What do you look for in a 7+ teacher?

So you want to send your child to a 33k per year school but you are not willing to invest £65 into a Sample lesson to find the best teacher in the world for your child?

I would ask myself some questions if I were you.

Here is your first question.

What do you look for in a 7+ teacher?

I had a meeting with a family yesterday and not once did they ask me this question…

What is your experience with preparing children for their 7+ Assessments?

This is the #1 question you should ask.

Your priority has to be how much experience this teacher has with the 7+. Because if they really don’t have experience with the 7+, how on earth will they help your child to pass their 7+ Assessment?

Here is what some of you look for in a 7+ teacher which I think is completely wrong.

1. Someone who will come physically into your home - This is so limiting because you are limited to working with only the teachers who live in your local area.

2. Affordability. When you are speaking to agencies who prepare for the 7+, you are comparing price points. You want to save money in a highly complex process which will ultimately support your child to go to a 30k+ per year school. Don’t focus on affordability and the ‘cheapest rate’. You are not here to save money. You are here to get results.

Please note that more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. Some agencies charge way more than we do - doesn’t mean they get better results.

3. Success rates - This is important of course but just be aware that some results online are completely made up, fabricated and exaggerated. Ask your own questions to get the answers you need answered and really make sure that your teacher has actually supported children to pass their 7+ Assessments at your target schools.

When you are preparing for the 7+ this is what I think you should be looking for in a teacher.

1. Someone who will show up every single week (as much as possible) for your child.

2. Someone who is truly dedicated and committed to your child passing their 7+ Assessments.

3. Someone who you will form a strong relationship with.

We offer the best of the best when it comes to the 7+.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

3 main problems with the St. Paul's 7+ Assessment

Having prepared hundreds of boys for their 7+ at St. Paul’s, I know exactly what to expect when it comes to this very popular school. St. Paul’s is a highly sought after school. Thousands of parents across the UK would love to send their boys to this school at 7+. In fact, many dream of sending their boys to this school at 7+. I don’t blame them.

St. Paul’s is a prestigious school with a reputation for achieving exceptional academic results. The campus is modern and includes a sports centre, swimming pool and a beautiful dining hall. You will be paying for a nearly 30k a year education for your son (36k from years 9-13)

Over the last 16 years, I have seen what works and I have seen what doesn’t.

Here are 3 huge problems with the St. Paul’s 7+ Assessments…

1. Starting too late.

You can absolutely be successful starting later but your son will need to study a lot more intensively than if they were to have started at least 12 months before the Assessment (which is what I advise)

If your son starts too late, it is going to be very hard to cover all of the curriculum at greater depth (which is the level expected at this school!)

St Paul’s write, ‘It is hoped that boys who apply are working at a Greater Depth standard within the Year 2 curriculum.’

This is not just the Autumn term curriculum. This is the whole of the Year 2 curriculum. So basically, your son will need to be at a year 3 standard at a minimum to even be in with a chance of passing the first round.

Please hear me. I’m not saying you can’t start late. Of course you can. Just be very clear about the standards and expectations and then work towards achieving those with your son.

2. Not understanding the Assessment process well enough.

So much is expected of the boys in this Assessment. If you don’t understand the Assessment process well enough, how will you ever prepare your son to be able to pass?

Most parents sadly underestimate what this assessment will be like and don’t even scratch the surface when preparing their son’s for their 7+ Assessment at this school.

You must take the time to fully understand the Assessment process. You must understand the expectation in both rounds. You must understand what it takes for a boy to pass both rounds. Then go all in to prepare your son to be able to go in and show exactly what St. Paul’s are looking for.

3. Not being able to achieve the pass mark percentage.

When I prepare my boys for St Pauls (7+), I am aiming for 80- 85% in all papers. There is a reason for this!

It is very simple really.

If your son doesn’t achieve the threshold percentage for passing the St Paul’s 7+ Assessment, they won’t be able to pass the first round.

Here’s a bonus problem for you.

Not preparing correctly for the interview.

We have personally prepared hundreds of boys for both rounds at this school.

We have had tremendous success at St Paul’s. Many of our boys are currently studying at St. Paul’s. Not just because of what we do but as a result of their hard work and dedication, their parents’ had work and dedication and their teacher’s hard work and dedication. It is the perfect relationship and the perfect recipe that will inevitably lead to amazing results in this 7+ Assessment.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today and let’s go all in to prepare your son to have the highest possible chances for success in their 7+ Assessment at St. Paul’s.

Changes to the St. Paul's 7+ and 8+ Assessments that you must know about.

This will be the final year of 8+ Assessment preparation for St Paul’s. 2026 entry will be the last time that boys will enter the school at 8+.

For 2027 entry, St Paul’s will now be offering a huge 70 places at 7+ rather than their usual 54. This seems appealing and attractive but it really isn’t. Far more children will now be applying fot the 7+ at St Paul’s due to the simple fact that the 8+ is now longer an option!

St Paul’s will see at least 400-500 applications for the 7+ Assessments. Parents will no longer have the option to delay sitting assessments to this school and they will have to sit their son for their 7+ if they would like them to go to this school.

The main problem I’ve seen is that this news has caught out many families because in their minds they were feeling calm and relaxed preparing for the 8+ but now have to prepare their child for the 7+. These families will be behind in terms of preparation compared to families who have already been preparing for the 7+ since before their son had even set foot in a Reception classroom.

