The secrecy around 4+ assessments is weird.

There I said it.

It is weird.

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

Sadly.

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

It’s weird.

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

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

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

‘They loved it!’

‘They enjoyed it’

‘They came out happy!’

Ok.

And what?

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

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

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

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

There were 48 places available (2027 entry).

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

Not everyone will pass.

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

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

Preparing for Forest for 2028 entry?

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is no other reason.

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

Siblings and children of staff will have the preference.

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

Everything I always talk about.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is not what that sentence means.

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

‘Children are assessed along with similar aged children.’

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

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

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

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

Never…Not one single time.

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

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

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

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

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

The True Cost Of A Private School Education.

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

Private School Education…

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

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

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

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

There will be good aspects to a private school education.

There will be negative aspects to a private school education.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who on earth cares? Seriously though!

No one.

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

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

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

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

The reason I share my truth is twofold.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Part 2 continues tomorrow.

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

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

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

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

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

2. Preparation is needed.

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

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

‘Oh but she’s only 3/4!’

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

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

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

Here are just a few for you!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Numeracy and literacy are part of the Early Years Curriculum.

And I know what the school write on their website.

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

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

Let’s not overthink this.

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

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

3 critical errors when preparing for the 4+ Assessment at South Hampstead (SHHS)

We prepared a total of 7 girls for their 4+ Assessments at South Hampstead last year (2026 entry). 5 were offered a place. Pretty extraordinary considering they only have 24 places! 5/24 who passed were prepared by CMT. Let that sink in!

South Hampstead is a very misunderstood school at 4+. Parents typically will start preparing for the 4+ at South Hampstead very late. 12 months of Assessment preparation is needed to be in with even the slightest of chances of being successful at this school. And if people tell you otherwise, nod and carry on!

This year, we are preparing 4 girls for the SHHS 4+ Assessment.

Round 1 is in November. Round 2 is in January. So if you are considering SHHS for your daughter for 2028 entry, you should have started preparing her by now! Going to nursery full time is not 4+ assessment preparation - just incase that thought crossed your mind!

South Hampstead call it an' ‘enjoyable visit’, and whilst it was ‘enjoyed’ by most of our girls last year, it definitely was not deemed to be ‘enjoyable’ by all of the girls.

It should not be ‘considered a play date’ so please do not even mention this word to your daughter. It isn’t one. If you want a play date for your daughter, organise one! With a hefty £210 price tag to even have the privilege of setting foot into this school for the assessment, you can arrange an incredible play date for your daughter if that’s what you’re after!

Mistake #1

Starting late.

Yes, I know the school says that ‘no special preparation is necessary’ and ‘no formal knowledge is expected’. And if you wish to do that to this - great! You do that! We have been preparing for this assessment for many, many years and we know exactly what will be assessed and we know exactly what they are expecting! Prepare your daughter thoroughly for her 4+ at South Hampstead. That is all.

Mistake #2

Telling your daughter that she is going on a ‘play date’! Read above!

Mistake #3

Not teaching phonics and maths to the level expected in the South Hampstead 4+ assessment and not covering all 7 areas of the Early Years Curriculum to the standard expected of this school.

Preparing for the 4+ at South Hampstead (2028 entry and beyond), book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Prepare for The Guildford High 4+ with ease and calm using these 3 simple (not easy) steps.

The first thing GHS tell you about the 4+ is that they don’t expect their girls to read and write - up to you what you make of this!

Our girls who pass their 4+ Assessments at Guildford High at 4+ go in knowing exactly how to read and write! Oh and by the way, they have historically always been asked to read and write! To add - who cares if a school says this or not? Why would you not want to teach your child how to read and write?

GHS will be ‘assessing your daughter’s readiness to learn.’

Don’t over think this. ‘Readiness to learn’ simply means how ‘ready your child is to learn!’ Basically= ‘How easy your daughter will be to teach”.

Very, very simple.

And GHS assess this over two 45 minute assessments!

They say that they look at language, number, manipulative and general cognitive skills and social interaction.

This is a very early 4+ Assessment that it takes place in October! So I do hope that you’ve been preparing thoroughly for this one! This year, it is happening this week! Thursday 8th October and Saturday 10th of October 2026!

So how can you prepare for Guildford High with ease and calm using these 3 simple (not easy) steps?

Step 1

Start at least 12 months in advance with a bespoke, tailored programme of study that will give your daughter the highest possible chances for success at Guildford High School. As we now run a term time model, you would need to start preparing for GHS 4 terms before the October that your daughter would need to attend this assessment! You can work that out! If you’re starting a little bit later than this - who cares? Just start!

