'Traditional Tutoring' BS.

I keep seeing these posts about ‘traditional tutoring’ and I genuinely have no idea what these people are referring to.

What on earth is ‘traditional tutoring’?

Because whatever it is, it is being ripped to shreds.

And I’m sick and tired of what I do being ripped to shreds and people not having the same respect for myself and my team as they do for the teachers at their kids’ schools (or perhaps they behave in the exact same way?)

What does tutoring mean to you?

I’m here to tell you what it means to me, what it means to my clients and what it means to my students.

To me.

Tutoring means teaching and learning on a 1:1 basis. Tutoring means having the full support of one teacher. Tutoring means learning. Tutoring means growing. Tutoring means having a cheerleader on your side always. Tutoring means supporting my students to have the best learning experience possible. Tutoring means being above age related expectations.

To my clients.

Tutoring means having the full support of one private teacher who knows their child’s abilities like the back of their hands. Tutoring means seeing their child make exceptional progress. Tutoring means seeing their child develop a love for learning that will last them a lifetime. Tutoring means supporting their children to stay above age related expectations. Tutoring means challenging their children. Tutoring means knowing that they have the best teacher possible on their side, to support them, to guide them and to be there for them every single step of the way.

To my students.

Tutoring means never worrying about being wrong. Tutoring means knowing that failing is good. Tutoring means having a personal and private teacher to talk to and open up to every single week. Tutoring means having someone who truly cares for them and their wellbeing. Tutoring means having access to tailored and bespoke resources just for them. Tutoring means loving what they are learning.

So, if you hear people ripping tutoring to shreds, ask them why?

I really do not think they’ve understood what tutoring truly means.

Not the type we provide our clients with here at CMT anyway.

What do you want for your child’s future?

I don’t think this question is asked enough and I have no idea why.

It is a very important question.

Many of you worry so much about which schools you want your child to go to. Which is great. But what do you truly want for your child’s future?

This will be different for everyone. Your opinion and your belief is the only one that matters. No one else’s. Not mine. Not anyones. You’d better believe that people will give you their opinions (even if you don’t ask them for it!)

They should worry about their own children and not ours.

So, what do you want for your child’s future?

When I think about this question for my own son, I stop and reflect on my own childhood. I stop and reflect on my own learning experience. I stop and reflect on how I feel about the education I received growing up. I stop and reflect on how difficult my life was after I graduated. I stop and reflect on how hard I had to work to make very little money for years and years (in my opinion).  I stop and think. For 15 years I went to school. For 4 years I went to University. For 1 year I studied for my PGCE. That’s a lot of years. Was it worth it? In my opinion, it was not.

Does that mean I’m against school and I’m against education?

Absolutely not. That’s why I do what I do. But I do believe that what is right for one child will not necessarily be right for another child. I also believe that as children, we do not have the capacity and true understanding to appreciate what is happening to us. We are put in school. We accept it. We follow that routine for years and years and years. We accept it. I remember always thinking, ‘I’m sure this will all be worth it.’ And it never was.

That’s my opinion. Would my life have been different if I had gone to a St. Paul’s or to a Henrietta Barnet? Of course it would have been. Would I still have had difficulties? Of course I would have. But the best education opens the best doors. Ultimately, I’ve created my own doors, and I am very happy where I am now. I am the Director of an incredible business, and I support hundreds of children (including my own) every single year with their learning, and I support them to have the best possible education.

So what do I want for my son?

I want more doors to be opened for him than were opened for me.

I want him to be highly intelligent.

I want him to be able to stand up for himself in a calm, kind and confident manner.

I want him to be financially free to be able to decide for himself when he wants to work and when he does not.

I want him to be able to support his family – financially, emotionally and spiritually.

I want him to be caring, healthy and strong.

I want him to be free to travel the world and not have to worry about money.

I do want him to work hard but I also want him to fully experience life.

I know my mother did the best for me with her circumstances and I am so grateful for all that she was able to provide for me. She truly is an exceptionally strong woman.

 I will also do my best to provide my son with the best education and the best learning experience so that he can have options in the future. I know how amazing and talented he is. It is down to myself and his father to ensure that we do everything in our power to support him to be the best that he can be.

‘Your child’s place at Westminster will not be guaranteed’

This is what several of my clients were told last week when they went to the Westminster Open Day this year.

I’m glad they made it clear this year.

‘Your child’s place at Westminster will not be guaranteed’

This is the exact sentence that my clients were told last week.

This sentence has been met with very mixed emotions.

Some parents are angry.

Some parents are confused.

Some parents are understanding.

The angry parents that I spoke with last week are the ones who cannot wrap their heads around the fact that if their child does get in at 4+ or 7+ that they may be asked to leave at 11+ ( or even before this)

The confused parents that I spoke with last week are the ones who don’t understand how Westminster would be able to ask children to leave who are already studying at the school. Well, they can. And they do. Every single year.

