10 things you will learn by joining the Prepare For Your Dream Schools by Friday Challenge.

This Challenge will empower you to ensure that you will be able to send your child into any 4+ Assessment knowing that you’ve done everything in your power to support them to be able to go in and have the highest possible chances of passing and being successful.

For only £97, I will support you every single day to truly understand what your target 4+ schools are even looking for in their prospective new students.

10 things you will learn by joining the Prepare For Your Dream Schools by Friday Challenge.

1. EXACTLY what your target schools are looking for in their prospective new students.

2. HOW to create a clear and structured plan for at least one month to keep you focussed.

3. HOW to take Massive Action for at least one month to ensure that your child is as ready as they possibly can be for any 4+ Assessment.

4. WHICH resources you actually need to use and which resources are actually wasting your time.

5. WHY it is important to be consistent.

6. STRATEGIES you can implement immediately to keep consistent and focused in your child’s 4+ Assessment preparation.

7. HOW to support your child to know exactly what is expected of them in their 4+ Assessment.

8. WHAT you should and should not tell your child about their 4+ Assessments.

9. The TRUTH about the 4+ Assessments at your target schools (I can give you 16 years worth of real examples!)

10. HOW to support your child to have the highest chances for success in all of your target schools.

All of this for only £97!

Join us.

4+ is already nearly booked up!

I will not be running this again until January 2026.

The Prepare for your Dream School by Friday Challenge is back!

Is it your dream to support your child to be very successful to pass their 4+/ 7+ or 11+ Assessments at your schools of choice (2026 entry)?

Imagine if you could...

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

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

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

I want you to SAVE THE DATE:

Monday 22nd September 2025 - Friday 26th September 2025 because I'm hosting the...

Prepare for your dream schools by Friday Challenge

Spend 5 days with me so you can prepare your child to be very successful at passing any 4+/7+ or 11+ Assessment. 

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

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

• Cover the curriculum consistently and frequently. 

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

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

Registration officially kicks off TODAY (Sunday 31st August) and will close once we reach 5 clients for each Assessment group.

I will be opening only 15 places to this incredible challenge.

This Challenge is also open to current clients wishing to take massive action in September/October.

The TRUE value of what we offer.

Last week, one of my clients who has only been with me for four weeks told me that she can find another teacher who charges what I charge as their hourly rate. She told me that there would be more value in her working with an in person teacher who charges £65 per hour than working with me and she is completely wrong.

Obviously up to her what she decides to do. That’s the beauty of life, we are all free to choose something and then change our minds!

But it is completely her loss. And that just honestly breaks my heart for her daughter - who is just divine.

You see, she is preparing for three top tier schools for her daughter’s 7+ (including Westminster) and if she works with someone in person, let me tell you a few things.

An in person tutor with my level of experience would not be charging £65 for one hour.

An in person tutor who charges £65 per hour will not know the three schools that she is applying to as well as I do. In fact, they would probably not have any experience whatsoever with them.

Also let me explain very clearly what I offer. My rate is (currently) £65 per week for all of my clients. My clients pay a weekly fee and with that fee they have one 30 minute lesson and 24/7 email/message support from me. This 24/7 support that I offer, is not offered from anyone else on the market currently. 24/7 support means that some clients receive hours and hours of my time each week. I dedicate this to them because this is part of their package!

Some parents use this all the time and others use it less. It’s about using it to the benefit of all of my students.

Remember that I was also that in person tutor and I charged even less than £65/ hour. I didn’t have a fraction of the level of experience that I have now. My clients at that point did not have 24/7 access to me. They would receive one lesson a week, some home learning and that would be all. We would then see each other the week after. We would not speak during the weeks between our lessons.

Let me give you an example with one of my clients who is currently preparing her daughter for NLCS at 4+ and how much value she receives at only £65 per week. We meeting weekly on a Saturday but she is one of my clients who contacts me daily for additional support - all of our clients receive 24/7 email or message support as part of their packages.

Monday - 6am - messaged me about her daughter’s phonics and how she was struggling to support her to blend. I sent her a 6 minute voice note to support her with this and also recommended some excellent resources.

1:30pm - voice noted me about her daughter’s pencil control and how she was not interested in holding her pencil. I replied with three different strategies to support and engage her daughter.

