'We strongly recommend against tutoring!'

'We strongly recommend against tutoring!'

What this sentence means to me V what it might mean to you.

The Oxford dictionary defines 1:1 tutoring as the process of providing private, personalised academic instruction to an individual. Unlike traditional classroom teaching, it focuses on tailoring lessons to a learner's unique needs to reinforce concepts, fill learning gaps, and build confidence.

So a private tutor is a private teacher. Just like the teacher who teaches your child at school. Or if you home school - I assume yourself or your partner would be the main teacher.

So why do top schools ‘strongly recommend against tutoring?’.

I strongly believe that it is because they believe that a private tutoring will undermine their business.

You have to remember that the people telling you that they 'We strongly recommend against tutoring!' are not the people teaching your child!

Typically it will be the head, a member of the SLT or someone in admin.

Laughable really.

Those people are not teaching your child day in and day out.

So here’s what this sentence means to me V what it might mean to you.

Me: If you don’t tutor your child you are missing out on personalised, tailored and bespoke learning support for your child.

You: If we tutor, our child will have less of a chance of passing their assessment (whichever one that may be)

Me: If you don’t tutor your child they will have far less of a chance of passing their assessments.

You: We should listen to the school - they are the authority.

Me: You are the authority. The school is an establishment.

You: If the school tells us to do something, we should do it.

Me: You should do what your parental intuition guides you to do.

The bottom line is this. I see schools as my partners and my allies. They teach my students every single day . I teach them once a week and I support them every day too.

Schools (not your child’s class teachers!) see tutors as their enemies. They want their results to be only there. Well, guess what? Their results will NEVER be only theirs because regardless of if you pay a private teacher to support your child or not, guess what? You are your child’s most important private tutor - whether you choose to admit that out loud or not.

If you sit with your child and teach them - you are a tutor.

If you prepare learning to do with your child - you are a tutor.

If you support your child with their learning - you are a tutor.

Book Your Assessment Consultation Discovery Call Today and Discover How We Can Support your Child Every Step Of the Way to have incredible success in any assessment.

The Reality of the Hampton Prep School 7+ Assessment

The Hampton 7+ Assessment consists of a morning at school.

Academic and behavioural skills will be closely observed by the assessors. A great deal of time is devoted to observing how the boys interact with each other and they will be given time to demonstrate their team working abilities as well as how they can work independently.

In the past, boys who have attended this 7+ assessment have been asked to complete a giant puzzle outdoors, invent a new game as a group and even play with wooden blocks and sticks. Essentially, the senior leaders or the ones doing the assessing will be observing how the boys interact with one another and if they would be able to demonstrate that they would be a pleasure to teach, they were to be offered a place at the school!

Your son will also be asked to bring an object to speak about. The purpose of this is to see how your son articulates himself and how he is able to sustain a conversation with his peers and with his teachers.

The English assessment will be a comprehension and a story writing task based on pictures provided. Special preparation is 100% required and I would strongly advise against sending any child into this assessment without a lot of practice with reading and writing. I am aware that you will 100% read a lot of mixed nonsense about this online. You can choose what you want to believe.

The maths assessment consists of arithmetic questions. We prepare our boys to be at mastery level at least at a Year 3 level regardless of what the school says. Some of our boys are already working at a Year 4 level in maths (arithmetic) by the time they attend the Hampton 7+ Assessment.

The reasoning assessment is completed online. Thorough practice must be done that mimics what your son will experience in this 7+ assessment. If you work with us we will guide you every step of the way and provide you with the exact materials that you will need in order to support your son with this aspect of the assessment and all the others too!

Our boys who have passed the 7+ at Hampton have been highly academic and have been able to go in and demonstrate all of the behavioural attributes expected by the school.

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 12 month programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your son the highest possible chances for success in this 7+ assessment. Is Hampton School a school that you would love your son to go to (2027 entry)? Then book your Emerald Curriculum 3-month Intensive Sample Lesson today.

The Reality of the RGS 7+ Assessment

There are only 20 places available into Year 3 at RGS . You can apply for a means tested bursary when applying for entry for your son into Year 3. If your son is not offered a place following assessment for the 7+, you can ask for feedback however it is crystal clear on their policy that the head does not need to provide feedback and that the decision of the head teacher is the final one. 

In my experience, they do typically provide you with feedback if you do ask so it’s worth asking. Many parents simply don’t ask because they don’t think it will be provided. If you don't ask, you don’t get! 

The RGS 7+ Assessment is a very academic assessment- as in your son needs to be able to demonstrate an exceptional academic capacity. In my vast experience of this 7+ assessment, you are looking at your child achieving 85% and above in the assessments in order to be able to pass.