Thankfully hundreds of parents have made the decision to start preparing their children from as early as possible for their 7+. Over the last 16 years, I have seen parents choosing the 6-12 months of prep time before the 7+ Assessments but this has now increased to 24 months before which is fantastic.

After all, even with all of these changes to the St. Paul’s 7+ and 8+ Assessments, it is vital that you remember this. Yes, you are preparing your child for their Assessments but far more importantly you are setting them up to have a love for learning that will go far beyond any 7+ or 8+ Assessment result.

Whether you start early or you are starting a little later - just always remember that this love of learning should always be at the forefront of your mind and not a letter that says your child has passed- that is just the cherry on top.

Key takeaways from this Blog:

• No more 8+ Assessments at St. Paul’s (2026 entry will be the last 8+ cohort)

• More places available at 7+ from 2027 but also far more boys will be applying.

• Creating a love for learning is far more important than any assessment result.

Preparing for St. Paul’s for 2026 entry? I will be launching an extra special course in September which will be open to only 3 very lucky boys! If you are interested in being the first to hear about it, email me (office@creativemindstutors.com)

You're so worried about 'starting too early' but then you 'start too late' to prep your child for their 4+.

Starting early is one of the easiest thing that you can do when it comes to 4+ Assessment preparation.

Starting early provides you with calm, focus and clarity.

Starting late provides you only with stress, rush and it shows a true lack of understanding about the 4+ Assessment process.

Don’t be so scared about ‘starting early’. Start early. As in when your child is two years old.

If you are preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments at top schools like Westminster, UCS and The Hall and you are starting now, ask yourself these questions…

What were you so worried about?

What was holding you back?

What makes you think that your child will have the slight edge over a child who has been working consistently for nearly 2 years preparing for their 4+ Assessment?

The reality is this.

Many parents that I speak to really want to send their child to a 30k per year school but do not want to invest £250 per month to help them to actually pass their Assessment.

If you want your child to have any sort of chance of being offered a place at any of these top London schools, you will prepare them. How you do it is up to you but know that we are currently preparing 50 children for their 4+ Assessments at top schools like Westminster, St Paul’s Cathedral School, UCS, South Hampstead and Highgate (to name a few).

Our students will be thoroughly prepared and ready to go into any 4+ Assessment and show the assessors exactly what they are looking for in order to be able to pass and be offered a place.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

A message of love to all teachers.

When I was younger, I tolerated a lot. As I get older, I am becoming far less tolerant. I think it also happened since I had my son. My time is so precious to me. And when I give of my time, I expect that is is valued and respected.

I guess before having my son, I had more time to be more tolerant. Perhaps. I’m not sure. Or perhaps I just didn’t respect myself enough to have clear boundaries in place.

I know that many of you who follow me are teachers. Perhaps you tutor privately yourselves or perhaps you work in schools across the country teaching students.

Whoever you are reading this, this is a message for you.

Truly value yourself because what you do is amazing.

Truly respect yourself because you deserve to be respected.

Truly treat yourself with love and compassion because what you do is not easy.

If you’ve not been a teacher yourself, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about and that’s okay.

I remember one day when I was about 28 so clearly. I had been tutoring two little girls who both went (still go) to a top girls’ school in London. This was when I was still tutoring in person and going to my clients’ homes. I had a lesson with one of the girls at 5pm as I usually did on a Thursday evening. I had worked all day (I worked full time as a teacher) and I hadn’t even had time to have my dinner. I rushed straight to her home (25 minutes away) to teach her. When I arrived, no one opened the door and I was left waiting outside. I waited for 15 minutes. Still nothing. No answer from my client. Then the message came. My client had ‘forgotten’. And her daughter wouldn’t be home until 6:30. I remember just standing in front of her house sobbing. I was so upset. When I said that I would be paid for my time - my client simply told me ‘no’. She wouldn’t pay for a lesson that wasn’t attended.

It’s very upsetting for me to write this.

But sadly things like this happen every day to teachers. I hear it every single day.

Now, I have very clear systems in place and this happens rarely. But it does still happen.

And this is how I see it now.

It is a pure lack of respect for a teacher’s time, efforts and energy.

When you pay for a service, you are very well aware of the terms and conditions. You sign an agreement or whatever. Even if you don’t, let’s all take the time to respect the service that is being provided to us.

I pay monthly for life coaching with the most amazing coach. There have been 4 separate occasions these last 6 months working with her that I’ve not shown up. Once, I didn’t message her (I’d had an emergency with my son) and the other 3, I generally couldn’t meet her at the time arranged and I emailed her to tell her.

Guess what?

I still expect to be fully charged. She took the time out of her busy life to be there for me. She took the time to prepare her session with me. She took her energy and extraordinary talent to be there for me.

I expect to be charged. And I’m happy to be charged.

So if you are a teacher reading this, respect yourself 100% and expect the same from your clients. Love yourself fiercely. Clients will respect you and value you more if you are clear from the start.

And if there is a true emergency or whatever, that’s up to you how you handle it. But have clear boundaries in place. Because in my experience (over 16 years) most of these emergencies are rarely even real.