7:30pm - my client sent me a selection of videos of her daughter completing her home learning tasks and I sent her my feedback.

This sort of communication happens daily with my client and we work together beautifully. She is open and receptive to my advice and support and she is determined to support her daughter to be offered a place to study at NLCS from Reception. She knows just how challenging it is to pass this assessment because her older daughter did not pass (she didn’t prepare her) and I am now currently preparing her for her 7+ at NLCS.

So please don’t confuse a cheaper hourly rate as being of more value. Working with me is of extreme value and I will be raising my prices in the very near future because I know exactly how valuable time with me is. Current clients never have their fees raised for their duration of their time with us! So the fee you get when you start is the fee you will continue with. And by the way, many of our clients stay with us for 5-6 years. That’s how much value they see that we offer.

Manor Lodge - The most misunderstood 4+ school

When parents contact me and tell me that their child will be attending the 4+ Assessment at Manor Lodge (2026 entry) and they’ve done no preparation for it, it leaves me very confused.

You do realise that this 4+ Assessment is Friday October 17th 2025? Meaning you only have 1 and a half months to finish preparing your child for this 4+ Assessment.

I’m always very surprised that this is one of the schools that parents are least worried about preparing their child for.

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

Manor Lodge is a tough 4+ Assessment to pass for two reasons.

1. It is a very popular school and hundreds of parents (500+) will be sitting their child for their 4+ Assessment here.

2. Competition will be fierce in terms of the calibre of students that your child will be up against.

I know how hard it is to pass the 4+ Assessment at this school. I’ve spoken to hundreds of parents who have called me to tell me that their child did not pass their 4+ Assessment at this school. Students that we are now supporting with their 7+/11+.

Myself and my team have personally been preparing our youngest students for Manor Lodge for many, many years and we have incredible success year after year. There’s a reason for that. We know the school well- very well. And we know exactly what they are looking for.

I hear words thrown around such as 'devastated’, ‘disappointed’ and ‘heart-broken’ when clients tell me that their child did not pass the Manor Lodge Assessment. Yet when I asked them how long they had been preparing their child for the assessment, they tell me that they didn’t or they tell me that their nursery prepared them. A nursery alone cannot prepare a child to pass any 4+ Assessment. Understand this.

If you want your child to pass the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment, your child does need at least 12 months of Assessment preparation either by yourself or by a teacher who has knowledge of the 4+ Assessment at this school and who has had real and actual results at supporting students to pass their 4+ Assessment at this school.

So many of you do not understand the 4+ Assessment process at Manor Lodge. You don’t understand how fiercely competitive it will be. You don’t understand the sheer volume of parents applying for this school (you’ll see this on assessment day!). You don’t understand that if your child is not ready for their 4+ Assessment, they will simply not pass.

If you are preparing for Manor Lodge for 2027 entry and beyond, join our Waiting List today (the fee will count as your registration fee when we get started)

5 harsh realities about the Notting Hill and Ealing 4+ Assessment.

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

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

The girls we have prepared historically for Notting Hill and Ealing (over the last 13 years) have all gone in at a very high academic standard with a very high level of knowledge. Not really sure what the school is implying by using the word ‘formal’.

2. Preparation is needed.

Sorry but why would you assume that it wouldn’t be needed? I think that it’s just very unfair to send a girl into an assessment unprepared.

‘Oh but she’s only 3/4!’

‘Leave her alone! She’s just 3/4!’

Ok, well if you think like that - then please just don’t send her in to a 4+ Assessment and expect to have a positive outcome!

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

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

Here are just a few for you!

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

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

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

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

4. Your daughter WILL be assessed in her numeracy and literacy skills.

So many of you want to prove me wrong on this - and in 13 years no one ever has. And even if you do prove me wrong, who really cares? We prepare our students to be able to read, write and have a high level of maths regardless of whether or not it is assessed!

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

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

Let’s not overthink this.

If you are preparing your daughter for this school, prepare her and prepare her well. Have 12 months of slow and steady 4+ assessment prep and if you’ve left it too late, book onto our brand new 3 month intensive course to give your daughter a true chance for success in this assessment.

Prepare for Guildford High like an expert in 3 easy steps.

