Clients NOT suited to working with US.

Let’s save each other some heart ache and drama shall we.

As we are supporting more and more parents and students each and every year, I truly want to make sure that I am attracting the correct people into my world.

I speak from my heart. Everything that is written is written by me. I do not chat GPT or Claude a single thing in my beautiful business. I am passionate about what I do and so are my exceptional team of teachers.

I truly know that anyone who enters my world, will receive tremendous value. I know for a fact that I should be charging 3x what I currently charge for my programmes - at least! And most likely very soon, I will be changing my pricing completely!

Because you see, having the best possible education is the best gift we will ever give our children. In more ways than most likely you will ever truly know.

The best education will affect the trajectory of your child’s life.

Their happiness, their abundance, their mindset, their future wealth and their ability to simply have a choice! Ive just named a few.

So when clients come to me and say things like, ‘What do we need to do to get them into x school?’ 95% of the time these clients are not suited to working with us.

Because although ‘getting in’ is great and is the ultimate end goal of the clients who find us in the first place, for me it goes far deeper than that.

And those of you who know me well know this already.

For those of you who don’t, let me briefly explain.

A love for learning is what I’m after. A passion for learning. A hunger for learning. A desire for learning. This is what we instil into each and every one of our students every single day. It’s what I provide for my son every single day.

So if you ‘just want your child to get into a school’ but you’re not willing to put in the work needed, you are NOT suited to working with us.

There are many, many other companies for you.

Having one lesson, once a week is probably 10% of the work. 90% will come from what YOU do with your child at home during the time between the lessons. Obviously, we provide you with the learning which is bespoke and tailored to your child.

But what I can clearly see now that we support at least 100 children each year with their assessments, is that the clients who communicate with us daily, who send us their child’s learning, who ask for feedback, who ask for advice… Those are the clients who have the most success.

The clients who put in the work during the week (with our support of course), to support their children to have tremendous success not just in their assessments but in their learning will always be the ones who ultimately will have the most success.

Assessment Success is the Short Term Goal. Life long learning is the long term goal. And this is exactly why the majority of our clients stay with us throughout their children’s primary school education!

Preparing for an assessment? Book your FREE Assessment Consultation Discovery Call today and discover exactly how we can support your to support your child with their love for learning!

Why do so many boys fail their Habs' Boys' 4+ Assessment?

It’s important to mention, that their website still states that approx. 40 boys will be offered a place but last year more than this number were offered a place. So basically more than 40 places were available.

I won’t discuss the logistics of this as that’s not what I’m speaking about right now.

I also do not have all of the information regarding 2027 entry and the number of places that are available but it is my assumption that more than 40 places are available although they still specify 40 on the website at the point of me writing this.

Doesn’t for one second mean that you should ‘relax’ about this assessment! Absolutely not!

Many boys fail this 4+ assessment each year. Parents obviously don’t shout about this. Call it ego, call it devastation, call it what you will… It is not something that is openly discussed. In fact, I know of many parents that do not even share the fact that they are applying to Habs’ Boys’ School. They are aware that it will be very hard for their son to be offered a place and they wish to keep it quiet. I totally understand this.

Round one is a group assessment with some parts assessed as 1:1. It lasts approx. 90 minutes.

A lot is expected of your son in Round 1.

It is my firm belief based on my experience that they call back the vast majority of boys to Round 2. This is when many parents breathe out a sigh of relied. Do not do this! Great, your son has been offered Round 2! So what? You need to keep going! You have Round 2 to prep for.

You can breathe out a sigh of relief when your son is offered a place following Round 2! How about that?

Round 2 is a 1:1 assessment. A lot if expected of your son in Round 2 as well! Academically and behaviourally.

Parents will be spoken to also at the Round 2 stage. I encourage you to prepare for this! We prepare all of our clients for this part ;)

This school ‘strongly recommend against’ tutoring which is fascinating considering a very large amount of their cohort this year (and every single year for the last 20 years!) is made up of boys who were thoroughly prepared by us!

Boys fail this 4+ assessment because they are not academically and intellectually at the level needed to be when they attend this assessment. Boys fail this 4+ assessment because they are unable to demonstrate the behavioural traits that they need to demonstrate in their assessment.

Simply sending your son to nursery or pre-school full time is not 4+ assessment prep for this calibre of school.

Preparing for 2027 entry? Join our Intensive 3 Month Programme (closes August 31st).

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond? Join our Waiting List today. As soon as you book, our Company Director will be in touch within 24 hours to ask your for your preferred day/time for weekly tuition (online) and she will let you know your start date.

What is needed for my child to pass their 4+ assessments?

A lot is needed depending on the school/s you are targeting.

Obviously a lot more is needed for the likes of Westminster, Habs (boys and girls), NLCS and South Hampstead (among other schools).

I’m going to share something very important with you.

I don’t do well with the following:

Pressure.

Rushed and frantic learning.

Negativity when it comes to learning.

Pushing a child to learn when they don’t want to.

Because you see, we are working with very young children here. And everything that I do comes only from love and affection.