A winning morning routine for 7+ Assessment success!

The way your child starts their morning can make a huge difference in their focus, confidence, and performance. A rushed, chaotic start? Expect frustration and poor concentration. A structured, calm routine? That’s where success begins.

Pay attention to how your child starts their morning.

Here’s how I remember my mornings as a child.

They were usually very rushed as we didn’t wake up early enough to get the things done that we needed to get done. I remember breakfast being rushed and I remember hearing ‘We are going to be late!’ a lot! Then we would rush in the car for the school drop offs. I remember lots of traffic and lots of stress. Definitely not a good environment for calm, focus and clarity. I would spend at least one hour in the car every morning as my mum would drop my brother off to his school on the other side of town compared to mine and then drop me off.

How a child starts their morning is everything when it comes to how the rest of their day will go.

I see this all the time—parents tell me their child struggles to focus in lessons or they get overwhelmed with 7+ Assessment preparation. But when I ask about their morning routine, the problem becomes clear.

A strong morning routine sets the tone for productive, calm and effective learning. Here are 3 simple routines that make a huge difference:

1. Mindful Mornings: Instead of screens, start the day with 5 minutes of deep breathing or stretching. This helps children wake up calm and focused. I love to just sit and hold my son (currently nearly 3 and hug him close for as long as he wants) I ask him about how he slept and if he had any dreams. Then I ask him to tell me how he is feeling. Finally, I tell him what the day will look like. I really look forward to these 5 minutes of connection with him. If he does ask me for a screen first thing (which does happen), I gently tell him that we don’t have screens as soon as we wake up and give him several options of other things that he can do.

2. Brain Warm-Ups: A quick verbal reasoning game or mental maths challenge over breakfast gets their brain switched on for learning. Over breakfast is the best time for us to get ten minutes of learning completed. Usually it is on a screen and I’m okay with this. We usually read a story whilst we have our breakfast so lots of opportunity for questioning and conversation over breakfast together. Another thing we love to do over breakfast is my son’s Italian learning (we use dinolingo). If we are not doing those two things, we will be doing phonics singing or a maths game.

3. Independent Start: Encourage your child to dress themselves, make their bed, or pack their own school bag/bag for the day. Independence in daily tasks translates to confidence. My son is fiercely independent and always ask me if he can help me. He is in the early stages of dressing himself. He can put his own shoes on and can nearly take of his own t shirt! He can put on his shorts and is practising putting on his socks.

Small habits like these create big results in your child’s ability to focus, stay motivated, and perform well in their 7+ Assessments.

Which of these will you try tomorrow morning? Let me know! Need a structured approach to 7+ Assessment preparation?

Book your Sample Lesson today.

7 Common Misunderstandings about the NLCS 7+

I personally speak to hundreds of parents every single month. I have no doubt that this number will 10x in the upcoming years to come. As I take this business to the next level, I am talking to more and more parents every single day.

Many call me to discuss the 7+ at NLCS and there is a little bit of confusion.

There are quite a few minunderstandings.

It’s not these parents’ fault. It’s the fault of the system that we live in. Having things be unclear seems to be the norm these days.

Common Misunderstanding #1

Thinking that there are more places available than there actually are.

Let’s not get this confused and be super clear. There are 8 places available each year to join NLCS at 7+. If they have the space available - it will be 10.

Common misunderstanding #2

Thinking that the first round won’t be as challenging to pass as it actually will be.

If you’re daughter passes round 1, this is exceptional. Do not think this is a small thing. This is a huge thing. Your daughter will need to be scoring 85% in all of their practise papers in the lead up to their Assessment. She has to be able to do this independently and without your support.

Common misunderstanding #3

Just because your daughter has passed round one, really doesn’t mean that she will pass round 2

Thorough preparation is needed for both rounds of the NLCS 7+ Assessment.

Common misunderstanding #4

Thinking that because it is ‘just’ a day at school that it won’t be as difficult as a more formal round 2 assessment at a different school.

Common misunderstanding #5

Thinking that fewer girls will apply than actually will.

There will still be hundreds and hundreds of girls applying to sit the NLCS 7+ Assessments.

Common misunderstanding #6

Not believing that your daughter needs to be at least at a secure Year 3 level in order to pass this assessment.

Common misunderstanding #7

Thinking that your daughter doesn’t need to cover all areas that she will be assessed on in as much depth as you truly need to.

Some parents will say to me that their daughter doesn’t need support with maths or with comprehension and that she’s already ‘strong’ in those areas. Still prepare for those areas in as much depth as you do the other areas.

Join us for the ‘Accept no less than NLCS 7+ Success’ course from August 4th 2025 for a week of intensive learning in preparation for the 7+ Assessment at NLCS.

Is my child ready for their 4+ Assessments?

The only person who truly knows the answer to this question is you.

I’m going to provide you with a series of questions for you to go and reflect on in relation to your child’s 4+ Assessments. If you answered no to most of them, your child is not ready for their 4+ Assessments and it is up to you (and only you) to put things in place to ensure that they are at the best possible level they can be to go in and pass.

Nobody in this world can guarantee that your child will pass their 4+ Assessments but what we can do is know deep in our hearts that we have done everything possible to send our children in to do the very best that they can in order to be offered a place at your target schools.