Guilford High is a beautiful school in the picturesque Surrey. The first thing GHS tell you about the 4+ is that they don’t expect their girls to read and write and if you believe this, you would be very wrong. Our girls who pass their 4+ Assessments at Guildford High at 4+ go in knowing exactly how to read and write! Oh and by the way, they have historically always been asked to read and write! Believe what you want but if you are preparing for GHS, please teach your daughter to read and write. Even if they are not asked (which they will be!), it is an important life skill!

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

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

Very, very simple.

And GHS assess this over two 45 minute assessments!

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

This is a very early 4+ Assessment that generally takes place in October! So I do hope that you’ve been preparing thoroughly for this one!

So how can you prepare for the 4+ at Guildford High like an expert in 3 easy steps. Here you go!

1. Start at least 12 months in advance with a bespoke, tailored programme of study that will give your daughter the highest possible chances for success at Guildford High School. (So October of the Year before the Assessment). If your daughter will be sitting for 2027 entry, begin from October 2025!

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

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

If you are preparing for 2027 entry and beyond for Guildford High School, join our waiting list today.

10 ways to guarantee failure in the Forest 4+ Assessment.

We have prepared hundreds of children for their 4+ at forest. We are experts when it comes to supporting our students to be very successful at gaining a place to study at this very popular school.

Do you want your child to go to Forest and start in Reception? Avoid all 10 of these.

10 ways to guarantee failure in the Forest 4+ Assessment.

1. Believe that you don’t need to specifically prepare your child for their 4+ Assessment at Forest.

2. Not teach your child the correct pencil grip.

3. Not support your child with their pencil control (accuracy and precision). This will have to be near perfect for this assessment.

4. Not support your child to be able to draw a variety of different pictures to a very high standard. If you don’t know what this means, arrange a call with me and I will tell you!

5. Not teach your child all of the colours (not just the basic ones).

6. Not teach your child all of their shapes.

7. Not support your child with knowing how to complete patterns.

8. Not support your child to know all of their phase 2 and phase 3 phonics (single sounds)

9. Not support your child to be able to read (decode and blend).

10. Not teach your child how to rhyme and to identify rhyming words.

The social and emotional aspect of the Forest Assessment is very important and is weighted quite heavily.

The percentage you are looking at for your child to safely pass their 4+ Assessment at Forest is 80%. Anyone who scores between 75%-80% is usually Waitlisted. They do have quite a large Waitlist as a lot of the children go to Chigwell (if they are successful to both that is!). Anything under 75% and your child will not be offered a place.

Stakes are high! Prepare your children well.

We have a brand new 3 month intensive preparation programme which will be perfect for you if you are preparing your child for the 4+ (2026 entry) Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

7+ Story Writing expectations.

These stories that are 100% NOT to be copied in the 7+ Assessments. They are simply here as guides to support students across the country to have the best chances of success in their 7+ Assessments. Remember that the Assessors marking these Assessments are experts and they will know if a story has simply been memorised and this will be an immediate fail.

So use my stories as a guide. Use them as a prompt to support you with supporting your child with their story writing.

Remember that your child’s writer’s voice needs to come out and flow naturally. I personally have marked Assessments for the 7+ and I can tell when a story flows naturally and one that is forced (remembered and copied) Don’t do this. It will not help your child to be successful. Trust your child’s writer’s voice. Give them the time to develop their imagination and write the most exceptional story ever in their 7+ Assessment.

What makes an excellent introduction?

1. Always links to the title

Your child’s introduction MUST link to the title. If it doesn’t, it is likely that your child will go off tangent and the story will not be relevant to the title provided. Always refer back to the title.

2. Incudes these 3 things

Introduces the character

Introduces the setting

Introduces the problem

If your child includes each of these, they can’t go wrong!

3. Uses higher level vocabulary and descriptive language.

Your child must use higher level vocabulary. As you can see in my introduction, I’ve chosen words such as ‘compelled’ and ‘intricate’. Of course, your child must know the meaning of these words as they could be asked! Don’t just put words in for the sake of it!

I hope you enjoy my Introduction model to my story. It is called ‘The surprise’ - A story title that has come up several times in the 7+ Assessments in the last 16 years.

Enjoy!

