11+ Independent School Preparation for Year 6 | January Exams

Year 6 · Independent school entry

The grammar papers are sat. The independent ones are not.

Independent school entrance exams are sat in January. That is one term away, and they are not the same paper your child sat this month.

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Where things actually stand

What has gone, and what has not

Most of September is behind you. It is worth being clear about what that does and does not mean, because a lot of families assume the year is decided when it is not.

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Already satBexley, Kent and Medway. St Olave’s Stage 1.
✓
Still ahead this termNewstead Wood. St Olave’s Stage 2 in November.
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Still ahead in JanuaryIndependent school entrance exams, and the interviews that follow them.
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A deadline that catches people outThe state secondary application closes on 31st October, whatever else you are applying for.

One term is not a long time. It is also not nothing.

The part most families underestimate

An independent paper is a different exam

Children who have spent a year on grammar preparation often assume the independent papers are the same test with a different logo on the front. They are not, and the differences are exactly where marks are won and lost.

1

Set by the school

Independent papers are written by the school or its consortium rather than a local authority, so format, length and marking vary from one school to the next. Preparation has to be aimed at the specific schools on your list.

2

Far more writing

Extended writing carries real weight. A child who has practised multiple choice all year can arrive with very little recent experience of producing a strong piece under timed conditions.

3

Maths that reaches further

Some papers go beyond the grammar syllabus, with multi-step problems and questions that ask a child to show method rather than pick an answer.

4

An interview at the end

Many schools interview. It is a real part of the decision, and it is the part almost nobody prepares for until the letter arrives.

Before anything else

The 31st October deadline

Your state secondary application has to be in by 31st October, and it is separate from anything you send an independent school directly.

Families applying privately sometimes treat the state form as a formality and leave it late, or skip preferences they assume they will not need. It is worth filling in properly. It costs nothing to name schools you may never take up, and it is the one part of this process with no second chance.

Where every family starts

The free assessment

With one term left, guessing is expensive. The first thing to establish is where your child actually stands against the papers they are about to sit.

What you receive

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A one-hour assessmentEnglish and maths, including a piece of extended writing, marked against independent entry standard. At Beckenham, at Catford, or online.
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A view against your actual school listTell us the schools you are applying to and we will tell you how your child reads against those papers, not against a general standard.
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What the term should be spent onWith this little time left, the plan matters more than the hours. We will tell you what to prioritise and what to leave alone.
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An honest answerA fifteen-minute feedback call. If we think a school on your list is out of reach in the time available, we will say so rather than take your money.
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No obligation to continueTake the assessment, take the feedback, and decide in your own time.
Book your free assessment A small number of places remain in the Year 6 groups.
Inside a lesson

What one term looks like

Two hours a week, in a group of no more than eight, at Beckenham or Catford or live online.

Now to December

  • Extended writing rebuilt, weekly and marked
  • Past papers from the schools on your list
  • Multi-step maths and showing method
  • Comprehension on harder, longer texts

Christmas to the exams

  • Full papers under exam timing
  • Interview practice, with real questions
  • The specific quirks of each school’s paper
  • Keeping steady, which at this stage matters as much as content
From here to an offer

The timeline, laid out

Now

Assessment and the school list

Establish where your child stands and which schools are realistic. Registration deadlines for independent schools vary, so check each one this month.

October

Grammar results and the state form

Grammar outcomes arrive. The state secondary application closes on 31st October.

November

St Olave’s Stage 2

For families still in that process, alongside continued work on the January papers.

January

Independent entrance exams

The papers themselves, followed at many schools by interviews.

February and March

Offers

Independent offers arrive, and the state allocation follows on national offer day in March.

Parents in South East London already trust us

Twelve years of Year 6 families

1,000+
Students supported
90-100%
Pass rate in Kent, Bexley and Medway grammar schools
4.9
Rated on Google
2014
Teaching in Greater London since

“Daniel got into Beths Grammar School and has been offered his first choice, Chislehurst and Sidcup.”

Jennifer

“My daughter passed two of her top grammar school exams.”

Aidah Nabugo

“Geek School is a place to go if you want to see real progress in your child’s learning.”

Oko Ganchimeg
Straight answers

The questions Year 6 parents ask in September

Is one term really enough?
For a child already working near the standard, a term of focused work on the right things makes a substantial difference, particularly on extended writing where improvement comes quickly. For a child a long way off the standard, one term will not close every gap, and we will tell you that at the assessment rather than after you have paid for a term.
The grammar result was not what we hoped. Is independent entry realistic?
Often, yes. The papers reward different things, and a child who was not suited to a fast multiple choice test can read very differently on a paper built around extended writing and method. It depends entirely on the child and the schools, which is what the assessment is for.
Do you prepare children for the interviews?
Yes. Interview practice is part of the work from Christmas onwards, using the kinds of questions schools actually ask. It is the most neglected part of independent entry and one of the easiest to improve.
What about bursaries?
Many independent schools offer means-tested bursaries, some of them substantial, and the application usually runs alongside the entrance process rather than after it. Each school sets its own rules and deadlines, so contact the schools on your list directly and early. We are not able to make those applications for you.
Our child is already tutored elsewhere. Can they still join?
They can, and at this stage of the year plenty do. Come to the assessment and we will be honest about whether we would be adding something or simply duplicating what is already happening.
How much work is there at home?
Around forty minutes, three times a week, plus one piece of extended writing. It rises in January. We would rather set less and have it done properly than set a pile that gets rushed.
Simple pricing

What it costs

Most families choose this

11+ Programme, in centre

£215
per month

English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning in a small group at Beckenham or Catford, plus a free online booster.

11+ Programme, online

£195
per month

The same subjects and the same curriculum, taught live online to families across the UK.

One-to-one tuition

£40
per hour

Individual sessions where a child needs focused work on a specific area, alongside or instead of a group.

8 places per year group, at each centre A small number of places remain in the Year 6 groups. Sibling discounts of 10 per cent for two children and 15 per cent for three or more.

One term until the January papers.

It takes one hour to find out exactly where your child stands, and it costs you nothing. A small number of places remain.

Book your free assessment No pressure and no obligation.
Beckenham BR3 4LS · Catford SE13 6QT · Online across the UK
020 8658 3239