1. Can your child hold their pen/pencil ‘correctly’? If they can’t, you still have some time to teach them to hold their pencil ‘correctly’.

2. Can your child write their name? If they can’t, you must make sure that they can write their name before going into any 4+ Assessment (even if the schools will tell you that writing will not be assessed). HINT: That’s just not true.

3. Can you child identify all of the colours? They have to be able to do this. If they can’t, teach them.

4. Can your child create and complete patterns?

5. Can your child recognise all of their phase 2 and phase 3 phonics single sounds? This part cannot be rushed so if your child is struggling with this currently, seek support of a professional who can help you with this.

6. Can your child count to 10 (20 for some schools) ?

7. Can your child identify numbers to 10/20?

8. Can your child write numbers to 10/20?

9. Can your child express themselves well in relation to their social and emotional development?

10. Can your child interact well with other children?

11. Can your child interact well with adults that they’ve never met before in their lives?

12. Can your child sit and listen to a story without being distracted?

13. Can your child answer questions about a story that has been read to them?

14. Will your child be involved, engaged and enthusiastic?

15. Can your child demonstrate that they are strong physically (gross and fine)?

16. Can your child demonstrate maturity?

I could write 100 of these but I’ll stop at 16.

Take 10 minutes out of your day and just sit down with a hot coffee or tea and answer these questions truthfully.

Need more support preparing for your child’s 4+ Assessments? Book your Sample Lesson today.

Join our Waiting List for 2027 entry and beyond.

How do you prepare for the peer interaction part of the 4+ Assessment?

This is a great question, one that I was asked yesterday.

A parent asked me how I could support their child with interacting with other children at their 4+ Assessment.

Although I do support children with knowing how to behave in their 4+ Assessments and how I expect them to interact with their peers in their 4+ Assessments, this is not something that is prepared for in just a few months. And it is not something that anyone can simulate. Not me and not any group practise Assessment that you send your child to. This is about your child’s nature. How they are naturally in group situations. It is prepared for carefully during your 4+ Assessment preparation process and it is not something that can be rushed.

This is something that is prepared for consistently over the course of your child’s time at their nursery, pre-school or in whatever situation you put them in that they have to interact socially with children.

This is why I always say that 4+ Assessment success cannot be achieved within a short timeframe and that it takes at least 12 months of focused and consistent lesson preparation.

So how do you prepare for the peer interaction part of the 4+ Assessment?

It really is very simple.

You expose them to as many activities as possible in which you can observe them interacting socially with other children. Then you put in place the steps to support them with their social interaction.

Let me use my son as an example for you. for context, I’ve not yet decided if he will be going to 4+ Assessments. I am 50/50 as of right now.

From a very young age, I have left my son in creche’s (6 weeks old!), he has been going to nursery since he was 9 months old, he went to drama club from the age of 2 and he currently goes to football club. He plays with children in our play area downstairs and he has been on a few play dates. He has always been an introvert and he loves to play independently. He won’t choose to join big groups of children who are playing together and he has never been one to initiate play with another child. He currently struggles with sharing and he thinks that everything other children have belong to him. Currently, this is causing issues for him. When I observe him at his football club, he is very gentle with others but he won’t actively go up to another child and talk to them.

You can see how the 4+ Assessments would currently be a problem for him.

I am supporting him currently by talking to him every day about sharing, about how to speak to others and feel more confident about it. I am investing in books and video courses to help me to learn more about how to support him with this and I am actively taking the time to speak to his teachers and learn from their expertise.

If you truly want to prepare for the peer interaction part of the 4+ Assessment, you have to expose your child to hundreds (if not thousands) of opportunities to socially interact with other children. That way, it won’t be an shock when they enter their 4+ Assessments and are expected to interact with children that they’ve never met before in their lives.

Need more support with 4+ Assessment preparation?

Book your Sample Lesson today (2026 entry)

Join our Waiting List today (for 2027 entry and beyond)

Why do top schools group children from the same school together in their Assessments?

Not all schools, but some will.

Some schools will place children into groups using different criteria. Most children will be grouped according to their age (month of birth). This doesn’t mean that they will be assessed any differently from each other.

I’ve heard hundreds of stories about issues relating to children being grouped together with peers that they already know.

Parents often ask me this question?

Why do schools group children from the same school together in their Assessments?

I just think we could be asking different questions?

Ultimately, I will never be able to answer this for you. No body will - apart from the school itself. They will never answer this question for you!

Why these top schools do certain things that they do is something that we will never know.

However, if we do know that children will be grouped (or could be grouped) with children from their current nursery or pre-school setting, the best thing you can do is to prepare your child for this happening.

Being aware and switched on that one of their friends could potentially be at their Assessment will help your child to know how they are expected to behave around these friends that they already know.

Be aware that I’m talking about any age group here. I’ve heard that this has happened at the 4+, 7+ and 11+ Assessments.

Don’t let this one thing sabotage your child’s chances for success in their Assessments.

Before your child goes in this is what I would personally say to them (any age but obviously adapt for your child so they understand)

You will be going to your Assessment and there might be a child or children that you will know. I would like you to keep very calm. Of course, say hi to your friends but then focus on what we are are at the school to do. You might feel more relaxed knowing that your friend/s are there with you but please do not mess around with them (whatever that might mean for your child). Take some time to give some examples.

