YOU CAN SLEEP EASY AT NIGHT WHEN YOUR CHILD IS IN ONE OF OUR TUTOR CLUBS
Academic competition for top schools is tougher than ever. But with proper preparation your child can secure a place at their first-choice grammar school or independent school—and we can help.
Kent Test 11+ and ISEB Common Pre-test tutoring, in-person and online
Preparing children for their upcoming 11+ exams is all we do
We specialise in Kent Test 11+ and ISEB Common Pre-Test exam preparation.
In our tutor clubs, your child will be placed with other pupils and taught by an expert teacher in small, friendly clubs of 6 children.
We also run a live online Writing Club where we teach how to produce high-scoring writing pieces … even if your child “doesn’t like writing.”
“It turns out all her classmates have been tutored for years.”
Ignore everything you hear from the other parents at the playground.
They’re buying workbook after workbook and subscribing to generic online platforms.
Their children are working all hours of the day on practice sheet after practice sheet.
It seems like they’ve got it all together. You wonder if you should be doing the same.
But more does not mean better. Those are the actions of a panicking parent (and we’ve been that parent too).
When it comes to their 11+ exam preparation, what your child doesn’t need is another workbook.
tightly targeted, manageable tasks
an expert tutor who has hand-held hundreds of pupils through this process before
a curriculum designed to have the maximum impact on their confidence and test scores with minimal time away from their real lives
So that your child can just be a child, with their well-being placed at the heart of everything we do.
And so you can relax, confident you’re following a proven path to 11+ success and that you’re giving your child the best possible chance of a place at their first-choice school.
Find out which of our teaching clubs directly addresses your child’s academic requirements
The Griffin Teaching curriculum includes
Maths
English
Writing
Handwriting
Reading comprehension
Non-verbal reasoning (NVR)
Spatial reasoning
Verbal reasoning
General exam techniques
Strategies for individual papers
“I had become increasingly concerned about his schooling and I desperately needed high-quality, focused tutoring to supplement his schoolwork.”
Dear Parent
Since 2011 more than 1,100 students have been taught in our friendly tutor clubs. Last year alone 702 of our Kent Test mock exams were taken by 11+ students.
We’ve taught thousands of children and each child, each family has unique needs.
I’m hugely keen for you to book in a chat with me. Tell me about YOUR child. Bring plenty of questions, too. Here are some questions parents often ask me:
- Should we start preparing in year 4 or year 5?
- Is tutoring for younger children even worth it?
- Is an academic school right for my child?
- What books should my child be reading?
- Isn’t school enough?
- How is the Kent Test different from other 11+ tests?
- What preparation should I be doing before my child starts tutoring?
- Which are the best workbooks and online platforms for my child’s particular test?
- What’s the secret to doing 11+ prep without the parent-child struggle?
If we don’t think your child will thrive at a grammar school we will explain why and discuss your options.
Your child’s particular needs are at the heart of everything we do (and all our advice is based on decades of experience).
I’m very much looking forward to meeting you,
Hayley Hobbs, Owner, Griffin Teaching
Turn your child into a writer
Transform your child’s writing in 8 weeks, just by attending one short pen-to-paper writing lesson each week.
Each week, we teach a quick, focused 20-minute writing lesson (the lesson is live-taught 3 times per week online, but you can also catch it on the replay)
Your child will complete their writing assignment during the lesson, snap a picture of it, and send it to their tutor
At the end of the week, your child will receive a positive, personalized feedback video—made just for them (watch an example)
With this kind of attention to their specific writing needs, your child’s handwriting and composition skills will just take off.
And you can check “11+ creative writing practice” off your to-do list.
“I’m so so thrilled with what the writing club is doing for my two boys. It is a very clever, efficient system.
They get more attention than they would in class in a fraction of the time it would usually take.
Brilliant.”
Meet the Griffin Teaching Team
Our energy is contagious
“I must say, you certainly have a hold in what you’re doing, your business model is extremely well organised and efficient, furthermore the children seem to really be enjoying it.
So clearly you and your team are getting it right, as this is no easy feat. Well done!”
“Xanthe was tearful yesterday when she realised she won’t see her wonderful Griffin teacher, Charlotte, again.
We are so very grateful for all her hard work, keeping her engaged and making this an enjoyable, fun learning experience. Not once has she said she doesn’t want to go along to the club.”
A peek into our inbox on Results Day and School Allocation Day…
“I wanted to thank you for the kindness you showed our daughter in August and your expertise at getting her across the line and into the Kent Test exam despite her anxiety.
She did exceptionally well, scoring 417, which has left us quite astounded. We would not have got this far without Griffin and your additional counselling.”
“Just wanted to let you know my son absolutely whomped his Kent test. He passed with a score of 397! He spent two days after beaming from ear to ear. Thank you for your help.”
“We received an offer for our daughter for Kew House yesterday. As you can imagine she (and we!) are absolutely over the moon.
She is a complete star and we are so proud of her.
Thank you so much for your wonderful help and support, and for keeping me sane too last term, taking the pressure off.”
“Max has just had the most amazing parents evening. He’s flying!!!!
Since he has been seeing you, his grades and confidence have increased. He is doing so well and genuinely loves his English with you.”
“Just wanted to say a huge thank you for helping our son in the Sevenoaks group.
He came out of the test full of joy, recounting the essay he’d written as an adapted one you’d helped him prepare during the lessons, and reciting the marks for each comprehension question.
Without your input, I have no doubt the essay and comprehension would have been a shot in the dark.”
“Following his interview our son has been awarded an academic scholarship from Collegiate School. We are grateful for all your help in getting him to this point. Bless him, I can’t quite believe how well he has done!”
The Griffin Teaching Blog
Insider tips for the parents of children preparing for the 11+
11 PLUS READING
Introduction to the reading list For decades now I have been successfully preparing students for the 11+ exam. Unsurprisingly (most weeks) I am asked by parents to recommend suitable books. As I'm quite picky over what I'm prepared to rate - it has been an ongoing...
Insider GCSE creative writing tips + 106 prompts from past papers
Are you feeling a little bit twitchy about your child’s English GCSE writing task? Sciences and humanities - although sometimes daunting in their content - seem a fair bet as ‘revisable’ topics. But the creative writing element of the English Language GCSE is less...
Yes, Kent Test 11+ 11+ Mock Exams are Essential … and Glorious
Isn’t working hard at school enough to achieve a pass in the Kent Test 11+? The unfortunate truth is that school is not enough. You may be surprised to discover that the 11+ exam content is not covered at all in primary classrooms in Kent. It’s not allowed. Head...
“Our children are well-taught, confident and exam-ready”
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Tell me about your child
I’ve been through this THREE times now with my own children. Every time was stressful.
Frankly, I can completely relate to the conflicting pressures of:
1) Managing your child’s time in a reasonable way (being the parent you want to be) alongside…
2) Pushing them to complete worksheets like everyone else’s children seem to be doing (as being that tiger parent just isn’t you.)
The good news is that you don’t have to do it alone—you can lean on us.
Book in a chat with me. Tell me about your child. You’ll feel a load lift from your shoulders…
