The crazy truth about my summer born students and the 4+ Assessments

In the last 4 years (since moving exclusively online), we have supported 302 students to prepare for entrance exams. We have supported thousands in the last 16 years. We are still in the relatively early stages of this incredible business and I’m so proud of every single one of these students and I’m so proud of what I’ve created and what myself and my very small team of teachers have been able to accomplish in these 4 years. As we continue to grow as a team, I have no doubt that we will support hundreds more students in these next 4 years and have even more exceptional results.

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with parents lately and a lot of these conversations revolve around their summer born children.

They are filled with excuses and if they’re not making excuses they are merely telling me their thoughts and beliefs about their summer born children. They believe these thoughts to be facts. But they are not facts, they are merely thoughts. And they are thoughts that will not serve them to achieve what they are hoping to achieve – the success of being offered a place at their most desired schools at 4+.

 So here’s the crazy truth for you.

 I created a simple table with the names of all of my students, their dates of birth and the date in which they joined CMT.

 The summer born children (I classify them as children born between June – August) have historically been the ones who had the least time preparing for the 4+. They were also the ones who were least successful (compared to their autumn/winter born peers).

 Now, I’m sure most of you will say to me – ‘They weren’t as successful because they are summer born.’

Absolutely not.

 They weren’t as successful because they didn’t have as much preparation time as their autumn/winter born peers.

 This is crazy to me.

 So you have a summer born child? Start a year earlier than someone with an autumn/winter born child. My son is summer born. Guess what?

I don’t care.

It means nothing to me.

He will do just as well, if not better than his autumn/winter born peers. Just keep watching!

 Did you know there is such a thing as parents planning their pregnancies so that they only have autumn/winter born children? I didn’t. I do now.

 Have a summer born child? Start the learning process with us as early as you can. We currently work with 16 and 17 month old children preparing them for their 4+ Assessments (they’re not necessarily summer born just fyi).

Yes, that’s right and I’m extremely proud of what we do.

Book your Sample Lessons today.

The most destructive thing you could do when preparing for the 4+ Assessment at Chigwell.

I’m not sure why but this is the one school that parents that I speak to really don’t take very seriously. First of all, the Chigwell 4+ Assessment is one of the earliest 4+ Assessments. It takes place in September. This year it will take place over a 3 week period beginning Monday 22nd September 2025. So this means you have about 4 months left to prepare for the 4+ Assessment at Chigwell. This really isn’t a very long time and if this truly is a school that you would like your child to attend, please do ensure that you take massive action to prepare your child for the 4+ Assessment at Chigwell. Lessons once a week simply won’t cut it. You will need to be meeting with your teacher at least twice per week and be committed to working with your child every single day of the week.

 Just last week, I spoke to two parents who called me to ask me for further information about 4+ Assessment preparation. Both parents seemed very sceptical about what I was saying. Here are a few things that they said to me.

 “My friend told me that her son got in without any preparation.”

 “My neighbour down the road told me that it’s absolutely insane to prepare a child for an assessment.”

 “I heard that the children just go in and play games.”

 So, first of all let’s be clear. These two mothers called me to ask me about 4+ Assessment preparation. If they truly believed this to be the case, why were they calling me?

 Surely, something in the back of their minds is telling them that this absolutely is not the case.

 Listen carefully, I’ve prepared at least 50 boys and girls historically for the Chigwell 4+ Assessment. I can tell you exactly why one child passed and why one did not. I can tell you that over the years I have spoken to many a heartbroken parent whose child did not pass the Chigwell 4+ Assessment. After all, this is the school that they dream of for their child. This is the school that they had their hearts set on to send their child to.

 It is pure nonsense if someone looks you in the eyes and tells you that they did not prepare for the 4+ Assessment at Chigwell. Pure and utter lies. Oh they 100% prepared their child, they just perhaps don’t want to tell you that they did.