The understanding parents that I spoke to last week are the ones who said things to me like, ‘Well, it will be down to us to ensure that our child will not be in the bottom 20% and it is down to us to ensure that they will not be asked to leave!’

Which of these three is the most empowering? Which types of parents do you think are the ones who work with us?

I know it’s the last one.

Those parents are laser sharp aware that yes, it’s great to have a Westminster education but they are also laser sharp aware that if some children will be asked to leave it is because they have not made the progress that was expected. This can 100% be worked on at home.

With my incredible curriculum programme, my teachers ensure that our students are working at least 2 years above their current age. This gives our students a huge edge over the others.

The clients who think in the way that is empowering will not have their children be asked to leave? Do you know why?

Because the school will be begging those children to stay!

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond? Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

'Heavily tutoring' is not for everyone!

Oh sorry- do you mean ‘heavily supporting’ children to succeed?

Oh sorry - do you mean providing children with the most incredible learning opportunities bespoke and tailored to them.

I am beyond sick and tired of parents disrespecting teachers.

I have deep respect and admiration for any human being who gives my child attention and who supports him to learn something. I will show that human being nothing but gratitude and thanks. I will welcome them into my family with open arms. They will become one of the most important people in my life. Because my son is the most important person in my life.

I would never, ever be rude or obnoxious towards them. But this happens every single day. It’s just not spoken about. Well, I will speak freely about it.

Because the sentence above is pure shaming. Pure shaming of all parents who enlist the help of a teacher. Pure shaming of parents who choose to invest their money into their children’s education. Pure shaming of parents who choose to take full responsibility of their children’s learning.

And I’m not having it anymore. I tolerated it for years and years and years. I refuse to now.

I do not shame parents who choose not to teach their children outside of school. I do not shame parents who choose to put the responsibility on their child’s school. I don’t do that. Each to their own. But there is far too much shaming going on. And it will not stop. Be aware of that. Expect it. I expect it every single day.

Shaming of the fact that parents have a private tutor (which FYI simply means a private teacher) for their child. Oh how I wish I had had a private teacher when I was growing up! I needed her so badly! But I did not.

Shaming of the fact that parents are sending their 3 or 4 year old to a 4+ assessment.

Shaming , shaming and more shaming.

And it is just sad.

Tutor your child if you want to.

Don’t tutor your child if you don’t want to.

But just be quiet if you have nothing kind to say. We are all just parents doing the best we can with our children.

And if people to try to shame you, say your piece and then say no more. You will never convince someone that they are right! It’s how we are deeply conditioned and it’s probably down to some deep-rooted trauma most likely experienced at school.

 Preparing for a 4+ assessment? Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week with the best teachers in the UK today.

‘I struggle to let them be subjected to any assessment that pitches them against one another.’

Then you will really struggle with the UK school system my dear.

Because the moment your child sets foot in a school, any school, they will be ‘subjected to rigorous assessment.’

That’s basically what teachers have to do every single day (among the other 100 things that they have to think about and do every single day).

Assess children.

‘Pitch them against each other.’

Sad but true. You don’t like it? Well, that’s just the way it is. If you really don’t like it, don’t place your child into the school system!

As a teacher, you are there to assess the children.

As a teacher, you are set targets for each child after they have completed their baseline assessments, and these targets need to be met otherwise as a teacher you risk losing your job. That is the sad reality of it. So much pressure on the teacher!

So, you can say sentences like the one above when you are referring to the assessment process but ultimately the minute your child sets foot into a UK classroom it becomes a competition.

A competition about who is the best at maths.

A competition about who knows their phonics and their spellings.

A competition about who knows how to read.

A competition about who can communicate better and whose vocabulary is the strongest.

And your child will immediately be streamed. Whether they tell you or not, your child will be placed with other groups of children who perform in a similar way to them. Your child will be taught differently based on their level and ability (we call it differentiation).

Your child will receive differentiated tasks based on their abilities. This is the nature of schools. How else would your child be taught with 15-29+ other children?

So if you know that and you are aware of that, you will be less likely to care so much when it comes to assessments. And try not to let that put you off applying to the best schools for your child.

Go into it knowing that it WILL be a competition and the best of the best WILL make it through. And if that’s not your child in that moment and time, nothing has gone wrong. Put in your all to support your child. Drown out all the ridiculous and toxic noise and go all in to take massive action to prepare your child to be able to go in and show the best of their abilities.

I experience rejection every month when it comes to my son. He is a model for a top agency and most weeks, he is not cast for jobs. There’s nothing wrong with my son. I know that he is amazing and so, so beautiful. But I carry on. Of course, I take it personally – every single time! But that’s okay. It’s the competitive nature of the world we live in! We carry on!

