What the 11 Plus Actually Involves for South-East London Families

The 11 Plus is not one exam. It is a group of different exams run by different schools, and the format varies depending on where your child is sitting. For Lewisham families this matters particularly, because the mix of target schools is wider than it is for families aiming at a single local grammar.

The independent schools most Catford families consider cluster into two groups. The south London independents (Dulwich College, Alleyn’s, JAGS, Dulwich Prep, James Allen’s Prep) run their own 7+ and 11+ entrance tests, typically combining Maths, English comprehension, creative writing and reasoning, followed by an interview. Dates fall in the autumn term of Year 6, sometimes with pre-tests in Year 5. The ISEB Common Pre-Test is used by several of them for Year 7 entry. Haberdashers’ Aske’s at Hatcham (New Cross) is a free school with its own entrance assessment and much higher competition locally than the independents further out, because it is non-fee-paying. Eltham College and St Dunstan’s (in Catford itself) both run their own entrance tests at 11+.

For families willing to travel to grammars, the three in regular play are St Olave’s in Orpington (boys only, two-stage SET process with creative writing used as a tiebreaker after Maths), Newstead Wood in Orpington (girls only, GL Assessment, English paper with reading and writing, plus Maths and reasoning), and Bexley Grammar in Welling (co-ed, part of the Bexley consortium using two multiple-choice papers of about 50 minutes each, no extended writing component). The Kent Test is also an option if you have a route to a Kent address, with the Medway grammars sitting under the same format.

That spread of formats is why our 11 Plus programme covers Maths, English comprehension, extended creative writing, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning across every term, rather than specialising to one school. A child who prepares for the full range stays in play for every realistic target school, including the one you have not thought of yet.

Why We Take Children from Year 3

One thing that sets us apart from most 11 Plus providers in the area is that we accept children from Year 3. Most providers start at Year 5, sometimes Year 4. We take Year 3 because the children who build the strongest 11 Plus performance tend to be the ones who had two or three years of patient, confidence-first work before the exam became the point. By Year 5 the pressure is real, timetables are tight, and there is no slack to work on, say, how a child feels about writing. If we have a child from Year 3, we spend the first year building habits, vocabulary and reading stamina. The exam preparation is layered on top later, from a stronger starting point.

That does not mean Year 5 is too late. We take Year 5 starters every term and they regularly get grammar school places. It just means the work is more concentrated and the margin for error is thinner. If your child is in Year 3 or Year 4 and you are already thinking about this, that is good timing, not pushy parenting.

What Our Catford Programme Costs

Our 11 Plus in-centre programme is £215 a month and includes free access to our online booster sessions. 11 Plus online-only is £195 a month for three hours of teaching a week. Independent school preparation, which includes additional focus on interview technique and school-specific exam formats, is £265 a month. The independent school prep is particularly worth considering if your child is targeting Dulwich College, Alleyn’s, JAGS, Haberdashers’ or Eltham, since all five run interview rounds that need separate preparation. We offer a 10 percent sibling discount for two children and 15 percent for three or more. We accept childcare vouchers, Childcare Choices, Student Finance England and Universal Credit.

Assessments are free and genuinely free. There is no £5 charge, no refundable deposit, nothing to pay before you have met us. Our assessment-to-enrolment rate is 90 percent, which is what it is because the assessment is a real conversation about fit rather than a sales pitch, and once families see what the teaching actually looks like most of them want to join.

About Geek School and Me

I am Joycellyn Akuffo, founder of Geek School Tutoring. I set up the business in 2013 and in the years since we have worked with more than 1,000 children across our two centres and online. I hold an MA in Education, a BSc in Psychology, PTLLS, and a Diploma in Teaching. Before I started Geek School, I spent more than a decade working in the media as a journalist editing for national magazines including Glamour, BBC Good Homes and Women’s Weekly. I also sat the 11 Plus myself and attended an independent school throughout secondary. This means I have a candidate’s perspective on the process alongside the teaching one, not to mention supporting both of my children through the same journey as your child will soon endeavour.

Geek School is Ofsted registered. All our tutors are DBS checked. We are a Corporate Member of the Tutors’ Association. Our Google rating across the two centres sits at 4.9. For families aiming at the Kent, Bexley and Medway grammar schools, our pass rate currently sits between 90 and 100 percent.

Our Catford children have gone on to Dulwich College, Alleyn’s, JAGS, Haberdashers’ Aske’s, Eltham College, St Dunstan’s, Trinity and Whitgift, alongside grammar school places at St Olave’s, Newstead Wood and the Bexley consortium schools for families who were willing to travel.