The TRUE reason you might choose in person tuition over the highest quality online tuition.

Most of you won’t like this and that’s okay.

These are my opinions.

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on the products that I offer. Obviously, I know that my packages are out of this world. I know that my packages have supported thousands of children over the last 15 years to pass their Assessments at their target schools. I know that what I offer is far superior that what is out there. I know this because I have my results.

Here is the TRUE reason why you might choose in person tuition over the highest quality online tuition.

You don’t want to put the work in yourself.

Hear me out.

Preparing your child for a 4+ Assessment takes time, dedication, frustration, motivation, resilience, perseverance, grit and fortitude. And not all of you are cut out for these. Some of you want a teacher to come into your home so you can leave your child in a room with them, close the door and go and have a cup of tea or get on with your own work.

But what goes on behind that closed door?

Does the teacher you are working with know HOW to prepare your child for their 4+ Assessment? Truly?

And if you take a back seat will this help your child to pass their 4+ Assessment?

Does your child just see their teacher once a week and that is that?

IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.

4+ Assessment success happens in those little pockets of the day where YOU can sit with your child for 5 minutes and have a break through with their phonics.

But what do some of you want?

You want someone else to do it for you.

This is the future of your child. This is all about your child’s future success. The school they will go to will determine the quality of the education they will have and ultimately the quality of how they learn will have an impact on their life when they grow up.

Take it seriously. Be hands on and get involved. And don’t expect any one else to care as much about your child’s success as you do.

And don’t be one of those parents currently contacting me and telling me that their child didn’t get a place anywhere.

3 ways NOT to pass the Highgate 7+ Assessment!

The Highgate 7+ Assessment is a very challenging Assessment.

50 children will have passed their 7+ Assessments in 2025 to join 60 children who are already in the Pre-prep. Believe me when I tell you that hundreds of parents are currently very disappointed that their son or daughter has not passed this assessment.

Registration hasn’t opened yet for 2026 Entry but you can register your interest here.

So here are 3 ways NOT to pass the Highgate 7+ Assessment. Avoid these at all costs and guarantee the highest chances for success for your child.

Way #1 to NOT pass

Not having a full 12 months of 7+ Assessment preparation tailored specifically to Highgate.

Whether you choose to teach your child yourself or you invest in the support of a specialised teacher, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that your child has the full 12 months of Assessment prep. Historically (and I have no idea why!), parents leave this assessment to the very last minute. And it’s just not enough time! Their child will most likely not pass without the full 12 months of preparation. Take this Assessment very seriously and if you don’t, do not expect Highgate to take you seriously!

Way #2 to NOT pass

Choosing a teacher who does not have real and actual experience with getting children into Highgate at 7+

Perhaps they choose a teacher based purely on the fact that they live near to them or perhaps they choose a teacher based on the fact that their fees were lower (don’t do this!). If you work with a teacher who doesn’t have experience with actually supporting students to pass their Assessment at Highgate, how can you expect your child to be taught the curriculum relevant to the Highgate Assessment?

Way #3 to NOT pass

Assume that because your child has passed Round 1 that they will pass Round 2

Many parents simply stopped their lessons with us when they found out that their child passed their first round! Big mistake. Highgate call back MOST of the students from Round 1. Round 2 needs thorough and careful Assessment preparation (in conjunction with Round 1 prep and not as a standalone service!)

Don’t leave this one to the last minute please.

Preparing for Highgate for 2026 entry or beyond?

Book your Sample Week today.

3 top tips to make Westminster 7+ Assessment preparation easier.

We are currently preparing several of our students for their Westminster 7+ Assessment this year and next year (8+ too!).

Here are 3 top tips if you are preparing for the Westminster 7+ Assessment.

You want to always try to simplify your 7+ Assessment preparations. I know it can seem overwhelming but it really doesn’t have to be.

1. Choose a teacher who has prepared boys for this school (this year will be the first year girls will be sitting for 2026 entry!)

Don’t just choose any teacher who offers 7+ Assessment preparation. Don’t just ask what they charge. If you want your son to have any chance of passing his first Round at this school, you need a teacher with at least 5 years of experience preparing boys for this school and you need a teacher who knows historically what has come up. Otherwise how on earth can the teacher that you work with prepare your son for his 7+ Assessment at Westminster? Some parents want to save money on tuition. Trust me, you don’t want to do this. You will spend thousands more getting your child ready for his 8+ or 11+. You’re trying to get your son or daughter into a £31,050 per year school. Please don’t choose a teacher purely based on their ‘low fees’!