As parents, we will do the best we can for our children. And what is the best for you may not be the best for someone else and that’s ok. We are not here to people please anyone else. So many of you wanting validation from others? You will never get it.

Validation is fleeting. Someone will love you and then forget about you. Or they’ll love you and then stab you in the back! That’s life!

We are here to support our children to have the best possible opportunities for them. To give them the best possible childhoods for them. Stay in your lane. Do the best for your child. Whatever that means for you. And if someone has something to say about your child and the way you choose to raise them, look them square in the eyes, smile, nod (roll your eyes if you like!) and walk away.

Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today (2028 and beyond only).

"I don’t need to prepare my child for a 4+ assessment!"

Parents say this to me with such certainty (then why are they calling me in the first place?) They can’t be so sure of themselves can they?

Are you so sure about that?

Let’s really look at that sentence logically.

If you choose to not prepare your child yourself for a 4+ assessment, it is because you are most likely assuming that your child’s nursery or pre-school will do it for them. Or it’s because the school/s have told you not to tutor (which just means teach them) and because you trust them so implicitly you listen to them. After all, none of the other parents will be preparing their children if the school/s have told them not to. You’re beyond wrong there.

By choosing not to prepare your child for their 4+ assessment, you are also choosing the following:

You are choosing to not teach your child to able to read.

You are choosing to not teach your child number recognition (1-20) and basic maths skills that will drive their mathematical knowledge and understanding in later years.

You are choosing to not support your child with their ability to answer questions to the level and quality that they will be looking for.

You are choosing to not support your child to develop and expand their vocabulary.

I could go on and on and on and on.

So, if you make the choice to not support your child with their 4+ assessment success, own it. And be delighted with your choice.  I am delighted when I help and support my son to achieve his dreams and I would never, ever leave that to someone else! Some call it Tutoring (and that is in the name of my business) but tutoring means teaching. Tutoring means supporting. Tutoring means guidance. Tutoring is not the bad one here. What we do has been given a bad reputation and I’m sorry if you’d had a terrible experience but you will definitely not have that here as long as you are willing to put in the work yourselves alongside the hard work, effort and dedication of your teacher.

 Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

What is a school like Westminster looking for in the 4+ assessment?

500 applicants.

32 places.

100 shortlisted after round 1.

32/100 will be offered a place. Around 20-30 will be Waitlisted.

We prepared 4 children who were offered a place at Westminster last year (2026 entry).

We know exactly what they are looking for.

We know the children who passed.

We know the children who didn’t pass.

We know the attributes of the children who passed and we are able to share this expertise with our clients so that they fully understand the expectations at Westminster.

You see – we all think our children our amazing. All of us do!

You, however, (most likely) have no one to compare your child to.

I do.

I never compare children. But I can compare the children who passed and those who did not. And I can fully support my clients to understand the exact reasons why children were unsuccessful and support them to not make the same mistakes.

The children who we prepared last year who were offered a place to study at Westminster from September 2026 were able to go in and demonstrate the following (and these are just a few for you) …

The ability to communicate amazingly.

A broad and vast vocabulary.

They had a strong understanding of phonics.

They were able to write most letters of the alphabet.

They covered a broad and vast mathematical curriculum.

They were inquisitive.

They were very curious.

They had strong knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

They were artistic.

They had very strong fine motor skills.

They would have been able to follow instructions perfectly.

They would have been able to demonstrate resilience, perseverance and dedication.

They went in calmly.

We support all of our students to be able to go into any 4+ assessment and show exactly what the assessors are looking for. Far more importantly than this, we are able to provide our students with an exceptional curriculum and support them to achieve their fullest potentials.

That’s why we have the success that we have year after year after year. Each year, our results get better! Just you wait for our 2026/2027 results! I cannot wait to share them with you!

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

A Week In The Life Of A London Home Educating Mama (Blog 1)

First week of officially home educating my son is nearly done. And what a whirlwind of a week it has been. We only just got back from two weeks (Mykonos and Tenerife) and we had such a beautiful holiday. It’s always an adjustment coming back from holiday! Most of you know that I have been home educating my son since birth and he has been on my Curriculum Programme since the age of 18 months so none of this is new to either of us.

Every morning (as much as possible) since he was 18 months, we have woken up and studied and learned together. It is truthfully our favourite thing to do together. We both look forward to it so much. It brings us so much closeness, love, joy and laughter. I am delighted that I have created a life for myself that allows us to home educate myself. I have worked so, so hard to be in this position now and I pray and home that we will always be able to (as long as he continues to want to of course!)

In phonics this week we have been recapping digraphs. We worked on ng, qu and sh and ch this week. He is going so well. We continue to work on cvc words and he has moved onto longer words now and is doing very well. He has completed his 68 phonics books over the summer (phase 2) and I actually need to place an order today for the next ones. My son doesn’t like re-reading books he’s already read (unless I’m reading them to him!) so I always have to ensure that he has new books (at his level) so he can practise reading to me. It is important that he has physical books and not just online books (although we do use a lot of online books too). We have been doing a lot of writing practise this week and learning the correct formation of different letters. This is challenging and will need a lot of work in the next few weeks.

