Here at Peepal Tree Learning, we’re keen to offer the tuition services that parents are looking for and that will most benefit our students. We’ve had lots of enquiries about 11-plus tuition and we’re delighted to announce that we’ll soon be launching after-school classes to help your child prepare for the 11-plus exams.

Why 11-plus tuition?

Competition for places at top independent and grammar schools is tough – and it’s getting tougher every year. Naturally, you want your child to get into a good school, so they can take advantage of the best educational and extra-curricular opportunities. To make this happen, your child needs to pass the notoriously difficult 11-plus exams with flying colours.

There’s a lot of work involved in preparing for 11-plus and some children can feel overwhelmed. Peepal Tree Learning are here to help. Our carefully structured after-school tuition classes will help your child get to grips with the 11-plus curriculum, letting them learn at their own pace and supporting them to feel confident about taking the exam. With our help, your child can reach their full potential and achieve the best possible pass.

What subjects are covered in 11-plus?

The curriculum varies depending on where you live, but is generally made up of the following components:

• Maths. Your child will be expected to know all the Key Stage 2 objectives, be able to apply the four number operations (adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying) and understand other basic mathematical principles. In the exam, they’ll need to use this knowledge to solve a range of problems.
• Verbal Reasoning. This isn’t taught in the National Curriculum, so 11-plus may be your child’s first experience of it. Verbal Reasoning requires your child to solve problems using words, sequences, codes and logic. They’ll need a good vocabulary to do well. There are 21 different types of Verbal Reasoning question and whilst they probably won’t all come up in the exam, your child will need to be familiar with them all and know how to answer them. Quite a tall order!
• Non Verbal Reasoning. Again, this subject area isn’t covered by the National Curriculum. Non Verbal Reasoning presents problems graphically in the form of pictures and diagrams. As with Verbal Reasoning, there are multiple question types and your child will need to recognise and know how to answer each one.
• English. There’s quite a lot of variation in the English component of 11-plus. In most cases, it requires your child to write a story on a given topic and may include a comprehension exercise. Other tasks might include solving punctuation and grammar problems and spotting incorrect spellings.

There are separate exam papers for each of the four components of 11-plus. The papers will require a mixture of written and multiple choice responses. Each test is timed and lasts 45 to 60 minutes.

What’s involved in after-school tuition?

Your Peepal Tree Learning tutor will help your child revise and prepare for the 11-plus exams, based on the curriculum followed by your chosen school. A typical class might include looking at past papers, exploring the techniques required to answer the different question types and helping your child develop effective study skills.

Your tutor will also help your child grow in confidence, encouraging them to think creatively and analytically, rather than ‘spoon feeding’ the contents of the curriculum. This approach is essential to success in 11-plus, as the exams require your child to think for themselves as opposed to simply regurgitating information.

What else can I do to help my child prepare?

There are lots of things you can do. These include:

• Encouraging them to read widely, so they develop a great vocabulary
• Working through past papers with your child
• Visiting museums, art galleries, concerts, plays, sporting events and so on – anything that helps your child enjoy learning will help!
• Supporting your child if they’re feeling anxious about the exams
• Making time to have fun! Passing 11-plus is important, but your child needs to relax and enjoy themselves as well.

Like to know more?

For more information about our 11-plus tuition, please contact us by phone or email and we’ll be pleased to help.