2. Understand both rounds well.

If you don’t know what to prepare your child for how will they ever be successful?

You need to know exactly what will come up in the first and second rounds and prepare just for those things. Obviously we are not magicians and there will be things that may come up that we might not have accounted for. But it’s about preparing your son as thoroughly as possible to be go in and score the highest of marks in their Assessment.

Simple.

Here it is simplified for you.

Round 1 - Maths (We teach up to the year 3 curriculum for Westminster and some of the Year 4 Curriculum), English (writing and reading, SPAG), Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning.

Round 2 - Classroom activity and interview (interviewed by the Master and one other member of the SLT)

Only 50 children will be invited back for Round 2. So if your child is invited back, they will have done exceptionally well at round 1. Hundreds and hundreds of children will apply to sit their 7+ at Westminster Under School!

3. Allow yourself at 2 years to prepare your child for their 7+ Assessment at this school (and at the very least 1 year of intensive tuition). This is not to say that if you leave it later, you cannot be successful. You absolutely can be with the right guidance and preparation but your child will need even more intensive preparation and you need to keep in mind that you child is still only 6 if you are preparing for the 7+.

Out of the 50 children selected for Round 2, only 22 children will be offered a place! So about a 1:2 chance of passing if your child has made the cut at Round 1.

We know exactly how to prepare our students for both rounds.

Book your Sample Week today!

3 options if your child was unsuccessful to your target schools at 4+

I am speaking to hundreds of parents whose child was unsuccessful to their target schools (2026 entry).

My heart goes out to them. I feel their pain every time I speak to them. And if this is you, I am sorry.

Perhaps you went all in and did everything in your power to support your child to be successful or perhaps you didn’t know how difficult these 4+ Assessments would be. If you find yourself in a situation where your child is going to a school which was not your top choice, please do not worry. You have options.

The most important thing is that you act fast and you don’t allow thoughts like ‘I have plenty of time until the 7+ Assessments to sabotage your chances for success.’ If your child is unsuccessful in their 7+, you will then need to wait until the 11+. The 7+ needs 2 years of Assessment preparation. The 11+ needs 3-4 years of Assessment preparation. Obviously, I think that tuition is an amazing investment for all of our children but the most important factor to me if that your child goes to the best school for them. That your child receives the highest quality and standard and education for them.

And if you are paying thousands of pounds each month to send your child to a private school, you might as well send them to the best school.

Here are your options:

1. Apply for the 7+ Assessments.

   Keep in mind that there are far fewer places available at 7+ so your child will need thorough prep (and know their prep- school alone will not prepare them to pass their 7+Assessments)

2. Apply for occasional places - We are incredibly successful at preparing students to pass their occasional place Assessment at top inner and outer London schools. One of our students recently passed her Guildford High occasional place Assessment (year 2 entry). One of our other students passed his Dulwich College occasional place Assessment (Year 1 entry) in December. It is up to you to be proactive here and contact your target schools directly to ask them if they have occasional places and if they do to add your child to the list.

3. Apply for the 11+Assessments.

   Many parents I speak to have no idea how challenging it is to pass an assessment for the 7+. If your child is unsuccessful, you can start preparing them for their 11+. There are far more places available (40 compared to 8 in some cases) and you have a lovely, long time to prepare them.

We are experts at preparing children for their Assessments and we would love to support you to have incredible success. Book your Sample Week today.

UCS 4+ Why were so many boys unsuccessful this year?

Not just this year.

Hundreds and hundreds of boys will be unsuccessful every single year at this extremely popular school.

Many parents love this school for several reasons. Either because it is literally down the road from where they live or because of the fact that it actually is an amazing school. Or perhaps both of these factors!

I have known many boys who have gained entry to this school and who are still studying at this school. I still speak to their parents and all of them are thriving and very happy there.

Having visited the school myself several times, I understand why UCS is such a popular choice.

There are a few problems with UCS at 4+.

First of all, it is incredibly over subscribed. Hundreds and hundreds of boys will be applying for the 32 places available at 4+.

Second of all, many parents do not prepare their child to the highest possible standard for this school. They are told it is a ‘playdate’ and therefore assume that their child will just go in and have a play. This is not the case at all.

Finally, they hear mixed messages from their friends or neighbours who tell them things like this…

‘'My son passed and I did not prepare him!’

‘The school will be able to tell that he has been tutored and he will not pass’

‘You don’t need to do much to be offered a place at UCS’

And these are all lies.