The Surprise

The sky was a blanket of stars. Feeling excited, Tim knew something special would happen today. A kind and caring boy, Tim adored surprises. Surrounding him was a dark forest which contained a variety of trees. Some he had never seen before in his life. One particular tree caught his attention. This tree had leaves which were different to all of the others. Beautifully golden in colour, Tim felt compelled to touch one of the leaves. As he did this, he noticed that one of the leaves had intricate writing on it. It said one simple word - ‘Surprise!’

I will mark any story introductions sent to me this week and give personal feedback and next steps. Simply email your child's introductory paragraph to office@creativemindstutors.com

There is no Holy Grail when it comes to Assessment Preparation.

Some of you think that there is the ONE COMPANY who will help your child to pass their assessments and secure a place at your coveted schools.

Some of you think that all you have to do if find this ONE COMPANY and give them your child and just take a step back. Your child will meet with this genius of a teacher who knows everything about the assessments that you are preparing for. They will have their lesson once a week and the rest of the week you just go about your business and so does your child. Here and there you open a bond book ‘for the sake of it’ and you ask your child to do a few questions here and there.

I’m here to tell you that there is no Holy Grail when it comes to Assessment Preparation. Of course you have to find the best of the best teacher to support your child with their assessment preparations but more importantly than that is this…

When it comes to assessment success, it all comes down to you.

You are the most important piece to this very complex puzzle. You are the one who has to take the time and make the effort to become an expert in every single school that you are applying to. You are the one who needs to understanding this incredibly complex process very well. You are the one who will need to commit to sitting with your child for 30 minutes every single day (split up how you want) and dedicate of your time and effort to support them EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Once a week will not cut it. Going to intensive summer camps will not cut it. Going to Kumon learning will definitely NOT cut it.

Assessment success is boring. Assessment success is tedious. Assessment success takes repetition. Assessment success is down to YOU and only YOU. Because yes, you can of course find the best teachers to work with but after that you need to understand that you will need to put in the work every single day to prepare your child.

If you’re ready to take full ownership of your child’s assessment success then we would be delighted to support you every step of the way. If you are one of the parents I’ve described above, it doesn’t interest us to work with you.

We are here for results and success. Failure will obviously happen. Failure is inevitable. But we are not here for that!

Success doesn’t happen with one time fixes. You should all know that by now!

We have a brand new 3 month intensive preparation programme which will be perfect for you if you are preparing your child for the 4+ (2026 entry) Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Learning is progressive, not stagnant.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘progressive’ as ‘happening or developing gradually or in stages’.

I love the way they define this word and it is exactly what I believe learning is. Learning is PROGRESSIVE.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘stagnant’ as ‘lack of growth, movement or progression.

This is the opposite of what learning is - in my opinion.

Many of you seem to think that learning happens in a stagnant manner. You stop and start. You are not consistent. You doubt that your child would be ‘able to do it anyway’. You give up. This is definitely NOT what learning looks like.

You assume that it is the job of your child’s school to keep his or her learning progressive but it 100% is not by the way. Having worked in hundreds of schools over the last 16 years, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the quality of learning your child receives at school (regardless of where they go!) cannot be superior to what you can provide them on a 1:1 basis at home.

Remember that your child only has one teacher. And that one teacher has to teacher 19-29 other children. Remember that regardless of where your child goes to school, that one teacher may or may not have the support of a teaching assistant. With budget cuts and everything else political that goes down in schools, I often found myself with no support. Alone in a classroom with 20-30 children. There is only so much I could do.

Learning is progressive because it is ongoing. It flows beautifully like a river. It doesn’t stop and start. It is continuous. When learning is progressive, you many not see any progress at all. This is the point where 70% of my clients will just stop. They will tell me ‘this isn’t working’, they will tell me that ‘their child is not making progress’ and it absolutely is not true. They just don’t believe in the process. Those are not my kind of clients. These are clients who create stagnant learning environments for their children. They are haphazard at best. They put out phonics for their child once a week because their child ‘will do it at nursery anyway’.

When learning is stagnant, you will definitely see zero progress. Progress cannot be made in this way.

Your chid needs to be earning continuously and it is not up to their nursery or school to take full responsibility for this by the way. It is up to you.

I worked in far too many private schools where there was a sense of entitlement because the parents were paying 30-50k a year that their child’s teacher should be doing more, more and more. It 100% does not work that way. Send your child wherever you think is best for them but ensure learning is progressive for them and never stagnant.