RGS are not only looking for academics however, they are also looking for ‘learning habits’ of the boys. This means how your son learns. These are some of the behaviours for learning that they could be looking for in their prospective new students:

·       Boys who can listening beautifully

·       Boys who can show that they are polite

·       Boys who can show exceptional focus and concentration

·       Boys who can showing maturity

·       Boys who can take risks and not be afraid to get things wrong/fail

·       Boys who can engage well

Assessment into Year 3 for RGS (for 2027 entry) will take place in November 2026.

The 7+ Assessment at RGS will consist of maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

Although they ‘do not hold a formal interview’, your son will most likely be spoken to on a 1:1 basis by members of the senior leadership team. So essentially, you must also prepare your son to be ready for an interview.

Our boys who have historically passed the RGS 7+ Assessment have had the full 2 years  of assessment preparation (or close to this amount of time!). They have academically been very strong in all areas assessed at RGS. Our boys who have passed have been kind, caring and genuinely a delight to teach.

Passing the 7+ assessment at RGS is far from easy. Your son needs to be thoroughly prepared to go in and be able to demonstrate the skills that he needs to be able to demonstrate in all areas being assessed.

If you’ve not left enough time to complete the full 2 year programme, you can still join our Intensive 3 month programme and give your son the highest possible chances for success in this 7+ assessment.

Is RGS a school that you would love your son to go to (2027 entry)? Then book your Emerald Curriculum 3 month Intensive Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

3 irreversible mistakes about getting the support of someone ‘cheaper’.

This makes no sense to me. 

Our clients want the best of the best schools for their children. 

Those are our target clients. 

Those are the clients we want to help and support. 

We personally speak to at least 20 parents each week who are embarking on the process of preparing their children for their assessments. 

My marketing is mainly geared towards the 4+ and 7+ but we actually prepare for all assessments (including occasional places and of course the 11+).

I know that we are the best at what we do. 

I know that we are the best company for the preparation of any assessment, 

When parents send an enquiry form, of course I am laser sharp aware that they are also enquiring to several other companies. The clients who do choose to work with us choose to work with us because they know that we are the best. They know that we will support their children to be wildly successful in their assessments and to be offered most of their schools of choice. The price we charge isn’t really an issue to them. Any why would it be? They are looking to send their children to 30-50k per year schools. It really wouldn’t make sense for them to question my prices. 

I do speak to parents who tell me that they have gone with so and so because they ‘were cheaper’. 

I do speak with parents who tell me that they have chosen a different tutor based on what they charge, 

It happens daily. 

It doesn’t surprise me. 

It doesn’t upset me. 

We are all free to do what we want in this life of ours! 

But here are 3 irreversible mistakes about getting the support of someone ‘cheaper’. 

1. Cheaper most likely means less experience. I was ‘cheaper’ 10-15 years ago. Did I have the experience that I have now? NO. Did I have the results I have now? Of course not.

2. Cheaper most likely means less or no experience with your target schools. If a teacher has no experience with your target schools, they are just guessing at what they are looking for. I did it for years. Before I gathered all of the knowledge and experience that I have now!

3. Cheaper most likely means that the curriculum that will be provided to your child will not even scratch the surface when compared to the curriculum that we provide to each and every one of the students who have the privilege of working with us. 

‘Cheaper’ really shouldn’t even be something that is being considered. That is my opinion and I stand by it. ‘Cheaper’ 100% will never be better. ‘Cheaper’ will not get you the results you desire to see. 

I’ve seen it time and time again. And I will continue to see it. 

Do you really think someone of my calibre and expertise would have the time to come to your home once a week for one hour? Absolutely not. I had the time to do that when I was in my 20’s and when I only had 3-5 students a week and when it was my side hustle. Each month, I currently teach 40-45 children so it would be impossible to spend 30 minutes of my time reaching a student’s home, teaching them and then going to my next lesson. 

Don’t let ‘cheaper’ be the reason you don’t have the success you truly want to have. 

It’s totally not worth it. 

Final 6 places to work with us. Book Your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

10 things that went wrong for parents I spoke to whose sons did not not pass the 4+ at UCS.

1. They did not account for the FACT that there are only 32 places available and that there would have been hundreds and hundreds of boys being assessed (500 +).

2. They did not deem it necessary to attend the tour (even though it is strongly advised on the UCS website). 

3. They did not prepare their son for their 4+ assessment. 

4. They assumed that because their son was in a ‘great’ pre-prep that it would be up to them to prepare their sons. 

5. They believed that it was a play date and then were totally confused when they rocked up to a highly academic 4+ assessment. 