If a boy passes their 4+ Assessment at UCS, it is because of these three reasons:

1. They were prepared to the highest of standards

2. They were able to perform very well in their Assessment

3. They were able to show the assessors exactly what their were looking for

Prepare for this school and prepare for it well and know that you have done everything in your power to give your son the highest possible chances for success in their 4+ Assessments.

Book your Sample Week today.

The top three traits of our girls who passed their NLCS 4+ Assessment.

Some key numbers for you.

I prepared 4 girls for their NLCS 4+ Assessment. 3 girls passed Round 1 and 2 girls have been offered a place to study at NLCS.

These are exceptional results.

We only work with a handful of girls each year to ensure the highest possible quality of teaching and materials we provide to our clients who are preparing for NLCS.

We know how HARD it is to pass this Assessment.

Most parents don’t know or don’t understand this.

They don’t know how heavily over subscribed this school is and they don’t know how amazing it is for a girl to be offered a place to study at NLCS at 4+.

Here are the top 3 traits of our girls who passed their Round 2 Assessment at NLCS.

1. Calm

2. Easy to get on with

3. Highly skilled academically

If your daughter holds these three traits, she will most likely be in with a high chance of passing this Assessment. If not, it is up to you to work with her over the next few months to support her to develop these traits.

We prepare our girls to be able to go into the NLCS 4+ Assessment and show exactly what the assessors want to see. This is why we have the results that we have each and every year.

Book your Sample Week today.

The 3 main problems with Habs' boys’ this year.

There have been many problems this year with the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ Assessment preparation.

Some figures for you in terms of how WE did.

• We (myself and my team) prepared 10 boys for their 4+ Assessment at Habs’ Boys’ (all boys started at varying times throughout the year).

• All 10 boys passed their 4+ Round 1 Assessment at Habs’ Boys’ (amazing I know!)

6 passed the second round and have been offered a place to study at this school from September 2025 (incredible I know!) 6/40 boys who passed were prepared by US!

However, I observed many problems throughout the year as we prepared our boys for their 4+ Assessment at Habs’ boys and I am sharing them with you here with the hope that you will avoid making the same mistakes.

Problem #1

Assuming that because their son passed Round 1 that it would be easy to pass Round 2.

‘Well they passed round 1, I’m pretty sure they will pass the second round.’

WRONG.

So what did some parents do after the Round 1 results came out? This is what they did…

They took their foot of the gas and they either slowed down 4+ Assessment preparations or they stopped completely. After all their son just passed the first round so who needs to bother any more for the second round?

WRONG!

You should not wait to start preparing for Round 2 until you know that your child has passed Round 1 anyway. Round 2 Assessment preparation goes hand in hand and alongside Round 1 Assessment preparation.

The most successful parents were the ones who stayed humble and who listened to me when I told them this…

‘It really means very little that they passed their first round.’

‘Keep… going!’

Problem #2

Not understanding the expectations of their child in the second round.

Many parents that I spoke to (not necessarily my clients) didn’t even know that the assessment would be on a 1:1 basis.

Some parents didn’t know that they too would be interviewed!

You must understand the second round and you must know the exact expectations. You must know the reason WHY some children passed and others didn’t.

Otherwise how do you think you will successfully prepare your son to pass the second round?

Problem #3

Being annoyed about their son not passing the second round when really the didn’t even put in half the amount of effort of the boys that did pass.

Passing the 4+ Assessment at Habs’ Boys’ is HARD. And to the boys who did pass - I hope your parents know this and will let other parents know.

Too many parents do not understand the complexities of the Habs’ Boys’ 4+ Assessments and it is up to us to inform them of this.

Knowledge is power in any 4+ Assessment.

Empower yourself today!

Book your 4+ Sample Week today.

3 things you can start doing yourself right now to support your child with their listening skills.

Being able to listen well in the 4+ Assessments has been very important again this year.

I have observed that my students who were able to listen perfectly well to my instructions and do exactly what was asked of them, were the ones who have been very successful so far in their 4+ Assessments.

Let me give you the example of my son and why he currently would not be passing many 4+ Assessments. He struggles with his listening skills. He doesn’t like to be told what to do (he likes to tell others what to do), he sometimes chooses not to follow instructions and he loses focus quickly if he is not interested in something. All of these qualities that my son currently has wouldn’t go down well in any 4+ Assessment.

Most parents are unaware of the reasons why their children didn’t pass their 4+ Assessments at their target schools. To me, it is obvious.