For years, I have been saying that 4+ assessment preparation takes one full year (4 terms) of assessment preparation. So if you’ve left it to the last minute, that’s on you and not on me. And also, please keep the above emotions as far away from me as possible.

Pressure doesn’t work when it comes to learning (at any age). Children (and adults) learn best when they feel calm and relaxed. When they see that those teaching them are calm and relaxed. Children (and most adults) don’t learn well with pressure. You cannot force learning down a child’s throat. It does not work that way. I’ve never once pressurised my son into learning. And I’ve never once done it with the hundreds of students we support each year.

Rushed and frantic learning is something that I do not want to see.

Learning is calm, relaxed and happy.

Never push a child to do what they don’t want to do. They have to want to do it. Careful - I’m not saying that we don’t encourage children to do things that they don’t want to do. Of course we do. But there’s a way to do it and there’s a way not to do it.

4+ assessment preparation needs 4 full terms of assessment preparation tailored towards your schools of choice.

That’s all I have left to say on the matter.

My Intensive 3 month programme will close on August 31st 2026.

Join my Waiting List for the best 4+ assessment preparation available on the market right now (for 2028 entry and beyond)/

Why is my child not at the reading level that he/she 'should' be at?

There are so many schools of thought when it comes to reading.

Many parents I speak to tell me that it is vital that their child learn to read before the age of 4.

Other parents tell me that they would prefer to wait until their child is older.

You can choose the school of thought you wish to choose.

For me, it’s obvious.

And the reason it is obvious is because in my nearly 20 years working in schools across the country (private and state), I have seen the deep impact on children who have been unable to read from an early age. It literally holds them back in so many ways.

From fluency, to comprehension, to vocabulary to simply being able to read a worded problem on a test, not being able to read from an early age is detrimental on so many levels.

It is also the biggest cause for frustration for many parents.

It is also a huge cause of frustration for many teachers!

You see - if a child is unable to read (insert whatever age they are currently), they will need so much more support than if they are able to read. Obvious no?

So let’s look at the question again…

Why is my child not at the reading level that he 'should' be at?

You won’t like my answer.

If your child is not reading at the level that he/she ‘should’ be at then it is because they have simply not practised enough. I promise you reading is not practised enough in schools. I do not care which school your child is at.

Practising reading (to me) means sitting down 1:1 with a child for at least 30 minutes each day. Practising reading (to me) means absorbing every single word they try to read and supporting them to read the words they can’t. Practising reading (to me) means discussing the meaning of more complex words and depending on the age of the child, writing the words in a glossary together with their meaning and coming back to them time and time again.

So if you want your child to be a proficient reader. To be an avid reader. To be a fluent reader. You’d better believe that YOU will need to put in the work. No one else. YOU.

Many of you ‘don’t have time for this’. That’s fine. We all decide what we make time for.

If you would like to see true acceleration in your child’s reading, book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Is your daughter really ready for her Haberdashers' Girls' 4+ assessment?

The question on the lips of those parents who are enquiring now (for 2027 entry) to find out about the preparation we provide to support our girls to be wildly successful at Habs’ Girls’ School. It’s a little late to be completely honest with you. But better to start now than never!

Each year, we typically send 5-8 girls to this school.

Girls who have been prepared by us.

Girls who have studied with us typically for 9-12 months are the ones who are most likely to have the best chances for success. The reason is obvious to me.

Is it obvious to you?

They’ve simply had more time to be immersed in the curriculum. They’ve simply had more time to practise the skills needed in order to be successful in this 4+ assessment.

Over 500 girls will apply each year for a precious place at Habs’ Girls’ School. With only 40 places on offer, how will you support your daughter to stand out from the crowd? How will you support your daughter to have that edge that she will need to have in order to be offered a place?

Do you even know how to answer those questions? If you do, great. If you don’t, we are here to support you every single step of the way.

Habs’ Girls’ really give nothing away on their Website about this 4+ assessment.

They tell parents ‘not to tutor’ their child which I find rather strange considering that so many girls currently at Habs Girls’ School were prepared by us! And I’m pretty confident many other girls who weren’t prepared by us were prepared by other teachers!

I’ve truthfully never, ever spoken to one single parent who didn’t tutor their daughter to support her to be successful in this assessment. And if you are one of these parents then you are the exception and not the rule and I wouldn’t go around shouting about it either. It is confusing to parents applying for this school.

They go on to say that ‘everything they have already learnt will be enough to show us their potential.’

Listen up! How can they show their truest potential if they have not covered the curriculum they need to have covered and be able to show the skills that they need to show?

That sentence doesn’t make sense to me.

Knowledge doesn’t just fall from a tree and land on your daughter’s head.

That’s not how learning works.

The only way your daughter will be really ready for the Habs’ Girls’ 4+ assessment will be if you have thoroughly prepared her. And no - sending her to nursery or pre-school is not 4+ assessment preparation.

Final chance to join my exceptional 3 month Programme.

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond? Join my Waiting List.

Nothing but NLCS 4+ Success.

So you are thinking of applying to North London Collegiate for your daughter’s 4+ Assessments?