 Perhaps they feel embarrassed or ashamed that they prepared their young child for an assessment. Perhaps they just don’t want you to know about it. But these pure lies are very destructive.

Because most people trust their friends and relatives and what will they do? They will make the choice to not tutor their children and most likely their children will not pass

 Now that’s just sad.

 Don’t do that.

You want to send your child to Chigwell? Then take the process seriously. Prepare your children so that they can go into a 90-minute assessment and actually do well. Nobody wants to receive that letter or email saying that their child has not passed their 4+ Assessment. Do you?

 So prepare your child properly. Take it seriously. And above all don’t complain about it when your child does not pass.

 Book your Sample Lesson today.

3 commonly made mistakes made by Glendower parents

Glendower is a very popular school that we prepare for here at Creative Minds Tutors. It is also one of the toughest schools that we prepare for. Girls will have to demonstrate that they are of a very high academic calibre and be able to show a very high level of focus and concentration in their 4+ Assessment.

 Common Mistake #1

 Not registering early enough

 Early registration is strongly recommended if you are interested in sending your daughter to Glendower – as in within a couple of months of her birth. Keep in mind that Glendower offer a limited number of 4+ Assessment slots for the 40 places available each year. As in if you apply late, you may not be guaranteed a place for your daughter to be assessed. I’ve had several clients who registered their daughter too late and were placed on the waiting list. Some of them were called for assessment and some were not. So if this is a top choice for you, just register early to ensure you have a chance for your daughter to be assessed. Please also remember that all parents must attend a tour of Glendower and meet with the head teacher before applying for an assessment.

Common mistake #2

Not understanding the assessment process at Glendower.

 By not understanding what is actually involved in the 4+ Assessment at Glendower, it will be very hard for your daughter to pass her 4+ Assessment. If you want your daughter to pass her 4+ Assessment at Glendower, you must understand the 4+ Assessment process. You must understand the expectations and you must understand what Glendower are looking for in their prospective new girls. The only way to do this is to speak to a teacher who has prepared girls historically for Glendower for many, many years.

 Common mistake #3

 Not preparing for 9-12 months

 In my extensive experience, I’ve noticed that the girls who start preparing early are the girls who are successful. This is because in 9-12 months they are able to cover the eyfs curriculum extensively and they are able to be taught and supported to be able to do everything that they are asked to do to a very high standard. Starting late preparing your daughter will not be helpful for anyone will it? You will feel stressed and frazzled, your daughter will pick up on your stress and your teacher will have a very limited time to cover the curriculum which most likely will mean that your daughter will not have the opportunity to cover the curriculum in its entirety.

So don’t be annoyed or frustrated if your child doesn’t pass their 4+ Assessment at Glendower. Instead, know that you’ve done everything in your power to support your daughter to pass her 4+ Assessments instead or at least to have gone in and give her best. I want my clients to be delighted, thrilled and amazed when they receive their 4+ Assessment results. Clients feeling annoyed, frustrated and upset will not help my business will it?

Book your Sample Lesson today.

The secret to successful Highgate 4+ Assessment preparation.

Cover all areas of the EYFS curriculum daily, frequently and with consistency.

You need a bespoke, tailored plan for your child’s Highgate 4+ Assessment preparation to ensure that you stay organised and on track. You need this plan to ensure that your child will be able to do everything that is asked of them in the Highgate 4+ Assessment to the highest possible standard.

Although there are 60 places available at 4+, please don’t for one moment think that this is a lot. Highgate is so over subscribed that they operate a ballot system and they choose who will attend the first round.

The Highgate open event will be on Saturday 20th September. You can book from Summer 2025 (so I presume quite soon) and it will be only for parents interested in 2026 entry.

Applications for Highgate will open on Monday 8th September 2025. The admissions policy that they currently have up on their 4+ section of their website is incorrect (it’s for the 16+). I’m sure they’ll update this soon.

Round 1 will be in November and Round 2 will be in January 2026.

