Most popular Good Schools Guide articles

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• Secondary school: understanding the 11+

  The 11+ is the entrance exam procedure for getting your brightish little button into a fee-paying or state grammar school. Much of the country abolished the 11+ several decades ago for state schools, but a few local authorities, such as Bucks and Kent, retained a large number of grammar schools and run county-wide entrance tests. In some other areas, such as Barnet and Kingston, a few grammar schools exist in tandem with the comprehensive system found in most of the country. These grammar schools set their own entrance exams. Sixth Form

• Capital Tuition overview

  Most tutoring is by trained teachers for GCSEs and A levels, with a little (but growing) amount at university level (‘but we hold our hands up if we can’t help, for instance we recently had to turn down a tutoring request from a property development student,’ says Matthew). Specialist subjects currently span biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, English language, English lit, geography, history, RE, philosophy and ethics, psychology, French, Spanish, German, Latin, Ancient Greek, PE, business studies and economics. Small amount of 11+ and 13+ also on offer from non-teacher trained tutors.

• How do I find a tutor for my child?

  Whatever your reason for using tutoring services outside of school, you’ll want to get the best bang for your educational buck. Our quick checklist will make sure you find the most effective tutor for your needs. Why does my child need a tutor? Whether it’s to prepare for an exam, to help after an extended absence from school or to boost a problem area, have clear objectives in mind to ensure you choose the right private tutor for your needs. How do I find the best tutor for my child’s needs? Nothing beats word of mouth so ask around those…

• Tutor agencies - section A

  Review snapshot: This section covers tutor agencies that actually know their tutors personally, ie they interview them and keep in close touch. Most do this in person, although some by Skype. We have visited and had extensive consultation with all the agencies in Section A.

• Tutor agencies - section B

  Tutor agencies in this section meticulously check references, DBS records, etc but, partly because of the size of their lists, conduct their personal interviews only over the telephone.

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