3 critical errors when preparing for the 4+ Assessment at South Hampstead (SHHS)

We prepared a total of 7 girls for their 4+ Assessments at South Hampstead last year (2026 entry). 5 were offered a place. Pretty extraordinary considering they only have 24 places! 5/24 who passed were prepared by CMT. Let that sink in!

South Hampstead is a very misunderstood school at 4+. Parents typically will start preparing for the 4+ at South Hampstead very late. 12 months of Assessment preparation is needed to be in with even the slightest of chances of being successful at this school. And if people tell you otherwise, nod and carry on!

This year, we are preparing 4 girls for the SHHS 4+ Assessment.

Round 1 is in November. Round 2 is in January. So if you are considering SHHS for your daughter for 2028 entry, you should have started preparing her by now! Going to nursery full time is not 4+ assessment preparation - just incase that thought crossed your mind!

South Hampstead call it an' ‘enjoyable visit’, and whilst it was ‘enjoyed’ by most of our girls last year, it definitely was not deemed to be ‘enjoyable’ by all of the girls.

It should not be ‘considered a play date’ so please do not even mention this word to your daughter. It isn’t one. If you want a play date for your daughter, organise one! With a hefty £210 price tag to even have the privilege of setting foot into this school for the assessment, you can arrange an incredible play date for your daughter if that’s what you’re after!

Mistake #1

Starting late.

Yes, I know the school says that ‘no special preparation is necessary’ and ‘no formal knowledge is expected’. And if you wish to do that to this - great! You do that! We have been preparing for this assessment for many, many years and we know exactly what will be assessed and we know exactly what they are expecting! Prepare your daughter thoroughly for her 4+ at South Hampstead. That is all.

Mistake #2

Telling your daughter that she is going on a ‘play date’! Read above!

Mistake #3

Not teaching phonics and maths to the level expected in the South Hampstead 4+ assessment and not covering all 7 areas of the Early Years Curriculum to the standard expected of this school.

Preparing for the 4+ at South Hampstead (2028 entry and beyond), book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

Prepare for The Guildford High 4+ with ease and calm using these 3 simple (not easy) steps.

The first thing GHS tell you about the 4+ is that they don’t expect their girls to read and write - up to you what you make of this!

Our girls who pass their 4+ Assessments at Guildford High at 4+ go in knowing exactly how to read and write! Oh and by the way, they have historically always been asked to read and write! To add - who cares if a school says this or not? Why would you not want to teach your child how to read and write?

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

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

Very, very simple.

And GHS assess this over two 45 minute assessments!

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

This is a very early 4+ Assessment that it takes place in October! So I do hope that you’ve been preparing thoroughly for this one! This year, it is happening this week! Thursday 8th October and Saturday 10th of October 2026!

So how can you prepare for Guildford High with ease and calm using these 3 simple (not easy) steps?

Step 1

Start at least 12 months in advance with a bespoke, tailored programme of study that will give your daughter the highest possible chances for success at Guildford High School. As we now run a term time model, you would need to start preparing for GHS 4 terms before the October that your daughter would need to attend this assessment! You can work that out! If you’re starting a little bit later than this - who cares? Just start!

Step 2

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

Step 3

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

If you are preparing for 2028 entry and beyond for Guildford High School, join our waiting list today. This will form your Registration fee once we are ready to get started. Secure your place to work with the best 4+ teachers in the UK today!

Is your child ready for the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment?

Many parents will have done little to no preparation for the upcoming 4+ assessment at Manor Lodge which is in 14 days time (Friday October 16th 2026)

I had a parent contact me last week to ask me if I could prepare her child for Manor Lodge (2027 entry). I was extremely confused (and clearly she was too!).

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

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

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

1. It is a very popular school and hundreds of parents will be sending their child for their 4+ Assessment here. Online you will find numbers thrown around like 200 and 300 applying but I believe it to be far more than this.

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

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

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

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

A nursery alone cannot prepare a child to pass any 4+ Assessment. Understand this.

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

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

60 places.

Hundreds of applicants.

Many will be waitlisted.

The majority of our clients here at CMT will pay the deposit to have this school as a back up and then they will reject it to send their children to the likes of Habs or NLCS. Never have I ever had a parent choose Manor Lodge over schools like those.

All the best to all of our amazing students who will be attending the Manor Lodge 4+ Assessment in 2 weeks time. They will be your competition and the majority of our students have completed at least 9 months of my CMT Curriculum Programme by this point.