6. They believed that ‘preparation is not needed.’

7. They believed that it would be a  ‘playdate assessment’.

8. They did not focus on fine motor skills. 

9. They did not explain to their sons what would be expected from them behaviourally in the UCS 4+Assessment. 

10. They did not focus on the correct level of English and Maths needed in order to be successful in the UCS 4+ Assessment (both rounds).

Final 7 places to work 1:1 with us for 2027 entry if you are preparing for the UCS 4+ Assessment. Give your child the slight edge that he will need over the hundreds and hundreds of other boys being assessed this year!

This one thing went devastatingly wrong for hundreds of parents who applied for the 4+ at Westminster last year.

Last year, we prepared a huge amount of children for their 4+ assessment at Westminster.

It was a brand new 4+ assessment so none of us really knew what to expect. I knew it would be just like the other 4+ assessments- perhaps a little more challenging.

Over the course of the year, we prepared 14 children for this school specifically.

I can’t even tell you how many people myself and Emily spoke to last year who enquired about support for the Westminster 4+ assessments but it was in the hundreds.

This year things are quieter and I know why.

It’s because I have been HONEST about our results.

Out of the 14 that we prepared - 4 passed.

This is truthful and honest.

I see other companies claiming that they prepared 10 children and 10 passed. They are liars. And if you choose to work with them just based on that nugget of information - well, that would be your choice wouldn’t it?

Here is what went devastatingly wrong for hundreds of parents who applied for the 4+ at Westminster.

They did not take the preparation seriously enough.

Out of the 14 boys and girls that we supported, many of their parents started and stopped tuition, many cancelled lessons, many just simply did not put in the work required to actually be in with a chance of passing this 4+ assessment.

Remember.

500 applicants.

100 pass round 1.

32 pass round 2 (16 in each class).

Out of the 14 parents that we supported, I heard back from 7!

The others just disappeared! All had varying timeframes of assessment prep ranging from 2 months - a maximum of 4 months (the ones who disappeared and I never heard back from).

Out of the 7 students - 2 girls were prepared consistently for over 12 months by either myself or Emily and PASSED, 1 of the girls attended my one month success programme and PASSED. Out of the remaining 4, 3 children stopped and started tuition and had less than 3 months of 4+ assessment preparation.

Those children did not pass the Westminster 4+ assessment. After writing this report, I heard back from one more client and her son was initially waitlisted and was then offered a place. So 4 of our students have been offered a place to study at Westminster for 2026 entry. This is incredible and this is exceptional. 4/32 passed. 2 accepted the offer. 2 did not.

The 7 I did not hear back from most likely did not pass. They can reach out to me and let me know if they’d like or I can find out myself if I can be bothered to!

Preparing for 2027 entry and beyond? Book your Sample Lesson today before they completely sell out! 

Falkner House Boys - What to really expect in the 4+ assessments.

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

Many of my clients are drawn to this school for their own unique reasons.

For my clients, secondary education is very important. Understandably so. The school your child will go to at Secondary level will shape their futures. Many clients who begin working with us believe that Falker House will be a stepping stone to supporting their children to be offered a place at their target secondary schools. They quickly realise, that it is not up to the school alone to prepare their children, but it is up to them. 

Here is what you should really expect if you are preparing your son for his Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

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

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

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

Falkner House 100% have the 'type' of boy that they want. This boy will be very academic (yes at the age of 3 and yes you can tell). This boy will be able to communicate to a very high standard. This boy will show confidence and ease when speaking to adults and children. This boy will be able to demonstrate in the 4+ assessment that they will be 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. Do ensure you have a variety of other schools that you are also applying to. Do keep in mind that even if your son meets all the criteria I've listed above that he still may not be offered a place. 

The BIGGEST issue I see when it comes to Assessment preparation (all ages).

I see huge issues when it comes to assessment preparation. 

But here is the BIGGEST issue that I see. 

A total lack of belief that preparation is even necessary. 

The issue is this. These top schools will all tell you not to prepare your children.

They will all tell you that preparation is absolutely not needed.

And 80% of parents will follow this instruction and they will actually actively make the decision to not prepare their children.

As in, they will make the decision that because they already go to school, that that is in fact enough when it comes to preparation. 

That doesn’t even scratch the surface. 

It really does not matter which school your child goes to. 

I’ve worked with children who have been attending top schools like Eaton House Belgravia and Wetherby to name two schools for you. Both of these children from the two specific schools I named worked very hard with myself and with their parents to prepare for the assessments that we were praparing for.

Nothing wrong with these schools by the way but a school alone can’t prepare a child for an entrance exam at a top, elite school like Westminster and St. Paul’s for example. 