Listening skills are very important in the 4+ Assessments.

If your child is unable or resistant to listening well, it is up to you to ensure that you support them to the best of your ability to be able to improve these skills. It is not down to their nursery or pre-prep to do this. It is down to you.

3 things you can start doing yourself right now to support your child with their listening skills.

1. Sign them up to clubs

The more, the better. Being placed in an environment where they are expected to follow instructions and listen well will support your child to develop their listening skills. Do not start this 2-3 months before your child’s 4+ Assessments. Start it immediately.

My son currently attends Stage Coach once a week and I can already see a few improvements in his ability to listen well to the instructions of the teachers in the room.

Here are a few clubs that I’m currently looking into for my own son…

Stage Coach

Foxes Club

Swimming

2. Explain your expectation to your child.

Before my son goes to his club, we sit down and talk about what I would like him to do whilst he is there. I say things like - ‘It would be amazing if your could listen to what the teacher asks you to do.’ and ‘I would love it if you put the toys back when you are asked to do so and not get upset about having to do this.’

If children are aware of the expectations, they will be more likely to remember to do it.

3. Model to them how you listen to others.

Your child watches every single thing that you do. You can show them throughout the day, examples of how you listen well to others and even how you listen well to them.

Strong listening skills will be very important in any 4+ Assessment.

Work on these consistently every day with your child to support them to develop strong listening skills.

In our weekly lessons, we work on listening skills every single week.

Book your Sample Week today!

Will an in person tutor be beneficial for your Assessment preparations?

Only if they have real and actual experience with the schools that you are applying to.

Having an in person teacher who doesn't have experience with the schools you are applying to will not lead to success.

There I’ve said it.

I was an in person tutor with no experience with these top schools when I first starting tutoring. We all have to start somewhere of course. I definitely did NOT have the results that I have now. 15 years ago Maria was just starting out. She had time on her hands to be able to go to her client’s homes and provide them with in person tuition. She did have some success but she definitely did not have the success that I have now with over 15 years of experience preparing children for top school all across the country.

But ultimately if you want to be successful in your child’s Assessments, you must work with a teacher who is very experienced with the schools that you are applying to. If not, why do you think this teacher will help your child to secure a place at your dream schools?

Our biggest resistance from potential new clients is the fact that they believe that having an in person tutor will be superior than having an online tutor. Many tell me that they are traditional, others tell me that they want their child to be nurtured by having someone physically present and others simply do not understand how online tuition works.

They are simply sabotaging their Assessment preparation. Unless you find a teacher who has real and actual experience with the schools that you want to send your child to, simply choosing a teacher on the basis that they can enter your home or that you can drop your child to them will not lead to thee success that you desire- sadly.

Interestingly and sadly, the parents that say no to us initially are usually unsuccessful to their schools of choice.

An in person tutor with real and actual experience with the Assessments at the schools that you are applying to and that can be found within your local area is going to be very hard to find. So what tends to happen?

Parents reach out to their local tutoring agency (if there is one!) and that agency sends over a teacher but more often than not has no experience with the schools that they are applying to. Or parents take their children to a tutoring centre.

How is this better than working with a teacher who fully understands the schools that you are applying to? Who fully understands exactly what the schools that you are applying to are actually looking for? How is this better than working with a teacher who knows historically what has come up in the Assessments at the schools that you would like to send your child to?

Parents cannot answer these questions when I ask them. They just tell me that ‘in person is best’

If it is, great! But this is not what I have found personally!

You want to work with a teacher who knows the schools that you are applying to exceptionally well. That should be your number one priority when choosing who to work with in preparation for your child’s Assessments.

Another reason I sometimes get is that parents want to ‘save money’. This makes no sense. If you want to get your child into a 25k - 50k a year school, saving money is not the way to do this!

Book your Sample lesson today.

3 signs you might be confused about the 4+ Assessment process.

You’ve decided to prepare your child for their 4+ Assessments. You have chosen your dream schools and you have applied/are in the process of applying.

Now what?

I speak to hundreds of parents each and every month and some of them are very confused about the 4+ Assessment process. Unless they’ve been through this process before already, this is completely normal. How else would they know what to expect? Whoever you choose to support you with your 4+ Assessment preparations, I want to make sure that you are not confused and that you are knowledgeable about exactly what will be expected from your child in their 4+ Assessments.

Only in this way will you give your child the highest chances for success when it comes to passing their 4+ Assessments.