Step 2

Ensure your daughter knows all of her phase 2 and phase 3 phonics and knows how to blend. Cover a broad and vast maths curriculum and cover all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum at depth.

Step 3

Prepare your daughter to be able to go in calmly and demonstrate maturity.

If you are preparing for 2028 entry and beyond for Guildford High School, join our waiting list today. This will form your Registration fee once we are ready to get started. Secure your place to work with the best 4+ teachers in the UK today!

Is your child ready for the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment?

Many parents will have done little to no preparation for the upcoming 4+ assessment at Manor Lodge which is in 14 days time (Friday October 16th 2026)

I had a parent contact me last week to ask me if I could prepare her child for Manor Lodge (2027 entry). I was extremely confused (and clearly she was too!).

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. And if you’re not, I guess you just think that you’ll just send your child in and they’ll be offered a place. It does not work that way.

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 sending their child for their 4+ Assessment here. Online you will find numbers thrown around like 200 and 300 applying but I believe it to be far more than this.

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. Students that we are now supporting with their 7+/11+.

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. There’s a reason for that. We know the school well- very well. And we know exactly what they are looking for.

I hear words thrown around such as 'devastated’, ‘disappointed’ and ‘heart-broken’ when clients tell us that their child did not pass the Manor Lodge 4+ 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.

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’ll see this on assessment day!). You don’t understand that if your child is not ready for their 4+ Assessment, they will simply not pass.

60 places.

Hundreds of applicants.

Many will be waitlisted.

The majority of our clients here at CMT will pay the deposit to have this school as a back up and then they will reject it to send their children to the likes of Habs or NLCS. Never have I ever had a parent choose Manor Lodge over schools like those.

All the best to all of our amazing students who will be attending the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment in 2 weeks time. They will be your competition and the majority of our students have completed at least 9 months of my CMT Curriculum Programme by this point.

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

The Angry Glendower/Falkner House Mother.

As we are working with more and more clients each year, I am meeting the most extraordinary of parents. Parents who are truly aligned with my vision. Parents who truly see things the way that I do. On the flip side of that, I am also working with some parents who are really not aligned with my vision and who do not see things the way that I do.

Initially, I don’t see it.

When we speak, it all goes really well and they say all of the things that they perhaps think that I need to hear.

But it soon becomes obvious that we won’t be working together for a very long time. Which is absolutely fine.

You need to be fully aligned with the vision of the person that you embark on a working relationships with. That’s obvious isn’t it?

Names changed for confidentiality.

Terese contacted me in May this year. Ella, her daughter was to attend two 4+ assessments for 2027 entry - Glendower and Falkner House. During our initial call Terese came across as determined to support Ella with her assessments and told me that although she went to a ‘top’ pre- school in Kensington that she was very well aware that she needed to prep her.

I told her that my programme is a one year programme and that she would most likely only be able to complete 4-6 months of it.

We had our Sample Lesson.

Ella was rather timid and reserved (totally fine!) and struggled to answer most of my questions. She didn’t know the phonics I asked. Terese became notable frustrated and raised her voice at Ella. She told her that ‘she knows’ all of those sounds. She told me the same. ‘She know them!’ Well, it’s kind of irrelevant if she didn’t show that she knew them. Ella struggled with her focus and concentration but Terese tried her best to keep her on task. The Sample Lesson showed me that Ella wasn’t ready for a 4+ assessment at her mother’s target schools and I told her as much. Terese said she wanted my help and she signed up for two months of my programme (I have a two month minimum commitment for my programme)

Ella tried her best for the first two lessons but Terese’s body language was completely different than it was in her Sample Lesson. She was defensive and irritated. She raised her voice at her daughter and became impatient with her when she wouldn’t do the tasks that I asked her to do. When I spoke to Terese about it (after the lesson) , she didn’t respond to my messages.

Then Terese told me that the lessons were ‘not working’. This was after about 3 lessons. I disagreed completely with her.

It wasn’t a fault with my amazing lessons. It was a fault with her attitude and the learning environment that she was creating for her daughter.

Look, I get it.

This process can be incredibly frustrating if you allow yourself to see it in that way.

It can also be an incredibly fun process.

Terese stopped working with me after only 3 lessons! I never heard back from her again - she simply ignored my messages!

All good. I don’t wish to work with disrespectful people anyway.

