13+ pre-test and
Common Entrance preparation

Your son or daughter will be supported with personalised tutoring that will equip them to succeed in pre-tests or 13+ entrance assessments, including Common Entrance or scholarship exams. More importantly, they will have the conceptual knowledge, vocabulary and learning habits to thrive in their senior school education from Year 9.

Adam D’Souza and the Select:ed team are experts in school entrance preparation, specialising in teaching this age group, and demonstrating a track record of success.

  • The pre-tests were tough and I think the whole process is rather brutal but he got through it and is feeling very pleased with himself. He did a victory lap of the school car park when I told him he'd got a place at Epsom!

    Liv, happy parent of three successful 13+ students

  • Adam was her tutor and his skill, enthusiasm and unique approach was inspiring and engaging. My daughter is dyslexic and Adam found excellent ways to help her excel in topics which she found daunting and uninspiring. I can definitely recommend.

    Carolien, happy parent of two successful 13+ students, now at Hurstpierpoint College

  • Adam D’Souza’s teaching style is effective and engaging, and he has a knack for explaining complex concepts in a way that is easy for students to understand. Moreover, he is a genuinely nice person who takes a personal interest in his students' success. Thanks to Adam our daughter has now secured a place at her chosen school.

    Louise, happy parent of a successful 13+ student

  • Kind, caring, thorough and extremely expert in his field! Cannot recommend Adam enough for anyone looking for guidance on schools! Adam helped us consider various boarding schools for our son and brilliantly guided him through test papers. Due to his wonderful tutoring skills, our son was accepted at the school of our choice and we believe this was all down to Adam's extensive knowledge.

    Sophie, happy parent of a successful 13+ student, now at Millfield School

Sustainable learning: exam success and beyond

St Edward’s Oxford: a co-ed school with 13+ entry, offering IB and A Level pathways in the sixth form. Former students are doing brilliantly here.

Your son or daughter thriving academically in their senior school education is my main aim.

You might think tutoring is just about passing exams. For me, it is about the entire journey, laying foundations in primary/prep, all the way to stepping up to senior school at 13+ as a confident pre-teen. 13+ entrance is a longer, more complex process than 11+ so it is even more important that your son or daughter can build a rapport with a trusted guide, who will evolve the relationship and adapt the learning programme after each milestone.

The first step is pre-test preparation, working especially on vocabulary and reasoning skills to pass adaptive assessments such as the ISEB Pre-Test.

Then we pivot as we look towards 13+, whether scholarships, Common Entrance or senior schools’ own entrance papers. At this stage, we work on longer-form written answers, multi-step problems in maths and critical thinking. The important thing is empowering your son or daughter with conceptual knowledge and learning habits that will help them pass the 13+ exam today, but, more importantly, thrive academically in their senior school all the way up to 18.

The heart of the my one-to-one educational philosophy is academic value-add: helping your child to make exceptional progress, wherever their starting point. 13+ school entry success is a happy by-product of this work.

A track record of outstanding results

Charterhouse: a strong all-rounder co-ed day and boarding school with 13+ entry. Former students are thriving in this school.

They say it is better to travel well than to arrive… I say it is best to travel well, then arrive somewhere amazing!

Everyone in the Select:ed team is chosen for their empathetic ability to craft the right-fit school transition journey for your child, whether as a consultant or tutor. I have supported more than 230 children to apply to academically selective schools. As a specialist tutor, 13+ preparation is my personal favourite, because of the exciting breadth of subjects and skills. Furthermore, I have taught in independent schools across both prep and senior (including Common Entrance, GCSE and A Level classes) so I know what schools are looking for at this entry point.

My former 13+ students have received offers and scholarships at some of UK’s most academically competitive schools, including Eton College, Brighton College, Tonbridge School, Charterhouse, Epsom College, Winchester College, Marlborough College and St Edward's Oxford among others.

Former students have secured 13+ places at some of the UK’s leading schools…

Emotional wellbeing and pastoral care

Woldingham School: a popular single-sex girls’ boarding school in Surrey with 11+ and 13+ entry points. Several alumnae of mine have gained places at this school.

What sets my approach apart, the greatest source of professional pride, is the quality of human relationships.

For every child, emotional wellbeing is key to their academic success. What marks out my 13+ tutoring approach as exceptional is the emphasis I place on developing strong relationships, pastoral care and positive mental health, evolving throughout the journey as your son or daughter grows from enthusiastic bright-eyed prep schooler into a confident pre-teen.

13+ preparation is a marathon, not a sprint – even more so than 11+. Therefore it is important to help your child build sustainable learning habits that will enable them to show off their potential in academic assessments such as the ISEB Pre-Test but also to excel in their day-to-day school performance, which increasingly forms part of senior schools’ 13+ admission decisions.

Every member of the Select:ed team has significant insight, gained as teacher, head, tutor or admissions lead, on the emotional needs of children at this crucial transition stage of their education, and the pressures facing parents during the 13+ journey. Several colleagues have pastoral leadership experience and coaching or safeguarding qualifications.