 20 years. I’ m here to share with you what I’ve seen to work very well and what I’ve seen that has not worked very well. Remember that we teach hundreds of children every single year here at CMT. We see what works. We see what does not. 

When teaching very early reading, knowledge of the alphabet is obviously fundamental. 

But it is also highly complex (surprising huh?). 

Do you teach the letter sounds or the letter names or do you teach both? 

Here at CMT, we teach our students the letter sounds first. 

We do not mention the letter names for a very long time. 

When teaching early reading, children need to know the pure sounds first. No one cares about the letter names when it comes to reading. In fact it will slow your child’s reading progress significantly if you are teaching the letter names first. And it will be so confusing for your child. This will lead to frustration and delay their reading progress. 

There are times children join me perhaps late in the year and with only a few months left to prepare for their 4+ and sadly because they have been taught the letter names of the alphabet first, they have not been able to learn how to read before their 4+ assessments. And for some 4+ assessments, children need to demonstrate that they know how to read - whether they tell you that this is the case or not. 

Do you teach upper case or lower case letters individually or do you teach them simultaneously?

Here at CMT, we teach lower case first. We focus on lower case because when children read, 95% of the words on the page will be lower case (perhaps slightly less but you know what I mean). We laser focus on teaching the lower case sounds first. Only when children have mastered every single sound do we introduce capital letters. 

Reading progress is accelerated significantly using this process. 

Yes, it’s a little frustrating that my proficient 3 year old reader sometimes stumbles on the capital letters - especially the ones that don’t look like the lower case letters. However, it will take me a couple of weeks of targeted a focused learning to support him with learning his capital letters and honestly, each day that I read with him, he is identifying them more and more confidently. 

Need support with teaching your little one how to read? 

My Curriculum Acceleration Programme will be perfect for you.

Why wouldn’t my child pass the 4+ at Westminster?

I was asked this question earlier this week by a father who called me to find out more about my 4+ programme.

I loved the equal mix of confidence and delusion. 

I turned the question around and asked him…

Well, tell me why he would pass this assessment? 

He gave me a huge list of reasons which I really don’t have time to write about. But here are a few for you. 

His son is so amazing 

Yes, yours and all of the other 500 applicants! 

His son knows all of his phonics (single sounds) 

Well I should think so by this point given that the assessment is in less than 5 months time (at the point of writing this). 

His son is so good at maths! 

Yes, yours and most likely all of the other 500 applicants! 

Listen up, we all believe that our children are the best of the best and that a school like Westminster would be the lucky ones to have them! 

So, let me break it down for you very simply and tell you some of the reasons why your child won’t pass the 4+ at Westminster. 

• They don’t go into the assessment the way that is expected. 

• They don’t follow the instructions the way that is expected. 

• They don’t interact with adults the way that is expected. 

• They don’t demonstrate all of the skills needed to be demonstrated. 

• They don’t perform academically at the level that the ones who will pass perform. 

It’s not a playdate and do not tell your child that it is. 

I don’t lie to my child. 

Your child is not there to relax and have fun so do not tell your child that that is what they are going there to do. 

If your child doesn’t know what to expect don’t expect them to do what they need to do in order to pass.

Seems so obvious to me. Is it obvious to you?

Book your FREE Assessment Consultation Discovery Call today and discover how we can support your child to have the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Some clients' values will never align with mine - and that's just fine!

Running a business is something that I never dreamed I would be doing. Running a successful business is definitely something that I never dreamed I would be doing. But here I am. I took many, many risks, left the ‘stability’ of my full time teaching career and created a beautiful business that has been running for nearly 6 years now.

When I first started Creative Minds Tutors, I knew one thing for certain. What I wanted was to build a business that really cared about each and every single client. What I wanted was to build a business that really cared about each and every student. You see, I felt that this was really lacking in the schools that I worked in for nearly 20 years.

Building relationships with parents isn’t easy when you work in a school (any school). As a teacher, your main role is to support your students. You don’t have much time interacting with parents and when you do it would usually be to deal with a complaint of some sort. Parents didn’t really take the time to get to know the teachers as individuals because there simply would be no time for this. Parents would often be in a rush at collection and it would be a simple nod and good bye.

I wanted to create a business where I could really develop those relationships with my clients. Now, hear me carefully. I know I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to provide the best service possible and I do that extremely well. The service that we provide to each and every one of our clients is out of this world extraordinary. We offer something that no other Tutoring Business out there offers - ongoing access to your teachers. Anything our clients need, we are there to support them every single step of the way.

A relationship built on mutual respect, kindness and trust is very, very important to me.