One of the hardest schools for girls to get into - rightly so! It is a brilliant school. It is a highly sought after school. However, it is also a very misunderstood school when it comes to the 4+ process (like most 4+ schools!).

Even our most brightest, highly academically gifted girls have historically had to put in a lot of work to even be in with the slightest of chances when it comes to this school.

So let’s have a look at each round at this school and gain a better understanding about why it is so hard to pass for the 4+ Assessment at NLCS.

Many parents go into the Assessment at this school very naively. Parents will call me and say things like…

‘I’m new to this Private School Malarkey!’

‘My daughter is 2/3/4! This is seriously not a thing is it?’

‘I have no idea what it will be truly like!’

They don’t know how hard it is to pass the 4+ Assessments at this school. Nothing wrong with this. We are all new to something at some point or another!

This is what the school’s website tells us about Round 1:

Play activities testing school readiness which lasts about an hour.  Children are grouped by age and there are about 12-16 children per group. Activities usually include pre-school tasks such as colouring, cutting and sticking.

So what exactly is school readiness?

School readiness is exactly what the two words tell you. How ready your child is for school.

They will be Assessing at least 20 different things however and not just the basic three things that they have written above and looking to see if your daughter can do things such as:

Listen well

Follow instructions

Complete tasks with enthusiasm

Show excellent focus and concentration

These are just a few.

The Assessors will be observing the girls and simply choosing the girls who are able to demonstrate these traits. If your daughter is unable to show these, she will not pass the first round at NLCS. Simple as that.

So the first round is a group activity. Your daughter will be with a big group of girls (up to 16) and she will take part in a variety of different early years activities.

This is what the school’s website tells us about Round 2:

A smaller group are recalled for the second round, which includes a group activity followed by one to one puzzles and games with a member of our teaching staff.

We are looking for children with a curiosity for learning and the confidence to have a go at something they haven’t seen before. They need to be able to listen to and follow simple instructions as part of a group or one to one with an adult.

In the second round your daughter will be in a smaller group (5-6 girls) and the Assessment will then become 1:1. Don’t be surprised if there will be a group of Assessors in the room with the girls. If your daughter is not prepared for this, it could be overwhelming for her, so prepare them.

What does curiosity for learning mean?

So I think this is the most important part of the Round 2 Assessment at NLCS and perhaps where certain girls do not quite show what they need to show in order to pass the Assessment.

A curiosity for learning IS taught.

It IS practised.

It IS refined.

Encouraging your daughter to be curious. To ask more questions and to want to know more is 100% something that you will practise with your daughter if you want her to stand a chance in this 4+ assessment.

That's what we do in our lessons. And especially if our students are preparing for NLCS.

So if you are preparing for NLCS at 4+. Be prepared. It’s not easy to get into. But with the right preparation, you will definitely increase your chances for success.

Final chance to join our 3 Month Intensive Programme is you are preparing your daughter for 2027 entry.

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond? Join our Waiting List today.

My vast experience with the 4+ at St. Christopher's Hampstead and what you need to know.

Another 4+ school that parents seem to assume that their child will ‘just get into!’

Sorry if I burst your little bubble but each year many girls are unsuccessful to St Christopher’s Hampstead.

With only 35-40 places available why on earth would you have the thought that ‘all girls will pass this 4+ assessment!’ Hundreds and hundreds of girls will apply to this school. And yes St C will over offer based on the assumption that many girls will reject their offer but let’s be real, they wouldn’t be able to offer to all of the girls would they?

And if you are preparing for St C, most likely it is your back up choice and not your first choice. In that case, you should be preparing regardless as you would be preparing for the other 4+ schools that you are targeting.

Occasional places do become available at St C as girls can throughout the year apply for places at other schools. Some parents leave the country etc, etc.

At nearly 27k per year to send your daughter to this school, I suggest you invest in the preparation of your child.

I definitely wouldn’t send a child into this school completely unprepared.

St C has a strong sibling policy. They do have a little clause in their policy to allow for exceptions but for the most part, I’ve not heard of siblings not being offered a place at this school.

The majority of our clients will choose St Christopher’s School in Hampstead as their back up school. I’ve never had a client choose this school as their top school of choice. Last year, I had one student very briefly who was applying only to Highgate and was not successful. Her parents last minute applied to this school and she was successful. Would she have been had she not been prepared? Who will ever know!

If your daughter currently at St. Christopher’s, share your thoughts!

Brand new places have opened up to work with me from September 2026. Secure your spot today and give your child the highest possible chances for success in any assessment.

'Natural Ability' is truly NOT A THING at any age.

Is a child born with ‘natural ability’?

No, of course not.

Parents will often call me and tell me that their children will ‘naturally develop’ with time. That children will ‘naturally evolve and grow’ with age. Why are they calling me in the first place then? Leave them to it then?

Seems like their trying to ask for my reassurance. Well, I never give that to them.

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. 

I could go on but you get my point.

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. It has nothing to do with being ‘naturally able’. It has everything to do with being thoroughly prepared.