My mother raised me to respectful, kind and caring. And if another human being tries to support my child with his learning, I would never, ever treat them in the way that Terese did.

Each to their own. I wish Ella nothing but the best. Will she pass Glendower or Falkner House? I don’t think so.

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

In person tuition is IRRELEVANT when it comes to assessment prep.

Stop fixating on having someone come physically into your home, start fixating on providing your child with the best early years education possible.

What we offer to our clients for £300 a month is next level value to be completely honest with you. To have someone like me or to have someone like my amazing teachers by your side every single step of the way as you prepare your child for their assessments is something that none of our current clients take for granted.

And that’s exactly what I want. The relationship that we create with each and every one of our clients is so important.

It’s exactly why I set up Creative Minds Tutors all those years ago.

Strong relationships. Superb results.

That is exactly what we are after. That is exactly what our clients are after. And that is exactly what our students receive. What an amazing gift it is to work with us!

In person tuition is so beyond irrelevant when it comes to the preparation of any assessment. If it is your personal preference - great! You go for it!

But if you are on the fence and you are considering your options, don’t waste too much time there. Time is passing us all by.

Let me tell you what is RELEVANT when it comes to the preparation of 4+ assessments:

Working with a teacher who has REAL results when it comes to successfully supporting children to pass their 4+ Assessments.

Working with a teacher who has a structured, bespoke and tailored plan for at least 1 year to support your child with their development in all 7 areas of the Early Years Curriculum.

Working with a teacher who will be there for you to answer all of your questions about your target schools.

Here is what is highly IRRELEVANT when it comes to supporting children to pass their 4+ Assessments:

Inviting someone into your home to have tea and biscuits whilst they teach your child.

Being stuck in traffic to reach a tuition centre.

Random one or two lessons here and there.

Working with teachers who have no experience with the 4+ assessments.

Working with teachers because they will save you the most money.

Crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.

There you go - a little bit of truth for you this morning.

If you truly want to support your child to have the success that they deserve to have in any 4+ assessment, book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

What happens when you rely fully on someone else to teach your child?

You have to be so careful what you write and publish these days!

You have to be very careful when speaking the truth. Because your truth could completely change someone’s perspective and views.

Well, I’m done being careful and I’m done being quiet.

There are those who speak against me and what I do every single day and guess what? They get away with it! Perhaps because they are oh so mighty and powerful. Cool. Good for them.

It’s only the end of September and already I have spoken to at least 10 very unhappy and unsatisfied parents. As I’ve said above, I have to be careful about what I write so I will let you read between the lines here.

I am part of so many forums where I am reading about deep dissatisfaction and deep unhappiness.

And I get it ok.

Life is 50/50. And whatever we decide to do in this life of ours, we will experience positive and negative. All of us. No one is immune to this just FYI. Doesn’t matter how powerful you are. Doesn’t matter how wealthy you are. None of it matters - truly. We will all experience the full 50/50 of this life.

But the point of writing this blog is this.

When you give your power to someone else, you literally do not hold all of the cards in your hands. They do.

I never want to be in that position.

For as long as possible, I want to hold all of the cards in my hands. Obvious, eventually I will need to hand some of these cards over. But for now I don’t need to do that. Some of you do and you make the choice to do so. Please also take full responsibility on your side to teach your child.

No one else can ever do it as well as you will.

No one else will ever care for your child as much as you do.

No one.

It’s ok to be frustrated. It’s ok to be angry. It’s ok to feel all of the negative emotions. Stay with them for a little while, hold on to them if you need to. But don’t do that for long. Use your energy to teach your child. To support them to be the best that they can be. You fully can do that. And no, you don’t need to be a teacher to do so.

Westminster 4+ Updates (2027 entry)

We are very busy this term preparing many beautiful children for their 4+ at Westminster. Our students have been with us for different timeframes but their time frames range from 6 months - 18 months of assessment preparation time. Each week, my incredible students meet with their teachers to cover a broad and vast early years curriculum. Each week, my incredible students complete their Curriculum Acceleration with their dedicated parents and each week they put in the work and the time to practise the skills that will be assessed at Westminster.

We are all working very hard over here.

I am working so hard.

My team of wonderful teachers are working so hard.

My clients are working so hard.

My students are working so hard.

This is no stroll in the park, I hope we are crystal clear on that.

We are talking about getting into Westminster here.

A few things I’d like to mention today to all of you sending your children to Westminster for Round 1 in November 2026.