Sometimes this mutual respect, kindness and trust is either not there from the start or it breaks down from the part of the client. This is where values do not align. And I’ve worked on this so much and I’ve come to terms with it. But the way I see it is this. If you want your child to be respectful, kind and trustworthy, you need to model these values to your child.

I will always show the highest amount of respect and kindness to all of my clients. I will always show them that they can trust me and that we have nothing but the highest of expectations for their children.

But I need to accept that I will come across parents who simply will not uphold my values. And that’s okay.

And do you know what makes it all worthwhile?

The hundreds and hundreds of beautiful relationships that we have created over the last 6 years in business at CMT and the last 20 years of teaching thousands of students and working with thousands of clients. A few negative encounters will always be erased by the beautiful relationships that we have with the majority of our clients and will continue to have!

The Reality of the South Hampstead 7+ Assessment.

Only 24 girls are typically invited to join the school in Year 3. 

Not many at all considering that hundreds and hundreds of girls will be applying for a place at South Hampstead at 7+. 

On Tuesday 24th November, they will be holding an ‘Optional’ Taster session for all girls who have applied. If you would like your daughter to be considered for a place at South Hampstead at 7+, you will attend this session. 

On Tuesday 5th January 2027, your daughter will be invited to attend her assessment. It will be half a day at school. Here is what they write about it, ‘The girls will be divided into small groups and sit tests in maths, writing and comprehension; we do not provide past papers. There will also be a round table discussion for which no preparation is required’.

Preparation is of course required for all aspects of this 7+ assessment. 

We have prepared many girls over the last 20 years for their 7+ assessment at South Hampstead.

We know exactly the calibre of girls who have passed and our bespoke curriculum programmes will prepare your daughters every step of the way to have tremendous success in their 7+ assessments at South Hampstead. 

Preparing for 2027 entry into South Hampstead? Our Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme will be perfect for you.

3 reasons you should start assessment prep 2 years before the 7+ assessment/s?

When I speak to many parents, they will often say these sentences to me…

‘I’m new to this!’

‘I didn’t know that it would be so competitive!’

‘I had no idea that I had to prepare him!’

‘The schools told me not to tutor him!’

Well, if you’ve been following me for a while, you will know my views.

7+ takes at least 2 years of assessment preparation targeted specifically at the schools that you are applying to.

Reason #1

Learning takes time.

Learning doesn’t happen on demand. Learning takes time. Your child will have a broad and vast curriculum to cover for the 7+ assessments and you will need to cover all of it to a very, very high standard. This can only be done with time on your side. Two years seems like a long time but it really isn’t. Two years will fly by.

Reason #2

Mastery needs to be achieved.

In order to be successful in a 7+ assessment at a top, elite school, your child will need to be at mastery level in the Year 3 curriculum at the very least. This means that we are working at 1-2 years about your child’s current year. I expect my students to always have a reading age at least 2 years above their current age and there is a very good reason for this!

Reason #3

Children need to become obsessed with learning and to deeply love learning.

When learning is rushed, this is never achieved and my students may come to not love their learning at all if they are rushed or pushed too much or too quickly. I never want to do this with any of our students. I know how important these assessments are to my clients and of course they’re important to me too. But do you know what is far more important to me? It’s that my students love learning. It’s that my students are excited to meet with me each week and to learn with me. It’s that my students are hungry to learn more, more and more!

So if you are preparing your child for a 7+ assessment, do yourself a favour and start early. Whether you start with myself and my team or you start by yourself, just start!

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 12 month programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your child the highest possible chances for success in the 7+ assessments. Are you currently preparing for a 7+ assessment (2027 entry)? Then book your Emerald Curriculum 3-month Intensive Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

The reality of the Habs’ Boys’ 7+ Assessment.

Registration deadline for the Habs Boys 7+ Assessment is Monday 9th November 2026. The first round is on Friday 20th November and the second round is on Wednesday 16th December 2026. You have to wait a long time to find out if your son has passed or not as results are sent out on January 22nd.

There are only approximately 26 places available to join Habs in Year 3.

Not many places at all given the sheer volume of boys applying! The majority of parents that I initially speak to who are interested in this school for their sons do not know that there are only approx. 26 places until I tell them. Most of the time, they go quiet.

The first round assessment consists of tests in maths, English and reasoning. If you’ve never been through this process before, that is pretty much all that you are told. We’ve been through this process every single year for over 20 years.

Half of the boys assessed in the first round will be invited back for the second round. Round 2 will be more assessing of their English skills and a STEM activity. In the second round, parents are also invited to meet with members of the senior leadership team (parent interview).

Habs ' strongly recommend against tutoring’ for the 7+ assessment. Well, I’ve never once in 20 years spoken to any parent who has told me that they had sent their son in without being prepared or ‘tutored’. The word ‘tutored’ just means taught. Don’t let it mean something that it really does not mean.