We have a brand new 3 month intensive preparation programme which will be perfect for you if you are preparing your child for the 4+ (2026 entry) Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

3 Harsh Truths about the Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

I have personally been preparing boys and girls for the Falkner House 4+ Assessment for over 16 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. The quality of their education is so important to their future success!

3 Harsh Truths about the Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

1. If your child doesn’t have a sibling already there, it will be tough for them to pass this 4+ Assessment regardless of how much you prepare them for it. This school has such a high sibling intake at 4+.

2. There is nothing ‘Top Secret’ about this 4+ Assessment. It is much like any other 4+ Assessment however. And at the end of the day, they are looking for boys and girls who will be ‘easy to teach’.

3. It is highly likely that your son or daughter will not be offered a place to study here (unless they have a sibling or the are very, very, easy to teach).

So, if you are preparing your child for this school, do consider that Falkner House has a very strong sibling policy (siblings do still need to pass the 4+ Assessment criteria!) and if you don’t already have a child at the school, it will be very hard for your child to be offered a place (not impossible!). 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.

All about the 4+ at Holland House.

At less than £4,000 per term, Holland House is one of the ‘cheaper’ private schools in Edgware.

We have prepared many children who have been very successful at being offered a place at Holland House following their 4+ Assessment.

The children that we have prepared who currently go to Holland House are happy, sweet and well rounded children.

Holland House school is a school that my clients choose because they want their child to be ‘well prepared for their 11+’. It is also a school that some of my clients have had to choose because their children were not successful to their top schools of choice. For example clients whose daughters had applied for the likes of Habs and NLCS and were not successful or clients whose boys had applied for the likes of Habs and MTs and were not successful. Generally, it is not the first choice amongst our clients.

The 4+ Assessment is still highly academic at this school and the expectations will still be high. So please don’t for one moment think that your child will automatically get in. They won’t. This school is still very selective!

Personally, we have never prepared a child who has not been successful to Holland House. Not because it is easy to get into but because we prepared them exceptionally well.

We have a brand new 3 month intensive preparation programme which will be perfect for you if you are preparing your child for the 4+ at Holland House. Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Who are the boys who have historically passed the 7+ at St Paul's?

Each year we prepare several boys for the 7+ at St Paul’s. We never work with more than 2 boys preparing for St. Paul’s and there are many reasons for this.

St Paul’s is one of the toughest 7+ Assessments to prepare for and it takes a lot of time, effort and dedication. My students don’t ‘just get a 30 minute lesson once a week’. They have ongoing contact with me throughout the week so that I can support them every single day with their assessment preparation (as do all of our clients).

Each years at least one boy who passes his 7+ at St Paul’s was prepared by us.

Doesn’t seem like much! But if you truly understood how hard this school is to get into, you would know that our results are out of this world extraordinary.

So who even are the boys who have historically passed the 7+ at St Paul's?

You see, it’s very important for you to know this if you want to send your son to this school at 7+. Otherwise, you are going in completely blind. Sure, you can listen to the whispers of others who claim they know what they are talking about but ultimately what you are looking for here is a firm offer from one of the best schools in the country.

I take this very seriously. And which is why I now only work with parents who are truly serious about getting their sons into St Paul’s (many of you are not).

These are the boys are who have historically passed the St. Paul’s 7+ Assessment.

They are working in line with the expectations of the year 3 curriculum (in maths and english).

They have a broad and vast vocabulary (think year 3/4)

They will be reading chapter books daily and writing new words to boost their vocabulary even further.

They have excellent, if not near perfect spelling.

They have beautiful, neat and cursive handwriting.

They take pride in their learning and their work.

They take full ownership and responsibility for their learning and their work.

They are fiercely independent.

They are kind and caring and are just generally wonderful to be around. They are quietly confident but very respectful of both teachers and other children.

If your son ticks all of these boxes, you can expect him to go in and most likely pass his St Paul’s 7+ Assessment. If not, get to work.

We have a brand new 3 month intensive preparation programme which will be perfect for you if you are preparing your child for the 7+ at St Paul’s. Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

A 7+ True Story (St Paul's, Latymer and UCS)

This is a true story. As in this is the story of my student - Thomas (changed his name obviously).

I write this story in the hopes of helping some of you to understand the complexities of the 7+ Assessments. With the hopes that you understand the importance of not starting late and with the hopes of you gaining a sharper insight into what is expected of our children in their 7+ Assessments.