In maths this week, we have been learning about tens and ones and he is doing very well. The teen numbers are still difficult for him but we will persevere with them. I’ve been exposing him to timestables for a while now and he loves singing the songs. He’s been writing numbers to 20 daily and has excellent formation of most numbers to 20. 8 and 9 are still a little tricky for him. We will continue to practise these.

In Religious education, he learnt about the story of Jonah and he was enthralled by it.

In geography, he learnt about seas and oceans.

In history, he learnt about Burns Night.

He has been out in the woods so much more every single day. He has been so physically active. He attends 2 clubs a day at his gym doing things like sports, bike club, dance club and lego club. On Mondays he does Italian School (online) and on Sundays he will be starting at his gymnastics club (Little Gym).

His new nanny started this week and she is such an asset to our family. Joshua loves her a lot and so do we. Joshua will be with myself and his daddy on Mondays and Tuesday and we will have the support of our amazing nanny Wednesday - Friday so that we can both continue to work. I love that I can have lunch with my son every single day and be fully in charge of what he eats. I don’t think he ate well enough at nursery. I love that I can see him any time for a cuddle and little play throughout the day.

How is week one of learning for you?

Email me to let me know office@creativemindstutors.com

Is academic excellence as important as behavioural excellence in a 4+ assessment?

Excuse me but you’re neglecting so many other aspects of 4+ assessment success.

Academic excellence is important in a 4+ assessment.

Behavioural excellence is important in a 4+ assessment.

But so are the following …

Communication excellence.

Vocabulary excellence.

Fine motor skills excellence.

Gross motor skills excellence.

Understanding of the world excellence.

Listening excellence.

Following instructions excellence.

Kindness excellence.

These are just a few that I will name for you. There are countless others! If you want to know the rest, come and work with us!

If your child doesn’t know their phonics and they are asked their phonics in their 4+ assessment, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

If your child doesn’t know their number recognition to 10/20 and they are asked them in their 4+ assessment, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

If your child doesn’t have a broad and vast vocabulary and they are asked questions in their 4+ assessment, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

If your child hasn’t developed the skill to be able to sit and focus for 60+ minutes and that is the expectation, will they score highly in that part of the 4+ assessment?

I could go on and on and on and on and on.

With my exceptional Curriculum Programme, our students practise these skills frequently and consistently so that when they go into a 4+ assessment they are effortless to them.

They practise these skills in every single lesson, and they practise these skills during their week with their parents as part of their Curriculum Acceleration.

The weekly lesson is a very small piece of the huge pie that we offer to our clients here at CMT.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Stop undermining what goes down in a 4+ assessment at a top elite school.

Time for some tough love.

Time for some brutal honesty.

Time for some wake up and be real talk.

So many of these so called ‘4+ assessment experts’ talk about the 4+ assessments as though they are a stroll in the park. Far from it. More like a trek in the desert I would say!

And by ‘4+ assessment experts’ what I mean is parents who have been through the process and now all of a sudden they are experts! Going through the 4+ process doesn’t make you an expert in the 4+ assessments.

Telling parents to relax and that these 4+ assessments are not looking for academically gifted children is a LIE.

Telling parents to just ‘take their kids to museums and provide them with opportunities’ is just a small piece of the huge pie. Sure- take your kids to museums and provide them with opportunities and provide them with a broad and vast curriculum that will challenge them and that will provide them with the real knowledge that they will need in order to even stand a chance in these incredibly tough 4+ assessments.

Telling parents that these schools are looking for more than just academic excellence is a LIE. It downplays academic excellence and the need for it. And sure, your child could have extreme academic excellence but go into a 4+ assessment and not listen to the assessor and not follow the instruction and may not pass. Absolutely!

And this is the exact reason I no longer offer ad hoc lessons (I used to!). They will never work. True 4+ assessment preparation and success comes from commitment, dedication, perseverance, resilience and total understanding of the 4+ process involved. You will never get that from 1 or two ad hoc drop in sessions. Ever. And if you want a drop-in session for your child, I can suggest many alongside my Curriculum Programme.

Preparing your child for a 4+ assessment? Prepare them properly. Prepare them well and if you don’t, don’t call me after the fact to moan about it. If your child is not successful at 4+, no problem, get started with our 2 year 7+ Curriculum Acceleration Programme or our 4 year 11+ Curriculum Acceleration Programme. It’s all good!

Drown out the noise. Only listen to those who truly want the best for you. Because sadly, we live in a world where that is not always the case.

I only want the best for every single child in this world. Every single child deserves the best education possible.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

‘My child will be offered a place because I have the means to pay for them to go to that school!’