Because Highgate is a very academically challenging school, they are looking for children who can handle their pace. Historically, this Assessment has been one of the more ‘stressful’ ones for the children but last year, I feel that Highgate made it a little more nurturing as I heard less complaints about the assessment from my clients. I remember one comment from one of my clients (2024 entry) where she told me how ‘awful’ and ‘stressful’ the assessment process was and that she would never send her child to the school (he passed but accepted Habs).

Please remember that if your child is unable to separate from you that they will not pass. This is a requirement. In fact, some children have been sent home because they wouldn’t calm down following the separation process and were ‘disrupting’ the other children trying to get on with the 4+ Assessment.

Highgate is a tough 4+ Assessment and one that requires thorough and bespoke assessment preparation for. Your son or daughter needs to be able to handle more complex tasks calmly and with maturity. Your son or daughter’s phonics need to be exceptional. Maths skills need to be on point. You need to have covered a broad maths curriculum to a very high standard. Questions need to be answered with confidence and clarity. Your child will be strong physically in both their fine motor and gross motor control.

We have been preparing hundreds of students for this 4+ Assessment for over 15 years and we would be delighted to support your child too.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

3 ways to support your son to PASS his 4+ Assessment at UCS.

So you’ve set your heart upon UCS. You would love for your son to go to this school at 4+. You’ve been on a tour of the school and you’ve seen the incredible facilities and met the teachers. This is the exact school that you want for your son.

With so many mixed messages about this school, it can be easy to quickly become overwhelmed.

Don’t waste your energy in this emotion. It won’t help you. It won’t help your son.

Take action immediately.

UCS will 100% tell you that ‘no preparation is needed’ and that ‘tuition is not needed’ and that ‘it will be a play date’ so expect this. Nothing to be surprised about. UCS tell my clients this every single year. And do you know what my clients do? They nod, smile and prepare their sons to the best of their abilities. Because with 500+ boys attending the first round 4+ Assessment at UCS and with only 32 places available, it would be rather foolish to not prepare their son wouldn’t it?

3 ways to support your son to PASS his 4+ Assessment at UCS.

1. Start 12 months before the 4+ Assessment. So many of you are contacting us now to begin 4+ Assessment preparation. It is far too late. Remember that most of our results are from our students who have at least 12 months of bespoke, focused 4+ Assessment preparation.

2. Prepare thoroughly for the 4+ Assessment at UCS. Disregard any ridiculous comment from anyone who tells you that ‘preparation is not needed’

3. Consistency and focus are key to passing the 4+ Assessment at UCS. Doing something everyday with your son is key. Don’t expect a nursery or pre-prep to prepare your son to pass his 4+ Assessment at UCS. It is up to you.

   Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week Today.

Why an in person tutor with 10 years less experience than us won't even scratch the surface when it comes to 4+ Assessment preparation.

Let me just say that again for you.

Why an in person tutor with 10 years less experience than us won't even scratch the surface when it comes to 4+ Assessment preparation.

I’ve been personally doing this for 16 years. I know what I’m doing. I know what I’m talking about. And at the age of 40, I’m not afraid to tell it how it is.

I’m so bored of people sugar coating the 4+ experience. I’m so bored of reading how easy these assessments are and that it will be a play date for your child. I’m so bored of reading about how these incredibly complex 4+ Assessments will be ‘informal’.

And I really couldn’t care less that your child goes in and has a ‘great time’. What I care about are results. What I care about are my students being offered the best possible chances to have the best possible education for them.

That’s what I care about.

But when I speak to a lot of you, it seems our priorities are not quite aligned. And if that’s the case - so be it. But it’s important that you know and like your reasons. Because your choices will impact the futures of your child.

The best quality education is the most important thing for all of our children. They deserve the best of the best.

And then I speak to some of you who tell me that you don’t want to work with me because myself and my team are exclusively online and you want a teacher who will come to your home. Or you want to physically drop your child somewhere. Ok, that’s fine too. But when I ask you who will be teaching your child this is what most of you tell me.