1. Arrive early. Take your child for a Babycino in Victoria, go for a stroll somewhere but do arrive early. Last thing you want is to be stressed out because you are running late. Many of our students have been given very early start times (as early as 8:30 am). There will be traffic and there will be chaos. Do yourself a favour and get there early. The school don’t want you there before the time allocated however, but get to Victoria early.

2. Dress your child casual but smart. It will be noticed.

3. Do not tell your child it is a ‘play date’. It isn’t one.

500 children will be assessed in November 2026.

100 children will pass and will be called back to attend their second round.

400 will not pass.

Out of the 100 assessed, 32 will be offered a place to study at Westminster from Reception 2027. I personally believe about 20-30 will be Waitlisted as many parents will decline this offer.

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

The boring little things that no one pays attention to when it comes to early years Curriculum Acceleration .

It’s the little things that count when it comes to learning in the early years (at any age really).

It’s the little, boring and mundane tasks completed daily that will compound to incredible results.

But here is the problem.

We live in a society where we want to see instant results. And child development just doesn’t work like that.

You do not click your fingers and see results.

You do not close your eyes and hope for the best.

You do not just hope and pray that your child will just get it. For goodness sakes, why don’t they just GET IT!

Nope.

Doesn’t work that way.

Our lessons here at CMT are exceptional. Every single one of them.

But some parents simply can’t see it.

And that’s fine.

They will not be our clients for very long.

You see, here at CMT we have two types of clients that we work with. Long term clients and short term clients.

The long term clients fully trust in the process. They know that in order to make progress, they will need to support their children for hours and hours each week and they dedicate their time and their energy to doing just that. They are the clients who even though their child is offered places at multiple schools at 4+, they want to continue to work with us because they see the progress that their children have made and they don’t want the progress to just stop.

The short term clients are the clients who want their child to get into a certain school and once they get in, they stop. Nothing wrong with that at all! We welcome both types of clients! They will send their child to school and for the most part, most of them will continue to support their children at home. They are also the clients who potentially stay with us for 2 months (we have a minimum two month commitment), don’t see the progress they imagined they would see and they simply decide to stop.

And that’s fine too. I don’t need to convince anyone to stay. I want to only work with clients who are fully convinced of the insane value that we provide. I actually have no time to convince any one of anything.

And the problem is this. We all want instant results. But hear me carefully- learning does NOT work that way. I taught my son phonics from the age of 18 months. For one full year, he didn’t know his phonics (I would do them daily with him!). I could have easily just quit. I did not. I persevered. I did not give up. He is now a fluent reader and he is 4 and 2 months!

Don’t get disheartened by the boring little things. Keep going. Keep progressing and keep supporting your child to make the progress that they deserve to be making.

Preparing for an assessment for 2028 entry and beyond? Join my Waiting List to secure your place with one of the best teachers in the UK.

Is there any point preparing for x, y , z school with only 3 months to go?

Not with that mindset no, not really.

With that mindset, you will most likely make the choice to just send your child in unprepared.

And that is your choice to make. I am not here to convince you otherwise. We are all free to do what we want in this life of ours.

Myself and my Executive Consultants have personally received hundreds of enquiries about 4+ assessment preparation for 2027 entry this month of September. And it’s making me truly think.

This is the first year in the history of Creative Minds that we will not be providing 1:1 private lessons to any new clients who are preparing for 2027 entry (ie. with an assessment in the next 1-3 months). It really isn’t worth it for anyone involved. When I used to provide this in the past, it wouldn’t lead to the type of client relationships that I am personally looking for. Parents would be frazzled, stressed and anxious. I personally have no interest in working with clients who feel that way. Life is hard enough!

I want to work with clients who feel calm, empowered and positive. Do you see the difference?

So, if you do have less than 3 months until your child’s 4+ assessment and for whatever reason you’ve not yet started, you have two options.

1. Take massive action in the next 3 months to dedicated focused time to your child and support them to have the highest possible chances for success.

2. Do nothing (oh you can just continue sending them to nursery because surely that is enough ?!?)

My Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme was created for parents who have limited time to prepare their children for their 4+ assessments. My Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme was created for parents who want to take massive action to support them to cover as much of the curriculum that needs to be covered before going into a 4+ assessment.

The Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme is a bespoke, tailored plan for YOUR child to support them with THEIR Assessment preparations. There is nothing generic here. This programme is created ONLY for YOUR child based on a detailed questionnaire that you will fill out before we get started.