Samantha (name changed) called me late September. It was a Sunday and I was on my way to have lunch with a friend of mine (who is also a current client!). As I was driving, my phone rang. I don’t usually pick up on a Sunday but on this occasion I did.

Samantha told me that she was preparing her son for St Paul’s, Latymer and UCS and asked if she was too late (her son was already in Year 2) . I told her that it was October in a few days. Of course, it was too late. The St Paul’s 7+ Assessment is at the end of November and The Latymer and UCS Assessments were in January (just for context). She appreciated my honesty and told me that she wanted to ‘have a go’ anyway.

I was very honest with her and told her that ‘have a go’ would not cut it. She would need to be serious about preparing her son and so would he. He would have 2-3 months of intensive preparation. She weakly said okay.

In hindsight, I should have thanked her and wished her well but I decided to work with Thomas. We did some intensive work together for one month and then the excuses started. ‘Thomas has a birthday to go to. Thomas is sick. Thomas is going on holiday.’

Thomas was not ready for his 7+ at St Paul’s, Latymer or UCS. Samantha started to become more defensive with me and when I spoke to her on her calls she started to become cold with me. I knew she wasn’t enjoying the process. I knew she had no intention of going all in. I rarely received Thomas’s home learning. He was reluctant to write stories and although he did try really hard, there was only so much we could do with 2-3 months together.

He was not offered a place at St. Paul’s, Latymer or UCS and Thomas is continuing at his state school. His mother was annoyed with me and we did not leave things on good terms. At least how I like to leave things when my clients stop working with me.

She expected him to get in because she didn’t fully understand (nor was she open to understanding) the process.

I’ve told Samantha that if she wants to prepare Thomas for his 11+ (he is not ready for 8+) that she would need to start tuition from the autumn term of Year 3 with weekly and consistent tuition. She was not impressed with my suggestion.

Our decisions shape the futures of our children. The quality of our children’s education should be a priority for all of us. That’s not at all to say that you can’t get a quality education at a state school - that’s not what I’m saying at all. That’s up to you to find a quality state school that provides the best education for your child. Not all State Schools are the same- as you know.

If you want to prepare for the 7+ and your child is currently in Year 1, it is too late (21st August at the time of writing this blog). And you have to take the process seriously.

The best time to start is the September when your child begins Reception.

That’s where I see the best results.

However, if you are late, stop procrastinating and just get started. Take the process seriously and go all in.

That is all.

Summer Born BS and the 4+ Assessments!

Just spend a few minutes scrolling on mumsnet and you will see a load of BS about ‘summer born’ children.

Oh what a ridiculous label to put on a child - on top of the many other labels sadly placed on children unnecessarily.

Your child is not ‘behind because they are summer born’. Stop using that as an excuse. It is absolute nonsense. If your child is ‘behind’, they are either ‘behind’ because they developmentally are behind or they are ‘behind’ because you’ve not put in the time, effort and dedication to support them to be where you would like them to be.

Sorry if that stings, but it is my opinion after having worked with thousands of children over the last 16 years.

Here is some summer born BS for you that you absolutely need to understand if you want your child to stand a chance in these top schools and they are in fact ‘summer born.

BS #1

Your child will be assessed differently because they are ‘summer born’.

Absolutely not. Why would they be? ‘Bla, bla, bla - they are a whole yearrrrrrrr behind their peers.’

Irrelevant in this context.

Your child will not be assessed any differently. The expectation will not be any different. These top schools don’t have time to be differentiating how they assess summer and autumn born children.

BS #2

The 4+ Assessments will be easier for summer born children.

Absolutely not.

And don’t waste one second thinking that you don’t need to put in the hard work, effort, grit and dedication into your child’s 4+ Assessment preparation that an autumn born parent will be putting in to prepare their child for their 4+.

BS #3

My child will be at a disadvantage because he/she is summer born.

The only reason they will be disadvantaged will be if you have not prepared them properly for their 4+ assessment. You can blame it on their age if you’d like but it really has absolutely nothing to do with this.

Don’t believe the BS. Ignore the noise and go all in to prepare your child to be very successful in their 4+ Assessments regardless of their date of birth.