Yeh, you and the hundreds of other parents planning to send their child to that exact same assessment.

Careful with your own thinking.

If a parent applies for a place at an independent school, it is because they have the means to pay for that school. Otherwise, they wouldn’t apply for it would they?

Perhaps you might be surprised to know that I am told this sentence multiple times a month!

Be crystal clear in the knowledge that your child will be up against hundreds of other children whose parents have the means of paying for their education. Of investing hundreds of thousands of pounds into their education. And of being delighted about doing so too!

Be crystal clear that the parents who prepare their children to be wildly successful and who work with us, put in hundreds of hours of work to support their children with their Curriculum Acceleration. They do not simply assume that because they have the money to pay for the private school fees that their child will be automatically offered a place.

If you’re sending your child to a non-  selective pre- prep – cool , that would be the case wouldn’t it?

You have means to pay = your child will be offered a place.

But in a selective school having the means to pay doesn’t equal the offer of a place.

The offer of a place will be based on so many factors.

Here are a few for ya!

Is your child academically gifted?

Does your child know how to behave well?

Can your child hold a pencil correctly and write?

Can your child answer questions to a very high quality and standard.

I’d be far more concerned about these factors than looking at my bank account and knowing I had the means to pay for my son’s education! It doesn’t really matter if I have the means if he’s not successful any where does it?

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

‘Hoping for the best!’ is not a strategy that I would use when it comes to my child!

It’s a weak position to take.

It truly makes you powerless.

And when it comes to my child, I do not wish to be either. I am my son’s biggest advocate. I am his biggest cheerleader. I will always do everything in my power to support him to have the best life possible. Will things always go right for him? Of course not!

I have never once uttered these words when talking to my friends and family about my son.

‘Well, I’m just going to hope for the best!’

And I will never, ever utter those words.

The best is totally in my control.

The best is totally in the opportunities that I will provide for him throughout his childhood.

The best will be what I choose to actively take the time to plan and prepare for him.

I know that his Curriculum Programme will be the best of the best. I’ve taken the time (hundreds of hours!) to plan and prepare it. When I worked in primary schools as a teacher, I spent thousands of hours planning and preparing for all of my students. As the Director and Master Specialist Teacher of this incredible business, I do the same.

I will go above and beyond for my own child!

I will not ‘hope for the best’ when it comes to his bespoke CMT Curriculum Programme. It will be the best.

I will not ‘hope that he will figure something out!’ I will fully support him to figure it out.

I will provide him with highly stimulating and diverse activities that will support and challenge him mentally and physically. I will continue to travel the world with him and invest my money on experiences for us to fully enjoy together.

Sending your child into an assessment and ‘hoping for the best’ is definitely not a strategy I would use when it comes to the success of my child. It wouldn’t work. I know that as a fact.

The children who pass assessments and who accelerate their curriculum are the ones whose parents put in the work and effort. Are the ones whose parents dedicate their precious time and energy to fully supporting them. They are the ones who dedicate at least 3.5 hours of their precious hours each week to supporting their learning and development.

So don’t just ‘hope for the best’! Provide your child with the best of the best when it comes to assessment success and to the acceleration of their Curriculum. If it’s truly important to you, take full ownership of it and get to work. Don’t rely on any school to do it for you. I promise you that it just simply doesn’t work that way regardless of what these top schools will promise you. Behind every successful student is a team of support going on behind the scenes and it is not 100% down to the school.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

‘My child is not where he/she should be because of his/her age!’

Wrong!

If your child is not ‘where he/she should be’ it has nothing to do with their age. It has everything to do with what has been done to support them at home.

Many parents across the UK right now, believe that merely sending their kids to top school like Habs/Westminster/ St. Pauls/South Hampstead etc is enough.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it is not.

Expecting your child to be where he/she needs to be by relying only and exclusively on the school is pure madness. And I do not care that you are paying 30-40k+ a year to send them there. Who cares? That’s on you. That’s your choice to pay that money. Be delighted with your choice. Be delighted that you are in that privileged position. Not everyone is. But be laser sharp aware that a school (any school) is not the Holy Grail. A school is not the be all and end all when it comes to the success of your child.

And it has nothing to do with their age if they are not where they need to be.

A class in a private school will still have a ratio of 1:16-27 children. A teacher (no matter how great!) will never be able to provide as much support to a child compared to the support that can be provided on a 1:1 basis.

The support that you provide at home will still be the best support that your child will ever have regardless of where they go to school. 

A class teacher in a school (no matter how great!) has the responsibility of teaching, looking after and providing an education to all of the children in her class (not just your child).

A teacher has to deal with behaviour management.

A teacher has to deal with marking every single child’s learning.

A teacher has to deal with parents and their needs and complaints. A teacher has 1000 other things to think about during her working day (and the success of your child is 1/1000 of the things that she needs to get done!).

