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Original poster

Competitive north london parents wont recommend an 11+ tutor!

35 replies

naxa · 21/08/2008 13:26

I live in Islington and ds goes to a local state school. I would like to get him into a decent secondary (doesnt exist locally!) so I'm planning to send him private (Highgate would be ideal as its near us, but I know there are very few places) so I know I'll have to tutor him.

Yet when I asked some of the other parents at his school if they could recommend a tutor they all clammed up - competition it seems. Is this common, it seems depressing to me?

Any ideas on how I can find a good tutor with experience of getting state kids into north/central london private schools?

OP posts:
smartiejake · 28/08/2008 23:52

Have you got a local Kip Mcgrath Centre?
Lots of kids round here have had lots of success with their 11+ tuition.

nlondondad · 28/08/2008 23:17

Actually Naxa I know of an agency we have found excellent.

They have a web site:-

londonhometutors.org/

It is a not for profit cooperative, Over the years we have used five different tutors from them and they were all very good. One or two good might have been luck, but a such a run suggests they have good quality control.

They are based in Muswell Hill, so very much your area.

In your area another independent Parents use for boys is City of London School.

Good idea to enter him for several exams (tho' not TOO many!) as the practice very useful. Schools VERY reluctant to recommend tutors because:-

  1. If it doesnt work out THEY get blamed
  1. Being willing to recommend a tutor can be construed as admitting that the school is not up to snuff, and would be so construed by some people.
  1. Sometimes, in Islington, the objection IS political...

As to the parents.....not recommending. They could be afraid of being held responsible too. I only recommend the agency and not an individual tutor for that reason.

Posey · 27/08/2008 21:14

I'm in your area and recommended a tutor to ControlFreaky. The tutor was/is used by a few people we know, but not by us, we didn't use one. As far as I know she was very pleased with tutor and her child got in to a very good school.
I haven't been on here much over the summer so not sure if CF is around, maybe you could give her a shout. I would recommend the woman but I cannot now for the life of me remember any of her details.

brimfull · 21/08/2008 19:35

ooh very cloak and dagger

I have use personaltutors website,but not sure they cater for 11plus

llareggub · 21/08/2008 19:21

This sounds like the making of a newspaper article.

Do these people actually exist?

grassland · 21/08/2008 19:05

Hi Naxa. Can you CAT me? I might be able to help.

Original poster
naxa · 21/08/2008 17:43

Thanks all - I thought going through an agency would be a bit of hit and miss and I didnt want to upset DS by trying out a few tutors before finding the right one.
The school were very unhelpful when I asked, their philosophy seems to be very anti-selective or private schools.

OP posts:
CoffeeCrazedMama · 21/08/2008 17:33

I was very happy with Fleet Tutors dd1 got a D in her mock GCSE maths, so I got one of their tutors (first ever tutor), and she managed a C (one mark off a B!)This on top of some terrible stress on the day of one of the exams.

He was a lovely chap, really knew his stuff. We are south London, but they would give you someone local to you, and tailor to your needs, so I would expect they would give you someone who knew the local school entry requirements.

mandylifeboats · 21/08/2008 15:34

Look on www.elevenplus.co.uk in your "area" part of the forum, people can't openly advertise tutors but lots of advice to help find one, also whats needed for each schools exams.

WideWebWitch · 21/08/2008 13:30

I'm not proud of this but I did this to a friend of ds's - I don't like the mother much and we'd gone to a lot of effort to find a tutor so I was damned if I was just going to give her the number. not nice, I know/

We googled to get ours. Could you ask the school (I did mind you and they didn't know of anyone).

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