Should every child have an 11-plus tutor?

No. A tutor is worth it when a child is close to the standard and needs targeted help or exam familiarity. It is not worth it if the child lives outside the school's catchment, if they are a long way from the required level with little time, or if the pressure is harming their wellbeing. An honest tutor will tell you which of these applies.

When is 11-plus tutoring a waste of money?

11-plus tutoring is a waste of money in four situations: an out-of-catchment address where the rule is decisive, as at Kendrick School; too little time left to close a large gap; single-subject tutoring when the test gates on another paper; and tutoring that replaces rest and childhood rather than supplementing school.

How do I know if my child actually needs a tutor?

Look at their current school attainment, how close they are to the standard, how much time remains before the test, and how they respond to pressure. Light-touch help may be enough if they are already near the level and simply need exam practice. More tutoring rarely fixes it, and can do harm, if they are far off with months to go.

Honest guide · from a tutoring centre

When not to hire an 11-plus tutor

This is the page we have the least commercial reason to write. We are a tutoring centre, and we are writing it anyway. An 11-plus tutor is worth paying for when a child is near the standard and needs targeted help or exam familiarity. It is not worth it in four common situations: when you live outside the school's catchment and that rule is decisive, as it is at Kendrick; when there is too little time left to close a large gap; when a child is tutored in one subject while the test gates on another; and when the pressure is harming the child. An honest tutor will tell you when one of these applies to your child.

1. Your address is outside the catchment

This is the one that costs families the most, in money and in hope. Kendrick School states that since 2013 it has offered no place to a child living outside its designated area, whatever score they attain. No amount of preparation changes the outcome if you live outside that area. Check your address against the school's designated area before you begin, not after two years of Saturday mornings.

2. There is too little time to close a large gap

Intensive tutoring rarely bridges a large gap when only a few months remain. Pushing harder often makes things worse instead. Selective tests are designed to find children who already reason well. Building that genuinely takes time. Starting earlier and gently beats starting late and hard. Sometimes the honest answer is that this particular school is not the right target this year.

3. You are tutoring one subject while the test gates on another

We have met families who paid for a year of English tuition without realising the reasoning paper decided whether the English was even counted. Money spent on the wrong paper is money wasted. Understand how the whole assessment is weighted before you commit to a subject. We are happy to explain it for free.

4. The pressure is harming your child

A grammar school place is not worth damaging your relationship with your child, or their confidence, to chase. Ease off when tutoring is replacing rest, play and sleep, or when mock results are causing real distress. Do not add another session. Children learn best when they are well. A child who arrives at secondary school anxious and exhausted has not been well served by the process that got them there.

So when is a tutor worth it?

A tutor is worth it when your child is inside catchment, reasonably close to the standard, has enough time, and responds well to structured support. In that case a good tutor can make a real difference, by teaching the concepts and the exam format, and by keeping the preparation calm and paced. That is the work we do, and we would rather do it for the right children than sell it to everyone.

Written by Dr Pushpa Prasad, PhD, PGCE, founder of Learn to Excel. See our 11-plus approach or ask us an honest question.