Whereas when it comes to working 1:1, you can have full control and ownership over how your child is doing. How empowering. Do you know that I’ve never once paid attention to reports from my son’s nursery. They will never know his academic capabilities and capacity as well as I do. Ever.

Do you know that many of our students continue to work with us long after they’ve been successful at gaining a place at their school of choice. We work 1:1 with children from Habs, NLCS, South Hampstead, Glendower, Falkner House and Westminster – to name very few!

Take full ownership of fully supporting them to be where they need to be (according to your standards). I expect my son (and of course my students) to always be at least 1.5 – 2 years above their current age across all areas of the National Curriculum. That is my choice and one that I am very proud of. So are my clients.

Where do you want your child to be? Decide. Write it down and go all in yourself to support them to be where they need to be according to your vision and to your standards. Please drown out the noise out there - because I can’t believe how much noise there is out there!

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

What someone tells you regarding the Assessment process will not always be the GOSPEL TRUTH.

‘I know they ‘age adjust’ for St. Pauls and Westminster!’

No.

You are so wrong to believe that this age adjustment would make any difference to your child’s chances for success. And if they do age adjust, it is truly minimal and to be honest, I wouldn’t bank on this age adjustment – not one little bit! I wouldn’t even consider it.

Parents tend to think age adjustments are huge.

Well, they are not.

And rather than just assume, why not ask the schools what percentage point the ‘age adjustment’ even is? I’ve never heard of a parent who has asked this question! Why not be brave and be the first?

Why just accept what they tell you?

‘Of course we ‘age adjust’ for summer born children!’

‘Ok, so what is the percentage point for this ‘age adjustment’?’

There you go, I’ve even written the question for you!

After all, we are talking about our precious children here. Sorry, but I do not make assumptions when it comes to my son. I spend countless hours planning and preparing for him. That is because I want the absolute best of the best for him.

As I know you all do too for your own children!

Just sometimes, some of you can get so caught up on these schools and what they tell you that you don’t stop to question them.

You think it will make you look ‘difficult’. Not at all! Great questions are more than welcome by the heads of these top schools (annoying questions are not – just fyi!)

Do you even know what an age adjustment even is?

Because some of you seem to think that because your child was born in July or August that they will somehow be given a golden ticket. Well, they won’t be and if you think they will, you will be severely disappointed. And you will tell me that it’s not fair! And I will tell you what I tell all of my clients and potential new clients…

Life is not fair!

There will be a very minimal adjustment for age. It is there but it won’t be the game changer to your child’s assessment success just because they are summer born.

Like I said, I wouldn’t even consider it. And if it were to give my ‘summer born’ child a little, tiny, minimal boost – great! But it wouldn’t if he wasn’t thoroughly prepared for the assessment.

There are no shortcuts to assessment success. Know that. Understand that. And go all in to prepare your children to have the success that they deserve to have in any assessment.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

My immense expertise in the 4+ field.

All of the clients who join CMT mostly know me well before they get started so I thought it would be important to re-introduce myself to all of you who are new to me and perhaps don’t know much about me.

I am Maria Mazarese and I am so passionate about the success of each and every one of my students.

All I want – truly – is for children to thrive and be delighted with their education.

I was not delighted with mine.

I did not love school. In fact, I found it a total and utter waste of my precious time.

And truthfully, it breaks my heart for little Maria.

I want my son to absolutely be obsessed with his childhood. I will provide him with all of the opportunities that I never had. I will ensure that he has the best of the best education. I will ensure that however he learns that he is delighted with his learning experience. I will do everything in my power to support him academically and emotionally to grow into a well - rounded young man who will have countless opportunities come his way. Opportunities that I never had. I will do everything in my power to support him to have doors opened for him rather than slammed shut in his face.

Your education should not limit you. Your education should support you to grow. I speak to hundreds of parents each month. I hear the full 50/50 spectrum of emotions when it comes to their own experiences of school. Either they loved it or they absolutely hated it. There isn’t really much in between.

All of the clients who join CMT are highly successful parents who only want the best for their children.

That’s exactly what I want and that’s exactly what we provide them with here at CMT.

I started teaching as an unqualified teacher 21 years ago. After completing my degree at UCS Bologna and Reading , I made the decision to do my PGCE at Goldsmiths and I qualified as a teacher at the age of 24.

I started my career as a qualified teacher at The Mulberry House School and I taught across the school in their nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes. I also had several Senior Leadership roles and let’s just say that it was an eye opening experience! I then moved to an academy in St. John’s Wood and then went to teach at Preston Manor in Wembley. That was my final year teaching full time in a school. I’ve taught across the Primary and early years age range.