If you taught your child before sending him into the Habs 7+ assessment, guess what? You tutored him. Say what you want but that’s the ultimate truth and if you don’t like it, oh well. 

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 2 year programme, you can join our Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme. You can read all about it here and book your Sample Week. This is the only programme your son will need to have the highest possible chances for success at Habs.

The angry parents are only ever the ones who start late.

And by late what I mean is this…

Anything less than 4 years of assessment preparation for the 11+.

Anything less than 2 years of assessment preparation for the 7+.

Anything less than 1 year of assessment preparation for the 4+.

What do some of you do?

You get in touch with us when your child is 2-3 months out from having attend their 4+ assessments, already in Year 1 for the 7+ and already in Year 5 for the 11+ and you expect miracles.

And when you don’t see these miracles, you get frustrated and annoyed with the people trying to help you.

It happens year after year after year and it will continue to happen. Because you see, even if parents start late, we will always try to help our students to be successful in their assessments and in their curriculum acceleration and we will put in the work needed to support them to do that. Always.

The problem is when parents don’t put in the work, they don’t complete the home learning set, they don’t communicate with their teacher and they cancel lessons 1-2 times (or more) each month. Essentially, they don’t really take the process seriously at all. They care about getting their children into their target schools but they’re rather unbothered and unfazed by the part that will actually support their children to pass! After all, their child goes to an ‘amazing’ nursery or pre-school and after all - it’s up to them to prep them isn’t it? Umm, no it is not.

These are the parents who tend to be angry.

I promise you that the parents who put in the work, the parents who dedicate their time and energy to preparing their children for their assessments will never be the angry ones because these will be the ones who will have success. And even if they don’t have the success they’d hoped for, they will know with certainty and clarity that they put in the work needed to support their children to go into any assessment and have the highest possible chances for success. 

And if their children are not ‘successful’, they will know with laser sharp clarity that this is all part of the game of assessments. They certainly will not give up. We never give up on our kids around here. We keep going! We keep trying until we achieve exactly what we dream of achieving.

Simple.

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 1 year, 2 year or 4 year programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your child the highest possible chances for success in their assessments. Book your Emerald Curriculum 3-month Intensive Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Please note that this programme will close on July 31st 2026 (for 2027 entry).

The realities of the NLCS 7+ assessment

It surprises me how many parents I talk to who actually don’t know how many girls are offered a place in Year 3 at this school.

It surprises me how many parents I talk to who think that they can start preparing their daughter for their 7+ Assessment at NLCS a few months before the assessment.

Many (many!) girls will apply to this school to sit their 7+ Assessments. As in hundreds and hundreds. 

There are 7-10 places available.

A parent told me this the other day, ‘I’ve heard it’s easier to get in at 7+ than at 11+!’

Well, you’d be wrong about that (and that’s exactly what I told her).

 At 11+ there are 60 places available so not sure how they worked this one out! Of course there will be more applicants than at 7+ but the ratio will still be far higher than the 7+.

Some girls will be applying for the first time at 7+, Many girls will be applying after not having been successful to this school at 4+. Many girls will have already tried for occasional places and not been successful.

In order to pass round one, your daughter will need to demonstrate academic excellence in their assessments. Your daughter will be scoring at least 85% in her assessments in order to pass the first round. This is my opinion based on the girls who we have prepared for this 7+ assessment and how they would have scored.

NLCS will then call back the girls who scored the highest in their assessments to the second round. This will be very tough to pass and you need to work with a teacher who can guide you with what exactly the school is looking for in this round. 

The second round is ‘a day at school’.

Because it is a ‘day at school’ many parents tell me that they didn’t prepare for this at all. This sadly would not have gone well for them.

Don’t do this.

Prepare for round 2 as well as you prepared for Round 1.

We prepare our girls for Round 2 in conjunction with their Round 1 prep. It is not standalone preparation. To be clear.

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

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 2 year 7+ programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your daughter the highest possible chances for success in this 7+ assessment. If NLCS a school that you would love your daughter to go to (2027 entry)? Then book your Emerald Curriculum 3-month Intensive Sample Lesson today.

Little Habs Nursery - What we know so far…

Not much at all has been shared about Little Habs Nursery on the website yet. 

Everything I know is because my clients have shared information with me. 

Many of our current clients will be sending their little ones to Little Habs Nursery from September 2026. 

As it is going to be a completely brand new establishment, it is completely unknown to all of us. 

They will provide care to children from 6 months old all the way to pre-reception. 

