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Preparation for 11 plus entrance

While teaching English at St Paul’s Girl’s School between 2002 and 2011, I wrote, marked and assessed the school's English comprehension and creative writing eleven plus entrance.  In other words, I know about the 11+ paper; I understand the logic behind it and the kinds of things we were looking for when selecting students to attend St Paul's.

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Many schools now require their applicants to complete computerised tests as a major means of assessment. I still believe that a hand-written paper with space to create and explore is the best means of assessment for the top schools and I hope that schools like St Paul's and North London Collegiate will retain this format.

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My track record

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I have spent the last 12 years, as an 11+ tutor, helping students understand what they are being tested on and how to find the best way to show off their abilities in English. I will not give false promises; indeed I believe that pushing a student into a school which is too academic is not fair on the child.

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I have helped my 11+ students gain places (and scholarships) at top independent and selective grammar schools including St Paul’s Girls', Hampton, Latymer Upper, Godolphin and Latymer, City of London, Royal Masonic, Haberdashers Aske's, North London Collegiate, Notting Hill and Ealing, St Helen's, Northwood College, Francis Holland (both), Putney High,  Harrodian, Queen's College, Wimbledon High, Wycombe Abbey, Cheltenham, Queen's Gate, Channing, JAGS, Queen's College, South Hampstead High, Sutton High, and Nonsuch High.

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I am proud that I have been able to make my English tutorials with my younger students something to which they look forward. Many have said how much they have enjoyed discovering English as a subject, the learning platform Scribblar being a real bonus; I am still working with four former 11+ students for enrichment, even though they are now at top schools including SPGS; I am still in touch with many of the families I worked with at the start of my online teaching career.

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Who I work with

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I am selective in the students (and parents) I work with: I am looking for parents who are prepared to listen to my advice and for students who do not need spoon-feeding but will genuinely flourish with the kind of teaching I provide. If your child attends a prep school, I will quite probably undo a great deal of what they have been taught and you will need to be open to that. I do not prepare robots; instead I work on making space for your child to express themselves fully and to enable them to shine among hundreds of dull over-prepared candidates.

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Summer One-to-One Courses
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There is now only one course left - beginning on the 18th August.

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This August I am delighted to be offering two exclusive one-to-one intensive 11+ courses, dealing with the English 11plus paper for independent day schools for girls in London. I will be focusing on St Paul’s Girls’ School but will also address other schools which still use written papers such as City of London School for Girls, and North London Collegiate School.

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The courses are for any student going into Year 5 or Year 6 (2025-6). It is not necessary to have done any papers, to have had any tutoring or to attend a prep school: the course will be entirely adapted to the experience, skill set and abilities of your daughter. In the eight hours provided over a five-day period, I will introduce your daughter to the ways in which she can make use of her potential. Schools like SPGS are not looking for formulaic responses; if anything, these can work against your daughter's application. My approach encourages students to have the confidence to think for themselves and learn how to answer comprehensions with intelligence, individuality, wit and engagement. You may find this goes against some of the learning from school or previous tutors but I will make the logic very clear to your daughter so that it becomes a matter of choice when sitting the actual exams. 

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The available dates are Monday 11th – Friday 15th August; Monday 18th – Friday 22nd August. Lessons will begin at 8.30am UK time. There will be a break at 9.30am for 15 minutes. A further one-hour lesson will begin at 9.45am UK time.

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For more information and how to apply, please contact me.

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11plusConsultancy Service for Years 4, 5 & 6
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I created this service in 2019 when I realised that I was turning down requests for 11+ tuition several times a week. It is available for students in Years 5 and 6. Between 2019-2023  I worked with 25 families between providing six of them with free lessons. 14 students got into St Paul’s Girls’ School: the rest went to Wycombe Abbey, North London Collegiate, Latymer Upper, and Francis Holland. One stayed abroad; the other was offered a place at City of London but chose a state school instead. This year - 2023/2024 - my 8 students (2 of whom were bursary families) did really well: five are going to St Paul's Girls'. I advised the other three not to apply to SPGS since I felt they wouldn't get in and the school would not suit them. Two of them applied and didn't get in, but they are going to JAGS and NLCS, schools which fit them much better. The final student will be going to Channing, a great choice for her.

 

This service involves both you and your daughter. I will select papers, mark them in detail and give feedback, with advice on how to improve. My aim is to give you honest advice about the ability of your child and the realism of your expectations. You may not like what you hear and you need to be prepared for this. If I have spare time, I may be able to do some extra lessons with your child for an extra cost although this is not guaranteed; similarly I may be able to mark papers at an extra cost.

 

 

You will note that I focus on St Paul's Girls' School here; as such this consultancy is only available for girls since this is my expertise. I do not help with the London Consortium or ISEB papers although I can point you in the right direction for practice, and if you are focusing on City of London Girls' or North London Collegiate then let me know and I will bear this in mind.