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

The Angry Glendower/Falkner House Mother.

As we are working with more and more clients each year, I am meeting the most extraordinary of parents. Parents who are truly aligned with my vision. Parents who truly see things the way that I do. On the flip side of that, I am also working with some parents who are really not aligned with my vision and who do not see things the way that I do.

Initially, I don’t see it.

When we speak, it all goes really well and they say all of the things that they perhaps think that I need to hear.

But it soon becomes obvious that we won’t be working together for a very long time. Which is absolutely fine.

You need to be fully aligned with the vision of the person that you embark on a working relationships with. That’s obvious isn’t it?

Names changed for confidentiality.

Terese contacted me in May this year. Ella, her daughter was to attend two 4+ assessments for 2027 entry - Glendower and Falkner House. During our initial call Terese came across as determined to support Ella with her assessments and told me that although she went to a ‘top’ pre- school in Kensington that she was very well aware that she needed to prep her.

I told her that my programme is a one year programme and that she would most likely only be able to complete 4-6 months of it.

We had our Sample Lesson.

Ella was rather timid and reserved (totally fine!) and struggled to answer most of my questions. She didn’t know the phonics I asked. Terese became notable frustrated and raised her voice at Ella. She told her that ‘she knows’ all of those sounds. She told me the same. ‘She know them!’ Well, it’s kind of irrelevant if she didn’t show that she knew them. Ella struggled with her focus and concentration but Terese tried her best to keep her on task. The Sample Lesson showed me that Ella wasn’t ready for a 4+ assessment at her mother’s target schools and I told her as much. Terese said she wanted my help and she signed up for two months of my programme (I have a two month minimum commitment for my programme)

Ella tried her best for the first two lessons but Terese’s body language was completely different than it was in her Sample Lesson. She was defensive and irritated. She raised her voice at her daughter and became impatient with her when she wouldn’t do the tasks that I asked her to do. When I spoke to Terese about it (after the lesson) , she didn’t respond to my messages.

Then Terese told me that the lessons were ‘not working’. This was after about 3 lessons. I disagreed completely with her.

It wasn’t a fault with my amazing lessons. It was a fault with her attitude and the learning environment that she was creating for her daughter.

Look, I get it.

This process can be incredibly frustrating if you allow yourself to see it in that way.

It can also be an incredibly fun process.

Terese stopped working with me after only 3 lessons! I never heard back from her again - she simply ignored my messages!

All good. I don’t wish to work with disrespectful people anyway.

My mother raised me to respectful, kind and caring. And if another human being tries to support my child with his learning, I would never, ever treat them in the way that Terese did.

Each to their own. I wish Ella nothing but the best. Will she pass Glendower or Falkner House? I don’t think so.

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

In person tuition is IRRELEVANT when it comes to assessment prep.

Stop fixating on having someone come physically into your home, start fixating on providing your child with the best early years education possible.

What we offer to our clients for £300 a month is next level value to be completely honest with you. To have someone like me or to have someone like my amazing teachers by your side every single step of the way as you prepare your child for their assessments is something that none of our current clients take for granted.

And that’s exactly what I want. The relationship that we create with each and every one of our clients is so important.

It’s exactly why I set up Creative Minds Tutors all those years ago.

Strong relationships. Superb results.

That is exactly what we are after. That is exactly what our clients are after. And that is exactly what our students receive. What an amazing gift it is to work with us!

In person tuition is so beyond irrelevant when it comes to the preparation of any assessment. If it is your personal preference - great! You go for it!

But if you are on the fence and you are considering your options, don’t waste too much time there. Time is passing us all by.

Let me tell you what is RELEVANT when it comes to the preparation of 4+ assessments:

Working with a teacher who has REAL results when it comes to successfully supporting children to pass their 4+ Assessments.

Working with a teacher who has a structured, bespoke and tailored plan for at least 1 year to support your child with their development in all 7 areas of the Early Years Curriculum.

Working with a teacher who will be there for you to answer all of your questions about your target schools.

Here is what is highly IRRELEVANT when it comes to supporting children to pass their 4+ Assessments:

Inviting someone into your home to have tea and biscuits whilst they teach your child.

Being stuck in traffic to reach a tuition centre.

Random one or two lessons here and there.

Working with teachers who have no experience with the 4+ assessments.

Working with teachers because they will save you the most money.

Crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.

There you go - a little bit of truth for you this morning.