Here are 3 signs you might be confused about the 4+ Assessment process,

1.You think the 4+ Assessments will be easy.

Well, you know - after all your child is only 2 years old. So what?

The 4+ Assessments will be far from ‘easy’. They are rigorous, thorough and will assess every area of the EYFS curriculum + anything additional that a particular school would like to assess.

Get this thought out of your mind as quickly as possible to avoid sending your child into their 4+ Assessments completely unprepared.

One mother once told me this - ‘It was like sending him into a lion’s den. He had no chance.’

2. You think that your child doesn’t need tuition.

Call it whatever you want - your child needs tuition in order to even stand a chance of passing a 4+ Assessment. Whether you prepare your child thoroughly yourself or you get the help of a professional - teach your child and teach them well.

3. You believe that there is a right and a wrong decision.

Parents often tell me that they want to make the ‘right decision’ and I always assure them that there is no such thing. Take away that pressure from yourself. You make a decision and you stick with it. You can always pivot in the future. Perhaps the school you chose isn’t the right fit for your child in the future - no worries - you pivot and you try somewhere else.

We all want the highest quality education for our children. We all want the best and brightest futures for our children.

So prepare them well for what could be one of the most important assessments of their lives.

Join us for the ‘Prepare for your dream school by Friday challenge’ and be as prepared as you possible can to get the best results possible. Registration closes Sunday 26th January 2025.

3 Societal beliefs that will negatively impact your 4+ Assessment preparation.

Social conditioning is strong.

We are all socially very conditioned (including me by the way!)

It has taken me years to get out of this heavy social conditioning loop but I see it every single day in the parents that I speak to about assessment preparation. And I also still struggle with it every day myself!

Parents that I speak to everyday are socially conditioned by their family, their friends, their ‘well meaning’ neighbours and just in general by their own upbringing. I feel nothing but love and compassion for them BUT this social conditioning could be having a very negative impact on the success of their children in their 4+ Assessments.

Allow me to explain.

Societal belief #1

Online tuition isn’t as effective as in person tuition

Interesting then how hundreds of parents call me after the 4+ Assessment results are out and tell me that their child was unsuccessful in all of their 4+ Assessments and they had in person tuition.

If in person tuition was so effective, why don’t more students pass their 4+ Assessments after having had in person tuition?

I have nothing against in person tuition by the way, I did it myself for 13 years. Just be careful when believing that online tuition is somehow inferior to it. It isn’t.

Societal belief #2

Online tuition means exposing your child to more screen time.

That’s interesting. Your family and friends will comment on this and then put a device in their own children’s hands. I do not classify learning online with my own son as screen time. It’s up to you how you think about it. And not up to anybody else.

‘What, you let your child sit in front of a screen for 30 minutes to have a lesson?’

First of all, they are not ‘sitting in front of a screen’ as 4+ lessons are very hands on and interactive and also why don’t you reply back and tell them the value of these exceptional online lessons and the fact that these online lessons will be one of the keys to unlocking the doors to one of your dream schools for your child.

Societal belief #3

You will get more value for your money with an in person teacher.

That’s interesting considering that finding an in person teacher depends on where you are geographically. Whereas you can work with the best teachers online wherever you are located.

Parents would rather have someone come physically into their home to teach their child who has no experience with the schools that they are applying to just because the teacher can set foot into their home than have teachers who have over 10 years of experience in the 4+ Assessments and have a 15 year track record of successful students gaining entry into all of the top inner and outer London schools at 4+.

I really don’t care who you choose to prepare your child. What I care about is that your child passes their 4+ Assessments.

You decide.

2 things you should must NEVER do if you are preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments.

So you are well on your way to preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments and you are eager and optimistic with the way it’s currently going. That’s a great place to be in.

However, if you are like most of the parents that I speak to every single day, you are most likely feeling worried and nervous. Perhaps you are not covering as much of the EYFS curriculum as you should be every single day. Perhaps your child isn’t interested in writing at the moment. Perhaps you have hundreds of other things going on in your life to be able to find the time to sit for 30 minutes every single day with your child and complete their learning tasks.

Whatever is going on for you, I’d like you to take a deep breath and grab a coffee (or a cup of tea if you prefer!)

What you MUST do is keep going. What you MUST do is trust in the process. What you MUST do is know that you are doing everything in your control to prepare your child to be very successful in their 4+ Assessments.

Here are 2 things you should NEVER do if you are preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments.

1.Have unrealistic expectations.

