One-to-one 11+ tutoring, matched to your child

Entrance exams sit in the first weeks of September. If you are reading this in the summer holidays, you are not too late — but the right help matters more than ever now.

Sessioned matches your child with an 11+ tutor for one-to-one online sessions. No group classes, no pre-recorded videos. One tutor, your child, and a plan built around the exam they will actually sit.

What does the 11+ actually test?

Most 11+ exams assess four areas:

• English — comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and sometimes a short piece of writing
• Maths — Key Stage 2 content, often at pace and under time pressure (the signs it is becoming too much)
• Verbal reasoning — word patterns, codes and logic with language
• Non-verbal reasoning — shapes, sequences and spatial thinking

Schools weight these differently, which is why preparation should start from the specific exam your child faces — not a generic syllabus.

Which 11+ exam will your child sit?

This is the question to answer before booking anything, and a good tutor will ask it in the first five minutes.

• GL Assessment — now the provider for nearly all state grammar schools in England, including consortia in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham and Lincolnshire
• CSSE — used by grammar schools in Essex, with its own distinctive English and maths papers
• Sutton SET — the Selective Eligibility Test used by the Sutton grammar consortium in south London
• ISEB Common Pre-Test — the online adaptive test used by many independent senior schools
• CEM — no longer runs standard 11+ exams for grammar schools; a small number of independent schools use its successor, CEM Select

Not sure which applies? Tell us the schools you are applying to and we will match you with a tutor who knows those exams.

A closer look: two of the biggest grammar-school areas

The 11+ is run locally, so the exam your child sits — and how a place is decided — depends on where you are applying. Two of the largest selective areas show how different the rules can be.

Kent — the Kent Test

Run by Kent County Council as part of its PESE process, the Kent Test uses GL Assessment papers: one covering English and maths, one covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning, both multiple choice. There is also a writing exercise that is not marked and does not count towards the score — it is only looked at if a child’s case goes to a headteacher panel. A place is decided on three age-standardised scores added into a total, and Kent resets the qualifying bar every year so that roughly a quarter of the cohort is assessed as suitable — so there is no fixed “pass mark” to quote. Children who narrowly miss can be reconsidered through a headteacher assessment panel. Registration usually opens in early summer and closes in early July, and it is not automatic even at a Kent primary, so the deadline matters.

Buckinghamshire — the Secondary Transfer Test

Run by Buckinghamshire Council for the county’s grammar schools, the Secondary Transfer Test is also set by GL Assessment: two papers of about an hour covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths, with a short practice test a couple of days beforehand. The published qualifying score is 121, but a child scoring just below can still gain a place through a Selection Review — a genuine second route many families miss. Children at Buckinghamshire state primaries are entered automatically; families at independent schools or outside the county must register themselves, and that window closes in early June, earlier than many neighbouring areas.

Whatever exam your child faces, tell us the schools you are applying to and we will match a tutor who knows those papers. Always confirm the current year’s dates and qualifying scores on your council’s official 11+ page, as both can change from year to year.

What happens in a tutoring session?

Sessions run one-to-one over video, 30, 60 or 90 minutes, at times that fit around school and clubs.

A typical 11+ session includes:

1. A short warm-up on last week’s topic
2. Focused work on one skill — say, inference questions or non-verbal sequences
3. Timed practice, because pace is half the battle in the 11+
4. A clear note home on what was covered and what to practise

Your tutor will be honest with you about progress. We never promise results — no tutor honestly can — but we do promise your child will walk into the exam room knowing the format, the timing and the question types cold.

Every tutor, properly vetted.

Parents tell us this is why they choose Sessioned, so here it is plainly:

• Reviewed one by one — every application is read by a person, and we turn down more than one in four
• Qualifications set out in full — each tutor’s degrees, training and experience are shown on their profile, so you can judge them yourself
• DBS status on every profile — “DBS checked” where we have checked the certificate ourselves, “DBS on file” where the details are provided but not yet checked, and not provided where a tutor holds none. You see which before you book, and we never claim it for all of them

Your child never works with a stranger we haven’t vetted. That is not a premium add-on; it is the baseline.

Clear pricing, no surprises

Tutors set their own rates and keep every penny of them. You pay the tutor’s rate plus a transparent 20% platform fee, shown in full before you book. No subscriptions, no packages you have to buy upfront, no cancellation traps.

Frequently asked questions

Is six weeks enough time to prepare? It depends where your child is starting from. Focused one-to-one work on exam technique, timing and question familiarity can achieve a great deal in a short window — a tutor will give you an honest view after the first session.

How many sessions a week do children usually have? One or two is typical in the run-up to September. More than that risks burnout at exactly the wrong moment.

Can my child have a trial session? Yes — start with a single session and continue only if it is working. There is no commitment beyond the session you book.

Do you cover the Kent Test and other regional exams? Yes. Kent, Buckinghamshire, Essex (CSSE), Sutton SET and independent school pre-tests are all covered — tell us your target schools and we will match accordingly.

Get matched with an 11+ tutor

Tell us your child’s target schools and where they need help. We will hand-match an 11+ tutor and you can book a first session with no ongoing commitment.

Get matched →

11+ tutoring across Essex, the West Midlands and beyond

Because Sessioned is online, families anywhere in the UK can work with an expert 11+ tutor — no travel, and you are not limited to who lives nearby. That includes families preparing for selective grammar schools in Essex — such as those in Ingatestone, Basildon, Ongar and Canvey Island, where children typically sit the CSSE exam — and in the West Midlands, including Sutton Coldfield. Tell us your target schools and we will match a tutor accordingly.