The main goal of most of the parents that I have spoken to of choosing to send their children to Little Habs is with the purpose and intention of securing a place at Habs following the 4+ Assessment. 

What we do know is that children who attend this nursery will be given the opportunity to be assessed earlier than other children who will be applying externally (in October). If they are unsuccessful, they will be invited to attend with the external students and have ‘another chance’. 

Here are my thoughts. 

As more children will be accepted from the nursery, it will make it even harder for external candidates (there will be fewer places on offer compared to previously obviously). 

Without a shadow of a doubt the school will have a percentage proportion of places allocated to students already at Little Habs.  

If you are interested in other schools for your child and not just Habs, I would advise you to be cautious of sending your child here. If you apply to a school like NLCS or Westminster for example and they see that your child is already at Little Habs what will they think about that? Would they offer your child a place if they know that you most likely would choose Habs? Or if they know that you already have another child studying at Habs? 

I think it will be very awkward if children are not offered a place at Habs following their time attending Little Habs. 

I strongly believe that even though your child attends Little Habs that they need to be thoroughly prepared at home. 

I strongly believe that the nursery alone will not prepare your child for this 4+ assessment or for any other 4+ assessments. 

If Habs is your top school of choice, I strongly advise you to also apply to other schools too. I would never, ever suggest just applying to one school. 

If your child is starting Little Habs from September 2026, I wish them all the best. I hope they love it and I hope they have an amazing time. 

We are already teaching many, many children who will be attending Little Habs. And many, many more will be joining us in the upcoming months. 

Many.

Preparing for the 4+ Assessments for 2028 entry and beyond? Join our Waiting List Today!

The irrational Habs 7+ parent

Sandy (names changed for confidentiality) contacted me in September 2025. She wanted to prepare her son for the 7+ at Habs.

She had less than 3 months left to prepare her son.

We had our consultation and she seemed really on it. She told me that she would do ‘everything in her power to support her son’ and she told me that she was committed to putting in the work.

I believed her. Why wouldn’t I have believed her?

She signed up to my 3-month intensive programme.

We got started with preparing her son.

The problem was this.

 He had too many gaps. 

And instead of preparing him for his Habs 7+ assessment, I had to spend time filling in the gaps. When I provided Sandy with learning for her son to do at home, she never gave me any feedback about it and her son rarely completed it. When I would ask him how the home learning went, he would often tell me that he hadn’t done it or that he didn’t know about it.

One evening, I sent Sandy a message and I asked her to send me a test that I had asked her son to complete. No reply.

After about 5 lessons, came a message telling me that she would no longer be continuing. She told me that her son ‘wasn’t making the progress she had expected’ and basically was rather annoyed with me. I explained to her that she had 7 lessons left to complete.

Let’s just say that she came up with every excuse in the book to try to stop. She was very aggressive in her tone with me. She basically blamed me for her son’s lack of progress. Now that I think about it, I truly see how irrational this was. And of course, at the time, I did take it personally. It had nothing to do with me however. It had everything to do with her.

Her son did complete his lessons (he was a lovely little boy).

She did tell me that he did not pass Habs. I knew that from the beginning sadly. I know exactly the boys who pass and what is expected from them - I’ve only been preparing boys for this school for more than 20 years.

She also applied for Highgate. He wouldn't have passed Highgate either. I'm assuming he did not. Sandy did not bother to contact me to let me know. 

And it’s the saddest thing ever because he really was a very sweet boy. He just wasn’t prepared correctly for this incredibly tough 7+ assessment. And of course I wish him nothing but success.

But the point of writing this is this…

Why on earth would you send your child to the Habs Boys 7+ assessment without thorough preparation? Why would you send your son to any 7+ assessment without thorough preparation?

I will never, ever understand this.

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 2 year programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your son the highest possible chances for success in this 7+ assessment. Is Habs a school that you would love your son to go to (2027 entry)? Then book your Emerald Curriculum 3-month Intensive Sample Lesson today.

'We strongly recommend against tutoring!'

'We strongly recommend against tutoring!'

What this sentence means to me V what it might mean to you.

The Oxford dictionary defines 1:1 tutoring as the process of providing private, personalised academic instruction to an individual. Unlike traditional classroom teaching, it focuses on tailoring lessons to a learner's unique needs to reinforce concepts, fill learning gaps, and build confidence.

So a private tutor is a private teacher. Just like the teacher who teaches your child at school. Or if you home school - I assume yourself or your partner would be the main teacher.

So why do top schools ‘strongly recommend against tutoring?’.

I strongly believe that it is because they believe that a private tutoring will undermine their business.

You have to remember that the people telling you that they 'We strongly recommend against tutoring!' are not the people teaching your child!

Typically it will be the head, a member of the SLT or someone in admin.

