Frequently Asked Questions
No. We attended Buckinghamshire County Council’s Education Select Committee meeting at County Hall in Aylesbury on 19th November 2014, where Philip Wayne, at the time Chairman of The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools (and now headteacher of The Royal Grammar School) said:
- “We can’t stop people having their children tutored… I have never said it is tutor proof – I get very cross when I see that said by newspapers and campaign groups.”
Read about the meeting in The Bucks Herald
Competition for grammar school places is fierce, which is why more children than ever are having tuition before sitting the 11 Plus exam. We’ll give your child the best possible chance of securing a place, by taking the time to get to know them and understand the learning techniques that work best for them.
It depends on their current ability and how much support you feel they need. Most children start preparing for the 11 Plus in Year 5 – but some parents choose to start in Year 4. If you’re not sure when your child should start, please get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to advise.
Marie and her team of first-class, fully qualified primary teachers deliver lessons that are interactive and challenging, with an element of fun to keep your child engaged in the right way. We believe strongly that preparing your child mentally for sitting the exam is also a key part of their success – which is why we also work hard to build confidence and exposure to exam conditions.
With extensive experience of preparing children for the 11 Plus and teaching the curriculum in local schools, as well as preparing your child for exam conditions, we offer a winning combination.
Yes. All members of our team are fully qualified primary teachers with extensive experience of 11 Plus preparation.
No. All members of our team are qualified and experienced primary teachers.
Our classes are limited to between eight and ten pupils (nearly half the size of most independent school classes). This ensures that our pupils receive valuable one-to-one attention with the teacher.
We incorporate educational games and activities so that children enjoy their lessons and remain engaged throughout.
The following parents emailed us to say how much their children enjoyed our lessons:
- “Jon is enjoying his sessions thoroughly and is looking forward to continuing them next year too.” (Year 4 parent, Chesham, 2017)
- “I would like to let you know that for Christian out of all his academic activities, tuition is his favourite!” (Year 4 parent, Beaconsfield, 2017)
- “Please can you forward our comments to Anne, as our son thinks she is a very good tutor and enjoys her classes. He enjoyed the classes so much, that he invited his friends to join. His friends have now joined and attend the same class as him.” (Year 5 parent, Farnham Common, 2016)
- “Naveen really enjoyed her first lesson last week with Anne. Naveen was a little apprehensive going into class to begin with and did actually take me in with her! However, once I left and came to collect her she said she really enjoyed her session and liked Anne. I would also like to mention that Naveen came out of her first class beaming and once home said she loved having a tutor like Anne. And then decided she was very lucky to have a tutor. So a really big thank you from me.” (Year 4 parent, Farnham Common, 2016)
- “I wanted to just let you know that Jake really enjoyed his first session last week and seems motivated to complete the homework.” (Year 5 parent, Beaconsfield, 2015)
- “Rachel enjoyed her class yesterday and also commented on what a lovely teacher she had which is great.” (Year 5 parent, Chalfont St Peter, 2015)
- “He really enjoyed his first lesson last week and has even enjoyed doing his homework.” (Year 5 parent, Gerrards Cross, 2015)
- “The girls really enjoyed their first lesson ….so all good.” (Year 5 parent, Chalfont St Peter, 2015)
- “We (the queue of waiting parents on the stairs at 2pm) were all worried that our kids would hate us for making them work on a Saturday, but as far as Harry was concerned, he, and I quote, “loved it, it was great fun” .. he was bouncing around in the car on the way home. So smiles all round, thank you.” (Year 4 parent, Ivinghoe, 2014)
- “Many thanks for forwarding Joe’s results. Both Wednesdays he has returned from your sessions full of enthusiasm and has really enjoyed the learning, so thank you very much – no mean feat!” (Year 5 parent, Princes Risborough, 2014)
- “I believe that we have found the right place. Nathan cannot wait until Saturday morning, he absolutely loved your session and he didn’t even realise that he was there for two hours (that is so important to us).” (Year 4 parent, Gerrards Cross, 2014)
Visit our testimonials page to see what other parents have to say.
We welcome all levels of abilities – because we believe every child should have the same opportunities and can benefit from 11 Plus tuition.
All children complete an assessment when they first join one of our courses to give us an understanding of their current ability and the appropriate level of challenge they need. We then assess them twice each term – at half term and at the end of term. This means that we can check they’ve achieved their individual targets and devise a Tuition Plan that suits their needs and challenges.
We will create a Tuition Plan based on the outcome of your child’s assessment. This sets their individual targets for verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning (key topics of the test). 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.
Our courses have proven to help children achieve their potential in the 11 Plus. Every year since 2012, a large proportion of our pupils have passed the exam and secured a place at a grammar school.
As reading comprehension and vocabulary are such important parts of the exam (verbal reasoning accounts for up to 50% of marks), 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.
There is an annual resource pack fee, payable at registration (£95 for Year 4 and £140 for Year 5).
At the start of the course, your child will receive their resource pack, containing their class and homework books, carefully selected from a wide range of reputable publishers. All of our students are presented with their books in a Marie Redmond Tuition® rucksack, featuring an electronic thesaurus, note book and a pencil case containing pencils, an eraser and sharpener.
Other materials, such as worksheets and games are included in the price of the course. Stationery is also provided during lessons.
At the beginning of each academic year, there is an option to pay a year in advance with a 12% discount. Alternatively, you can pay termly in advance and receive a 10% discount or pay by monthly instalments. If you have more than one child attending our courses during the same term, you are eligible for a 5% sibling discount on our term-time courses – on top of any other discounts you may receive.
For details, see our term-time and holiday course fees pages.
We’ll do our best to accommodate them on a different day, provided there is space in another class. If that’s not possible, we’ll email you the lesson plan and homework.
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.