11 Plus Tutor in Penge and Anerley: Preparation for Newstead Wood, St Olave’s and the Dulwich Schools

Penge and Anerley sit in a genuinely useful position for families thinking about secondary school. The SE20 postcode gives children access to grammar schools across Bromley and Bexley, independent schools in Dulwich, and both our Beckenham and Catford centres are within easy reach. Our Beckenham centre on Beckenham Road, BR3 is around ten minutes by car, the shortest distance from SE20 to any specialist 11 Plus tuition centre in South London.

At Geek School Tutoring, we have been preparing children across this part of South London since 2013. More than 1,000 families have come through our programme. What makes us different from a general private tutor is that we prepare children for the specific entrance exams of the schools on their list, including the different formats used by grammar schools versus independent schools. Our founder Joycellyn Akuffo is a journalist and experienced 11 Plus tutor who has sat the 11 Plus herself, put her own children through it, and spent more than a decade preparing other people’s children for it.

Schools Penge and Anerley Families Target: What Each Exam Involves

Newstead Wood School

Newstead Wood is one of the most sought-after girls’ grammar schools in South East London and uses GL Assessment papers covering verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning only. There is no separate English or maths paper. A minimum qualifying score of 210 is required, and the school has a nine-mile priority radius. Many families are surprised that a school this academic tests only VR and NVR, and assume strong readers will automatically do well. In practice, children who have never specifically practised GL Assessment VR and NVR question types often underperform significantly on first attempt. Consistent, timed practice from Year 3 or Year 4 is the most reliable way to build the speed and accuracy these papers reward.

St Olave’s Grammar School

St Olave’s runs a two-stage process. Stage 1 is a multiple-choice Selective Eligibility Test covering English, maths, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning. The top 450 candidates from Stage 1 are invited to Stage 2, which includes written papers in English and mathematics. The English written paper requires genuine analytical and extended writing ability, this is where the journalist-led teaching at Geek School gives children a real advantage over those who have focused only on VR and NVR.

Dulwich College, Alleyn’s and JAGS

For SE20 families also considering independent schools in the Dulwich corridor, Dulwich College uses written papers in English and mathematics with an extended writing component. Alleyn’s and JAGS use the ISEB Common Pre-Test as an initial online screening followed by the school’s own written papers. All three schools place significant weight on English writing ability, which is where our programme’s journalism-led approach most directly pays off.

Year 3: Starting Before the Competition

We take children from Year 3, which is earlier than most tutors. For Penge and Anerley families targeting Newstead Wood, the case for starting in Year 3 is strong. The GL Assessment VR and NVR papers reward fluency with question types that are not taught in school. Building that fluency takes time. A child who starts in Year 3 arrives at their Year 6 exam having spent three years becoming genuinely comfortable with these question types rather than cramming them in one.

Year 3 sessions are relaxed and exploratory: reading, vocabulary, early reasoning familiarisation, and building number confidence. There is no pressure at this stage, and children who enjoy Year 3 almost always carry that positive attitude into the more focused preparation of Years 4 and 5.

Year 4 and Year 5

In Year 4 we build the full programme: English, maths, VR and NVR in structured weekly sessions with regular short timed exercises. In Year 5 we introduce full GL Assessment and school-specific mock papers under timed conditions. Every child receives individual written feedback after each mock. We track progress and adjust the focus of sessions accordingly, spending more time on subjects where each individual child needs the most work.

Getting to Us from Penge and Anerley

From Penge East or Anerley station our Beckenham centre is around ten minutes by car along the A213. The 227 bus runs from Penge to Beckenham Junction. Our Catford centre is around twenty minutes via the South Circular. Both centres are also reachable by train: change at Crystal Palace or Sydenham. Online sessions are available for families who prefer not to travel, and all sessions are recorded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Newstead Wood test English and maths in its 11 plus exam?

No. Newstead Wood uses GL Assessment papers covering verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning only. There is no separate English or maths paper. This surprises many families, as Newstead Wood is a highly academic school. The reasoning papers test at a level that rewards extensive, specific practice, and children who are strong in English and maths but have not practised VR and NVR specifically often do not score as well as they should.

Do you take children from Year 3?

Yes. We take children from Year 3 onwards, which is earlier than most tutors. For families targeting Newstead Wood, starting in Year 3 is particularly valuable because the VR and NVR fluency the school’s papers reward takes time to build. Three years of steady practice produces much better results than one year of intensive preparation.

Which Geek School centre is closer to Penge?

Our Beckenham centre on Beckenham Road, BR3 is the closer option for most SE20 families, around ten minutes by car. Our Catford centre is around twenty minutes. Both offer the same programme and the same quality of tuition. We can advise which is more practical at the assessment stage. Online sessions are also available and get the same results.

What is the nine-mile radius rule for Newstead Wood?

Newstead Wood gives priority to girls who score above the qualifying threshold and live within nine miles of the school in a straight line. Penge and Anerley are well within this radius. Children outside the radius can still apply and be offered places if they score above the threshold and places remain, but this is rare in practice. Living within the radius and scoring above 210 gives your daughter a strong chance of a place.

Can my child prepare for both Newstead Wood and the Dulwich independent schools?

Yes, and many SE20 families do both simultaneously. The skill sets overlap significantly: strong reasoning, accurate comprehension, and confident writing are valuable for all these schools. The exam formats differ, and we make sure children are prepared specifically for beach format on their list. We cover both pathways in the same programme without doubling the work.

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