Small group 11+ tutoring in West Kent and online
11+ preparation for children (and their anxious parents)
We run small group tutor clubs in Goudhurst, Hadlow, Kings Hill, Marden, Pembury and online.
We specialise in the Kent Test 11+, the ISEB Common Pre-Test, the Sevenoaks Exam and the Medway 11+
No obligation. Registering your interest secures your spot on our waiting list and gives you priority access to your first-choice venue and time
Your child deserves 11+ tutoring that doesn’t waste a moment of their time
With our 11+ tutor clubs you get a tightly organised 11+ tutoring programme…
We teach content and exam techniques (proven strategies to score well) which are not taught in school.
Our process ensures your child covers absolutely everything they need to know on the day of their exam.
…with a “that’s not so bad” weekly time commitment…
We take considered time-management seriously. So your child is free to enjoy being a child.
You will be amazed at how much content is packed into each weekly 1-hour tutoring session.
✓ 20 minutes maths
✓ 20 minutes English
✓ 10 minutes verbal reasoning
✓ 10 minutes non-verbal/spatial reasoning
Just one hour of club teaching and 20 minutes of homework per week is all your child will need to succeed.
…taught by an expert teaching team.
Our team is second-to-none.
We’re a small team of experienced teachers who have huge respect for each other and enjoy teaching our clubs.
Every year hundreds of Griffin Teaching students go on to be offered a place at their first-choice school.
And your child might even enjoy it
“Just wanted to say…
a) how helpful this is and
b) what an improvement in confidence she has had through your sessions.
She is always keen to go to them and the increased confidence has had such a positive knock-on effect to her personally as well as academically.”
– Jenny
“My daughter thinks you are the best teacher she’s ever had.
She came home stating that your teaching is better than that of her school and my own teaching.“
– Olu
“Firstly I wanted to say how brilliant I think these sessions are and the marked change I can see in Ivy’s work so thank you so much!
Not once has she said she doesn’t want to go along to the club.” Kate
Registering takes just 3 minutes and gives you the best chance of securing your preferred venue + time.
No obligation to enrol.
Parents, you deserve support too
“The parental support and your balanced approach kept us all sane.”
We know how stressful preparing for the 11+ can be for the parents. (We’re parents too.)
So we take a whole-family approach to 11+ preparation.
We’ll be there to guide you through your 11+ journey too.
From start to finish.
You can stop wading through that confusing sea of workbooks (access to all the resources you need are included in the club)
You’ll get honest, expert feedback on whether your child will thrive at an academic school. We can even help you choose the right school for your child.
Help if your child is managing a specific learning difficulty. We can refer you to our friendly experts and short-cut you to the best specialist support in the area.
Full transparency. You’ll have access to detailed records of your child’s attainment.
If needed, we will support you through a parent appeal. We’ll even ghost write your appeal letter for you and coach you on how to manage a live appeal session. At no extra charge.
A peek into our inbox on results day…
“She passed!”
“Hello Hayley, just a quick one to let you know that Barney 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. He has chosen MGS.” – Annmarie
“I just wanted to let you know how my son did in the test.
We were really thrilled to get his result today and find out that he passed with a score of 414!
He is chuffed to bits and probably a little shocked—we hadn’t actually told him it was results day today so it’s probably a lot to take in! “ – Jo
“So… I am very happy to tell you that Chloe passed!! I’m so proud of her and so grateful to you and your fantastic programme and teachers. THANK YOU!!!” – Helen
“To say we are proud and shocked is an understatement. He worked hard all summer and it paid off. Only one other boy in his school passed!” – Sarah
“Thank you so so much for all your help over the last year or so with my daughter. She is so pleased today so thank you for helping her with her confidence to do this.
She did really well particularly in the reasoning which I know is completely down to you and your team – and her. We are also really pleased with the results in that they help us decide a few other school options and give us a good indication of which schools she would enjoy.
Thank you once again for all your extremely hard work and consistent positive approach.” – Bev
It’s not just that group tuition is considerably cheaper than private tuition
It’s that your child gets the “we’re all in this together” feeling…
We run groups of 6 based on experience—it’s not a random number.
Any more children in the room and it turns group tutoring into a classroom experience.
Any fewer children and the warmth, momentum and camaraderie of ‘we’re all in this together’ doesn’t develop.
The magic number is 6.