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I have recently introduced a new service for parents of students in Year 4. This is a pre-assessment, mainly to get a sense of how your daughter thinks and to recommend ways of encouraging her to learn and discover English which will make the most of her abilities and her potential. It is in no way a guide as to whether your daughter should be applying to one school or another. However, if I feel that the top academic schools are not appropriate, I will suggest this. At this stage it is really too early to give sound and realistic advice, no matter what your teachers say!

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Please contact me for more information.

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Maths, General Comprehension, and Interview Practice

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I am delighted to say that I have asked former colleagues at St Paul's Girl's School to provide similar services to me. Go to my Facts and Figures page for details.

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Fees

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Because of my experience, expertise and energy, plus my track record, I am more expensive than nearly all the 11+ tutors you will find.  My new 11plusConsultancy offers a premium service so please bear that in mind before contacting me. I do, however, provide consultancy sessions for free for those applying for full bursaries. 

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Sophie has been amazing. She guided my daughter through the 11+ process to achieve great success with scholarships and bursaries. She was honest and keen to help her succeed. What I liked the most is that she took time to give me detailed feedback which really helped me understand how to help my daughter further. She tailored the lessons to suit her needs and with exams changing so rapidly, she was able to adapt accordingly. It’s obvious that she is incredibly experienced and I’m so grateful for all her support! She deserves 5 Star rating!!

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Parent of student, year 6, who worked with me for free because her daughter was applying for full bursaries. She was awarded scholarships and/or bursaries at Godolphin & Latymer, Latymer Upper, Wimbledon High, LEH, Cheltenham, Putney High, Wycombe Abbey, March 2021

Sophie is, quite simply, brilliant. She’s one of those rare teachers who not only knows her subject inside out, but also knows how to bring out the absolute best in her students. Her enthusiasm is infectious, her energy lights up every session, and her deep understanding of how to teach and inspire young minds is something truly special.

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Thanks to Sophie’s incredible support, my daughter was offered places at all the top schools we applied to—including St Paul’s Girls’ School, Godolphin and Latymer, City of London Girls’ School, Tiffin Girls’ School, North London Collegiate, Alleyn’s, and JAGS. This success is a direct reflection of Sophie’s expert guidance, not only in academic preparation but in building confidence, resilience, and strong exam technique.

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One of the things that makes Sophie stand out is her refreshing, non-formulaic approach. She teaches children to think critically and independently—not to be robotic or rely on pre-learned templates, but to develop their own voice, ideas, and style. My daughter didn’t just learn how to pass exams—she learned how to love learning, how to self-reflect, and how to express herself with clarity and confidence.

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Sophie makes learning exciting and empowering. She is incredibly organised, thoughtful in her feedback, and always takes the time to communicate with parents so we can work as a team. We are so lucky to have found her. I will always be grateful for the passion, commitment, and brilliance she brought to this journey.

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Parent of student, year 6, who was awarded places at top schools including St Paul's Girls' School, City of London and Wycombe Abbey, JAGS, Godolphin and Latymer, NLCS, March 2025

Dr Sophie Breese who teaches 11+

Sophie was quite simply a godsend. From the word go, she started nurturing in my daughter a love of the subject through exploring fun ways to play with language, reading and discussing a particular book together over a period of a few weeks as well as setting short but very effective creative writing tasks for homework. As the weeks went on, Sophie opened my daughter's eyes to some of the quality of her composition work and to her mature interpretation in response to some of the comprehension texts. Sophie's positivity was infectious and gave my daughter faith in her ability and a determination to succeed. Several time zones could not stand in the way of Sophie's sense of humour and amazing teaching style and before long, my daughter was tackling past papers on a weekly basis and was confident enough to learn from her mistakes.  My daughter had offers from all the six schools to which she applied, including two academic scholarships, one to a London day school and another to a boarding school. She will be heading to her first choice school, St Paul's Girls' School, in September. I am grateful to Sophie not only for my daughter's stellar results in the exams but because Sophie led her to discover a real love for English.

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Parent of student, year 6, who was awarded places and scholarships at top schools including St Paul's Girls' School, City of London and Wycombe Abbey, Feb 2017

Before we found Sophie Breese, various experts were telling us that my daughter, although bright, had little chance of getting into St Paul's, as the competition was so fierce. Sophie, however, immediately saw my daughter's potential, took her on with great enthusiasm and guided her all the way to a place at St Paul's (and other top independent schools). And this was done with very little homework, with a great deal of fun and via Skype! After dreading her previous tutor's lessons, my daughter positively looked forward to Sophie's. It was phenomenal.

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Parent of student, year 6, who was awarded places at top London schools including St Paul's Girls' School and Godolphin & Latymer, Feb 2017

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