If you truly want to support your child to have the success that they deserve to have in any 4+ assessment, book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

What happens when you rely fully on someone else to teach your child?

You have to be so careful what you write and publish these days!

You have to be very careful when speaking the truth. Because your truth could completely change someone’s perspective and views.

Well, I’m done being careful and I’m done being quiet.

There are those who speak against me and what I do every single day and guess what? They get away with it! Perhaps because they are oh so mighty and powerful. Cool. Good for them.

It’s only the end of September and already I have spoken to at least 10 very unhappy and unsatisfied parents. As I’ve said above, I have to be careful about what I write so I will let you read between the lines here.

I am part of so many forums where I am reading about deep dissatisfaction and deep unhappiness.

And I get it ok.

Life is 50/50. And whatever we decide to do in this life of ours, we will experience positive and negative. All of us. No one is immune to this just FYI. Doesn’t matter how powerful you are. Doesn’t matter how wealthy you are. None of it matters - truly. We will all experience the full 50/50 of this life.

But the point of writing this blog is this.

When you give your power to someone else, you literally do not hold all of the cards in your hands. They do.

I never want to be in that position.

For as long as possible, I want to hold all of the cards in my hands. Obvious, eventually I will need to hand some of these cards over. But for now I don’t need to do that. Some of you do and you make the choice to do so. Please also take full responsibility on your side to teach your child.

No one else can ever do it as well as you will.

No one else will ever care for your child as much as you do.

No one.

It’s ok to be frustrated. It’s ok to be angry. It’s ok to feel all of the negative emotions. Stay with them for a little while, hold on to them if you need to. But don’t do that for long. Use your energy to teach your child. To support them to be the best that they can be. You fully can do that. And no, you don’t need to be a teacher to do so.

Westminster 4+ Updates (2027 entry)

We are very busy this term preparing many beautiful children for their 4+ at Westminster. Our students have been with us for different timeframes but their time frames range from 6 months - 18 months of assessment preparation time. Each week, my incredible students meet with their teachers to cover a broad and vast early years curriculum. Each week, my incredible students complete their Curriculum Acceleration with their dedicated parents and each week they put in the work and the time to practise the skills that will be assessed at Westminster.

We are all working very hard over here.

I am working so hard.

My team of wonderful teachers are working so hard.

My clients are working so hard.

My students are working so hard.

This is no stroll in the park, I hope we are crystal clear on that.

We are talking about getting into Westminster here.

A few things I’d like to mention today to all of you sending your children to Westminster for Round 1 in November 2026.

1. Arrive early. Take your child for a Babycino in Victoria, go for a stroll somewhere but do arrive early. Last thing you want is to be stressed out because you are running late. Many of our students have been given very early start times (as early as 8:30 am). There will be traffic and there will be chaos. Do yourself a favour and get there early. The school don’t want you there before the time allocated however, but get to Victoria early.

2. Dress your child casual but smart. It will be noticed.

3. Do not tell your child it is a ‘play date’. It isn’t one.

500 children will be assessed in November 2026.

100 children will pass and will be called back to attend their second round.

400 will not pass.

Out of the 100 assessed, 32 will be offered a place to study at Westminster from Reception 2027. I personally believe about 20-30 will be Waitlisted as many parents will decline this offer.

Preparing for the 4+ at Westminster for 2028 entry and beyond? Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

The boring little things that no one pays attention to when it comes to early years Curriculum Acceleration .

It’s the little things that count when it comes to learning in the early years (at any age really).

It’s the little, boring and mundane tasks completed daily that will compound to incredible results.

But here is the problem.

We live in a society where we want to see instant results. And child development just doesn’t work like that.

You do not click your fingers and see results.

You do not close your eyes and hope for the best.

You do not just hope and pray that your child will just get it. For goodness sakes, why don’t they just GET IT!

Nope.

Doesn’t work that way.

Our lessons here at CMT are exceptional. Every single one of them.

But some parents simply can’t see it.

And that’s fine.

They will not be our clients for very long.

You see, here at CMT we have two types of clients that we work with. Long term clients and short term clients.

The long term clients fully trust in the process. They know that in order to make progress, they will need to support their children for hours and hours each week and they dedicate their time and their energy to doing just that. They are the clients who even though their child is offered places at multiple schools at 4+, they want to continue to work with us because they see the progress that their children have made and they don’t want the progress to just stop.