Notes from proud dads…
Thanks
“Just a quick note to confirm that Alexander was offered Judd!! Thanks for all your help!!”
Just wanted to inform you that Ethan has secured his place at Judd. Thank you so much for all the support and help you have given for his 11+ preparation.”
Maybe you have hesitated
But it’s not too late
Of course, for best results we recommend children enrol in our 11+ tutoring program the full year before their test. This gives them time to absorb the information at a comfortable pace with lots of time to practice.
But if you’re reading this in the summer before the exam we’ve got some good news for you.
It’s still not too late.
We’ve had success with students that start with us just weeks before their exam day.
So there’s still time to get them on track even if they only have a few weeks left.
Whenever you join we share our whole teaching programme with you and your child, including anything your child has missed up to that point, with pre-recorded videos to explain the tricky parts.
And for when that’s all a bit much, we simply break it down in a manageable way according to your child’s particular needs.
Rest assured that—whenever you join—we have tips, tricks and shortcuts to a great performance on the day of the exam.
“Your clubs are flawlessly organised. At every stage we have felt like you have it so under control. My main advice to anyone is that the revision in the summer helped so much.”
Free consulation
Tell me about your child
Hello, I’m Hayley, the owner and founder of Griffin Teaching.
I’ve been through this THREE times now with my own children. Every time was stressful.
Frankly, I can totally 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 as everyone else’s children seem to be doing (being the tiger parent that 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 or send me a note. Tell me about your child. You’ll feel a load lift from your shoulders…
Hi Hayley
I got into Weald
I’m so happy 😀
Thank you for all of your help
I couldn’t have done it without you
I wouldn’t even have known what NVR and VR meant 😂
Thank you 😊
Tara
FAQs
You’re not the first parent to have these questions
Questions about the 11+
Is 11+ tutoring necessary? Isn’t school enough?
In our local area, Kent County Council prevents schools from preparing children for the Kent Test 11+.
The idea is that it is ‘tutor-proof’ and tests a child’s innate ability. Of course, no exam is ‘tutor proof.’ A good teacher will always improve a child’s score.
Likewise, schools describe the ISEB Common Pre-test as ‘not necessary to prepare for.’ Yet children’s scores rise substantially with preparation.
Most 11+ exams include content that isn’t usually taught for another year or two in schools.
Our job is to raise children’s attainment substantially whilst maintaining their confidence.
Our students are well-taught, confident and exam-ready!
When should my child start the 11+ tutoring?
One year is perfect to teach the full 11+ curriculum—the best time to start is in September Year 5. Truly, any reasoning workbooks you do before Year 5 are a waste of time. And your child won’t thank you for it!
That said, if you have a concern about your child’s education—English or maths perhaps—then it’s a good idea to address the issue before Year 5 begins.
We run Year 4 English and Maths Booster clubs for this purpose. We also run an online Writing Club for children as young as 7.
These clubs are perfect for ironing out any worries before your child’s big year of 11+ preparation.
Which 11+ workbooks do you recommend?
Virtually none of them.
Almost every workbook we’ve seen isn’t right for our exam. Some even have the name of our exam on the cover but it’s just marketing—you can’t rely on it.
We do have one workbook we recommend for non-verbal reasoning, but that’s about it.
When we struggled to find the resources that were a perfect match we turned to the experts and commissioned our own. These are provided to you at no extra cost when your child is in our 11+ club programme.
Questions about Griffin Teaching’s 11+ clubs
How long have you been tutoring for the 11+?
We have been tutoring children for highly competitive entrance exams for decades.
Hayley, Griffin Teaching’s founder and owner, got her start in this field in Hong Kong, where she prepared children for highly competitive entrance exams.
Then she moved to West London and prepared children for entrance exams to top public schools (including Westminster, St Paul’s Girls, both sites of Francis Holland, Henrietta Barnett and City of London Boys.)
Griffin Teaching opened in West Kent in 2011. We prepare hundreds of children every year for the Kent Test 11+, the ISEB Common Pre-test and other entrance exams for schools in this area.
How many children are in each club?
Your child will be placed in their own little club of six children.
Each group of six remain together with the same teacher for the full year.
What’s the weekly time commitment? How long is each lesson and how much homework should I expect?
Each weekly tutoring session is exactly 1 hour.
There is also a 20-minute homework set each week to consolidate the lesson work.