If you have the expectation that your child will sit with you for a full 30 minutes and engage fully in all of the learning tasks that you provide for them, you are wrong. Manage your expectations. Have realistic expectations. Your child is currently two or three. Most adults I know are unable to sit still and do some learning for a full 30 minutes, why do we think that we can have this expectation when it comes to our child?

Set your expectations from the start. Here is my expectation for my own son (currently 30 months). I expect that he will sit with me for at least 3 minutes at any given time that I have the intention to do some learning with him. This is the most he will sit with me before wanting to go an do something else. And that is absolutely perfect… for me and for him. Set your expectation for your child and commit to it every single day.

2. Leave your preparations to the last minute.

Most of these top, prestigious schools need 12 months of Assessment preparation so if you are looking to start now, you may already be starting later than you should be. The biggest error I see when parents prepare for the 4+ Assessments is leaving it to the last minute. It’s not their fault of course - they don’t fully understand the process…yet. 12 months is the sweet spot. Any less than this and you will struggle to get full curriculum coverage and for your child to master all of the skills that they need to master in order to pass their 4+ Assessment.

Book your Emerald Curriculum Sample Week today.

How can you prepare for your dream schools in ONLY 5 days?

If you have a dream school in mind for your child, you do not want to miss this challenge!

The Challenge kicks off in exactly one week and there are 8 places remaining.

Imagine if you could...

• Have a clear and structured plan for the next 12 months that will help to keep you focused and to take massive action every single day.

• Have more time together as a family rather than wasting your time googling information about the 4+ Assessments.

• Send your child into any 4+ Assessment and know that you’ve done everything in your power to help them to pass.

In this Challenge, you will join me every single day for 5 days for 30 minutes every day (and if you can’t, no worries, you will receive the replay to watch at your own convenience).

I will tell you exactly what you need to be doing in only 5 days to ensure that you are on the right path for success with preparing for your dream school at 4+.

In this incredible challenge, I will teach you the three steps to passing the 4+ Assessments. 

• Know what each individual school is looking for in their prospective new students - each school is looking for something different and none of these schools will be assessing by the same criteria. If you do not know the criteria then how can you expect to prepare your child to be successful in their 4+ Assessment. I will share with you the exact criteria needed for your child to pass their 4+ Assessment at YOUR target schools.

• Cover the curriculum consistently and frequently - You cannot expect your child to pass their 4+ Assessments at schools like Haberdashers’, NLCS and South Hampstead if you’ve not put in the work. This is just unrealistic and an expectation that will just disappoint you. If you put in the work every single day over a long period of time, you will of course have the success that you desire to have. But in order to do this, you MUST have a clear plan of what exactly you will be doing with your child every single day (even for just 5-10 minutes) to prepare them.

• Ensure your child knows exactly what is expected of them in each Assessment - If your child doesn’t know or if they think that they are ‘just going on a playdate’ then why would you expect them to pass their 4+ Assessments?

I will help your re-focus your mind and ensure that you haver a clean plan for success in only 5 days.

Join the Challenge Today. Registration closes Friday 25th January 2025.

The UCS Round 1 4+ Assessment Report

We are still awaiting a few more results and I will update when I receive these.

These are the results we have currently received.

We prepared 5 boys for their UCS 4+ Assessment. Three boys have passed the first round.

The boys who passed started preparing 12 months before the first round. Passing the first round at UCS is not easy despite the school saying that their Assessment is a ‘playdate’ and that no preparation is needed.

3 key reasons for success at UCS

1.Boys who are able to follow instructions to a very high level.

2. Boys who have strong gross and fine motor skills.

3. Boys who are academically strong in all areas of the EYFS curriculum.

3 key reasons for failure at UCS

1. Not starting at least 12 months before the 1st round.

2. Parents believing that the Assessment will be a ‘playdate’.

3. Not demonstrating excellent focus and concentration in the first round and not showing the academic standards and capabilities needed in order to pass the 1st round.

With only 32 places available at this very over subscribed school, it isn’t a surprise to me how difficult it is to be offered a place at UCS. With hundreds and hundreds of boys applying to this school (close to 1000 I am sure!), you must prepare your son to be at a very high standard academically, physically and emotionally to stand even a small chance of being successful at UCS.

Congratulations to our boys who passed their first round. To those of you who didn’t, onto the next one. These results simply highlight the fact that it is absolutely vital to prepare well for the UCS 4+ Assessment. It is not a ‘playdate’ so please don’t get confused by this terminology. Take 12 serious months of 4+ Assessment preparation and prepare your son to the highest possible standard.