Many 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! Many of you want to believe that your child is just ‘naturally able’ without putting the real effort needed to support them to develop any sort of ability. Many of you want to believe that you can send your child to a ‘top’ nursery or ‘top’ pre- school and they will do all of the heavy lifting for you. Nursery is baby sitting. Do you hear me? They can claim what they want but they have far too many limitations.

You want your child to have ‘ability’ in anything? You’d better believe that you need to put in the work.

Ready to give your child the best possible chances for success in any assessment?

Book your Sample Lesson with me today. Brand new places have just opened up from September 2026. You can have your Sample Lesson over the Summer break and if you are delighted we can get started as soon as your day and time becomes available.

Inside the new and improved CMT Curriculum programme.

From September 2026 there will be some changes to how we run things here at CMT. 

Current clients will still remain as per their current Tutoring Agreements for now but the Term Time model will apply.

All clients can still give their one month notice/4 weeks to stop working with us should they decide to.

We will now run on a Term Time model.

A full year will be 9 months of tuition/curriculum support. So clients will complete The Emerald, The Sapphire and The Diamond Curriculums. To complete the full year of the Curriculum Programme and to include the final programme of the full year (The Amethyst Curriculum) clients will therefore need 1 year and 3 months (or 4 full CMT terms).

A full 4 terms is needed for the preparation of the 4+.

A full 8 terms is needed for the preparation of the 7+. In addition to the above, we will also complete months 13-24 - The Ruby, Tanzanite, Pearl and Peridot Curriculum programmes.

A full 12 terms is needed for the preparation of the 11+. In addition to the above, we will also complete months 13-24 - The Ruby, Tanzanite, Pearl and Peridot Curriculum programmes. As well as months 25- 36 - The Adamite, Dolomite, Jasper and Magnesite Curriculums.

Terms will begin at your teacher’s discretion. Your teacher will inform you of when their term time in September begins. Then in January and finally in April. 

Your teacher will send you the termly dates before the term begins. You will receive a term in advance notice of your lesson/Curriculum support dates. 

My goal is that 12 weeks of Curriculum Support will be completed each term. So 36 weeks of Curriculum Support will be completed by the end of the full academic year. 

We will take a break at half term. 

We will take a break for Christmas and Easter.

During the breaks there will be no Curriculum Support and your teacher will be fully offline unless you arrange things directly with her and if she is able to continue this will be at her discretion.

Clients must commit to the weekly lessons. If clients are unable to make lessons due to sickness/holidays/ other circumstances then this lesson will still be recorded as completed. On the occasion that lessons need to be cancelled, your teacher will provide you with a 10-15 minute pre-recorded video (just for you and for your child) in which she will teach 2-3 concepts that she has planned and prepared for the lesson and then provide home learning as we usually do following the lessons. You will also continue to have full ongoing support during the week. 

On the rare occasion that your teacher is unable to attend a planned lesson as per her long term plan, it will be up to her to ensure that this lesson is rescheduled at a time convenient to you and that this is marked as complete upon competition. This will be reflected in your long term plan.

This new and Improved CMT Curriculum Programme will now ensure continuity and that even more progress can be made. You see - when lessons are stopped and started and when there isn’t that full commitment, true progress cannot be made. Learning doesn’t start and stop. Learning is ongoing. Learning is continuous.

This won’t be for everyone. It will be for the truly committed. It will be for the truly invested in their children’s education and learning.

And those are the exact clients I wish to attract into this beautiful business of mine.

Curious to find out more?

Book your FREE Assessment Consultation Discovery Call today and see how we can support you to support your child to have the success they deserve to have in any assessment.

Is your son really ready for Falkner House boys' 4+ Assessment?

The school you can apply to from birth if you want to!

They are still accepting applications however for the 4+ so if you didn’t sign up at birth and this is your dream school for your son - you still have some time to apply!

If you really want Falkner House Boys, you will do everything you can to ensure that your son is already at their Nursery (Falkner House Nursery). Not because if he goes to the Nursery he will be guaranteed a place but because he will definitely have a higher chance for success than if he doesn’t attend this Nursery. Just to make it clear - Many boys from the Nursery who apply for their place to study at Reception are obviously unsuccessful. They can’t accept everyone (the nursery has up to 48 children at any one time).

It is a 90 minute assessment so your son really does need to have the stamina to last for 90 minutes! To do all of the activities provided by the school to a very high level. To answer all of the questions to a very high level and to demonstrate just how ‘easy’ he would be to teach.

This is exactly what Falkner House is after.

Falkner House keep their assessment pretty hush hush and when my clients attend their Open Day (and it is also written on their website), they say that they don’t assess ‘formal skills’ such as Reading, Writing, Phonics and Arithmetic. Don’t let this confuse you and derail your assessment preparation. All of the boys who we prepare for their 4+ assessment at Falkner House go in being able to read and write to a very high standard. All of the boys who we have historically prepared for this 4+ assessment have gone in after having covered a broad an vast mathematical curriculum.

You will need to thoroughly prepare your son regardless of what they write. You need to ensure that your son can go in and communicate to a very high level. This is done through months and months and months of practise. Each year, on average we prepare 3 or 4 boys for this school.