We have a brand new 3 month intensive preparation programme which will be perfect for you if you are preparing your child for the 4+ at Highgate. Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Prepare like a pro for the Highgate 4+ Assessment

Think over 500 boys and girls being assessed at 4+.

And this is after the ballot has been drawn! Who knows how many parents will apply for this extremely popular school at 4+. The thinking of my clients is that they just want to get their children in at 4+ so that they don’t need to worry about assessments further down the line. A wise choice indeed. And once they are in, they are in.

After Round 1, 180 children will be called back for round 2.

If your child is able to pass the first round it means that they have done exceptionally well and they have a 1:3 chance of being successful at Round 2! Round 2 is tough. It is ‘play based’ but your child’s ability to play is not what is being assessed, let’s be very clear about this.

Round 2 has been described by my clients as ‘rigorous!’.

My students have told me that they were ‘exhausted’ after the second round and that it was ‘hard’! I don’t say this to scare you, I say this to you so that you are aware of what to expect.

Sending your child to Highgate for their 4+ Assessment is a very complex process. One that you 100% need support with. Myself and my team of expert teachers will support you every step of the way. All of my clients have that slight edge over other clients because myself and my team have real and actual experience with Highgate. We have supported hundreds of students to have tremendous success at this school for over 16 years! And we know exactly what they are looking for and how to prepare our students to have the highest possible chances for success.

We have a brand new 3 month intensive preparation programme which will be perfect for you if you are preparing your child for the 4+ at Highgate. Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

95% of nursery practitioners would agree with me on this!

If you’ve never worked in a nursery, don’t come at me.

If you have ever worked in a nursery in any capacity, I know that you know what I’m talking about here.

Most of my clients have never worked in a nursery. I would say 98% of my clients have no clue what actually goes on in a nursery. They have the picture perfect view in their minds of what goes on in a nursery but more often than not, the view that they have in their mind is simply an illusion.

I started off working in a nursery when I was 18 years old. I worked in a little creche at the Nuffield gym that I was working at. We looked after children from the age of 6 weeks old all the way to 5 years of age. After gaining a lot of experience working with very young children at this creche, I went on to work at several different nurseries - all sorts of nurseries. Private nurseries mostly. I saw exactly what happens in a nursery!

So lately as I am speaking to more and more of you and with 4 plus assessments looming, I am fascinated to hear that so many of you are just not interested in investing just 30 minutes a week on tuition to prepare your children for their 4+ Assessments plus 30 minutes a day of doing formal learning yourselves with your children because your children go to ‘top Montessori nurseries’ from 8-6 every day.

Many of you want to purely rely on your children’s nurseries to do all of the heavy lifting. I find this fascinating.

This means that you think that so much learning goes on in a nursery setting.

Does it though?

Question this.

Your child is one of many! 1:8 is the ratio usually. It can be 1:13 however if your child is over the age of 3!

How much quality learning do you truly believe can be done with a 1:8 ratio?

I’m not taking away from what nursery practitioners do at all so hear me carefully. I value what my son’s nursery do for him but I would never, ever assume that they would be preparing him for a 4+ Assessment. Most of you do.

A nursery alone cannot prepare your child for a 4+ Assessment.

There are those days where several children are unwell and the teachers have to deal with that. There are those days where one or two children have bitten little Timmy on the arm and they need to deal with that. There are those days where noro-virus has contaminated the nursery and the teachers have to deal with that. There are those days when two teachers have called in sick and they need to mix pre-school children with the toddlers. There are those days when there are so many children running around screaming and shouting that the teachers need to deal with that.

So please give them a break and stop putting all the pressure on them. Put the pressure on yourselves. After all if your child passes their 4+ Assessment or not that is down to you and it is definitely not down to your child’s nursery.

3 ways NOT to pass the Highgate 7+ Assessment.

The Highgate 7+ Assessment is a very challenging Assessment.

50 children will have passed their 7+ Assessments in 2025 to join 60 children who are already in the Pre-prep. Hundreds of parents were very disappointed that their son or daughter did not pass their 7+ at Highgate. I spoke to many of them personally. They were disappointed because they simply didn’t understand the assessment well enough. They didn’t understand the expectations and they didn’t prepare their child to be able to go in a be able to pass.

Registration is now open for 2026 entry. Applications close at noon on 5/11/25.