As this is a minimum commitment of 2 months, I will be closing it by Wednesday 30th September 2026. Don’t miss out on this final opportunity to really go all in to support your child to have the success they deserve to have in their 4+ assessments.

24 places. Hundreds of girls. Is your daughter ready?

Is South Hampstead a school you dream about for your daughter?

Would you love to send your daughter to South Hampstead at 4+?

We have been preparing girls for this school for over 20 years. This means that for 20 years, we have seen what works and we have seen what doesn’t. This means that for 16 years, I have seen the calibre of girl that will pass this assessment and sadly I have seen and spoken to hundreds of parents of girls who have not passed.

We know exactly what is expected of the girls in their 4+ Assessments and so do my team of exceptional teachers.

1. There are only 24 places on offer at 4+.

Each year hundreds and hundreds of girls will sit their Assessment at this school.

This year at least 250 girls attend their Assessment at South Hampstead each year. Your daughter therefore will typically have about a 1:10 chance of passing this assessment. Five of our girls this year passed their Assessment at South Hampstead (2026 entry).

2. You should NOT consider it a ‘play date’

It is not a play date.

3. Special preparation IS necessary.

South Hampstead are looking for very strong phonics and reading skills and very strong mathematical skills in their girls. How will your daughter pass without ‘special preparation’?

Nursery is not what I consider ‘special preparation’

4. Formal knowledge IS expected.

A lot will be expected of your daughter in her 4+ Assessment for South Hampstead. Prepare her to a very high standard. It is up to you- and only you to support her to be ready.

5. To be offered a place at 4+ is something exceptional.

If you have been offered a place, you are in a very privileged position and I hope you are aware of that.

We have exceptional success with South Hampstead at 4+ every single year. This year 5 of our students have been offered a place to study at South Hampstead.

‘Maria helped us with preparing our daughter for the 4+ assessment at SHHS. She is a summer baby and not in a nursery that formally prepares kids for the 4+. She comes to every lesson prepared but also flexible with content to suit the mood of our 3 year old. She is very patient and encouraging. The exercises she shares after the lessons are also useful to continue progress. All in all we are very happy especially after we got the offer from the school.’

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond? Join our Waiting List today.

Sabotaging your NLCS 4+ Assessment Preparation?

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 daughters had an amazing time.

Listen, no one cares that your daughter had a great time at her NLCS 4+ Assessment. No one. 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?

Funny, how these people commenting on mumsnet rarely reveal if their children passed or not.

Wonder why that is!

And also who is telling you that the 4+ Assessments are traumatic and stressful? It should never be traumatic and stressful for a 3 year old. I’ve never heard this from anyone. Ever. Have I heard of children not wanting to go into a 4+ assessment? Of course! But I also hear of children not wanting to go to nursery or pre-school every… single… day.

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 daughters for their 4+ Assessment at NLCS, you might naively think that this is the case. It’s not your fault. If you’ve never been through the process, how on earth would you know?

Well, let me tell you this, if you don’t prepare your daughters properly for their 4+ Assessments at NLCS and if you don’t take the process seriously, then don’t expect to have any sort of success. Because you will not.

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 ratio lowers to about 1:4. Passing the first round is something exceptional!

You could sabotage your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation if you read ridiculous comments online and believe them. You could sabotage your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation if you believe that your daughter’s nursery alone can prepare her for her 4+ Assessment. You could sabotage your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation if you don’t thoroughly cover all areas of the EYFS curriculum that will be assessed in both rounds thoroughly and daily in the lead up to the assessment (at least 4 terms before is my recommendation).

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 2 decades. Work with a teacher who has real and actual experience of supporting girls to pass their 4+ Assessment at NLCS. Work with a teacher who knows exactly what NLCS are even looking for and knows exactly about who the girls are who pass and who the girls are who do not.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

There is NO such thing as a 'feeder school'.

Many of you talk to us about ‘feeder schools’.

But do you even know what a ‘feeder school’ even is?

Here is the definitition for you (Collins) …

a junior school whose pupils go to a specific secondary school

The definition is a little misleading. Let me explain.

A parent reading this definition may think that just because their child goes to a particular school that it will result in them going to a specific secondary school.

Well, absolutely not.

And you will be incredibly disappointed if you believe this. And you will not be truly supporting your child to get into your desired school of choice if you leave it purely up to the school.

Let me explain.

First of all let me disclose that I have nothing against these ‘feeder schools’. We teach many, many children who attend these schools. Many! And yes, the schools tell them not to tutor. Our clients have their own minds and they decide what is right for their own children!