And if you believe that they can, unfortunately, you will most likely be disappointed. And you will most likely blame the school! Not the fault of the school - sorry! 

I adore assessment preparation - obviously. That’s why it is something that I live and breathe every single day. But I have a huge frustration when it comes to assessment prep (all ages). And here it is for you. 

I’m speaking about myself but I know all of my teachers feel the same frustrations.

I put so much work into all of my students. It takes hundreds of hours of my time to prepare my students. Yes, I get paid - sure. 90% of my clients value what I do. They truly value what we all do here at CMT. But what frustrates me the most is that sometimes I get the impression that certain parents think that their kid would have passed anyway - even without my support. 

Which is total garbage by the way. And totally would not have been the case! But obviously there is no way for me to neither prove that nor disprove that!

But I accept it. 

Some parents will feel this way.

And they are delusional. 

And by the way… what goes around comes around. I am a firm believer of this. And the way you treat someone will be exactly how you will be treated further down the line.

If a child passes an assessment (at any age) at a top school, it is because they were prepared on a 1:1 basis either by a teacher or by their parents. What the school does is just a fraction of the prep needed. See it as the cherry on top if you like.

Preparing for an assessment for 2027 entry? I have 7 final places remaining to work 1:1 with one of our exceptional Senior Teachers. Get the support you need. Get the results your child deserves.

Not sure where to start? Book your FREE Assessment Consultation Discovery Call Today.

What will come in the 4+ Assessments at x school is not the question you should be asking.

I can send you a link to read this in your own time if you really want this question answered. 

I’ve noticed that I’ve been having this question on repeat. 

Parents want to know what exactly will come up and whilst I do have this information and I can give them a list of things that will come up - it is simply not helpful. 

It is actually very overwhelming for these parents to receive list of the 100+ things that will come up in the 4+ assessments. 

What will you then even do with this information? 

Sit down and plan a full 12 months of curriculum which fyi is what is needed to prepare for the 4+ at the top schools?

Doubtful. 

The questions you should be asking me could range from the following:

Which three things can I do this week to help my child to make progress in a certain area of learning eg. maths or reading? 

How can I support my child with their confidence? 

What can I do to support my child with leaving my side calmly and peacefully? 

These are high quality questions.

I remember going to the Westminster 4+ Open even with two of my dear clients (I was looking at this school for my son who was 2 at the time). Several parents asked this question to the head.

Let’s just professionally say that she was not impressed with this question and let’s just say the question was not really, fully answered.

There are no short cuts to 4+ assessment preparation (no good ones anyway!).

And why would you want to take a shortcut anyway? You want to send your child to a 30k + a year school? Invest in high quality assessment preparation for them.

That is all.

Final 7 places to work with an Assessment Specialist. All of our teachers are fully qualified teachers and have at least 6 years of teaching experience and most importantly have achieved amazing results in all the top 4+ assessments in both inner and outer London.

Who am I and why am I so good at what I do?

As I have a lot of new faces here, I thought it would be important to re-introduce myself and who I am. 

Some of you have not heard anything about me so it’s really important that you get to know me! 

My name is Maria Mazarese. 

I qualified as a teacher when I was 25 years old (16 years ago!). Can’t believe that! It literally feels like yesterday that I started my first teaching job as a qualified teacher (I was teaching as an unqualified teacher for many years before this).

My first qualified teaching role was in a very popular pre-prep in Hampstead. I was young, fresh faced and had a lot of energy. I was fully dedicated and committed to my job as a class teacher and I absolutely loved it.

Obviously, there were things that I did not love too! Many!

I got 3 years of experience in this Pre-Prep teaching children from Pre-Reception through to Year 2. I prepared children for their 4+ and their 7+ assessments and I was exceptional at getting amazing results for this school. I quickly worked my way up the ranks and was given a lot of responsibility as a Senior Leader in this school.

I left 3 years later because I wanted to experience KS2 and this school only goes up to KS1. 

Following my experience here, I went on to work in the state sector for 9 years. I worked in two different schools in those 9 years. One in St. John’s Wood and one in Wembley. I worked with all age groups (Reception - Year 6). 

I loved my job for many years. I was passionate about it but when I got to the top of my career, I realised there was no where for me to go. No progression (in many senses of the word).

I had no interest in having a more senior role than the ones I already held and definitely didn’t want to become Deputy Head or Head of a school. 

That’s when I fell pregnant and the moment I found out, I handed in my notice. I didn’t even think twice about maternity pay (I probably should have!).

The job was too stressful and I didn’t want any risks to me or my little, sweet baby. After all I had waited until the age of 37 to have him.

Throughout my teaching career and whilst working full time, I always continued to tutor children.

I worked like crazy.

