If your child needs creative writing prompts to practise on, this article is the bank we use with our own students. Twenty five prompts grouped by type, plus a quick reminder of how to turn a prompt into a piece …
Creative writing is the part of the 11+ that worries parents most. They tell me, “My child is great at maths but really struggles with writing.” Or, “She writes lovely stories but cannot finish in the time.” Or, “He just …
If you have ten minutes and a tired Year 5 child, this is the article I wish someone had handed me when I first started teaching 11+. Ten things that genuinely move comprehension scores forward, in the order I would …
Comprehension is the part of 11+ English where the gap between competent children and exceptional children is widest. Almost any well-taught child can answer the simple retrieval questions. The marks that decide places at the most selective schools are the …
If your child can read for pleasure, write a structured paragraph, hold a wide vocabulary, and notice how a writer is using language, they are well on the way to a strong 11+ English result. The trouble is, none of …
If you have signed your child up for their first mock exam and you are unsure how to prepare them for it, this article is the rough script I would use. Most of the value of a mock comes from …
Yes, mock exams help. But not in the way most parents think. The point of a mock is not to predict the result. It is not to rank your child against the field. It is not, despite how it can …
Year 4 and Year 5 are the years that decide most 11+ outcomes. Not Year 6. By the time September of Year 6 arrives, the work is largely consolidation. The bulk of the building happens in the 18 months before …
Parents ask me this almost every week. “How long should my child be studying each day for the 11+?” I always answer the same way. The right amount of study is whatever your child can sustain consistently, with focus, without …
In February 2025, Reading School announced a redesigned entrance exam, effective from the September 2025 sitting. The new format, set by Future Stories Community Enterprise (FSCE, Reading School’s own assessment subsidiary), is positioned by the school as removing the need …