I am a firm believer that it should never be the responsibility of a school to teach a child.

If you’ve ever set foot in a school in the capacity of a teacher or teaching assistant or any other role, you will know what I am going on about. If you haven’t, you won’t.

So if I were to choose a school for my son, I really wouldn’t care about the title ‘feeder school’. What I would care about would be the following:

Excellent teachers with a lot of experience who can support my child with his learning and challenge him to be the best that he can be academically (I wouldn’t rely on them to do this however - that would be down to me).

Excellent pastoral care.

Excellent 1:1 time with my son (this is hard in a school!)

Excellent facilities.

Excellent after school provision.

And the most important one - that my son would be delighted to go to school each day.

Preparing him for a great secondary school will be down to me. If I have an amazing team behind me, that is the cherry on top but it is not the holy grail.

Careful, behind every great exit result is a team of teachers supporting that child to achieve and that includes the support of their amazing parents who take deliberate time to sit with their children every single say to study with them, to support them, to challenge them and to ensure that they are achieving to the best of their abilities.

I barely read report cards from my son’s nursery. There is no way they could have ever known his level and ability as I did.

Preparing for an entrance exam? We provide the best support to all of our students and our clients. Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today and see how we can support your child to have the success that they truly deserve to have in any assessment (2028 and beyond only).

3 lessons learnt from the 4+ at Falkner House Boys.

I have personally been preparing boys (and girls) for the Falkner House 4+ Assessment for over 2 decades.  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 their exit results at year 6. They are impressed by the schools that boys and girls go onto after completing their time at Falkner House.

With boys and girls being offered places at St Paul’s (6 boys and 8 girls respectively offered places at St Paul’s for 2026 entry) you can understand why some parents are drawn to this school. 

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

Here are 3 lessons I’ve learnt after preparing boys for their 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. Also, attending the nursery does not guarantee that your son will be offered a place (although so many parents I speak to are pretty confident that this will not be the case). 

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 wasn’t offered a place at Falkner House after their 4+ Assessment.

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 prepare your son to the highest standards to ensure that they have the highest chances for success in their Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

Preparing for 2027 entry, join my incredible Ultimate Acceleration Programme.

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond, book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

A Week In The Life Of A London Home Educating Mama (Week 2)

Second week of officially home educating my son is nearly done. It has been a particularly challenging week for us. We just got back from a few days in Italy. Out of respect, I will not go into detail. But let’s just say that it was very difficult and heart breaking. We got back yesterday.

I can say with certainty that we have not completed as much learning as we usually do. But we have done a little bit of something every day. Next week, we will get back to it. I also return to teaching full time from Monday which will be a huge adjustment for me after a full month off. I am definitely excited to see all of my students (all 45 of them!) and I am looking forward to catching up with my clients fully.

We have been having some behavioural challenges this week and it has been difficult for everyone involved. I do think he was impacted by Italy and I know that he is so intuitive and picked up my feelings and emotions which have had an impact on him. Listening has been poor at best this week. Following instructions has barely existed. This week, I will spend deliberate time discussing these things with my son and ensuring that we are on the same page again. I will research some great books that I can read to him to help him to understand his feelings and emotions.

In phonics this week we have been recapping digraphs. We worked on qu and ew this week. He is doing so well. I also taught him the trigraph air. We continue to work on cvc words and he has moved onto longer words now and is doing very well. His 20 book top up arrived and I ordered the phase 3 ones instead of the phase 2 ones! I was a little worried at first but he is beyond ready for the phase 3 books! He started reading them to me whilst we were in Italy last week and he really loves them. Nothing better to him than new books! We haven’t done much writing this week. Earlier in the week he worked on letter formation with his nanny of the few letters we were working on last week and he did very well. Writing will be a huge focus for us next week.

In maths this week, we have been continuing to learn about tens and ones and he is doing very well. Teen numbers he is picking up better!. He’s been writing numbers to 20 daily and has excellent formation of most numbers to 20.

We didn’t study the foundation subjects this week.

He spent time with his very close friends in Italy last week. We went out for long walks and the boys played in the playgrounds together. He attended the clubs at his gym only once last week. On Mondays he did his Italian school and tomorrow he will do two clubs at his gym - sports club and lego club. He will also attend his gymnastics class.

We are moving home on Monday of next week so that will be another huge adjustment for all of us. But I’m very excited about this move and what it will bring.

How is week 2 of learning for you?

Email me to let me know office@creativemindstutors.com