‘She’s local’

‘She’s cheaper’

‘She’s in person’

Ok, but will she help you to have the results that you want to have?

You want to save money to send your child to a 30k per year school - ok then. Perhaps that makes sense to you? You want someone local rather than someone online - ok then, Perhaps that makes sense to you?

Listen to me carefully.

10 years ago I was also an in person tutor. I went from door to door 7 days a week. I’d work my full time job, jump in my car and go to 2-3 lessons every single evening. I charged 1/3 of my current hourly rate. Was I as good as the teacher I am now? 100% no.

I did not have the experience that I have now.

I hadn’t been as successful as I am now.

I didn’t know these schools as well as I do now.

Would I choose in person me 10 years ago over me now?

No.

But most of you make this choice every single day.

Listen up. You need to work with someone very experienced when preparing for the 4+. You want to work with someone who knows exactly what these schools are looking for and can tell you with honest what it is so that you can be in the best possible position to go in and pass.

Choose whosever you want to help you to prepare for the 4+ Assessment but like your reasons and understand that the ultimate goal is to pass the 4+ Assessments and not to have tea and cookies with your in person tutor.

If I truly dreamed of Merchant Taylors' Prep School for my son...

If MTP was truly the school that I dreamed of and desired for my son to go to, I would support him to get in at 3+. They have far more places available at 3+ (32-34) than at 4+ (6-8).

So why do parents apply at 4+?

Perhaps they hadn’t thought about the 3+. Many parents I speak to have never even heard about a 3+. Well, it’s a thing. And your child will be 2 when he will sit his 3+ Assessment at Merchant Taylors’ Prep School. Oh and by the way, you do need to actually prepare your son for his 3+ Assessment.

If my son were to have sat his 3+ Assessment at MTP, he would have been 2 years and 4 months old! (July baby!) Their 3+ Assessments are pretty early in the Academic Year (November).

This year, the 3+ Assessments are on the 3rd or 4th November 2025.

In the MT’s 3+ Assessment, you can leave your child but you can also choose to stay with your child. I would suggest you leave your child (if you can!). If you want to know why, book an Additional Consultation with me.

MTP will be assessing the following:

Can your son follow instruction?

Can your son interact with the children in the group?

Can your son communicate (speak!)?

A big ask, I’m sure you will be thinking. But this is what it is. This is what they are assessing. So if your son cannot demonstrate all three of these, he will not pass his 3+ Assessment at MTP.

It’s really that simple.

So if I had wanted my son to have passed his 3+ Assessment at MTP, I would have been preparing him to follow instructions, interact well with other children and be able to answer questions to a very high standard. He would only have been able to have shown one of these. He would have only show the communication piece to a very high standard (for a 2 years and 4 month old boy!) He did not follow instructions well - he did what he wanted at that age and he had very poor sharing skills - still struggling with this currently!

If you are preparing for the 3+ or the 4+ at MTP, we will support you every step of the way to have the highest chances for success at this highly sought after school.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

'Why do you even bother?'

First of all let me start off by saying this. I have no judgement for how any single parent chooses to raise their child and chooses to educate them. The beauty of this life is that we are all free to make choices. Let me also say this. I am far from perfect and I get things wrong each and every day. I don’t think anyone in this world is perfect. And raising a child (or 2 or more!) is a very complex thing to do. I am just sharing with you my thoughts and my views. They are not right and they are not wrong, they are simply mine.

Yesterday, I had a call with a potential new client. Her daughter is currently 16 months old and she called me to ask me about 4+ Assessment preparation. This year there has been a huge shift in the amount of families calling to speak with me a lot earlier in terms of preparation for the 4+ Assessments.

We had a conversation about her target schools and she listed names like NLCS, Habs girls and South Hampstead as her top schools of choice.

She asked me this question.

‘When do children start preparing for their 4+ Assessments with CMT?’

I told her that we work with students from as young as 17 months.

Then came her next question.