I would do my 10 hour job in school and then 2-3 hours of tutoring in the evening. At this point I was going to my clients’ homes so you can imagine! 

When covid hit, I moved everything online and that is how it has remained! 

Here at CMT, we have supported thousands of children in the last 6 years of being online and we continue to grow. Our clients love our dedication to their children and to them. Our clients love the ongoing support that they receive from us. Our clients love the results that their children accomplish. They love us so much that most of our clients stay with us long after their children have got into their target schools.

We have beautiful relationships with our clients and with our students and I wouldn’t change what I do for anything else in the world. 

We have 8 final places to work with us if you are preparing for an assessment for 2027 entry. Book your Sample Lesson today.

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond, join our Waiting List and secure your preferred day/time to work with us.

What is the likelihood of your child passing the 4+ assessment at South Hampstead?

For ease of mathematics, let’s use some simple numbers. 

Each year hundreds of girls will apply for their 4+ Assessments at South Hampstead. 

Let’s say that this year 240 girls will apply (I believe it will be higher than this) but let’s go with this number. 

So 240 girls will apply and there are 24 places on offer for a place to study in Reception at this school. This means your child has a 1:10 chance of passing the first round of the 4+ assessment at South Hampstead. 

1:10. 

Around 120 girls will be called back to the second round which is in January and the probability of your child passing round 2 is 1:5. 

1:5. 

Read that again. 

A few important things for you to know!

• It is not a play date. 

• Our girls who have historically passed this 4+ assessment (over the last 20 years) have all been able to read and write to a very high level. 

• The school will advise you not to prepare your daughters - it’s up to you what you do with that information! We are currently preparing 5 girls for their 4+ assessment at South Hampstead - they will be your competition! 

• This is an intense 4+ assessment - as in your daughter needs to be thoroughly prepared for it and know exactly what to expect from both rounds. 

Final places to work 1:1 with a weekly lesson to prepare for this 4+ Assessment. Book your Sample Lesson today!

AI is confusing parents when it comes to 4+ assessment prep.

In a world of AI, I can see why parents are so confused when they first speak with us about 4+ assessment preparation.

We all in one way or another use AI.

We use Chat GPT and we use Claude daily - most of us!

Just be mindful that AI really doesn’t know everything.

I don’t know everything either but what I do know is this…

If you truly want your child to be successful in a 4+ assessment to a top school like Westminster, NLCS and South Hampstead (to name a few), you will tutor/teach/support them. Whether you pay a teacher to support your child or you support your child with your own 4+ programme of study - hear me carefully…

You will prepare your child thoroughly for a 4+ assessment.

Let’s talk about some absolute rubbish that I have read this morning on Chat GPT…

Many admissions specialists and parents report that excessive tutoring can actually be counterproductive at 4+. Schools are usually looking for curiosity, confidence, communication skills, attention span, independence, and social interaction—not a child who appears heavily coached.

I taught a little girl twice a week for over 12 months for her 4+ assessments. She was successful to top schools like South Hampstead, NLCS and Westminster (to name a few). I do not ‘heavily coach’ my students. Whatever that means in your mind. In my lessons, I encourage curiosity, I support my students to develop their confidence through the questions that I ask them and through the questions that they ask me, I support their vocabulary and communication by providing them with different topics each week to explore, I support my students with their attention span by helping them to engage with me for the full 30 minute lesson, I support them with their independence in each and every lesson. Social interaction is worked on daily with their parents and not in a lesson so I don’t even know why they mentioned that there.

‘Excessive tutoring’ sounds negative.

Meeting with your teacher weekly sounds beautiful.

How could learning each week on a 1:1 basis be counterproductive. What a beautiful thing to be able to provide your child.

I would spend 80% of the effort on school readiness and confidence and only 20% on formal tutoring.

What a load of nonsense.

I would spend 100% on formal tutoring which will support my child with school readiness and confidence.

The children who perform best in the 4+ are often not the ones who have done the most worksheets; they're the ones who can walk into a room of strangers, listen carefully, join a group activity, and enjoy solving a challenge. That's very close to what the schools themselves say they are assessing.

That’s what we prepare our 3 year olds to be able to do. Good luck to you if you’ve not supported your child and you expect them to do what is listed above!

I think it’s just mean and unkind to send a child into a 4+ assessment at the likes of Westminster, NCLS and South Hampstead without having been thoroughly prepared.

I certainly would never so that to my child. Ever,

Nurseries alone will not cut it when it comes to 4+ assessment success.

What many of you don’t realise is this. 

The majority of our clients send their children to pre-preps. 