Laughable really.

Those people are not teaching your child day in and day out.

So here’s what this sentence means to me V what it might mean to you.

Me: If you don’t tutor your child you are missing out on personalised, tailored and bespoke learning support for your child.

You: If we tutor, our child will have less of a chance of passing their assessment (whichever one that may be)

Me: If you don’t tutor your child they will have far less of a chance of passing their assessments.

You: We should listen to the school - they are the authority.

Me: You are the authority. The school is an establishment.

You: If the school tells us to do something, we should do it.

Me: You should do what your parental intuition guides you to do.

The bottom line is this. I see schools as my partners and my allies. They teach my students every single day . I teach them once a week and I support them every day too.

Schools (not your child’s class teachers!) see tutors as their enemies. They want their results to be only there. Well, guess what? Their results will NEVER be only theirs because regardless of if you pay a private teacher to support your child or not, guess what? You are your child’s most important private tutor - whether you choose to admit that out loud or not.

If you sit with your child and teach them - you are a tutor.

If you prepare learning to do with your child - you are a tutor.

If you support your child with their learning - you are a tutor.

Book Your Assessment Consultation Discovery Call Today and Discover How We Can Support your Child Every Step Of the Way to have incredible success in any assessment.

The Reality of the Hampton Prep School 7+ Assessment

The Hampton 7+ Assessment consists of a morning at school.

Academic and behavioural skills will be closely observed by the assessors. A great deal of time is devoted to observing how the boys interact with each other and they will be given time to demonstrate their team working abilities as well as how they can work independently.

In the past, boys who have attended this 7+ assessment have been asked to complete a giant puzzle outdoors, invent a new game as a group and even play with wooden blocks and sticks. Essentially, the senior leaders or the ones doing the assessing will be observing how the boys interact with one another and if they would be able to demonstrate that they would be a pleasure to teach, they were to be offered a place at the school!

Your son will also be asked to bring an object to speak about. The purpose of this is to see how your son articulates himself and how he is able to sustain a conversation with his peers and with his teachers.

The English assessment will be a comprehension and a story writing task based on pictures provided. Special preparation is 100% required and I would strongly advise against sending any child into this assessment without a lot of practice with reading and writing. I am aware that you will 100% read a lot of mixed nonsense about this online. You can choose what you want to believe.

The maths assessment consists of arithmetic questions. We prepare our boys to be at mastery level at least at a Year 3 level regardless of what the school says. Some of our boys are already working at a Year 4 level in maths (arithmetic) by the time they attend the Hampton 7+ Assessment.

The reasoning assessment is completed online. Thorough practice must be done that mimics what your son will experience in this 7+ assessment. If you work with us we will guide you every step of the way and provide you with the exact materials that you will need in order to support your son with this aspect of the assessment and all the others too!

Our boys who have passed the 7+ at Hampton have been highly academic and have been able to go in and demonstrate all of the behavioural attributes expected by the school.

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 12 month programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your son the highest possible chances for success in this 7+ assessment. Is Hampton School a school that you would love your son to go to (2027 entry)? Then book your Emerald Curriculum 3-month Intensive Sample Lesson today.

The Reality of the RGS 7+ Assessment

There are only 20 places available into Year 3 at RGS . You can apply for a means tested bursary when applying for entry for your son into Year 3. If your son is not offered a place following assessment for the 7+, you can ask for feedback however it is crystal clear on their policy that the head does not need to provide feedback and that the decision of the head teacher is the final one. 

In my experience, they do typically provide you with feedback if you do ask so it’s worth asking. Many parents simply don’t ask because they don’t think it will be provided. If you don't ask, you don’t get! 

The RGS 7+ Assessment is a very academic assessment- as in your son needs to be able to demonstrate an exceptional academic capacity. In my vast experience of this 7+ assessment, you are looking at your child achieving 85% and above in the assessments in order to be able to pass.

RGS are not only looking for academics however, they are also looking for ‘learning habits’ of the boys. This means how your son learns. These are some of the behaviours for learning that they could be looking for in their prospective new students:

·       Boys who can listening beautifully

·       Boys who can show that they are polite

·       Boys who can show exceptional focus and concentration

·       Boys who can showing maturity

·       Boys who can take risks and not be afraid to get things wrong/fail

·       Boys who can engage well

Assessment into Year 3 for RGS (for 2027 entry) will take place in November 2026.

The 7+ Assessment at RGS will consist of maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

Although they ‘do not hold a formal interview’, your son will most likely be spoken to on a 1:1 basis by members of the senior leadership team. So essentially, you must also prepare your son to be ready for an interview.