The short term clients are the clients who want their child to get into a certain school and once they get in, they stop. Nothing wrong with that at all! We welcome both types of clients! They will send their child to school and for the most part, most of them will continue to support their children at home. They are also the clients who potentially stay with us for 2 months (we have a minimum two month commitment), don’t see the progress they imagined they would see and they simply decide to stop.

And that’s fine too. I don’t need to convince anyone to stay. I want to only work with clients who are fully convinced of the insane value that we provide. I actually have no time to convince any one of anything.

And the problem is this. We all want instant results. But hear me carefully- learning does NOT work that way. I taught my son phonics from the age of 18 months. For one full year, he didn’t know his phonics (I would do them daily with him!). I could have easily just quit. I did not. I persevered. I did not give up. He is now a fluent reader and he is 4 and 2 months!

Don’t get disheartened by the boring little things. Keep going. Keep progressing and keep supporting your child to make the progress that they deserve to be making.

Preparing for an assessment for 2028 entry and beyond? Join my Waiting List to secure your place with one of the best teachers in the UK.

Is there any point preparing for x, y , z school with only 3 months to go?

Not with that mindset no, not really.

With that mindset, you will most likely make the choice to just send your child in unprepared.

And that is your choice to make. I am not here to convince you otherwise. We are all free to do what we want in this life of ours.

Myself and my Executive Consultants have personally received hundreds of enquiries about 4+ assessment preparation for 2027 entry this month of September. And it’s making me truly think.

This is the first year in the history of Creative Minds that we will not be providing 1:1 private lessons to any new clients who are preparing for 2027 entry (ie. with an assessment in the next 1-3 months). It really isn’t worth it for anyone involved. When I used to provide this in the past, it wouldn’t lead to the type of client relationships that I am personally looking for. Parents would be frazzled, stressed and anxious. I personally have no interest in working with clients who feel that way. Life is hard enough!

I want to work with clients who feel calm, empowered and positive. Do you see the difference?

So, if you do have less than 3 months until your child’s 4+ assessment and for whatever reason you’ve not yet started, you have two options.

1. Take massive action in the next 3 months to dedicated focused time to your child and support them to have the highest possible chances for success.

2. Do nothing (oh you can just continue sending them to nursery because surely that is enough ?!?)

My Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme was created for parents who have limited time to prepare their children for their 4+ assessments. My Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme was created for parents who want to take massive action to support them to cover as much of the curriculum that needs to be covered before going into a 4+ assessment.

The Ultimate Curriculum Acceleration Programme is a bespoke, tailored plan for YOUR child to support them with THEIR Assessment preparations. There is nothing generic here. This programme is created ONLY for YOUR child based on a detailed questionnaire that you will fill out before we get started.

As this is a minimum commitment of 2 months, I will be closing it by Wednesday 30th September 2026. Don’t miss out on this final opportunity to really go all in to support your child to have the success they deserve to have in their 4+ assessments.

24 places. Hundreds of girls. Is your daughter ready?

Is South Hampstead a school you dream about for your daughter?

Would you love to send your daughter to South Hampstead at 4+?

We have been preparing girls for this school for over 20 years. This means that for 20 years, we have seen what works and we have seen what doesn’t. This means that for 16 years, I have seen the calibre of girl that will pass this assessment and sadly I have seen and spoken to hundreds of parents of girls who have not passed.

We know exactly what is expected of the girls in their 4+ Assessments and so do my team of exceptional teachers.

1. There are only 24 places on offer at 4+.

Each year hundreds and hundreds of girls will sit their Assessment at this school.

This year at least 250 girls attend their Assessment at South Hampstead each year. Your daughter therefore will typically have about a 1:10 chance of passing this assessment. Five of our girls this year passed their Assessment at South Hampstead (2026 entry).

2. You should NOT consider it a ‘play date’

It is not a play date.

3. Special preparation IS necessary.

South Hampstead are looking for very strong phonics and reading skills and very strong mathematical skills in their girls. How will your daughter pass without ‘special preparation’?

Nursery is not what I consider ‘special preparation’

4. Formal knowledge IS expected.

A lot will be expected of your daughter in her 4+ Assessment for South Hampstead. Prepare her to a very high standard. It is up to you- and only you to support her to be ready.

5. To be offered a place at 4+ is something exceptional.

If you have been offered a place, you are in a very privileged position and I hope you are aware of that.

We have exceptional success with South Hampstead at 4+ every single year. This year 5 of our students have been offered a place to study at South Hampstead.