When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately handed in my notice. You see, the job was far too stressful, and I did not want my stress to impact my health and that of my little baby. I forfeited my maternity pay and instead did supply teaching in many, many schools (private and state). In the meantime, I focused on growing my business. CMT has grown significantly every single year. Many of my clients stay with CMT for years and years and years – and long after their children have gotten into their target schools. Our clients are delighted with what we offer them, the support we provide them and the academic support and curriculum acceleration that we provide for their children.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Tell your child it’s just a ‘play date’ if you want them to go in and play!

If you want your child to go in and have a ‘fun play’ then tell them it’s ‘just a play date!’

But then don’t be annoyed, irritated and frustrated that they just went in and played!

Don’t be annoyed, irritated and frustrated that they didn’t ‘behave’ in the correct way.

Sorry but you told your 3 or 4 year old to ‘just go in and play.’ That’s on you. Own it. ‘Oh but the school told me it would be a play date!’ Bla, Bla nonsense. It is far from a play date. Unless you consider a play date a highly complex academic and behavioural evaluation of your child!

Do you really think that this is what we tell our 3 and 4 year old students?

Absolutely not!

I’m obviously not going to tell you what we tell our students!

But it is 100% not that!

Some parents will tell me (very innocently) that they don’t want their children to be ‘stressed out’. That they want their children to feel relaxed and calm when they go into their 4+ assessment.

That is exactly how our students feel when they go into a 4+ Assessment. Any 4+ Assessment. They feel calm and they feel relaxed. Never in my 20+ years preparing children to be wildly successful in their 4+ assessments have I sent a child into a 4+ assessment feeling stressed out.

Not once.

Do you know why that is? It is because our students are so well prepared that all of the activities that they are asked to do come ‘naturally’ to them – they have practised them thousands of times over the 12 months preparing for their 4+ assessments! They are beyond ready for whatever they are asked. Not because they are ‘over tutored’ (hint: that’s not what we do!) but because they are so well prepared.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

The madness of the UCS 4+ Assessment.

The madness of the UCS 4+ Assessment.

A very popular school that we prepare for here at CMT.

The UCS 4+ Assessment. With 500+ boys applying for 32 places, you’d better believe that competition will be fierce. And you’d better believe that your son will need to be thoroughly prepared to stand a chance in both rounds of this 4+ assessment.

The UCS 4+ Assessments (2 rounds) will be in January 2027. This gives you a Term to prepare your child (at the point of writing this). Sending your child to nursery or pre-prep is not 4+ Assessment preparation.

My suggestion is one full year of 4+ Assessment preparation for UCS (4 terms).

1. There are 32 places available to join the pre- prep Reception class each year.

Many parents that I speak to often seem surprised about this. They tend to think that there are far more places available than there actually are. Not sure why?

Hundreds and hundreds of boys will apply to attend their 4+ Assessment each year at UCS (500+). If you’ve ever been to the first round at UCS (4+) you will know how incredibly overwhelmingly oversubscribed this school is!

2. You can register for the 4+ Assessment at UCS any time after birth!

UCS is very oversubscribed. Be aware of this. You will pay a registration fee of £210.

3. Everyone who applies to attend the 4+ Assessment at UCS will be invited to the first Round. There will be hundreds and hundreds of boys at the 4+ Assessment dates at UCS at Round 1. There are 2 different dates for the Round 1 4+ Assessment at UCS (4th and 5th January 2027).

4. You are told to not prepare your son for this school, and I highly recommend that you completely disregard this. If you want your son to stand a chance, you will prepare him. End of story (sending him to nursery or pre-school full time is not 4+ assessment prep – let’s be crystal clear on that one). You can send him to nursery or pre- school if you desire. But just see this as the cherry on top. Nursery/pre school will never even scratch the surface when it comes to 4+ assessment preparation and ultimate success.

5. It is 100% NOT a playdate Assessment so don’t treat it as one.

We have had tremendous success preparing our boys for the 4+ at UCS for over 20 years and we would be delighted to support your son too.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

3 MISTAKES Made by parents applying to Guildford High (4+)

Mistake #1

Believing that you do not need to prepare your daughter for this assessment.

Mistake #2

Starting preparations far too late.

Mistake #3

Believing that every single girl who applies will be offered a place.

That one is beyond insane to my brain! That is so obviously not the case.

Around 35 places available to join Reception each year.

Hundreds and hundreds of girls applying. How would that even be possible? It is not.

There will be girls who do not pass this 4+ assessment. There will be girls who do pass this 4+ assessment. That is how an assessment works, in case you needed me to explicitly write that.

Prepare your daughter and prepare her well for the Guildford High 4+ Assessment.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Guildford High Delusional thoughts that will inevitably lead to failure.

The Guildford High 4+ Assessment this year will be on October 8th and October 10th 2026.  This leaves you with less than 1 month to provide your daughter with the Curriculum Acceleration that she will need in order to go in and have the highest possible chances for success. My recommendation is one full year (or 4 full terms) of CMT 4+ Assessment Preparation for Guildford High. So if you are preparing for 2028 entry, the time to start would have been last term (this is one of the earliest of the 4+ assessments)! If you are preparing for Guildford High for 2028/2029 entry, get in touch and you will be invited to join my Waiting List.

