04/05/2026
One of the first decisions parents face when preparing for the 11+ is whether to hire a tutor, take charge of preparation at home, or combine the two.
There is no single right answer. A lot depends on your child's learning style, your own availability, and the specific demands of the exam at the school you are applying to.
What is worth knowing is that the subjects covered, particularly Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, are not part of the standard primary curriculum. Most children need structured, regular exposure to these question types well in advance of the exam, however that preparation is organised.
We explored the pros and cons of each approach in a recent blog post, if it is useful:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0tVKd20
How did you approach 11+ preparation, or how are you planning to? Tutor, home learning, or a mix of both?
Tutor vs. home learning: how to prepare for the 11+ : Schofield And Sims - Buy educational workbooks, dictionaries, posters, reading books, homework books, school books, textbooks and more.