Talk to your child about this a few times before they go into their Assessments so that they will remember.

The most underrated 4+ Assessment preparation tip.

There are huge misunderstandings when it comes to 4+ Assessment preparation.

A summer born child who starts preparation for their 4+ Assessments at 18 months old will be stronger than an autumn born child (nearly a year older than them) who doesn’t prepare or who has little preparation for their 4+ Assessments.

Slow and steady is the way when it comes to 4+ Assessment preparation.

Rushed and stressed is not.

The most underrated 4+ Assessment preparation tip is this… 10 minutes a day, every day consistently from as early as possible.

The reality is this. We are all incredibly busy. We all have other things in our lives to think about. However, if you are truly serious about your child passing their 4+ Assessments at these top schools - you have to know the truth. And the truth is that you cannot leave assessment preparation to the last minute. It’s not helpful to anyone involved. The truth is that you really do need to prioritise preparing your child for their 4+ Assessments if you want them to stand a chance in being offered a place to study at your top schools of choice.

You can’t expect to just put in a few hours here and there and have the success that a parent who put in even just 10 minutes every single day (consistently) since their child was 17 months old will ultimately have.

Make the choice that your child will be the strongest they can possibly be in their 4+ Assessments.

If you want to prepare your child to have the best chances for success in their 4+ Assessments, book your Sample Lesson today.

Ready to level up your 4+ Assessment preparation?

Join me for my FREE workshop - The BEST way to prepare your child for their 4+ Assessment for 2026 entry. It is on Saturday July 5th at 6pm. If you can’t join LIVE, you will receive the replay.

The number 1 way to support your child with their pencil grip.

If you are currently preparing your child for their 4+ Assessment for 2026 entry, you will know that pencil grip will be very important in their assessments.

You will know that your child will need to hold their pencil ‘correctly’ and that this will be one of the aspects that will be assessed in their 4+ Assessments.

I’m going to share with you the #1 way to support your child with their pencil grip and if you are not able to use this strategy, I’m going to share with you a bonus tip.

The #1 way to support your child with their pencil grip

Start as early as possible giving your child a pencil to hold and model to them how to hold it.

I don’t remember the exact day and time that I started doing this with my son but I do remember that he was still crawling when I started providing him with a variety of writing tools.

By starting early, you are allowing your child to understand how to hold their pencil.

You might think that this is just a waste of time and you would be very wrong. Just because you don’t see results instantly doesn’t meant that those results aren’t coming.

Once my son would have the pencil in his hand, I would show him how to hold it. Of course, he would mostly just ignore me but there were times where he would have that spark of interest and he would try to copy me. After all, at this very young age, that’t how children are learning. They are observing what we do and copying that.

As time progressed and I continued to do this consistently and daily something magical happened. He was starting to hold the pen/pencil/crayon correctly!

Now at nearly the age of 3, he knows exactly how to hold his pencil. When I say to him, ‘Please hold it correctly, he knows exactly what I mean.’

His natural way to want to hold the pencil is with his hand over the top of the pencil but he knows how to hold the pencil when I ask him to hold it the way I’ve taught him.

He has committed it to his muscle memory. And I am delighted, Because I know how challenging it can be to teach children pencil grip and how much it impacts their writing in their future if it is not taught early on.

If you’ve not started early like we did, it’s okay. There is no better time to start than now, Start with daily 5 minutes dedicated to writing. Sit with your child with a writing tool of your choice and just get writing. Model to them how to hold their pencil and draw with them. Show them how much you enjoy writing. Your love for writing will sink deep into them and they will also grow to love it.

Not a day goes by that my son doesn’t ask me to write something.

Not a day goes by that I don’t provide him with pencil and paper or with a resource to write on.

Join me for my FREE Webinar on Saturday July 5th for The BEST way to prepare your child for their 4+ Assessment for 2026 entry.

Being 'flaky' and the 4+ Assessments.

The summer holidays are fast approaching and believe me when I say that it is not the time to start being ‘flaky’ as you prepare your child for their 4+ Assessments. These next few months are crucial if you truly want to have success in your child’s 4+ Assessments.

This is what I hear from parents sending their child for a 4+ Asseesment for 2026 entry and what really will never lead to anything positive.

‘We will just take a few months off and restart in September!’

‘We are going on holiday and I’m just going to let him/her rest’

‘We have parties every week for the next two months so we will just take a break.’

Listen up, you want to take a ‘break’, that’s up to you. Myself and my teachers will definitely not be taking 3 months off. Myself and my clients who are serious about getting their children into their schools of choice will not be taking 3 months off. These next 3 months are so important to any assessment preparation.

These are the months however, when parents are the most ‘flaky’ with their tuition. They cancel lessons and don’t reschedule them. They go on holiday and don’t want to do lessons whilst they are away.

What message is this sending your children?

It’s saying this.

'You need to take a break from learning.’

And trust me, they don’t need to take a break from learning.

So for those parents who want to be ‘flaky’ and ‘enjoy’ your summer break, we are not the tutoring company for you.

We are not interested in working with stressed out parents from September. We are not interested in our students losing all of the progress that they’ve made so far just because their parents ‘need a break’. We are not interested in parents ‘blaming us’ for their children not passing their 4+ Assessments because they decided to have a much needed summer holiday.