Our boys who have historically passed the RGS 7+ Assessment have had the full 2 years  of assessment preparation (or close to this amount of time!). They have academically been very strong in all areas assessed at RGS. Our boys who have passed have been kind, caring and genuinely a delight to teach.

Passing the 7+ assessment at RGS is far from easy. Your son needs to be thoroughly prepared to go in and be able to demonstrate the skills that he needs to be able to demonstrate in all areas being assessed.

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 2 year programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your son the highest possible chances for success in this 7+ assessment.

Is RGS a school that you would love your son to go to (2027 entry)? Then book your Emerald Curriculum 3 month Intensive Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

3 irreversible mistakes about getting the support of someone ‘cheaper’.

This makes no sense to me. 

Our clients want the best of the best schools for their children. 

Those are our target clients. 

Those are the clients we want to help and support. 

We personally speak to at least 20 parents each week who are embarking on the process of preparing their children for their assessments. 

My marketing is mainly geared towards the 4+ and 7+ but we actually prepare for all assessments (including occasional places and of course the 11+).

I know that we are the best at what we do. 

I know that we are the best company for the preparation of any assessment, 

When parents send an enquiry form, of course I am laser sharp aware that they are also enquiring to several other companies. The clients who do choose to work with us choose to work with us because they know that we are the best. They know that we will support their children to be wildly successful in their assessments and to be offered most of their schools of choice. The price we charge isn’t really an issue to them. Any why would it be? They are looking to send their children to 30-50k per year schools. It really wouldn’t make sense for them to question my prices. 

I do speak to parents who tell me that they have gone with so and so because they ‘were cheaper’. 

I do speak with parents who tell me that they have chosen a different tutor based on what they charge, 

It happens daily. 

It doesn’t surprise me. 

It doesn’t upset me. 

We are all free to do what we want in this life of ours! 

But here are 3 irreversible mistakes about getting the support of someone ‘cheaper’. 

1. Cheaper most likely means less experience. I was ‘cheaper’ 10-15 years ago. Did I have the experience that I have now? NO. Did I have the results I have now? Of course not.

2. Cheaper most likely means less or no experience with your target schools. If a teacher has no experience with your target schools, they are just guessing at what they are looking for. I did it for years. Before I gathered all of the knowledge and experience that I have now!

3. Cheaper most likely means that the curriculum that will be provided to your child will not even scratch the surface when compared to the curriculum that we provide to each and every one of the students who have the privilege of working with us. 

‘Cheaper’ really shouldn’t even be something that is being considered. That is my opinion and I stand by it. ‘Cheaper’ 100% will never be better. ‘Cheaper’ will not get you the results you desire to see. 

I’ve seen it time and time again. And I will continue to see it. 

Do you really think someone of my calibre and expertise would have the time to come to your home once a week for one hour? Absolutely not. I had the time to do that when I was in my 20’s and when I only had 3-5 students a week and when it was my side hustle. Each month, I currently teach 40-45 children so it would be impossible to spend 30 minutes of my time reaching a student’s home, teaching them and then going to my next lesson. 

Don’t let ‘cheaper’ be the reason you don’t have the success you truly want to have. 

It’s totally not worth it. 

Final 6 places to work with us. Book Your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

10 things that went wrong for parents I spoke to whose sons did not not pass the 4+ at UCS.

1. They did not account for the FACT that there are only 32 places available and that there would have been hundreds and hundreds of boys being assessed (500 +).

2. They did not deem it necessary to attend the tour (even though it is strongly advised on the UCS website). 

3. They did not prepare their son for their 4+ assessment. 

4. They assumed that because their son was in a ‘great’ pre-prep that it would be up to them to prepare their sons. 

5. They believed that it was a play date and then were totally confused when they rocked up to a highly academic 4+ assessment. 

6. They believed that ‘preparation is not needed.’

7. They believed that it would be a  ‘playdate assessment’.

8. They did not focus on fine motor skills. 

9. They did not explain to their sons what would be expected from them behaviourally in the UCS 4+Assessment. 

10. They did not focus on the correct level of English and Maths needed in order to be successful in the UCS 4+ Assessment (both rounds).

Final 7 places to work 1:1 with us for 2027 entry if you are preparing for the UCS 4+ Assessment. Give your child the slight edge that he will need over the hundreds and hundreds of other boys being assessed this year!

This one thing went devastatingly wrong for hundreds of parents who applied for the 4+ at Westminster last year.

Last year, we prepared a huge amount of children for their 4+ assessment at Westminster.

It was a brand new 4+ assessment so none of us really knew what to expect. I knew it would be just like the other 4+ assessments- perhaps a little more challenging.

Over the course of the year, we prepared 14 children for this school specifically.