This is a very family oriented school and if you have a sibling there, your chances for success will be higher but not guaranteed. Many siblings who have attended this 4+ assessment have not been offered a place.

We can support you to truly understand what you need to do to give your son the best possible chances for success in this 4+ assessment.

Is Falkner House your dream school for your son?

Join our Waiting List today (2028 entry and beyond)

Book your Sample Lesson Today (2027 entry).

What should we be focusing on to support our child to be offered a place? (4+)

Another question that I receive daily from parents who are preparing their children for their 4+ assessment.

Parents rarely like my answer to their question.

Parents who ask this question are looking for one answer but I have hundreds of answers for them and typically most parents would find 100 answers overwhelming.

I would too.

Here is my answer that parents do not like one bit.

There is not one thing that you should be ‘focusing on’. What you should have been focussing on over the last 10-15 months was covering a broad and vast curriculum which covers all 7 areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage in depth.

You see it’s kind of like asking me, ‘What should I be focusing on if I want to lose weight?’

There isn’t just ONE THING that you should be focusing on if you want to lose weight. If you truly want to lose weight (and keep it off), you will be focusing on hundreds of things over the course of 2-3 years that will support you to lose the weight (and keep it off!). You do not just focus on one thing briefly and cross your fingers hoping that you will lose the weight that you hope to lose.

It’s kind of like you asking me, ‘What should I be focusing on if I want to get wealthy?’

There isn’t just ONE THING. You get my point.

As a company, when we support and prepare children to have tremendous success in their 4+ assessments it really isn’t our end goal. If they get in - that’s great. That is the cherry on top. Our end goal is always supporting children to become lovers of learning. Supporting children who have a passion for learning. Supporting children who are hungry to learn. Supporting children who ask for more and more and more. That is our end goal.

So if you have 4+ assessments coming up in the next 3-6 months, focus your energy on supporting your child to be strong and confident in all 7 areas of the early years curriculum and then depending on your choices go deeper. Support them to be at mastery level of even more complex curriculum. And if you don’t know, work only with teachers who do know. And who can support you every step of the way.

Our Emerald Curriculum 3 Month Intensive Programme is for you if you are ready to take Massive Action and have less than 3 months left to prepare.

If you have plenty of time, join our Waiting List. Current available timings are listed for you. I will personally be in touch with you to confirm your start date as soon as received.

The Alleyn's Dulwich 4+ Assessment. Is your child really ready?

Registration opens on Monday 1st September and Registration closes Friday 13th November 2026 (for 2027 entry).

36 new children will be welcomed into the Reception classrooms at Alleyn’s Dulwich.

The Assessments for Alleyn’s Dulwich will be in January 2027 (7th-9th January 2027).

One of the most secretive schools in terms of the 4+ Assessments.

I dare you to ask a mother or a father who has sent their child for a 4+ assessment at this school and I guarantee you that they will either be extremely vague or they will simply change the subject.

One of the hardest schools to pass at 4+, it is also one of the least prepared for by our clients here at CMT. As in this is a school that parents typically start preparing for 3 months before the assessment. I know for a fact that this is not enough time to prepare for a 4+ at a school like Alleyn’s Dulwich.

Dulwich parents are drawn to this school for their children because of the simple fact that once in, they will progress (unless in exceptional circumstances) to the Senior School and therefore avoid having to do the 11+.

There are rumours that they have a sibling policy but I know of many, many siblings who have not passed so I wouldn’t even consider this to be honest.

A highly academic 4+ assessment, your child will need to cover a broad and vast curriculum in all areas of the Early Years Curriculum. Spatial reasoning and logic are important features of this 4+ assessment and your child will need to be prepared thoroughly and well and have been exposed to many different elements of spatial reasoning during their 4+ assessment preparation in order to go in and have a clue what to do! Numeracy and phonics will need to be at a very high level. Language development and language skills will be vital to your child’s chances of success at Alleyn’s Dulwich.

If you are preparing for Alleyn’s Dulwich for 2027 entry, it is my hope that you have been preparing for a while now. If you haven’t, this is your last chance to enrol into our exceptional Intensive 4+ Emerald Curriculum 3 month Programme. Join today.

My raw, honest thoughts about the Westminster 4+ Assessment.

4/32 of the students who were offered a place at Westminster to start their Reception year were prepared by us! Simply amazing!

Westminster Under School claim that they are looking for children who can ‘demonstrate potential’. They claim that they are looking for children who have a ‘natural ability’.

I don’t believe that ‘potential’ is something that any of us naturally have. I believe that potential is something that is nurtured and something that is fully supported.

I do not believe that any child is born with ‘natural ability’ and how absolutely absurd to even think such a thing.

A child develops ‘ability’ through hard work, effort, consistency and dedication.

Do you really think that the 4 children who we prepared and who were offered a place at Westminster came to us with ‘natural ability’? Obviously they were very able. That is obvious. But ‘natural ability’ is actually not a thing. What went on behind the scenes to prepare them to be ready to be offered a place at a school like Westminster is something only we will know about.