‘Maria helped us with preparing our daughter for the 4+ assessment at SHHS. She is a summer baby and not in a nursery that formally prepares kids for the 4+. She comes to every lesson prepared but also flexible with content to suit the mood of our 3 year old. She is very patient and encouraging. The exercises she shares after the lessons are also useful to continue progress. All in all we are very happy especially after we got the offer from the school.’

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

Sabotaging your NLCS 4+ Assessment Preparation?

So many parents have no idea what to expect when they sign up to send their daughter to the 4+ Assessment at NLCS.

There are so many comments online that literally say how wonderful the 4+ Assessment is and parents saying that their daughters had an amazing time.

Listen, no one cares that your daughter had a great time at her NLCS 4+ Assessment. No one. Who actually cares? Why are people even talking about that?

I read a comment that said something like, ‘Why do I keep reading that the 4+ Assessments are traumatic and stressful? My daughter had an amazing time at her 4+ Assessment.’

Ok, but was she successful?

Funny, how these people commenting on mumsnet rarely reveal if their children passed or not.

Wonder why that is!

And also who is telling you that the 4+ Assessments are traumatic and stressful? It should never be traumatic and stressful for a 3 year old. I’ve never heard this from anyone. Ever. Have I heard of children not wanting to go into a 4+ assessment? Of course! But I also hear of children not wanting to go to nursery or pre-school every… single… day.

Perhaps it is traumatic and stressful for the parents who are unsuccessful at securing a place at any of their target schools?

Because of these comments and other people literally telling you not to prepare your daughters for their 4+ Assessment at NLCS, you might naively think that this is the case. It’s not your fault. If you’ve never been through the process, how on earth would you know?

Well, let me tell you this, if you don’t prepare your daughters properly for their 4+ Assessments at NLCS and if you don’t take the process seriously, then don’t expect to have any sort of success. Because you will not.

NLCS receives over 500 applications every single year for the 4+ Assessment.

With only 40 places available, your daughter will have a 1:12 chance of passing her first round.

If she passes the first round, she will have a better chance of passing the second round as the ratio lowers to about 1:4. Passing the first round is something exceptional!

You could sabotage your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation if you read ridiculous comments online and believe them. You could sabotage your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation if you believe that your daughter’s nursery alone can prepare her for her 4+ Assessment. You could sabotage your NLCS 4+ Assessment preparation if you don’t thoroughly cover all areas of the EYFS curriculum that will be assessed in both rounds thoroughly and daily in the lead up to the assessment (at least 4 terms before is my recommendation).

If you want to be successful in the NLCS 4+ Assessment, work with a teacher who has been preparing girls for this assessment for over 2 decades. Work with a teacher who has real and actual experience of supporting girls to pass their 4+ Assessment at NLCS. Work with a teacher who knows exactly what NLCS are even looking for and knows exactly about who the girls are who pass and who the girls are who do not.

Book your Sample Lesson today.

There is NO such thing as a 'feeder school'.

Many of you talk to us about ‘feeder schools’.

But do you even know what a ‘feeder school’ even is?

Here is the definitition for you (Collins) …

a junior school whose pupils go to a specific secondary school

The definition is a little misleading. Let me explain.

A parent reading this definition may think that just because their child goes to a particular school that it will result in them going to a specific secondary school.

Well, absolutely not.

And you will be incredibly disappointed if you believe this. And you will not be truly supporting your child to get into your desired school of choice if you leave it purely up to the school.

Let me explain.

First of all let me disclose that I have nothing against these ‘feeder schools’. We teach many, many children who attend these schools. Many! And yes, the schools tell them not to tutor. Our clients have their own minds and they decide what is right for their own children!

I am a firm believer that it should never be the responsibility of a school to teach a child.

If you’ve ever set foot in a school in the capacity of a teacher or teaching assistant or any other role, you will know what I am going on about. If you haven’t, you won’t.

So if I were to choose a school for my son, I really wouldn’t care about the title ‘feeder school’. What I would care about would be the following:

Excellent teachers with a lot of experience who can support my child with his learning and challenge him to be the best that he can be academically (I wouldn’t rely on them to do this however - that would be down to me).

Excellent pastoral care.

Excellent 1:1 time with my son (this is hard in a school!)

Excellent facilities.

Excellent after school provision.

And the most important one - that my son would be delighted to go to school each day.

Preparing him for a great secondary school will be down to me. If I have an amazing team behind me, that is the cherry on top but it is not the holy grail.