Which day of the week is the club?
Clubs run on different days at different venues. Click here to view the schedule by location. Register your interest early to have the best chance of securing your preferred location and date.
How much does it cost?
Enrolling in one of our tutor clubs £112.50 per month.
You’re never locked in—there is no notice period if your plans change and you wish to unenroll.
Where does the club teaching take place?
11+ tutoring clubs run in
- Goudhurst
- Hadlow
- Kings Hill
- Marden
- Pembury
- and online
Our online club is live-taught in a group of 6 children—just like the in-person ones.
Parents make the trip to our weekly clubs from all over West Kent.
In the past, we’ve taught children from just about everywhere in the area, including:
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We once even had a family drive from Shepherd’s Bush! Their daughter went to TOGS and their son to Judd—so it was probably worth the drive—although it really was a bit far!
Do you run online tutoring clubs?
Yes, we run an online club to enable children from outside the area to access the club programme.
Our online clubs follow the same format and curriculum as our in-person clubs. The only difference is that the club meets together weekly over Zoom.
Yes, we run an online club to enable children from outside the area to access the club programme.
Our online clubs follow the same format and curriculum as our in-person clubs. The only difference is that the club meets together weekly over Zoom.
We even run mock 11+ exams online, so your child will get the full experience no matter where you live.
Enrollment in the online club is the same as enrollment in an in-person club. Click here to register your interest in the online club option.
Which 11+ entrance exams do your prepare children for?
We have specific, specialized experience with these exams:
- Kent Test 11+ (for these schools)
- ISEB Common Pre-test (for these schools)
- Medway Test 11+ (for these schools)
- Sevenoaks School Entrance Exam (Year 7)
- Caterham School Entrance Exam
The secret to effective 11+ preparation is preparing your child for the specific 11+ test they will be sitting—not relying on general 11+ materials that don’t match what your child will see in their exam.
If you don’t see the test your child will taking on this list do get in touch—we are able to advise on other entrance tests and 11+ exams as well (we just need to know which one so that we can prepare your child appropriately.)
Which schools do our children go on to attend?
Griffin Teaching Graduates have gone on to secure places in some of the most selective grammar and private schools in the area, including:
- The Judd School, Tonbridge
- The Skinners School, Tonbridge
- Tonbridge Grammar School (TOGS), Tonbridge
- Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar School (TWGGS), Tunbridge Wells
- Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys (TWGSB), Tunbridge Wells and Sevenaoks sites
- Maidstone Grammar School (MGS), Maidstone
- Maidstone Girls Grammar School (MGGS), Maidstone
- Weald of Kent Grammar School, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks sites
- Tonbridge School
- Sevenoaks School
- Caterham School
- Colfe’s School, Orpington
- Collegiate School, Bristol
- Beneneden School
- The King’s School, Canterbury
Do you help with appeals? What is your success rate?
The vast majority of our children do not need an appeal. They get into their first-choice school on their exam results.
If your child misses the score by a mark or two, we will ghost write an appeal for you—free of charge.
Last year we wrote 19 appeal documents and 17 children were awarded their first-choice grammar school.
We also train parents for the live appeal session and offer advice and support throughout the process.
The Kent Test 11+ has a writing task. Most children’s work will never be seen, but a handful end up being viewed by a Headteacher Appeal Panel before the results are shared with parents.
Last year 5 of our children were awarded a pass on the back of their writing pieces. All were members of our online writing club.
Questions about the Griffin Teaching curriculum
What is the curriculum like?
The clubs run to a tightly planned timetable, with targeted content packed into every lesson.
Inside each hour is:
✓ 20 minutes maths
✓ 20 minutes English
✓ 10 minutes verbal reasoning
✓ 10 minutes non-verbal/spatial reasoning
The lessons are fast-paced. No child is ever bored.
Our approach to teaching is thorough and considerate. We have learnt the quickest ways children are able to absorb new content.
Our curriculum is always up-to-date.
We tweak our resources every year to respond to:
a) Subtle changes in 11+ exams—the Kent Test and the ISEB Common Pre-test. (They are updated every year.)
b) What we learn each year about how children’s respond to the materials—and how to accelerate their progression.
Is the curriculum the same in all the clubs, or do each of your tutors design their own lesson plans?
All of our clubs follow the same planning each week.