Book your Emerald Curriculum Sample Week today (only 1 place remaining to work with me)

How to choose the BEST Nursery for your child's 4+ Assessment preparation

I receive this question every single day. 

Parents who are preparing their child for their 4+ Assessments want their child to go to the 'best' nursery possible. This makes sense. After all, they want their child to be offered a place at all of their target schools. 

I hear nursery names like Montessori, Whizz Kids and Clowns. 

I'm here to tell you there is not one single nursery that will be the magical solution. 

Please just choose a nursery that your child loves, is happiest in and that he or she actually wants to go to every single day. 

You see, I've worked in several top Pre-Preps across London and none of these have been able to effectively prepare the children for their assessments alone. 

All of the children that I taught were receiving tuition. 

All of the children I taught were receiving some sort of one to one attention every single week from a tutor. 

And the parents who relied only on the Pre-Prep had far less success that those who invested in the support of a specialist 4+ Assessment teacher. 

The problem with nurseries and pre-schools is that as parents we assume that our children are getting all of the curriculum coverage that they need but the reality is that they are not. 

It is impossible for the Nursery or Pre-Prep to provide your child with the individual attention that they need to support them to pass their 4+ Assessments. They have too many other children to also think about. 

My son doesn't go to a top Nursery listed above. He goes to a Nursery in Colindale. I love it for the following reasons:

1. I adore the teachers that work at this nursery. 
2. I love that my son is eager to go there. 
3. I trust that he is well looked after and cared for. 

Do I assume that this nursery is covering all of the 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum in as much depth as I would like them to? Absolutely not. 

It is up to me to provide this curriculum for him. 

And it is up to you to do the same. 

I am delighted to have you here with me. 

Answer these questions to truly know if the Nursery your child goes to is the BEST one for them.

Does your child love going there every day?
Do you receive feedback about the 7 areas of learning and how your child is doing?
Do you think that they are helping to support your child with their 4+ Assessment preparations and why?

I will be running an incredible challenge from Monday 27th January. I am opening only 10 places for this challenge so join today!

If you don't know the 4+ expectations don't expect your child to pass.

You might think you know what is expected of your child in their 4+ Assessments but you are most likely wrong.

Unless you’ve been through the process already, you most likely do not know the expectations.

Don’t guess what these expectations might be. You have to know what these expectations are.

How else can you expect your child to pass?

Each school will have different expectations of their prospective new students.

Every single day I receive questions that demonstrate utter confusion when it comes to the 4+ Assessment preparation process.

Parents ask me if they should be doing this or they should be doing that in preparation for the 4+ Assessments.

It does not work like that.

You need consistent, focused and daily action covering all of the 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum to a very high standard to have any chance of success in the 4+ Assessments.

That’s what we do.

We support all of our clients to cover all of the 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum daily, consistently and to a very high standard.

This is why it is vital that you understand that this process needs to be started as early as possible. If you leave it to the last minute, it will be virtually impossible to cover all of these areas of the EYFS Curriculum (unless your child is already at a very high academic standard).

We know exactly what is expected at each individual school at 4+. That’s why we have the exceptional results that we have year after year after year. This year will be no different!

I have just launched a brand new challenge and it closes next week (Tuesday 21st January) and there are only 10 places available!

Prepare for your Dream Schools by Friday Challenge - Launching Today!

Is it your dream to support your child to be very successful to pass their 4+ Assessments at your schools of choice?

Imagine if you could...

• Have a clear and structured plan for the next 12 months that will help to keep you focused and to take massive action every single day. 

• Have more time together as a family rather than wasting your time googling information about the 4+ Assessments.

• Send you child into any 4+ Assessment and know that you’ve done everything in your power to help them to pass.

I want you to SAVE THE DATE:

Monday January 27th - Friday January 31st from 2-2:30 GMT because I'm hosting the...

Prepare your child for your dream schools by Friday Challenge

Spend 5 days with me so you can prepare your child to be very successful at passing any 4+ Assessment. 

There are only three steps to passing the 4+ Assessments. 

• Know what each individual school is looking for in their prospective new students. 

• Cover the curriculum consistently and frequently. 

• Ensure your child knows exactly what is expected of them in each Assessment.

During the challenge, I'll show you simple ways to make sure that your child will be ready to be successful in any 4+ Assessment in 2026 or beyond. 

Registration officially kicks off on Monday 13th January 2025. 

I will be opening only 10 places to this incredible challenge.