Take a break and commit to 30 minutes of learning every single day anyway. And if you don’t, understand that you will be playing catch up from September and this doesn’t lead to anything positive for you or for your child.

Join me on Saturday 5th of July @6pm for my FREE Webinar - The BEST way to prepare your child for their 4+ Assessment for 2026 entry.

5 ways starting formal learning with my own son at 17 months has benefited us.

My son will turn 3 on July 4th. I actually cannot believe it. 3 years have passed since his birth. Time really does go way too fast.

Like most parents, we’ve always read to our son every single night pretty much since he was born. We’ve always had hundreds and hundreds of books at home. We are very fortunate that Joshy’s grandmother gifts us lots of books each month and I also invest money each month into his books and learning resources.

From the age of 17 months, I personally started formal learning with my son (we did a lot before this too). He had his own customised programme of study that I followed with him each week. It was create solely and exclusively for him. He still does. Now these programmes of study have evolved and that’s how I created our Curriculum programmes - Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond and Amethyst.

Here are 4 ways starting formal learning with my own son at 17 months has benefited him and 1 very important way it has benefited me.

1. He has a broad and vast vocabulary for his age. Although he is nearly a full year younger than some of his peers, his vocabulary is far more advanced than most of theirs. This is 100% because we read to him every single day since birth.

2. His comprehension skills are insane. The way my son answers questions blows me away. He is able to articulate himself so well. This is because of the questioning programme that I’ve had in place for him since he was 17 months old.

3. He always wants to pick up a pen or a pencil and start writing. This is because I encourage him to write daily and provide him with a variety of activities in which he is able to write.

4. He associates ‘learning time’ to quality time with his mummy. When I ask him, ‘Would you like to do some learning with me?’, most of the time his answer is yes. Obviously sometimes his answer is no and he’d prefer to go out to the park or to watch one of his favourite cartoons!

5. Here is the extra special one! The way it has benefited me is this. I am the one fully in control of my son’s learning. No one else. I know everything about his learning to the smallest detail. So when his nursery teachers tell me something - I already know! It isn’t a surprise.

We adore learning together.

And if a day goes by (rarely does) that we don’t do one form or another of learning together, I feel really depleted. Learning with my son fills me with a joy that I cannot even describe. I love putting his learning first - above everything else. I love having his resources ready most mornings and him finding his learning and him being eager and happy to complete it.

That smile on his face as he comes out of our room and sees his learning, is something that will stay deep in my heart forever.

It's all just a game of numbers.

Always remember this.

Regardless which assessment you are sending your child to - it is all a game of numbers.

Ultimately it will come down to this.

The children with the BEST marks will be the ones that pass.

It has nothing to do with which school your child currently goes to.

Do you honestly believe that a Westminster assessor will be marking assessments and saying something like, ‘Oh look, she scored 56% overall but she goes to Glendower so let’s just offer her a place!’

NO.

Do you honestly believe that a St Paul’s Assessor will be marking assessments and saying something like,’Oh look he goes to Eaton House but he scored 63% - I’m sure he would still be great here.’

NO.

It has nothing to do with which school your child currently goes to.

It also has nothing to do with who you know.

So many times parents will tell me that they know so and so who goes to the school who gave them a glowing recommendation. Listen up, it really doesn’t matter. It’s all just a game of numbers.

Do you honestly believe a Latymer assessor will be marking assessments and saying something like, ‘ Oh look, he scored 61% but he knows so and so, let’s just offer him a place!’

NO!

The children with the BEST marks will be the ones that pass.

It’s all just a game of numbers.

Your child will need to score a minimum percentage of 80-85%. We aim for 85% with our students. If your child is not scoring in that percentile range, guess what? It is up to you to support them to be scoring in that range. It is up to you to take massive action to ensure that when gaps arise that you are filling them. It is up to you to ensure that you are revising concepts that your child finds challenging to ensure that they are able to do them comfortably. It is up to you to ensure that your child can write the best story. It is all just a game of numbers.

Score the highest marks and pass.

That is all.

Prepare your child and prepare them well.

Join our Waiting List today (2027 entry and beyond)

Book your Sample Lesson today (2026 entry)

Prepare like a pro for the Westminster 7+ Assessment

2026 is the first year that girls will be joining Westminster Under School in Year 3.

At the same time, girls will be joining the boys in Year 7 and at Reception.

60 pupils will be entering Year 3 in 2026 (girls and boys).

You can still apply for your son or daughter to sit the 7+ Assessment for Year 3 entry for 2026 entry.

You definitely should visit the school if you are considering sending your son or daughter there from Year 3. The school is holding 30 Open Morning dedicated just to parents sitting their children for the 7+ (2026 entry) and most of these are completely full at the time of writing this blog (13/6/25). The dates remaining should you be interested are 26/6 and most of their September dates.

Westminster Under School that they are looking for this in a pupil:

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.

I completely disagree with every single thing that they have written here.

Ability is not something that just falls from the sky. Ability is something that is nurtured and fine tuned. I’ve seen the boys who have passed this 7+ Assessment historically (over 16 years). Believe me they were all ‘specifically tutored’. You can ‘cram’ if you want - if your child is okay with that. Depends what you make the word ‘cram’ mean. If you make it into something negative, it will be. If you make it into something positive- it will be.