They write that ‘pupils joining at 4+ will usually progress to 7+…

I do not like the wording of that sentence at all. And if I was a mother sending my child to Westminster in 2026, I would be making sure that my child continues to be at the level they need to be if I would want him to be in with a chance of continuing at the school at 7+. I definitely wouldn’t be leaving it solely to the school to do that.

Clearly if they are writing this, there will be some children who devastatingly will not make the cut. Children who will be told to leave at 7+?

How heart breaking.

Personally, I know I wouldn’t want to be in that position. What would I tell my son? How would he feel? Oh my goodness!

Listen carefully. If you are preparing for the 4+ at Westminster you’d better be lazer sharp aware that this will not be ‘easy’. You’d better know that your child will need to cover a broad and vast curriculum before setting foot into this school (nursery or pre-school will not even scratch the surface). And never leave it purely up to a Nursery or a Prep-School to prepare your child. It will only lead to disappointment.

Preparing for the 4+ at Westminster? You still have time to join our 3 month Intensive Programme.

Starting 4+ prep at 18 months of age V starting at 3 years of age.

I was speaking to a friend yesterday. She also supports children with their 4+ assessments. She said something to me that really made me stop and think. She said something along the lines that we can sometimes take out knowledge for granted and assume that parents simply know.

I thought about her comment all night long!

She is right. There are many times that I think certain things and then I will think that my clients already know what I’m thinking about. Why would they?

They are not experts in 4+ assessment preparation. If I don’t tell them, how will they ever know?

This is why I pay a huge amount of money to have an accountant. I am not an expert in tax planning, book keeping and financial reporting. This is why I pay a huge amount of money to have a financial advisor. I am not an expert in retirement planning, investment management and insurance and protection. I could go on…

So from now on I am going to speak more about what is on my mind and not just assume that my clients and my potential new clients know what I’m thinking!

So here is is for you. The main difference I notice between starting 4+ prep at 18 months of age V starting at 3 years of age.

And it may surprise you.

It has nothing to do with being more prepared.

It has everything to do with my students having a deep love for learning when they start from as early as 18 months.

You see so many of you are of the belief that your child is ‘too young’ and that your child ‘will just get it later’! And I’m sorry to shatter your illusions but this is simply not true.

The early years are a fundamental age for our children. They are truly the years where we can accelerate their learning.

The children who have now been with me for 12-18 months and who are preparing for their 4+ for 2027 entry are hungry to learn, they soak it all up. They are excited for me to come onto the screen to greet them. They are delighted to tell me about their day and to answer all of my questions and at the end of my lessons, they ask me to stay. They are sad for me to leave them.

That’s the difference.

And I don’t say this to make anyone feel bad at all. We all have different life situations and we can’t always control when we start to do something. However, if I can help future clients to understand the importance of starting early then I have achieved something spectacular.

I will be talking about it a lot more.

Preparing for the 4+ for 2028 entry and beyond? Join our Waiting List today.

This one comment BREAKS MY HEART when it comes to assessment preparation.

I’ve personally been supporting children with their assessment preparations for over 2 decades. The level of success that we’ve had in these last 20+ years truly blows my mind. The level of support that we provide our clients and students is truly out of this world. Through our deep experience of all top inner and outer schools we are able to honestly advise all of our clients about the schools that they are applying to and about the level of learning that their children need to be doing in order to be in with a chance to go in and perform at the level expected by each individual school.

We are true experts when it comes to assessment preparation. I don’t say this to boast at all. I say this because it is the truth. And parents who have the privilege of working with either myself or one of my Assessment Specialist Teachers will tell you the same.

When it comes to assessment preparation, there are different mindsets that the clients who I attract into this business have. The main mindset (and the one that suits working with someone like me) is that my clients are totally all in. They are ready to give it their all. They want the best of the best for their child and they have firmly decided that the best school is exactly what they want. The best education is exactly what they want. When they speak to either myself or to my Executive Consultant, they are totally determined and energised. They are truly ready to put in the work required to support their children.

But this one comment truly breaks my heart. It sounds so innocent. Perhaps even sweet. To me it is just a wishy washy statement and one that a parent must never say out loud in front of their child.

Here it is for you…

‘I doubt he/she will get in anyway.’

I have a lot to say about this comment but I will just say one thing. With that attitude and mindset, don’t even bother. Just send your child to a non-selective pre-prep then. There are many out there for you.

And one final note. We are definitely not the Company for you if you think like that.

We are looking to work only with parents who are willing to put in the work. Because you see, it’s not just up to your teacher. It is up to you. It is up to your child. It is a three way partnership.

If you would like our expert support and if you would like to give your child the best chances for success, join our Waiting List today.

You can also book your Assessment Consultation Discovery Call and speak to an expert and have all of your questions answered.

The biggest SHOCK parents can face after having invested 30+k per year on their child’s primary education.

If you make the choice to invest in a private school education for your child, you are looking to invest anywhere around 20 - 30+ k per year. Let me use the average figure that most of our clients spend annually on their child’s education for ease.

30k x 7 years of primary education from Reception to Year 6 = 210k (not taking into account fee increases most years).

That’s if you have 1 child. If you have 2-3 children, you know what to do!

