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.

Discover the proven benefits of small class sizes.

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.

For our latest fees, please see our term-time and holiday course fees pages.

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.

Yes.  We accept payment of fees by bank transfer, cheque, Childcare Vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare. We’ll send you specific payment details when your child enrols.

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.

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.

Marie Redmond Tuition® 11+ Mock Exams are designed to be as close as possible to the actual exams.

Each year we meet with many of our students a week after they sit the CEM and GL Assessment tests to gain useful insights into the exams. We have in-depth discussions about the types of questions they encountered, including any new types that hadn’t been seen previously. We also discuss the timing of sections and the layout of the papers and answer sheets. Following our feedback sessions, we annually adapt our papers to ensure your child is thoroughly prepared.

Although we don’t know exactly what’s going to be in the next exams, the detailed insights gained in these feedback sessions are invaluable and ensure that our 11 Plus Mock Exams remain as close as possible to the real thing.

A full breakdown of the topics covered in each exam can be found on our GL Assessment-style and CEM-style mock exam pages.

Yes. Our 11 Plus Mock Exams are held in strict exam conditions and administered by professional, DBS checked invigilators. Pre-recorded audio is used to explain the instructions, guide the practice questions and to provide time prompts.

We offer 11 Plus Mock Exams in preparation for both the CEM test (Slough Consortium, Reading, Kendrick and Gloucestershire Grammar schools) and the GL Assessment test (The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools).

In 2020 we have five sets of unique 11 Plus mock papers (two CEM-style and three GL Assessment-style).

Our Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Gloucestershire 11 Plus mock exams prepare your child for entrance to the following grammar schools:

Buckinghamshire

• Aylesbury Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• Aylesbury High School, Buckinghamshire
• Beaconsfield High School, Buckinghamshire
• Burnham Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• Chesham Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• Dr Challoner’s High School, Buckinghamshire
• John Hampden Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• The Royal Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• The Royal Latin School, Buckinghamshire
• Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, Buckinghamshire
• Wycombe High School, Buckinghamshire

Berkshire

• Kendrick School, Reading, Berkshire
• Reading School, Reading, Berkshire
• Herschel Grammar School, Slough, Berkshire
• Langley Grammar School, Slough, Berkshire
• St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School, Slough, Berkshire
• Upton Court Grammar School, Slough, Berkshire

Gloucestershire (mock exams launching 2021)

• Pate’s Grammar School, Cheltenham
• Denmark Road High School, Gloucester
• Ribston Hall High School, Gloucester
• Sir Thomas Rich’s School, Gloucester
• The Crypt School, Gloucester
• Marling School, Stroud
• Stroud High School, Stroud

No. Our 11 Plus mock exams can be taken in any order. All of our tests are unique and no questions are repeated.

Please ensure that your child arrives at least 15 minutes before the start time of their 11 Plus mock exam.  The start time is detailed in your order confirmation e-mail.  If we need you to arrive earlier, we will let you know in your final instructions email, which will be sent approximately 7 days before each exam.

For your child’s safety, you will need to register them at the venue and collect them in person from the invigilator at the end of the exam.

No. We provide each child with pencils, a pencil sharpener and an eraser.

Yes. There will be a break between the two 11 Plus test papers and so please ensure that your child brings a nut-free drink and snack for that time.

Our mock exams last two and a half hours and consist of two papers. Each 11 Plus test paper is approximately 50 minutes long (plus ten minutes of practice questions), with a short break between the papers.

Yes. If your child attends any of our 5-day Summer Courses, an 11 Plus mock test is included in the price and does not need to be booked separately. Please check our Summer Course page to discover which test papers are included in our summer courses. For example, if your child attends week 1 of our Summer Course and is preparing for the Buckinghamshire test, they will sit Assessment-style mock test paper B on the final day of the course.

You can supplement the mock tests on our Summer Courses by booking additional tests on our 11 Plus Mock Exam booking page.

Within 48 hours of the 11 Plus mock test session you will receive a secure login to see:

• All the questions your child answered incorrectly (including the answers they gave), along with detailed explanations from Marie Redmond MEd on how to get them right next time
  • Our explanations are quick and easy to grasp
  • For the most complicated of questions, we provide animated videos narrated by Marie Redmond MEd
  • Children have short attention spans.  Data shows that online videos are watched for an average of less than 30 seconds, so we keep ours as short as possible

• A detailed analysis on your child’s performance, including:
  • Their score for each section of the papers
  • Score for each paper
  • Overall score
  • Separate comparison tables showing anonymised scores:
    • For students who sat the exam with your child
    • For all students from previous years

• Our suggested pass mark for the exam, based on previous pupils’ performance

• Detailed analysis of the number and type of questions, as well as timing for each subsection of the test papers

• A list of challenging vocabulary from the tests

Within 48 hours of your child’s 11 Plus mock exam, you will receive an e-mail with a link and password to access their results.

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to accommodate children with specific needs that would require them to have extra time for the 11 Plus mock exam or to take the exam in a separate room from other candidates.

Yes. However, if you wish to book with Childcare Vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare, you will not be able to book through the website. Please call us on 01494 956 809 or email marie@marieredmond.co.uk

Your child’s 11 Plus mock exam papers and multiple-choice answer sheets will not be released. This is to ensure that accurate parent feedback is given, including students’ ranking within the group and guarantees that the 11 Plus mock exam papers are unique and have not been seen prior to sitting a Marie Redmond Tuition® 11 Plus Mock Exam.

We do not sell our 11+ mock test papers separately or provide them to other tuition companies.

We do not offer 11 Plus mock exams online. All of our 11 Plus mock exams take place in carefully selected venues under real exam conditions.