Careful, behind every great exit result is a team of teachers supporting that child to achieve and that includes the support of their amazing parents who take deliberate time to sit with their children every single say to study with them, to support them, to challenge them and to ensure that they are achieving to the best of their abilities.

I barely read report cards from my son’s nursery. There is no way they could have ever known his level and ability as I did.

Preparing for an entrance exam? We provide the best support to all of our students and our clients. Book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today and see how we can support your child to have the success that they truly deserve to have in any assessment (2028 and beyond only).

3 lessons learnt from the 4+ at Falkner House Boys.

I have personally been preparing boys (and girls) for the Falkner House 4+ Assessment for over 2 decades.  It is a popular school but the 4+ Assessment process is very misunderstood by the parents that I speak to who would like to send their children to this school.

Many of my clients are drawn to this school because of their exit results at year 6. They are impressed by the schools that boys and girls go onto after completing their time at Falkner House.

With boys and girls being offered places at St Paul’s (6 boys and 8 girls respectively offered places at St Paul’s for 2026 entry) you can understand why some parents are drawn to this school. 

For my clients, secondary education is very important. Understandably so. The school your child will go to at Secondary level will shape their future. The quality of secondary education is very important to my clients. 

Here are 3 lessons I’ve learnt after preparing boys for their Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

1. If your child doesn’t have a sibling already there, it will be very challenging for them to pass this 4+ Assessment regardless of how much you prepare them for it. Also, attending the nursery does not guarantee that your son will be offered a place (although so many parents I speak to are pretty confident that this will not be the case). 

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

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

So, if you are preparing your child for this school, do consider that Falkner House has a very strong sibling policy (siblings do still need to pass the 4+ Assessment criteria!) and if you don’t already have a child at the school, it will be very hard for your child to be offered a place. Do ensure you have a variety of other schools that you are also applying to. Do prepare your son to the highest standards to ensure that they have the highest chances for success in their Falkner House 4+ Assessment.

Preparing for 2027 entry, join my incredible Ultimate Acceleration Programme.

Preparing for 2028 entry and beyond, book your Sample Lesson and Sample Week today.

A Week In The Life Of A London Home Educating Mama (Week 2)

Second week of officially home educating my son is nearly done. It has been a particularly challenging week for us. We just got back from a few days in Italy. Out of respect, I will not go into detail. But let’s just say that it was very difficult and heart breaking. We got back yesterday.

I can say with certainty that we have not completed as much learning as we usually do. But we have done a little bit of something every day. Next week, we will get back to it. I also return to teaching full time from Monday which will be a huge adjustment for me after a full month off. I am definitely excited to see all of my students (all 45 of them!) and I am looking forward to catching up with my clients fully.

We have been having some behavioural challenges this week and it has been difficult for everyone involved. I do think he was impacted by Italy and I know that he is so intuitive and picked up my feelings and emotions which have had an impact on him. Listening has been poor at best this week. Following instructions has barely existed. This week, I will spend deliberate time discussing these things with my son and ensuring that we are on the same page again. I will research some great books that I can read to him to help him to understand his feelings and emotions.

In phonics this week we have been recapping digraphs. We worked on qu and ew this week. He is doing so well. I also taught him the trigraph air. We continue to work on cvc words and he has moved onto longer words now and is doing very well. His 20 book top up arrived and I ordered the phase 3 ones instead of the phase 2 ones! I was a little worried at first but he is beyond ready for the phase 3 books! He started reading them to me whilst we were in Italy last week and he really loves them. Nothing better to him than new books! We haven’t done much writing this week. Earlier in the week he worked on letter formation with his nanny of the few letters we were working on last week and he did very well. Writing will be a huge focus for us next week.

In maths this week, we have been continuing to learn about tens and ones and he is doing very well. Teen numbers he is picking up better!. He’s been writing numbers to 20 daily and has excellent formation of most numbers to 20.

We didn’t study the foundation subjects this week.

He spent time with his very close friends in Italy last week. We went out for long walks and the boys played in the playgrounds together. He attended the clubs at his gym only once last week. On Mondays he did his Italian school and tomorrow he will do two clubs at his gym - sports club and lego club. He will also attend his gymnastics class.

We are moving home on Monday of next week so that will be another huge adjustment for all of us. But I’m very excited about this move and what it will bring.

How is week 2 of learning for you?

Email me to let me know office@creativemindstutors.com

'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.