11+ Entrance Preparation

The 11+ rewards familiarity as much as ability. A pupil who has never met a non-verbal reasoning grid, or who has never had to finish 30 questions in 20 minutes, will lose marks to the clock before intelligence comes into it. This course is built around that fact: one-to-one preparation for Year 4 to Year 6 pupils sitting entrance tests for grammar and independent schools, taught online or in your home.

We are Sound Footing Tuition. Our tutors are DBS-checked and qualified, and we teach pupils aged 7 to 18 across maths, English and science, so a family can keep the same tutor for 11+ work and for the school work that continues afterwards. Progress reports go to parents as part of the course.

What 11+ preparation covers here

Most entrance papers used by schools in Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas fall into a small number of buckets, and we teach all of them in one place rather than sending you to a different tutor for each one.

• Verbal reasoning: codes, analogies, odd-one-out, word ladders and the vocabulary that sits behind them.
• Non-verbal reasoning: series, matrices, rotations, reflections and nets.
• Maths: arithmetic fluency, fractions and decimals, ratio, shape, and the word problems that combine three of those at once.
• English: comprehension under time pressure, plus the written answers some schools ask for.

Question types matter less than the habits around them. We spend lesson time on pacing, on which questions to leave and return to, on reading a question twice, on checking that answer number four is written against question four. Those habits are worth more than another ten practice papers bought in a panic.

We also plan against the actual papers your target schools use, because they differ. A test with a heavy non-verbal section needs different practice from one built on comprehension and story writing. Tell us the schools on your list and the plan follows their published format rather than a generic workbook.

Who the course suits, and who it does not

One-to-one preparation is not the cheapest way to prepare, and it is not the right answer for every family. Being plain about that saves everyone time.

It fits well when

• A pupil is in Year 4 or Year 5 and has room to build vocabulary and number fluency before timed papers begin.
• A pupil is capable but slow under the clock, finishing papers with a third of the questions untouched.
• A group course has already been tried, and what is needed now is having the wrong answers explained properly, at the pupil's own pace.
• Home lessons suit a crowded week, or online lessons suit a family in Altrincham or Sale who would rather not add a journey to the evening.

It is a poor fit when

• You want the lowest cost per hour and are happy with a large class. A group can be good value, and we will say so.
• The test is next week and the hope is to fit two years of reasoning into five days.
• The pupil has not chosen to sit the test and does not want to. Motivation has to come from somewhere, and a tutor cannot supply it alone.

How the course works, step by step

1. A short call first. We ask which schools you are considering, what year the pupil is in, and what has already been tried. Ten minutes is usually enough to say whether we can help.
2. A baseline session. The first lesson includes a short assessment across reasoning, maths and English, so we can see which paper is costing the most marks. Nothing needs preparing beforehand.
3. A written plan. You receive a simple plan showing which topics we will cover and in what order, working back from the test date.
4. Weekly one-to-one lessons. Online with a shared screen and a whiteboard, or at home at the kitchen table. Same tutor each week.
5. Timed practice under lesson conditions. Sections of real papers, marked in the session while the pupil is still there, so the explanation lands while the mistake is fresh.
6. Progress reports for parents. A written summary at agreed points covering accuracy, speed and what to practise between lessons.

What to have ready before the first lesson

Not much. The assessment is ours to run, and you do not need to buy a workbook or an online subscription before we have met.

• Any past papers or familiarisation booklets sent home by the schools on your list. Several schools publish samples, and those beat shop-bought papers.
• The most recent school report, if it is to hand. It shows how the pupil performs in class, which is often different from how they perform on a timed test.
• The test dates and any registration deadlines. These set the whole timetable.
• For online lessons: a laptop or tablet, headphones, and paper and a pencil beside the keyboard. Working on screen and on paper at the same time is exactly what the real paper asks of them.
• For home lessons: a table with room for two, and half an hour without interruptions.

What affects the timing and the price

We do not publish a fixed fee, because the honest answer depends on the pupil and the schools involved. Fees are quoted on request after the first call, once we know what is needed.

Four things move the plan and the cost:

• Where you start. A pupil beginning in Year 4 usually needs a steady weekly rhythm over a long run. A pupil beginning in Year 6 needs a tighter, more selective plan aimed at the papers their schools actually set.
• How many papers. Covering reasoning, maths and English takes more lesson time than reasoning alone.
• Online or at home. Online lessons carry no travel, so more of the fee goes into teaching. Home lessons include travel time, and that is reflected in the quote.
• How much school work sits underneath. If Key Stage 2 fractions are shaky, we fix that first. Reasoning practice on top of weak arithmetic wastes the hour.

The value argument is straightforward. One tutor covers reasoning, maths and English, so you are not paying two or three specialists and coordinating their diaries. Real papers are marked inside the lesson rather than sent away, progress reports come with the course, and there is no separate bill for the practice material we set. Online lessons remove the drive, which in a wet November across south Manchester is worth something on its own.

Questions parents ask

When should we start?

Year 5 is the most common starting point, and Year 4 gives more room for vocabulary and mental arithmetic. Starting early is not automatically better. A pupil who begins too soon can run out of steam, so ask us and we will give a plain answer for your date.

How many lessons a week will we need?

Most families book one lesson a week, with extra sessions in the final weeks before the test. We will say if we think you need more. We will also say if we think you do not.

Do you cover independent school tests as well as grammar schools?

Yes. Independent schools often set their own papers, sometimes with a written task or an interview. The plan changes to match, and we will tell you which parts your chosen schools actually use.

What happens if a lesson needs to move?

Tell us as early as you can and we will look for another slot in the same week where the diary allows. Ask about the notice period when you book, because the answer depends on the tutor's timetable.

How do we get started?

Call +44 161 6306222 or email [email protected] with the year group and the schools you are considering. We will tell you honestly whether one-to-one preparation is worth the money for your situation.