Many boys who go to Westminster still receive tutoring in order to keep up with the ‘challenges a Westminster education provides.’

Why would tutoring detract from freshness, spontaneity and eagerness to learn?

Our students are fresh, spontaneous and exceptionally eager to learn!

In order to comfortably pass the first round, your child will have completed the FULL year 2 curriculum (English and maths) and some of the Year 3/4 curriculum.

Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning will be at a strong age 7/8 level and your child will be confident in answering all types of verbal and non verbal reasoning questions.

Expectations are high.

Understand this.

Prepare well.

Join my Prepare Like a Pro for Westminster Intensive Course. Launching tomorrow and taking place in July 2025. I will be opening 3 precious places.

6 ways to guarantee success in the Forest 4+ Assessment

So you have your heart set on Forest Prep School. It is a school that you have visited and it is one that you love. Now what?

You have about 3 months left until your child’s 4+ Assessment.

If your child truly ready?

With 64 places available to join Forest in Reception, perhaps you are thinking your child will be ‘just fine’ after all 64 is a rather large amount of children being offered places at this school. Not really.

With hundreds upon hundreds of children applying for this sought after school, you want to ensure that your child is ready for this 4+ Assessment.

Forest actually ‘request that you do not prepare your child for their 4+ Assessment'.’

90% of parents will follow this request. Most of these parents will not be successful in being offered a place at this school.

I know this for a fact. This is not just my opinion.

You do as you wish.

Here are 6 ways to guarantee success in the Forest 4+ Assessment.

1. Ensure your child is able to hold their pencil ‘correctly’. Make sure that they are excellent at drawing pictures (detailed and precise and follow the instruction given) and make sure that your child is able to write their name with accuracy and precision and with the correct letter formation.

2. Ensure that your child is able to identify all colours and shapes. Make sure your child is able to complete a pattern.

3. Ensure that your child knows all of their phase 2 and 3 phonics (doesn’t matter which phonics programme your use). Your child should be decoding by the time of the assessment and read simple cvc words. Your child should know rhyming words and how to identify them within a series of other words. Eg. Which word rhymes with cat?

4. Ensure that your child is able to count (at least to 10). Make sure that your child is able to identify numbers and that your child can do simple addition and subtraction.

5. Ensure that your child is able to interact with other children and adults. Make sure that they know how to share and take turns. Social and emotional questioning is very important at this school. If you don’t know what this is, book your Additional Consultation with me today and I will support you with this.

6. Ensure that your child is able to settle quickly when you drop them off to this assessment. We have hundreds of strategies to support our students to be able to do this!

We are looking for at least 75% as an overall percentage to pass this 4+ Assessment.

Very high expectations indeed.

Last year ALL of our students that we prepared were offered a place at Forest!

Need further support, book your Sample lesson and Sample Week today.

With Company Director (Curriculum Only)

With a Senior teacher (weekly and curriculum only options)

More POWER to your GLENDOWER 4+ Assessment prep.

We are currently preparing 2 girls for their 4+ Assessment at Glendower this year (2026 entry). We are all working very hard to ensure that our girls are ready and able to go into their Glendower 4+ Assessment at SHINE.

Last week, one of my clients said to me, “It’s like a show isn’t it? They have to go in and perform!”

Obviously she was talking about the 4+ Assessments! And she was absolutely spot on.

If your child will be sitting the Glendower 4+ Assessment is January 2026 for September 2026 entry, she’d better be ready to go in and give the performance of a lifetime! She’d better be ready to go in with energy, enthusiasm and focus. And it is my hope that you will be preparing her very well to be able to go in and do this.

In order to pass the Glendower 4+ Assessment, your daughter will demonstrate the following:

1. Social Maturity

This just means that she will go in calmly, follow the instructions perfectly, give eye contact to the several examiners observing her, not cry when you drop her off or at any point during the assessment and listen beautifully. Not much expected! :)

2. Readiness to learn in a group situation

As your daughter will be 1/6 girls being assessed, it is obvious that she will be expected to work well as part of a group. This means listening well to others as they talk and responding accordingly, sharing, taking turns, being polite, showing authority but also letting others have a voice.

3. Cooperation

Your daughter will cooperate well as in she will listen to wha is asked and do it. Simple.

4. Flexibility

In your daughter’s Glendower 4+ Assessment, she will be asked to move from one activity to another and it will be expected that she does this without resistance and without getting upset about it.

5. A ‘can do’ approach

Your daughter will show that she wants to do everything that she is asked to do. There will be no resistance shown.

6. Communication

Your daughter will show that she is able to communicate well with the examiners in the room and with the other children in the room. She will answer all of the questions being asked to a very high standard. She will give a full sentence and extend her ideas. She doesn’t need to be overly loud or extroverted. Quiet and introverted children can also demonstrate superb communication.

7. Numeracy skills

Your daughter will have excellent numeracy skills and will have covered a broad and vast maths curriculum before setting foot in the Glendower 4+ Assessment.

8. Letter recognition

Your daughter will know all of her single sounds and will be blending before her Glendower 4+ Assessment. She may also identify certain digraphs. Your daughter will be able to write all the letters of the alphabet correctly with correct letter formation and approporiate sizing.