I can’t even tell you how many people myself and Emily spoke to last year who enquired about support for the Westminster 4+ assessments but it was in the hundreds.

This year things are quieter and I know why.

It’s because I have been HONEST about our results.

Out of the 14 that we prepared - 4 passed.

This is truthful and honest.

I see other companies claiming that they prepared 10 children and 10 passed. They are liars. And if you choose to work with them just based on that nugget of information - well, that would be your choice wouldn’t it?

Here is what went devastatingly wrong for hundreds of parents who applied for the 4+ at Westminster.

They did not take the preparation seriously enough.

Out of the 14 boys and girls that we supported, many of their parents started and stopped tuition, many cancelled lessons, many just simply did not put in the work required to actually be in with a chance of passing this 4+ assessment.

Remember.

500 applicants.

100 pass round 1.

32 pass round 2 (16 in each class).

Out of the 14 parents that we supported, I heard back from 7!

The others just disappeared! All had varying timeframes of assessment prep ranging from 2 months - a maximum of 4 months (the ones who disappeared and I never heard back from).

Out of the 7 students - 2 girls were prepared consistently for over 12 months by either myself or Emily and PASSED, 1 of the girls attended my one month success programme and PASSED. Out of the remaining 4, 3 children stopped and started tuition and had less than 3 months of 4+ assessment preparation.

Those children did not pass the Westminster 4+ assessment. After writing this report, I heard back from one more client and her son was initially waitlisted and was then offered a place. So 4 of our students have been offered a place to study at Westminster for 2026 entry. This is incredible and this is exceptional. 4/32 passed. 2 accepted the offer. 2 did not.

The 7 I did not hear back from most likely did not pass. They can reach out to me and let me know if they’d like or I can find out myself if I can be bothered to!

Preparing for 2027 entry and beyond? Book your Sample Lesson today before they completely sell out! 

Falkner House Boys - What to really expect in the 4+ assessments.

I have personally been preparing boys and girls for the Falkner 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 for their own unique reasons.

For my clients, secondary education is very important. Understandably so. The school your child will go to at Secondary level will shape their futures. Many clients who begin working with us believe that Falker House will be a stepping stone to supporting their children to be offered a place at their target secondary schools. They quickly realise, that it is not up to the school alone to prepare their children, but it is up to them. 

Here is what you should really expect if you are preparing your son for his Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

1. If your child doesn’t have a sibling already there, it will be very challenging 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 Falkner 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 Falkner House after their 4+ Assessment. 

Falkner House 100% have the 'type' of boy that they want. This boy will be very academic (yes at the age of 3 and yes you can tell). This boy will be able to communicate to a very high standard. This boy will show confidence and ease when speaking to adults and children. This boy will be able to demonstrate in the 4+ assessment that they will be very easy to teach. 

So, if you are preparing your child for this school, do consider that Falkner 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 keep in mind that even if your son meets all the criteria I've listed above that he still may not be offered a place. 

The BIGGEST issue I see when it comes to Assessment preparation (all ages).

I see huge issues when it comes to assessment preparation. 

But here is the BIGGEST issue that I see. 

A total lack of belief that preparation is even necessary. 

The issue is this. These top schools will all tell you not to prepare your children.

They will all tell you that preparation is absolutely not needed.

And 80% of parents will follow this instruction and they will actually actively make the decision to not prepare their children.

As in, they will make the decision that because they already go to school, that that is in fact enough when it comes to preparation. 

That doesn’t even scratch the surface. 

It really does not matter which school your child goes to. 

I’ve worked with children who have been attending top schools like Eaton House Belgravia and Wetherby to name two schools for you. Both of these children from the two specific schools I named worked very hard with myself and with their parents to prepare for the assessments that we were praparing for.

Nothing wrong with these schools by the way but a school alone can’t prepare a child for an entrance exam at a top, elite school like Westminster and St. Paul’s for example. 

And if you believe that they can, unfortunately, you will most likely be disappointed. And you will most likely blame the school! Not the fault of the school - sorry! 

I adore assessment preparation - obviously. That’s why it is something that I live and breathe every single day. But I have a huge frustration when it comes to assessment prep (all ages). And here it is for you. 

I’m speaking about myself but I know all of my teachers feel the same frustrations.

I put so much work into all of my students. It takes hundreds of hours of my time to prepare my students. Yes, I get paid - sure. 90% of my clients value what I do. They truly value what we all do here at CMT. But what frustrates me the most is that sometimes I get the impression that certain parents think that their kid would have passed anyway - even without my support. 

Which is total garbage by the way. And totally would not have been the case! But obviously there is no way for me to neither prove that nor disprove that!

But I accept it. 

