Hannah Bowen

I prepare Year 5 and Year 6 pupils for grammar and independent school entrance tests. Most families come to me after a mock or a school report has raised a question, and the first thing we do is look at the actual paper together. Which questions cost the most marks? Where does your child slow down? I build the next few weeks around those answers rather than around a generic workbook.

Lessons run in short blocks. We warm up with a handful of quick questions, then spend the main part on one skill, usually verbal reasoning or a maths topic that looks simple until it is timed. I keep the tone calm, because a child who is panicking cannot show what they know. You get a short written note after each session and a longer progress report at the points you choose, so you can see what we have covered and what still needs work. Lessons are one-to-one, online or at home. I am DBS-checked, and I am happy to answer any safeguarding question before you book. If a school is not the right fit, I say so.

Prep can become a treadmill of papers. I would rather do fewer papers properly. My job is to make the test feel familiar and the decision about schools feel less rushed. For families in the middle of the school run, that often matters more than another mock. Ask me anything when you book, including which schools we are aiming at.