You will all have different thoughts about that 210 k. I know my thoughts and your know yours!

What I do want to discuss is something that I’ve been hearing a lot about. It’s something that I hear about every single year and it is something that I’ve never really discussed openly until now. It is also genuinely something that parents do not openly discuss. I highly doubt that this would be dinner party discussion!

I think perhaps because we all have a lot of ego. And I think perhaps because we all obviously want the best of the best for our children. And I also think because some of us feel like failures if things don’t go exactly according to plan. Whatever the reason is, parents don’t discuss this openly.

I am going to now. And the reason for that is that I think it is something very important to understand.

Hundreds of parents each and every year make the choice to send their children to very expensive prep schools. Schools like Falkner House, Glendower and Ken Prep to name a few for you. Now, let me be very clear with you. The clients who work with us are clients who continue to teach their children at home themselves with our support regardless of the fact that their child or children have got into these schools. Learning at home does not stop just because their children have got into these schools.

The biggest shock that I’m hearing about is this.

Parents telling me that even though their child went to one of these schools that they were not offered a place at their school of choice. Perhaps they were keen to send their child to St Pauls. Perhaps Kings College. Perhaps Latymer. Perhaps Westminster. Perhaps Tiffin.

Parents telling me that around a year before the 11+ these schools simply told them that their child wouldn’t be ‘ready’ to sit that type of assessment and to perhaps choose another school.

Parents telling of their anger and fury at the fact that they were not told sooner.

It is a huge shock for them.

Because you see, for many of us where our children go to Secondary School is very important.

I take this very seriously.

To work with us, you will be looking to invest a fraction of what you are investing to send your child to a school like the ones I listed above. But your will have our full support and expert guidance. We support and prepare many, many boys and girls who go to top elite schools like Westminster, Glendower, Falkner House and Ken Prep to name a few. They continue with us all the way to Year 6 and sometimes even into their Secondary School education.

Not because they are behind but because our clients want their children to be more than ready for their 11+ assessments and they would never only rely on a school to do that for them.

Why on earth would a school care more than you do about the success of your child.

They will not.

Join our Waiting List today and secure your place with one of our amazing and beyond experienced teachers. If you truly want the best of the best school for your child, you will prepare them and not just rely on a school to do all of the heavy lifting for you. That is all.

3 Ways To Support Your Child To Expand Their Vocabulary from age 0-3.

0-3 is the most important time for Vocab Boosting. Yet it is the most overlooked.

Parents often say to me that their child is ‘too young’ or that their child is ‘not ready’ or that they will wait until ‘their child is older!’

I believe none of it.

When I tell parents who call me to find out about what we offer here at CMT that we support children from as early as they age of 18 months, they are often shocked. Some simply do not believe me. Others feel comparison stress. They feel bad that they ‘didn’t start’ earlier. They worry that their child won’t be as prepared as others who started earlier than them.

These are all legitimate concerns. But listen to me. There is nothing you can do to turn back time but what you can do is get started now!

Many of our youngest students are bilingual or even trilingual (my own son will be trilingual). So you cannot use this one as an excuse either!

We support children with diagnosed special needs.

We support children who develop their speech further down the line.

Of course, what I am speaking about does not apply to children with very specific learning difficulties that would delay their speech or delay their development of their vocabulary. So if you have a child with specific learning difficulties that could prevent them from having a broad and vast vocabulary by the age and 3, of course what I’m writing will not apply to your child.

And if you do have a child with specific learning needs, we are here to support you too. All of us who teach here at CMT have a total teaching experience of over 60 years! We all have extensive SEN training and in fact one of us is a qualified SENCO, two of my teachers are ex- head teachers and we are all highly qualified to support children with their learning acceleration and to make incredible progress.

My son has the vocabulary of a 6 year old. He is 4 years old tomorrow! And I am the reason for his broad and vast vocabulary.

Perhaps that sounds arrogant to you. I do not intend it to sound that way. The reason his vocabulary is so broad and vast is down to the sheer quantity of work that I did with him in those precious early years to intentionally and purposely support him with his vocabulary.

From 0-3 is a crucial time for vocabulary boosting and expansion. I am a firm believe that a child with a broad and vast vocabulary will outperform in so many ways their peers who do not have a broad and vast vocabulary. And although I never compare children, the world we live in is a competition. And it’s not a fair one either! So giving out children this edge is crucial.

3 Ways To Support Your Child To Expand Their Vocabulary from age 0-3.

1. Obsess with books

10 books a day from birth!

2. Question everything

From as early as birth, I questioned my son about everything. 

Obviously he wouldn’t reply! But by the time he could speak (which was very early on), he understood my questions so well. That’s because I had asked him these questions tens of thousands of times by this point.

3. 3.5 hours a week.

Spend 3.5 hours a week on your child’s learning. This is my minimum expectation when my own clients ask me how long they should spend each week learning with their children.

Boosting Vocabulary takes time. Boosting Vocabulary takes effort. Boosting Vocabulary takes perseverance. Boosting Vocabulary takes repetition. Boosting Vocabulary takes being organised. Boosting Vocabulary takes commitment. 