The majority of our students go to the likes of Mulberry House School, Devonshire House and Hampstead Hill. We also work with students who go to Tots and Scholars, BLS, Falkner House and Wetherby Pembridge. Many of our students who are very successful in their 4+ assessments never set foot in a Nursery! And many of our students go to private, local day nurseries.

I promise you this - I have never once uttered this sentence. 

‘Oh my goodness, he/she must go to a very academic nursery. They are so ahead of my other students.’

NEVER. In over 20 years of supporting children with their 4+ assessments. EVER!

Yet, so many of  you are of the belief that a nursery or pre- prep alone will support your little one with being offered a place at your desired school. 

I’ve said this thousands of times before and I will continue to say it over and over until the message is clear. 

Why should a nursery or pre-prep care as much as you about the success of your child? 

They will not. 

And if you think that because you are paying premium pricing, that they do - oh you are so wrong! 

Do you think your child’s class teachers are being paid premium pricing? 

Well, they are not. Take it from me! I worked in one of those schools for 3 years!

A nursery or a pre-prep is a business. I’ve worked in them. I know more about nurseries and pre-preps than you do (most likely!). Unless you’ve worked in them of course. And if you have, then you will understand what I’m talking about!

Pembridge Wetherby and The Mulberry House Schoolcharge nearly 30k per year. 

So parents will argue with me that 30k per year is ‘plenty of money’ to prepare their children for the 4+. 

Listen, it’s up to you if you want to spend 30k per year to send your child to nursery. That is certainly none of my business. 

I spend around 9k per year on my son’s nursery and I can guarantee that he is academically excelling - not because of the nursery but because of the education that I have provided him with since he was 18 months old! His nursery is beyond exceptional by the way. And the quality of learning is in line or above what is offered at the pre-schools that I mentioned above! But I have never attributed any of his learning success to them.

Working with me 1:1, you will invest less than 4k per year (and that’s if you commit to the full one year programme). Working 1:1 with one of my amazing teachers, you will invest around 3k per year (and that’s if you invest in the full one year programme). 

From January 2027, my pricing will be increasing.

It will be the best investment that you will ever make into truly taking full responsibility for your child’s success. 

Because really, no one else will ever care as much as you about the success of YOUR child. 

That is all.

Final 7 places to work 1:1 with our exceptional teachers for 2027 entry. Don’t delay, book your Sample lesson today!

You SHOULD NOT need to tutor your child for a 4+ assessment.

You also SHOULD NOT need to track every single thing you put into your mouth but guess what? If you want to lose weight, you will.

You also SHOULD NOT need to take your tenant to court to get them to move out of your own home but guess what? If you want your flat back and vacant, you will.

You also SHOULD NOT need to do weight lifting 3-4 times and week, cardio 2-3 times a week, walk 16k steps and eat well every day but guess what? If you want to get fit and strong, you will.

There are thousands upon thousands of things that you SHOULD NOT need to do every single day, but you do them anyway because if you want something badly enough, guess what?

You will do it!

It might be uncomfortable.

People may judge you for it.

People may not like you for it.

But who cares?

You are doing it for you.

Most importantly, you are doing it for your child.

And actually, please stop calling me to tell me this nonsense. It’s very odd.

It would be like me calling my weight loss coach and telling her that I should not need to eat only 1600 - 1700 calories a day in order to achieve weight loss. Yeh, I don’t do that.

Obviously, I strongly believe that in order to achieve anything in this life of ours that we need to put in the work.

You want your child to go to a top school like NLCS, South Hampstead, Habs, Westminster or Notting Hill and Ealing (to name a few)?

Tutor them well.

Teach them well.

Prepare them well.

And stop trying to find easy ways out and quick fixes. They do not exist.

And remember this always - your competition is being very well prepared by us and many of them have already completed a full year of my programme, some will have completed 18 months of my programme before ever setting foot into a 4+ assessment. I can guarantee that those children will have a huge edge over the other hundreds and hundreds of children being assessed!

We have 7 places remaining for our 3 month Intensive Programme. Book your Sample Lesson today.

2% of parents will tell you openly that they tutor their child.

It is very rare that our clients come to us through referrals.

Sadly.

On the rare occasions that clients are referred to us, I have a very generous referral programme in place and the parents who refer are paid a percentage of what their referral has paid upon completion of their time with us.

Why is tutoring considered such a secret?

I remember when I was a lot younger and parents would tell their children that they were not to refer to me as their teacher and that I was ‘mummy’s friend’ or ‘a nanny’. This was so that when they went to school they would tell their teachers that they ‘saw mummy’s friend’ or that I was their ‘nanny’.

When parents now ask me what they should tell their children about who I am, my answer is always the same. Maria is an amazing teacher who is taking her time out of her day to teach you!