Stop letting tuition FAIL YOU.

January. The time of year that I receive hundreds of call from disappointed parents. I hear things like…

‘My son didn’t pass any of his assessments.’

‘We prepared for a year and she still didn’t get into the school that we wanted her to go to.’

‘I’m so angry/disappointed/confused.’

When it comes to choosing the best teacher for your child, here is the biggest problem that I see.

Parents wanting the teacher to come physically into their home.

Sure, this is great - if you can find the BEST teacher in YOUR local area who has REAL and ACTUAL experience with the schools that you are applying to. If not, to be honest with you - you are letting tuition FAIL YOU.

You see, the biggest resistance that some of our clients have before they start working with us is that they are unsure about online tuition. Over the years this resistance has weakened (as parents have seen our exceptional results year after year after year!)

I say this time and time again - it really doesn’t matter that you have a teacher coming physically into your home. What matters is that you are covering a robust, focused and bespoke curriculum created just for your child and the schools that they will be going to have an assessment at.

Listen, I have nothing but respect for all teachers and what they do. And we all have to start somewhere. After all, I started tutoring over 15 years ago. But was I as good 15 years ago as I am now - no. Of course not!

The experience I have now, is something 25 year old Maria didn’t have. Sure, she tried so hard! And she wanted nothing but the best for her students but what I know now differs highly from what I knew then!

I spoke to one of my clients yesterday who is receiving my support but has chosen to have in person tuition for now. She told me that her daughter loves having her teacher over and playing with her.

4+ Assessment preparation is NOT sitting down and ‘playing’.

If you want to spend thousands of pounds to have someone come and ‘play’ with your child, that’s up to you.

My questions to her were…

‘Does the teacher know what your target schools are looking for?’

‘Is your teacher covering all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum consistently and every day?’

‘What are you doing with your child during the week when your child isn’t with her teacher?’

Her answers showed me that although she thought she was doing her best with her child’s 4+ Assessment preparation that she didn’t quite understand the process and neither did the teacher that she was working with.

You want a teacher to come into your home - that’s up to you. Just make sure they are the best teacher to help you to have the results you want.

After all isn’t that what we all want?

Top 3 tips to make 4+ Assessment preparation easier.

You’ve decided that your child will sit their 4+ Assessments this year and you don’t know where to start.

Perhaps you are feeling completely overwhelmed with all of the information available about the 4+ Assessments.

All you want is for your child to pass their 4+ Assessments and to be offered a place at your target schools.

Here are 3 top tips to make your 4+ Assessment preparation easier.

1.Start with at least 9-12 months of preparation time.

I’m pleased my message is spreading and I’m receiving calls from parents who are preparing their children for 2027 entry! This is fantastic!

If you start with at least 9-12 month of preparation time, I promise you that you are going to have a much more pleasant experience compared to starting 3-6 months before.

2. Focus on the 7 EYFS areas of learning every day.

Here and there will not cut it. Your child needs to have perfect cutting skills, be able to draw with accuracy and precision, be able to colour in with detail, be able to write and hold their pencil ‘properly’, be able to answer questions in detail and have developed an amazing vocabulary (these are just a few!) All of this takes time, patience and consistency. Don’t just focus on the areas that they like to do. Focus on all 7!

3. Work with a teacher with real and actual experience with the schools that you are applying to.

Don’t just choose a teacher because they can come into your home. You want to work with a teacher who can show you their results. A teacher who knows what each school is looking for and the criteria that they use when it comes to assessing the students (HINT - it’s not the same at every school)

You can do this alone. But why would you want to?

Book your Emerald Curriculum Sample Week today.

If my clients can do it so can you!

Meet other parents who prepared their children to be very successful in their 4+ Assessments. 

When I tell people I help 2 and 3 year olds to be very successful in their 4+ Assessments, they often don’t understand.  Two year olds preparing for an exam? Don’t you think that is too young?

No I do not. 

Well, YES, they are young. But YOU have chosen to sit them for their 4+ Assessment so now it is up to YOU to ensure that they are ready to go in and pass. 

 You need a thorough and bespoke curriculum created just for your child and the schools that they are applying to. 

That’s why I thought you’d love to hear some REAL 4+ Assessment success stories. Head over to Trustpilot to read all of our incredible reviews. 

If you’ve ever wondered if YOU can have the success you want to have, you absolutely can.

As you’ll see, I’m helping parents all over the country to have incredible success in any Assessment.

Prepare your child and prepare them well.