Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. All members of our team are fully qualified primary teachers with extensive experience of 11 Plus preparation.

No. All of our 11 Plus tutors are qualified and experienced primary teachers.

We have small class sizes (less than half the size of most independent school classes, averaging 8 students in 2025–26, never more than 10). A group of 8–10 provides the ideal balance: small enough for close monitoring and individual attention, yet large enough for healthy discussion, collaboration and a positive group dynamic.

We avoid groups of more than 10 because, although larger numbers may boost capacity, they inevitably reduce a teacher’s ability to monitor each child closely and provide the individual support we consider essential. We won’t compromise on teaching quality just to fit more children into a room.

Equally, we do not believe that extremely small groups or one-to-one tuition are automatically better. Effective 11+ preparation requires a carefully structured programme that prepares for every area of the exam in a balanced and systematic way. Without that structure, there is a risk of focusing too heavily on isolated weaknesses, which can sometimes affect a child’s confidence and leave gaps elsewhere in their preparation. Children also benefit enormously from discussion, shared learning and working alongside motivated peers in a small academic group.

Discover the proven benefits of small class sizes.

Our 11 Plus Tuition Courses for Year 4 and Year 5 students take place in Amersham, Aylesbury, Beaconsfield, Bushey, Gerrards Cross, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Reading (Winnersh) and Stoke Poges.

We will create a Tuition Plan based on the outcome of your child’s assessment. This sets their individual targets for the key topics of the tests they are preparing for (such as English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning and maths). All lessons throughout the course are then designed to develop these areas.

We continually monitor their progress and reassess at half term and at the end of term. You are also welcome to get in touch with us at any time during your child’s tuition, to gain feedback on their development.

As reading comprehension and vocabulary are such important parts of the exams, we recommend that you encourage your child to read as wide a range of fiction and non-fiction books as possible.

Ensure that your child completes the homework provided to them at the end of their lesson – we review it in the following session, which gives them an opportunity to go through areas they may have struggled with.

If your child can’t make their usual lesson, we will offer them a virtual catch-up lesson, or offer them an alternative day or location, provided there is space. If your child is unable to attend the alternative lessons, we will email you with the written catch-up work so that they can complete the work at home.

Refunds are unfortunately not available if your child misses a class and can’t attend an alternative. However, in the unlikely event that your child’s class is cancelled, you will receive a full refund for the lesson.

During your child’s first term-time course lesson, they will receive a Bag of Knowledge®, carefully curated to support their learning journey. This exclusive collection includes Marie Redmond’s Superbrain® resources and a selection of books from leading publishers, ensuring they have everything they need to excel. As the course progresses, students are given additional books at the appropriate stages to support their learning throughout the year.

Each student receives their materials in a premium Marie Redmond Tuition® rucksack, designed to reflect the exceptional quality of our tuition and resources. Inside, they’ll find an electronic thesaurus, a tin of Marie Redmond’s Superbrain® vocabulary flashcards and a dry erase whiteboard.

Students also receive notebooks dedicated to spellings, vocabulary and maths, as well as a plain notebook for additional notes. Completing the set is a pencil case stocked with essential stationery including HB pencils, an eraser, sharpener and a dry erase pen.

Included in the Bag of Knowledge® is a high‑quality plastic‑free insulated water bottle, complete with a fun vocabulary feature on the back, because we believe learning should be both effective and enjoyable. Research on UK primary school pupils shows that even mild dehydration can affect concentration and cognitive performance, so we always encourage them to attend with a full water bottle.

Best of all, the cost of the Bag of Knowledge® and all resources for the course is fully covered within the monthly course fees.

Our course fees can be found here.

Yes! We’re pleased to offer a 5% sibling discount when more than one sibling is enrolled in our courses during the same term. The discount is applied to each child’s fees, so you can enjoy the saving across all bookings.

All 11 Plus course fees are paid by Direct Debit, Debit/Credit Card, Childcare Vouchers, Tax-Free Childcare, or the Childcare Grant Payment Service (CGPS) but the payment method depends on whether your child attends classroom-based courses or virtual lessons.

For classroom-based courses (available during term time and the Easter and summer holidays), we accept payment of fees by Direct Debit, Debit/Credit Card, Childcare Vouchers, Tax-Free Childcare or the Childcare Grant Payment Service (CGPS). We’ll send you specific payment details when your child enrols.

For virtual lessons (book club and creative thinking course), the government does not permit you to use Childcare Vouchers, Tax-Free Childcare or CGPS to pay for lessons, therefore we accept only payment by Direct Debit or Debit/Credit Card for these. For a full explanation, please see this article on why we cannot accept Childcare Vouchers and Tax-Free Childcare for virtual lessons.

Yes, you can now pay the upfront fee using Tax-Free Childcare, Childcare Vouchers, or the Childcare Grant Payment Service. When you complete the enrolment form and select one of these payment options, we will hold your child’s place for 7 days. Enrolment will be confirmed once the payment has been received. If the fee is not received within this timeframe, the place will be released.

The Government closed the Childcare Vouchers scheme to new entrants on 4th October 2018. If you joined the scheme on or before 4th October 2018 and are still eligible for Childcare Vouchers, you can continue to use them – like many thousands of parents across the UK. You remain eligible for Childcare Vouchers if you stay with the same employer, they continue to run the scheme and you do not take an unpaid career break of longer than a year. You can find out more on the Government website. If you did not join the Childcare Voucher scheme, or are no longer eligible, you can use the new scheme, which is called Tax-Free Childcare.

Term-Time Course

We believe that families should feel comfortable and confident in their decision to continue with tuition, and that it should be easy to stop if circumstances change.

To cancel, simply email us at [email protected] and discontinue your monthly payments. As payments are made one month in advance of lessons, if a payment is not received, your child will no longer be able to attend lessons from the following month.

For example, if you do not make your March 2027 payment, your child will not be able to attend lessons from April 2027.

Please note that refunds are not provided for payments made prior to cancellation.

Intensive Holiday Courses

The notice period for cancellation of holiday courses can be found here.