So why this secrecy? Let’s talk about it.

I believe that there are 3 main reasons why.

1. Some parents feel ashamed that they have to pay for a private tutor/teacher (whatever you want to refer to your teacher as) because they are paying premium price for a private school education.

2. Some parents are afraid of being judged by their friends and family (after all their child is only 1/2/3/5/7/9/insert whatever age you want here )

3. Some parents do not understand the value of having a private teacher supporting them and their children.

So let’s talk about them quickly.

1. If you are ashamed, you really have not understood the value of working with a teacher like me. Paying for a private school is your decision. Paying for a private teacher is also your decision. Be delighted that you are in the position to be able to choose both. Your children will benefit so much in so many ways from having both.

2. Your friends and family will judge you either way, so really - who cares?

3. Those who don’t understand the value of what we offer will never become our clients and that is only their loss. And not all teachers offer the same - let’s be crystal clear. What I offered when I was 25, is very different to what I offer now.

I have personally supported thousands of children 1:1 and worked with thousands of clients.

I have experienced hundreds of different assessments at all schools across inner and outer London.

What I offer is never going to be the same to what a teacher who charges a fraction of my price will charge you. If fact, I firmly believe that my pricing should be so much higher than what it is currently!

So those of you who keep the tutoring of your child your little secret, question why you are doing this! I would shout it from the rooftops and I hope that this percentage will change in the near future! Not for me, but for the thousands more students who will benefit from hearing about me and what I have to offer them!

Do children ‘naturally’ have the skills that these top schools are looking for?

No. 

Parents will often call or message me and tell me that their children will ‘naturally develop’ with time. That children will ‘naturally evolve and grow’ with age. 

It does not work that way. 

Natural ability does not exist. 

If a child is ‘able’ it is because they have put in the work. They have dedicated hours and hours of their time to be able to do the thing that they are able to do. 

Do you think that an amazing pianist is just ‘naturally able’? 

Perhaps they will tell you that they are. 

They are not. 

What they are able to do is put in the work, effort and dedication needed in order to become an able pianist. There is nothing ‘natural’ about it. They showed up every day. Day in and day out. They sat at that piano and they focused. They learned how to read the notes and they learned how to use their hands to play beautiful music on that piano. 

Do you think an amazing gymnast is ‘just naturally able and gifted’? What a load of nonsense. 

You know for a fact that they dedicated their life to being able to do those incredible amazing moves that they are able to do. 

To be offered a place at a top, elite school like Westminster, St. Paul’s, Notting Hill and Ealing and South Hampstead, you’d better believe me and understand carefully how much hard work and effort goes into securing that offer. 

Most of you want to believe that 3 year olds go into a school like Westminster, have a little play and that they will just be offered a place. Delusional! Does not work like that!

Final 8 places for our 3 month intensive programme (2027 entry). Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

3 ways to choose the best nursery for your child if you are preparing for the 4+ assessments.

My own clients ask me this question every day. 

Parents I speak to ask me this question every single day. 

I asked myself this questions every single day before choosing a nursery for my son (although he has not been preparing for an assessment) 

It is one of the most important decisions that you will make in your child’s early years. Their experience of nursery is so important. 

The question is this one. 

Which nursery should I choose for my son which will be the most academic? 

 My answer may surprise you but here it is! 

Academic nurseries do not exist. They are an illusion (or they are marketed very well!)

So here you are…

3 ways to choose the best nursery for your child if you are preparing for the 4+ assessments. 

1. Choose a setting that has teachers that you love (you’ll obviously need to get to know them for a little while before deciding).

2. Choose a setting that you love. Perhaps it has a lovely outdoor area, perhaps it has small class sizes. Perhaps it has an ambiance that you adore. Perhaps the teachers are very nurturing and kind with their students. Perhaps the children look delighted to be there, happy and comfortable.

3. Choose a setting that your child is delighted to go to every single day (this one may also take a little while but it shouldn’t take ages and will obviously depend on how old your child is.

   That’s it! 

   Don’t overthink it. 

More expensive does not equate to more academic.

More expensive does not equate to highly academic.

More expensive does not equate to a higher quality.

You will be the one providing your child with the curriculum that they need to be covering in preparation for a 4+ assessment.

It really is no one else’s responsibility. 

Final 8 places for our 3 month intensive programme (2027 entry). Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Should you start 4+ preparation or not?

The all-important question asked by tens of thousands of parents every single year.

 Sadly, only a very small percentage of parents will make the decision to start 4+ assessment prep.

 I’ve been doing this for over 20 years and I believe that only 12% of parents will make the conscious decision to go all in and prepare their children for their 4+ assessments themselves.