Historically, they have always done the first round on a day of the week in October and the second round on a Saturday in October.

It is one of the earliest 4+ assessments. For our clients, this will either be their one and only choice or it will be their last choice (due to the location of the school).

It is a firm favourite with our clients here at CMT. Mainly because of their exceptional GCSE/A level and University exit results.

Guildford High is an excellent, highly academic school. We have supported many girls to be incredibly successful in this 4+ assessment, and we will continue to do so.

This is what GH say that they assess:

We will evaluate the learning potential in language development, number and general cognitive skills, manipulative and social skills in line with the EYFS Framework.

They say that they do not assess reading ability.

Our girls are taught to read as part of my 4+ Curriculum Programme. Whether they are asked to read or not is highly irrelevant to me.

Who cares? Don’t fixate on that. I had a client once who stopped working with me because her daughter’s bespoke curriculum programme was teaching her to read and she ‘didn’t see the point when it wasn’t an expectation!’ Yeh, totally not suited to working with me and my business! Let’s see how she gets on this year with her 4+ assessment at GH. Obviously I wish her nothing but the best. She is a gorgeous little girl.

If it’s important to you to teach your daughter to read as part of her Curriculum Acceleration, do it. If it’s not important to you, don’t do it but you definitely won’t be clients of CMT if you think like the latter. And you most likely won’t be offered a place at the likes of GH. So please don’t moan about it after the fact. If your daughter is not successful at 4+, you can get busy preparing her with 2 years of 7+ assessment prep!

GH also write that The sessions are designed to be fun and interactive and reflective of the girls’ ages.

‘Summer born’ have never been assessed differently in this 4+ assessment. In any 4+ assessment.

Why on earth would they be?

Do not take that sentence to mean that.

Some parents still believe that GH is a school that doesn’t need to be prepared for which is simply crazy to me.

This school is exceptional.

This school will only take the best of the best in order to continue to be the best of the best.

What will make your daughter stand out from the crowd? Being thoroughly prepared.

That is all.

Join our Waiting List Today (for 2028 entry and beyond).

Preparing for 2027 entry, your only option is the Curriculum Acceleration Programme (no weekly lesson) but full Curriculum support, coverage and ongoing access to your teacher to give your child the best possible chances for success in this incredibly challenging 4+ assessment.

Don’t be Manor Lodge foolish – be Manor Lodge prepared!

Manor Lodge needs focused 12 months of Curriculum Acceleration (4 terms minimum).

Manor Lodge is not ‘just a school where your child will go in and play in their forest garden!’

Manor Lodge may ‘just be your back up!’ but if you don’t prepare for it, it really won’t be!

Manor Lodge is so oversubscribed at 4+ that it will blow your mind when you see just how many children will attend the assessment.

Mumsnet does not give accurate information about this assessment so do not even waste your time reading the absolute garbage on there.

Many children will not pass this 4+ Assessment (just like the rest!).

Many children will be Waitlisted following this assessment. If your child is waitlisted, it is very likely that they will be offered a place because many, many parents will reject the offer at ML if they are offered the likes of Habs or NLCS.

For many parents (not all), Manor Lodge will not be their first choice of school. Their first choice of school will typically by Habs or NLCS. Many of our clients keep Manor Lodge as their back up and even pay the deposit but ultimately end up accepting their top school of choice. The majority of our clients receive offers at their top schools of choice if they have the recommended 12 months of 4+ Assessment preparation that I recommend. If they have less, the chances obviously will be far lower.

Success is simply inevitable following our 12-month programme. That’s exactly why I created it.

The Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment is just like any other 4+ Assessment at top, elite schools.

It will be conducted on a 1:1 basis. Your child will need to separate from you happily. And your child will need to go in and demonstrate all of the skills and attributes that Manor Lodge will be assessing and looking for in their potential new students.

Do you even know what these skills and attributes are? Do you even know the level expected of your child?

We do.

And we will support you every step of the way to truly understand this 4+ Assessment and have the level of success that you dream of having.

Knowledge is power when it comes to anything in this life. Knowledge is definitely power when it comes to the 4+ Assessments. Empower yourselves with the knowledge and awareness needed in order to have the highest chances of passing the Manor Lodge 4+ assessment.

The 4+ Assessment at Manor Lodge will take place on Friday 16th October 2026. It will be a 45 minute (mostly 1:1) assessment and the assessors will focus on communication, confidence, collaboration, curiosity and creativity. As well as all of those, ML will also focus on the academics. Obviously!

With only 60 places available, competition will be fierce. What will make your child stand out from the rest? It’s obvious is it not? Being thoroughly prepared.