Some parents will feel this way.

And they are delusional. 

And by the way… what goes around comes around. I am a firm believer of this. And the way you treat someone will be exactly how you will be treated further down the line.

If a child passes an assessment (at any age) at a top school, it is because they were prepared on a 1:1 basis either by a teacher or by their parents. What the school does is just a fraction of the prep needed. See it as the cherry on top if you like.

Preparing for an assessment for 2027 entry? I have 7 final places remaining to work 1:1 with one of our exceptional Senior Teachers. Get the support you need. Get the results your child deserves.

Not sure where to start? Book your FREE Assessment Consultation Discovery Call Today.

What will come in the 4+ Assessments at x school is not the question you should be asking.

I can send you a link to read this in your own time if you really want this question answered. 

I’ve noticed that I’ve been having this question on repeat. 

Parents want to know what exactly will come up and whilst I do have this information and I can give them a list of things that will come up - it is simply not helpful. 

It is actually very overwhelming for these parents to receive list of the 100+ things that will come up in the 4+ assessments. 

What will you then even do with this information? 

Sit down and plan a full 12 months of curriculum which fyi is what is needed to prepare for the 4+ at the top schools?

Doubtful. 

The questions you should be asking me could range from the following:

Which three things can I do this week to help my child to make progress in a certain area of learning eg. maths or reading? 

How can I support my child with their confidence? 

What can I do to support my child with leaving my side calmly and peacefully? 

These are high quality questions.

I remember going to the Westminster 4+ Open even with two of my dear clients (I was looking at this school for my son who was 2 at the time). Several parents asked this question to the head.

Let’s just professionally say that she was not impressed with this question and let’s just say the question was not really, fully answered.

There are no short cuts to 4+ assessment preparation (no good ones anyway!).

And why would you want to take a shortcut anyway? You want to send your child to a 30k + a year school? Invest in high quality assessment preparation for them.

That is all.

Final 7 places to work with an Assessment Specialist. All of our teachers are fully qualified teachers and have at least 6 years of teaching experience and most importantly have achieved amazing results in all the top 4+ assessments in both inner and outer London.

Who am I and why am I so good at what I do?

As I have a lot of new faces here, I thought it would be important to re-introduce myself and who I am. 

Some of you have not heard anything about me so it’s really important that you get to know me! 

My name is Maria Mazarese. 

I qualified as a teacher when I was 25 years old (16 years ago!). Can’t believe that! It literally feels like yesterday that I started my first teaching job as a qualified teacher (I was teaching as an unqualified teacher for many years before this).

My first qualified teaching role was in a very popular pre-prep in Hampstead. I was young, fresh faced and had a lot of energy. I was fully dedicated and committed to my job as a class teacher and I absolutely loved it.

Obviously, there were things that I did not love too! Many!

I got 3 years of experience in this Pre-Prep teaching children from Pre-Reception through to Year 2. I prepared children for their 4+ and their 7+ assessments and I was exceptional at getting amazing results for this school. I quickly worked my way up the ranks and was given a lot of responsibility as a Senior Leader in this school.

I left 3 years later because I wanted to experience KS2 and this school only goes up to KS1. 

Following my experience here, I went on to work in the state sector for 9 years. I worked in two different schools in those 9 years. One in St. John’s Wood and one in Wembley. I worked with all age groups (Reception - Year 6). 

I loved my job for many years. I was passionate about it but when I got to the top of my career, I realised there was no where for me to go. No progression (in many senses of the word).

I had no interest in having a more senior role than the ones I already held and definitely didn’t want to become Deputy Head or Head of a school. 

That’s when I fell pregnant and the moment I found out, I handed in my notice. I didn’t even think twice about maternity pay (I probably should have!).

The job was too stressful and I didn’t want any risks to me or my little, sweet baby. After all I had waited until the age of 37 to have him.

Throughout my teaching career and whilst working full time, I always continued to tutor children.

I worked like crazy.

I would do my 10 hour job in school and then 2-3 hours of tutoring in the evening. At this point I was going to my clients’ homes so you can imagine! 

When covid hit, I moved everything online and that is how it has remained! 

Here at CMT, we have supported thousands of children in the last 6 years of being online and we continue to grow. Our clients love our dedication to their children and to them. Our clients love the ongoing support that they receive from us. Our clients love the results that their children accomplish. They love us so much that most of our clients stay with us long after their children have got into their target schools.

We have beautiful relationships with our clients and with our students and I wouldn’t change what I do for anything else in the world. 

We have 8 final places to work with us if you are preparing for an assessment for 2027 entry. Book your Sample Lesson today.

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond, join our Waiting List and secure your preferred day/time to work with us.