 That means that 88% of parents will choose not to.

 They will either pass that job over to their child’s nursery or pre - school or they will simply choose to believe the nonsense out there that ‘children do not need to be prepared for a 4+ assessment!’ or that ‘their child is simply too young to be learning!’

88% of parents will leave assessment prep down to chance and luck and sadly for them, it simply doesn’t work that way and most often, it won’t work out the way they hope it will for their child.

 Because regardless of the ridiculous comments that people will tell you, you do need to prepare your child and you do need to prepare your child well for their 4+ assessments – especially if you are preparing for top, elite schools like Westminster, Habs, South Hampstead and NLCS.

 And sadly for you, your child will have competition. And their competition will have been prepared. Thoroughly. Most likely prepared by us!

 So if you are preparing for a 4+ assessment at top, elite schools, please do prepare them thoroughly for their 4+ assessments and see assessment prep as more than just preparing to pass an entrance exam. See it as your child developing a love for learning that will go far beyond any 4+ assessment.

 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+ (2027 entry) Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Children need high quality input to truly show what they are capable of.

No child is born naturally smart. There is no such thing. People will tell me that I’m wrong and that of course children are born smart.

Well, I disagree completely. And it that’s what they believe- cool.

 I believe that high quality input is needed in order for children to truly show what they are capable of.

 Without the quality input, how will children ever be able to truly show what they are capable of?

 So many of you just expect your children to be able to do this and to be able to do that without really putting in the work to support them to be able to do this and to be able to do that.

 Let me give you some examples.

 You expect your child to be able to read but do you put in the work for 1-2 hours a week to support them with this? (notice I am asking if you do the work, not our child’s nursery/pre-school).

Do you show your child the phonics sounds frequently to support them with learning them?

Do you show your child cvc words and practise reading the cvc words with them?

 You expect your child to be able to identify numbers 1-10 but do you show them the numbers every single day? Do you ask your child to identify different numbers frequently?

 You expect your child to be able to answer higher level questions but do you practise these questions frequently with your child? Do you model high quality answers to your child? Do you take the time to explain to them the types of answers that you are looking for?

 High quality input means providing high quality learning to support your child with being able to truly demonstrate what they are truly capable of.

 You need to put in the work first. Not the nursery/school you send them to. You and only you. Think of the input of the school and very tiny percentage compared to what your child will get from working 1:1 with you. That will help you to reframe how you think about ‘quality input’.

 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+ (2027 entry).

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

When should you remove a child from their nursery/pre-school?

When your intuition tells you to.

 As a mother or as a father, you will know intuitively when it is the time to remove your child from their nursery/pre-school.

 Let me tell you about my experience and the circumstances that led me to removing my son from his nursery.

My son has attended two nurseries in his life so far. He started at his first nursery when he was 9 months old. It was definitely not what I wanted but I decided that I needed some time to continue with my work so I enrolled my son into our local nursery and he went part time 3 days a week (15 hours a week). If I were to have another child, I wouldn’t send them to nursery until they would have the ability to speak.

This is something that is very important to me now after having experienced him going to nursery from such a young age (and with what I’ve seen going on in this country in nurseries).

Nothing ‘bad’ per se happened in his early years but I definitely never felt happy or comfortable leaving him there at such a young age. Between the ages of 2-3, my son continued at this nursery and he was still going on a part time bases. My son started talking very early on (way before the age of 2) and he was able to articulate well his day to me. The first red flag was when we started potty training.

He was really great at going to the toilet with us at home and we rarely had accidents. At nursery, he would have accidents daily and every single time that I collected him, he would have been changed. When I questioned the nursery about their systems for taking children to the toilet they would get very defensive with me and they would claim that they were doing ‘everything right’.

One evening my son told me that he had asked his teacher to go to the toilet and his teacher had asked him to wait. His teacher went over to deal with another child and left my son for a ‘long time’. I get it ok. I get it. I’ve worked in nurseries. It’s hard. But this was a big red flag to me.

The other main red flag was that when I would drop him off to nursery, he would often be very resistant to going in. He would often cry and said ‘no mama’. I didn’t notice the warmth and care that I wanted to see from his teachers. Often they would just tell him to ‘Come in!’ and ‘Stop it now!’.

That’s when I decided to move him.

 And it’s the best decision I’ve ever made for him when it comes to his nursery choice.

 He goes in happily and in fact will often ask me to go back to nursery- even on the weekends. He adores his teachers and I see the energy that each his teachers have. The amount of love and warmth they all show to their children is truly amazing. I adore them too.

We are so delighted with them that he will continue there next year too (will be his Reception year).

 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+ (2027 entry) Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.