Preparing your childEditorial direct-answer
Does your child actually need a tutor? A five-question test
Five questions to answer honestly before booking a tutor: is there a specific, nameable gap? Has the school been asked? Is this about the exam or the subject? Would your child enjoy it, or just tolerate it? What happens if you say no? If the honest answers don't build a case, wait.
Evidence: High
2026-08-11 · 5 min read · Deep Teaching Research
Admissions & ChancesReference / how-to
How does school-place allocation actually work?
Under the national equal-preference system, every school on your form assesses your application independently, not in order. The local authority then offers you a place at the highest-preference school that has offered you one. Order only decides which of your offers you receive — not whether any specific school offers you.
Evidence: High
2026-08-11 · 8 min read · Deep Teaching Research
School life & wellbeingReference / how-to
How to raise a pastoral concern with a school without making things worse
Concrete guidance on raising a pastoral concern effectively — in writing, to the right person, with specific evidence, and following the school's own published policy. Written to fill the gap where parenting forums often escalate the problem instead of resolving it.
Evidence: High
2026-08-11 · 7 min read · Deep Teaching Research
11+ & Entrance ExamsEditorial direct-answer
Is it worth getting a tutor for the 11+? A data-based answer, not a guilt trip
Private tutoring has grown fast in England and Wales — 29% of secondary pupils have had it at some point, 45% in London — but that figure includes children being tutored for very different reasons. This piece walks through five questions to answer before booking a tutor for the 11+.
Evidence: High
2026-08-11 · 6 min read · Deep Teaching Research
UK Education ExplainedReference / how-to
UK school entry points explained: 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ side by side
The five main UK independent-school entry points explained side by side — with the typical assessment format, registration timing, entry age, and school types that use each. Plus how state entry (Reception and Year 7) fits alongside the independent timeline.
Evidence: High
2026-08-11 · 9 min read · Deep Teaching Research
When to applyEditorial direct-answer
When should we start preparing for the 11+?
Most families who use structured 11+ preparation begin in Year 4 or the summer between Year 4 and Year 5. Earlier is usually not more effective; later than mid-Year 5 requires a tighter, more focused approach. What matters more than start date is how the time is used.
Evidence: Moderate
2026-08-11 · 6 min read · Deep Teaching Research
Choosing a schoolEditorial direct-answer
Is it worth paying for a smaller class?
Smaller classes produce measurably better results in the earliest school years and for the youngest, poorest or lowest-attaining children. Above about 20 pupils, and above about age 8, the attainment effect fades. Teacher quality dominates.
Evidence: High
2026-08-10 · 6 min read · Deep Teaching Research
Deep Teaching AnalysisOriginal research
How can I tell if my child is 11+ ready? What 1,654 real diagnostics reveal
Across 1,654 diagnostics and 37,556 scored answers from 1,263 families, wrong answers come in almost exactly twice as fast as right ones. Slowing down is a teachable skill worth real marks — and it's one of the clearest early signals a child isn't yet 11+-ready even when their totals look fine.
Evidence: High
2026-07-16 · 10 min read · Deep Teaching Research
Academic results & destinationsResearch report
Does paying more buy a better outcome? What £30,000 and £50,000 a year actually get at 25 leading senior schools
Across 25 leading senior schools, published fees explain only about a third of the differences in Oxbridge outcomes. The most academically selective schools tend to be the best value per pound of fees, and one school matches a £49k-a-year rival's Oxbridge success rate at £17,274 a year less.
Evidence: High
2026-06-13 · 12 min read · Deep Teaching Research