‘Why do you even bother?’

She told me that it was ‘ridiculous’ for a child to be learning their phonics and their maths at the age of 17 months. She told me that parents should just wait until their children were 3 and it would just ‘click quicker’.

This is absolute nonsense. And if you’ve worked with children for more than a minute, you know with certainty and clarity that this is absolutely not how it works.

Here is my exact answer to her (for context, I started a bespoke and tailored curriculum of learning with my own son when he was 18 months old).

I bother because I want my students to have the best possible learning experience for them. I bother because children love to learn. I bother because my clients need me and they want to provide the best of the best for their children.

Why do I bother with my own son (who is currently nearly 3)?

I bother because I am his biggest advocate. I bother because I didn’t experience the same growing up (through the circumstances in which I was raised). I bother because the whole point of having a child was to provide him with the best that I could. I bother because I know that my son is capable of amazing things and I will do everything in my power to support him. I bother because I love the bonding time it provides us. I bother because he absolutely loves to learn. I bother because I want him to have the brightest and best possible future possible. I bother because I don’t want him to struggle as much as I did (although I’m fully aware that he will struggle in certain ways regardless of what I do). I bother because I love to see that spark in his eyes when I set up his learning for him in the mornings. I bother because I love to see the joy and happiness every time a new learning resource arrives and he has something new to learn. I bother because I love him to the moon and back and I will give him the lest possible learning experience that I can provide for him and I will do this at every stage of his life. I bother because no one else will ever bother as much as I will.

That’s why I bother.

So if you think that you can wait until your child is 3 and then get started, I invite you to question your thoughts. I invite you to stop listening to what others tell you (including me!). Listen to yourself. Listen to your heart. Do what you want to do just like your choices.

Everything you need to know about applying for the 4+ at UCS

There are 32 places each year offered to the successful boys who pass their 4+ Assessments.

The first thing for you to do in you are interested in UCS for your son is to book a tour of the school. UCS offers small group tours and you can email them directly to book your tour. They prioritise tours to families looking to apply for the following academic year.

Registration for UCS is open any time after birth and closes in October before the proposed year of entry. Friday 10th October 2025 is the deadline for 2026 entry.

You can apply online here.

When you apply, you pay a £180 registration fee.

There are two assessments for this school at 4+ and the first round will take place on Monday 5th or Tuesday 6th of January 2026.

UCS clearly states that ‘no preparation is needed’ and this is 100% not the case. You can decide who you’d like to listen to. That is of course completely up to you. But having preparing hundreds upon hundreds of boys for this school, I know what I’m talking about. The second round is week commencing 19th January 2026. Both assessments are referred to as ‘play date’ assessments. Do not tell your son that they are going for a playdate if you want to have any sort of chance for success.

After you’ve been to the open day and you’ve applied for UCS at 4+, get to work.

This is a £27,500 a year school (pre-prep fees) and if you want your child to pass this assessment, you will prepare him to the highest possible standard that you can. Your son will be competing with between 400-500 other boys for 1 of 32 places.

Just be very clear about that.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

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

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

You can apply for 7+ entry here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

English - Reading, creative writing and spag.

Verbal reasoning

Non Verbal reasoning

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

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

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

Book your Sample Lesson Today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I do not.

Do you know what I care about?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book your Sample Lesson Today.

The CMT 4+ Assessment preparation process

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

So I thought I would explain it to you all.

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

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

Here is how 4+ Assessment preparation works.

Clients find us in one of three ways:

Referrals, Social media, Google search.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book your Sample Lesson today.

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

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

That word is ‘Why?’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let me share with you a few examples.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So why was she not offered a place immediately?

Why was she placed on the Waiting list?

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

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

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

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

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

Book your Sample Lesson today.

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

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

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

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

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

Here was my exact response to him.

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

He was blown away by my response.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 or daughter to the highest standards to ensure that they have the highest chances for success in their Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ok, but was she successful?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book your Sample Lesson today.