Resources are provided to our teachers and the weekly record-keeping is linked to the specific content taught.
We do this to ensure a similar experience for every child in the clubs, keep our standards high, and keep our record-keeping consistent.
Simply put there is so much content to be taught, so we tightly manage it right down to the minute!
Are the clubs test-specific?
Our yearlong club programme is matched to the content of the Kent Test 11+ and the ISEB Common Pre-test.
These two exams appear different (the Kent Test 11+ is a paper-based test, the ISEB Common Pre-test is computer-based) but they are both managed by the GL Examination Board and share content. The paper timings are similar too.
Our Sevenoaks School students attend a club in the Autumn term of Year 6 (the term of and beyond the Kent Test 11+ and ISEB Common Pre-test). This Sevenoaks club addresses the written comprehension and creative writing paper set by the school, which is not included in our club programme.
The Medway Test 11+ relies on a strong writing sample, which is double counted in the aggregate adjusted score.
We recommend our Medway students join our Writing Club to prepare fully for this portion of their exam.
If your child is taking multiple tests (or one that is not our focus) click here to book a meeting with us so that we can discuss how to best manage the process for your child.
How do you support children who have specific learning difficulties?
We’ve tutored children with a wide range of diagnoses, including:
- Dyslexia
- Dysgraphia
- Hypermobility
- Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Irlen Syndrome
- Tourette Syndrome (TS)
We welcome children with learning difficulties and work closely with parents to prepare them for their approaching exams.
Many children are undiagnosed at this age and we are often the first person to highlight a potential specific learning difficulty. We have built a strong rapport with educational and clinical psychologists in the area and are able to put parents in contact with these experts quickly to gain insight into their child’s specific needs.
Rest assured that academic schools welcome children with learning difficulties. We work closely with parents to explain the process and support them and their children along the way.
Do you teach writing skills in the 11+ tutor clubs?
The writing element of the Kent Test 11+ does not form part of the aggregate score. It is only marked in borderline cases, where it is presented to the Headteacher Appeal Panel if a child has dropped below a pass.
For this reason our core club programme does not address writing. It is offered as an optional addition—we direct students to enroll in our Writing Club if writing abilities are a concern.
Do you teach reading comprehension in the tutor clubs?
Reading comprehension is an important element of all the 11+ exams and it is taught in our 11+ clubs.
For students who would like more input, we also have a separate reading comprehension course they are welcome to join.
How do you manage behaviour issues in the clubs?
Our teachers are comfortable with classroom management in the small group format—they were all trained to manage classes of 30+.
If a child struggles to settle we simply book a call with their parent to discuss.
Sometimes poor behaviour is an easy-fix or a temporary issue. Often a move away from a friendship group is all it takes.
Other times behaviour issues come from a child masking their lack of confidence. Or there may be a specific learning difficulty that needs attention.
Whatever the cause—and being parents ourselves—we don’t judge children but address the problem quickly with warmth, understanding and appropriate support.
Questions about our policies
What happens if my child misses a class?
If you let us know in advance, we can usually arrange a swap to another matching session—the content will be exactly the same and the teacher will update their records as if they were in their normal group.
Otherwise, you’ll find the missed work set out clearly in a private area of our website. Videos provide support for tricky content. We do expect the homework to be completed in time for the following week’s lesson.
Can my child attend a sample or taster session?
We don’t offer taster sessions but we do have a policy of not charging as soon as you let us know you plans have changed.
So, if your child attends one lesson and you decide not to continue there is no notice period.
We do this because it’s important we protect the club experience from distractions—a swinging door of ‘taster’ students would be unsettling.
What is your refund policy?
We don’t refund individual sessions, but there is no notice period. We will not charge you for any further sessions once you let us know your child is leaving. Read our full Terms & Conditions policy.
How does the waiting list work?
Historically every Year 5 child on our waiting list is offered a place in the 11+ club programme.
Your child may not be able to secure a spot in your first-choice venue or time slot, but we do everything we can to offer you something manageable.
Our Year 4 clubs do often have a waiting list (we don’t run as many clubs for this age group.) Most of these younger students will be offered a place within the first term.
Do I need to apply to join a club or will my child be automatically accepted?
Please register your interest in the club as early as possible.
We start at the top of our list and offer the early birds the first choice of venues and times, working down the list chronologically.
Later joiners can only be offered what is left and popular venues and times go quickly!