9. Ability to follow instructions

Your daughter will follow instructions perfectly - basically she will do everything that she is asked to do straight away!

Remember that there are only 40 places available at Glendower!

Remember that your daughter will be 1 of hundreds and hundreds of girls whose parent desperately want them to attend this school.

Many of my clients are interested in this school because of their 11+ Results and thinking ahead to where they’d like their daughters to go at 11+.

If you are preparing your daughter for her 4+ at Glendower for 2026 entry, here is your personal invite to attend our Summer Massive Action Month. Work together with 9 other parents to build the habit of taking consistent, 4+ Assessment preparation Action by doing something every day with your child for at least 1 hour. This challenge is not about being perfect. It's about showing up more than you don't and building real momentum in your 4+ Assessment preparation. We have only 5 places remaining so sign up soon. They will all fill up!

3 insights from my meeting with a top London Nursery chain

Last week I was invited to meet with the CEO of a top London Nursery chain and the head of teaching.

Having worked at several top nurseries for many years myself, I know exactly what goes on in a nursery setting.

Many of you do not.

I personally speak to hundreds of parents every single month and many of you have the belief that sending your child to a ‘great’ nursery or pre-prep is enough to have the success you wish to have at your target schools for your child’s 4+ Assessments.

You can hold onto this belief if you’d like. After all, you are spending thousands of your pounds to send your child to these top London nurseries or pre-preps. But it is important to understand the truth.

A nursery alone cannot prepare your child to be successful in their 4+ Assessments.

Perhaps their ‘amazing’ results will have you believe otherwise. Just remember that behind each nursery or pre-prep result is a team of teachers and parents working very hard behind the scene to ensure that the child who has been successful was able to have that success.

Please do not just assume that those results are just the nurseries. They most likely are not. And don’t assume that these nurseries have some sort of magical connection to the schools that you are applying to. They do not.

I am still to hear back from this nursery regarding our possible new working arrangement but in the meantime let me share with you 3 insights from this meeting.

1. They are not 4+ Assessment experts.

   Neither do they market themselves to be. So why do so many parents believe that just sending their child here will be enough to have them perfectly ready for their 4+ Assessments?

2. They do not have the capacity to prepare individual children for their 4+ Assessments.

   The CEO said it himself - his staff have so much going on.

3. They haven’t had the results they would like.

   The whole point of the meeting was to have support from someone who has had incredible results.

Ultimately, for your child to be truly ready for their 4+ Assessments, they WILL need individual support. Either from yourself or from a teacher who is an expert in the 4+ Assessments.

Sure, you can send them to one of these ‘top nurseries’ but it really won’t make any difference if you are not doing the work needed every single day to support your child to pass their 4+ Assessments at these top schools.

Join my FREE Webinar ‘The Best Way to Prepare your Child for their 4+ Assessment for 2026 Entry’ on July 5th @6pm to learn more about making sure that you are doing everything that you could possibly be doing to support your child to have the incredible success that you would like them to have.

3 ways the CMT Summer Massive Action Month will transform your 4+ Assessment prep.

If you want to build true momentum that will last far beyond the summer months, this challenge is for you!

If you want to build the habit of taking focused, consistent massive action daily (or as close to daily as possible!) as you can, this challenge is for you!

If you are struggling with certain aspects of your chid’s learning as you prepare them for their 4+ Assessments and don’t know how to move forwards, this challenge is for you!

This challenge is for you if you are ready to take full ownership of your child’s 4+ Assessment success. It is for you if you are ready to stop relying on others to help you to prepare your child. As I keep saying, no one really cares about the success of your child as much as you do. That’s obvious isn’t it?

This challenge is not for you if you ‘just want to chill’ over the summer and ‘relax’.

This challenge is not for you if you think ‘it’s not fair that your child has to do learning whilst other children are out enjoying their summer break.’ You can do both you know!

This challenge is not for you if you think it’s down to your child’s nursery or pre-prep to prepare them for their 4+ Assessment, after all you are paying them a lot of money!

Please don’t be one of those parents who takes 3 months off in the summer and then comes to me in September all stressed out. We don’t work with those sorts of energies and frequencies. Don’t be one of those parents who realised that they have only 2 months left to prepare their child for their 4+ assessments and panics that their child doesn’t know how to cut or hold a pencil. We don’t work with those sorts of energies and frequencies. 4+ Assessment preparation should never be rushed or forced! Ever!

3 ways the CMT Summer Massive Action Month will transform your 4+ Assessment prep.

1. You will have a clear and defined goal and you will be laser focused on that goal every single day. Your goals can of course change as your child achieves the goals that you set for them. By focusing on mini goals every day (or as many days as you choose) will give you the opportunity to truly succeed! They will become the forefront of your attention.

2. You will track your results using our Results Tracker page. By having something visual to support you along the way, you will be able to see clearly how much progress your child is making during their Massive Action Month.

3. You will have your very own ‘Massive Action Made Easy’ guide which will have ready-to-use lessons so you can get more done with your child in less time every single day.

The CMT Massive Action Month will transform your 4+ Assessment preparations. See your child make progress in those areas that you’ve been struggling with for months and do it in the company of other parents also preparing their children for their 4+ Assessments.

We have only 6 places remaining.

Join today!