If you are truly committed, watch your child’s vocabulary explode!

Join us in my exceptional programme and support your child to have the success that they deserve to have in all areas of their learning.

Are your 4+ Confused or 4+ Committed?

I have been very busy these last few days making some very important changes to my business. I will be revealing all of these changes in the next few days and how they will benefit you as my client in so many ways that you most likely can’t even imagine right now.

The reason for these changes comes down to one thing and one thing only.

I want to attract clients who are 4+ committed.

I do not wish to attract clients who are 4+ confused.

There are many agencies and teachers out there for you if you are confused. There are many agencies and teachers who can work with your child one or two times and then you can disappear!

That’s not what I’m looking for.

Sorry but I work far too hard every day to have the patience to deal with those types of clients. I did it for years and years and now I choose not to do that anymore.

In this incredible business, I have the absolute privilege to work with the most amazing clients. They are my dream clients. The clients who truly understand my vision. Who truly understand my passion and enthusiasm for what I do. Who truly understand my deep dedication to each and every one of my students. Those are the clients I wish to attract into this amazing business.

Unfortunately, if you are confused, you will never be committed to this process. And ultimately it comes down to this. The confused will never, ever have the results that the committed will have, Just like anything else in life don’t you think?

And as the Company Director of this business, I am after results. I’m not after failures. Sorry but failures will never lead to the success that I wish to have as a business. And yes, children will fail their assessments. But in my vast experience, the children who are prepared properly and well will have a far higher chance for success than those who are not.

I want parents telling their friends about me and how I helped their children to get into top, elite schools like NLCS, Habs, St. Paul’s and Westminster. I want parents who are delighted with the service that we provide for them. I want parents who know that what we do works. I want parents who see their children build a love for learning that goes far beyond any 4+ assessment.

So are you 4+ Confused or 4+ Committed?

The 4+ needs 4 academic terms of assessment preparation. So once you are clear and have chosen your path, make a commitment and go all in.

No more of these wishy washy phone calls please. ‘Oh my husband is not sure!’, ‘Oh I don’t even know if he/she will be bright!’ , ‘Oh, I I just don’t know!’.

We are not the agency for you if you think in this way. Sorry. There are many other people far better suited to working with you.

If you are committed and ready to have incredible success, join our Waiting List today.

My child’s school is a ‘feeder school’ - This thought will block your assessment preparations.

I speak to many parents each week who contact either myself or my Executive Consultant, Emily to discuss assessment preparation. Each week, we speak to 10-15 parents preparing their children for their 4+, 7+, 11+ and anything in between.

I’ve had a many conversations with parents who have told me that their child goes to a ‘feeder school’ and that they’re not concerned about their child being offered a place. Why on earth they’re calling us in the first place is beyond me if this is what they truly think. 

Clearly they have a little doubt in their minds. 

Look, I get it. You want to believe everything this ‘feeder school’ is telling you. But I would honestly be very sceptical of everything that you are told. Sorry but maybe this is just me but do you know what I would be thinking?

I would be thinking this (I would be asking this question too just in case anyone is brave enough to ask!) 

I would be thinking that out of the 20-24 children in my son’s class, will all of them pass their assessment? 

Obviously the answer is no. 

How could that ever be possible? 

There are not enough places to have all of the children pass.The schools you will be applying to will choose the best of the best. It’s as simple as that.  

So obviously some will pass and some will not. 

Do you know who will pass? 

The ones who are thoroughly prepared. 

That is actually all I have to say on this matter. 

We are currently preparing many, many children from these ‘feeder schools’ and guess what? 

Our clients are not going to rely on a school to prepare their children. (I really do not care how good you think these schools are).  

Our clients will take full ownership themselves. 

That is a far more powerful position to be in do you not think? 

I mean what an awful position to be in to just rely on a school to support your child to be offered a place at your desired school and then not be offered a place? 

Oh and by the way, that does happen year after year after year. People just don’t speak about it publicly.

Preparing for an assessment? Now is the best time to join our Waiting List and secure your day/time for for weekly tuition to support your chid to have the highest possible chances for success in any assessment. Our teachers are the best of the best and cumulatively have over 60 years of experience!

5 TRUTHS 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 school writes that they are looking for ‘potential and readiness’ rather than formal knowledge. Actually they are looking for all three and they all go hand in hand with each other. How can your daughter show her true potential and readiness without having formal knowledge (which essentially just means knowledge of the curriculum that they will be assessing!)?

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!’

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! And if you think like that, you are really undermining your daughter’s potential. I personally would never refer to my son as ‘only 3!’.

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!

‘Just go in and play darling - have fun!’

That is not what we tell our students - just as a side note.

4. Our girls preparing for this school will be taught numeracy and literacy skills to a very high academic level.

So many of you want to prove me wrong on this - and in nearly 2 decades of doing this 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!

And I know what the school write on their website before you try to prove your point.

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.

Final places remaining to work with the best teachers in the UK to prepare your daughter to go in and truly shine in this 4+ assessment and demonstrate the skills that this school actually want to see.