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

Way #1 to NOT pass

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

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

Way #2 to NOT pass

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

Perhaps they choose a teacher based purely on the fact that they live near to them or perhaps they choose a teacher based on the fact that their fees were lower. If you work with a teacher who doesn’t have experience with actually supporting students to pass their Assessment at Highgate, how can you expect your child to be taught the curriculum relevant to the Highgate Assessment? This is not just about completing tonnes and tonnes of worksheets. This is about preparing for what has come up historically.

Way #3 to NOT pass

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

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

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

Preparing for Highgate for 2026 entry and beyond?

Join our Waiting List today. Once joined, you will be contacted immediately by our Company Director to choose your ideal time for weekly tuition from January/February 2026.

Can my summer born son do as well as an autumn born child in a 4+ Assessment?

100% yes. If not better!

Oh there is so much RUBBISH out there about ‘summer born’ children.

Why do we have to label children anyway?

My son is not a label. He is a human being.

Stop labelling children unnecessarily!

My ‘summer born’ baby (oh and by the way your child is considered summer born if they are born between April-August), can and would do as well (if not better) than any autumn born child in his 4+ Assessments.

How do I know this? I know this because he is excelling in all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum currently.

I am fully well aware that all children develop at different rates and I never ever compare children anyway. It is not useful.

So when I receive calls from parents who tell me that their child is not where ‘they need to be’ for a 4+ Assessment and they blame it on the ‘fact that they are summer babies’. They are just so wrong.

It has nothing to do with that.

If your child ‘is not ready’ for their 4+ Assessment, it’s because you’ve chosen to not prepare them to be ready for it. Sorry if that stings but it is my opinion.

Enough with these ridiculous excuses.

My son is definitely developing slower with his phonics than some of my students but that’s not because he is ‘summer born’, it’s because it took me longer to get him really and truly interested in learning sounds. That’s on me. I was rather lazy when it came to his phonics. I could have found more interesting ways to engage him but I didn’t. He didn’t enjoy learning phonics so I took a step back. Then I realised that this was really not a good idea if I want him to be reading in the next 12 months (which I do by the way!). Now, he is making tremendous progress and he WILL know his phase 2 phonics (single sounds) by the end of this month.

Summer born and autumn born will not be assessed differently and expectations will not be different so please do get that out of your heads.

Prepare your child and prepare them well for their 4+ Assessments.

That is all.

What are NLCS even looking for in the 4+ Assessment?

If you truly want your daughter to go to NLCS from Reception, you need to know exactly what NLCS will be looking for in the 4+ Assessment. If you don’t know this, how will you ever prepare her to go in and pass?

Your daughter will need thorough and bespoke tuition for NLCS. You absolutely must only work with a teacher who has real and actual experience with this school.

NLCS is one of the hardest schools to get into at 4+ (and 7+!) but today I am talking about the 4+.

Don’t ever underestimate how hard it will be to get into this school.

This school is so overly subscribed each year. Hundreds of parents want their daughter to go to North London Collegiate School. At least 500 girls will be applying to do their 4+ Assessment for 2026 entry. There are 40 places on offer!

Having visited it several times myself and even having lunch there once with the teachers, I have seen exactly what it is like to be at this school. Their facilities are exceptional and the grounds are just divine. I get it!

I have prepared hundreds of girls for the 4+ Assessment at NLCS over the last 15 years and what I’ve learnt is this. Passing the first round is very challenging. As in, it’s very hard to pass!

If your daughter does pass, passing the second round is also challenging but not as challenging as the first round (if you have the right support in place!)

If your daughter makes it to the second round, it’s because NLCS have seen that she is the right fit for their school. They have seen through assessing her that she will be able to thrive at their school. In the second round, they will be assessing her further, deeper and more thoroughly (way smaller groups than the first round).

NLCS have a very specific Assessment criteria in the sense of what they are looking for. Of course, I’m not going to give that away here!

We have supported girls to be very successful at gaining entry to NLCS for over 15 years. In fact, I supported one of my oldest students with her Spanish GCSE last year! She worked with me when she was 6 and I prepared her for her 7+ at NLCS!

Preparing for 2026 entry? Join our Waiting List today. Once joined, I will be personally in touch to choose your preferred days and times to begin from January/February 2026. The Waiting List fee will make up your registration fee once you start your package.