Expert, local, face-to-face, one-to-one home tutors in Reading
Regular Assessments
& Progress Reports
Face-To-Face
& One-To-One
11+ entry tuition with Brainbox Learning
Our prices start at £34 per hour
Suitable For Years 4-5
Taught By Experienced
Teachers & Tutors
Reading School 11+ tuition
Brainbox Learning provides bespoke, face-to-face, one-to-one tuition at home for boys preparing for the Reading School 11+ entrance exam. Preparation reflects Reading School’s four-paper FSCE format and covers English, Maths, Creativity and the wider National Curriculum.
Rather than following one fixed programme, each boy’s tuition is planned around his academic strengths, areas for development, interests, confidence and stage of preparation. Session content can be adjusted in response to schoolwork, tutor observations, parent feedback, homework and mock-exam performance. This allows tutors to strengthen underlying knowledge while also developing accuracy, exam technique and confidence.
Preparation also develops the flexible approaches associated with “thinking like an author” and “thinking like a problem solver”. These are not treated as separate subjects. Boys are helped to understand unfamiliar information, make connections, select relevant evidence and apply familiar knowledge and skills in less familiar contexts.
Our approach has also been informed by anonymised feedback gathered through our October 2025 Reading School focus group and August 2026 Reading School focus group, following the first two entrance exams using the new format.
Reading School 11+ mock exams
Brainbox Learning’s Reading School mock exams follow the four-paper format: Adventure Paper, Beacon Paper, Compass Paper and Discovery Paper. Boys experience the sequence and routines of the entrance exam while completing multiple-choice, free-response and Creativity tasks under timed conditions.
Boys can sit up to six different Brainbox Learning Reading School mock exams with no repeated questions. Results, detailed feedback and question walkthroughs help families and tutors identify strengths, areas for development and priorities for subsequent tuition.
Brainbox Learning tuition students receive one complimentary Reading School mock exam place in each academic year. Additional mocks are available at a discounted tutee rate, and every tutee booking is upgraded to include the Full Examiner Report package.
Kendrick School 11+ tuition
Brainbox Learning provides bespoke, face-to-face, one-to-one tuition at home for girls preparing for the Kendrick School 11+ entrance exam. Preparation reflects Kendrick School’s two-paper GL Assessment format and covers English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Each girl’s tuition is individually structured around her academic strengths, areas for development, interests, confidence and stage of preparation. Session content can be adapted in response to schoolwork, tutor observations, parent feedback, homework and mock-exam performance.
Tutors can therefore revisit underlying English or Maths skills, introduce or strengthen reasoning techniques, address particular question types and develop accuracy, timing and exam technique according to what each girl actually needs. Preparation remains flexible rather than following the same predetermined course for every student.
Kendrick School 11+ mock exams
Brainbox Learning’s Kendrick School mock exams reflect the two-paper GL Assessment format, covering English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Girls complete the papers under timed conditions in a formal exam venue alongside pupils from other schools.
Girls can sit up to six different Brainbox Learning mocks with no repeated questions. Detailed results, feedback and question walkthroughs allow families and tutors to follow progress and identify priorities for subsequent tuition.
Brainbox Learning tuition students receive one complimentary mock exam place in each academic year. Additional mocks are available at a discounted tutee rate, and every tutee booking is upgraded to include the Full Examiner Report package.
Other entrance exams and SATs
Brainbox Learning can also provide face-to-face, one-to-one tuition for children preparing for other school-specific entrance exams, Common Entrance at 11+, scholarship entrance papers and SATs.
Tuition is tailored around the requirements of the relevant assessment, together with the individual child’s strengths, areas for development and current stage of preparation.
Reading School and Kendrick School use substantially different entrance-exam formats. Brainbox Learning therefore provides school-specific preparation rather than applying one standard 11+ programme to every child.
Our Reading-based tutors provide face-to-face, one-to-one tuition in the student’s home. Sessions combine the development of underlying knowledge and skills with relevant exam technique, realistic mock-exam experience and genuinely tailor-made support for each child.
“Students build a much better rapport with their tutor when studying face-to-face. They’re more engaged, more focused and more confident when it comes to asking questions.”
“One-to-one tuition means it’s all about you. Every session is meticulously tailored to students’ individual needs. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach here.”
What parents say about our 11+ tuition and mock exams
Feedback from families who used Brainbox Learning’s tuition and mock exams during their children’s Reading School and Kendrick School 11+ preparation.
“Can’t thank the team enough, our son achieved the required score for Reading Boys. Thanks to the team for all your help through his lessons and mocks.”
“Our daughter scored 126 in this year’s Kendrick School exam. As we live in P1, this means she is almost guaranteed to be offered a place for 2025. I can’t thank her tutor and the rest of the Brainbox Learning team enough for their support throughout 2024. Our daughter had weekly sessions between January and June, and then two sessions a week in the run-up to the exam. She also sat the mock in August and found this experience useful, even more so since she suffers from anxiety. Thank you once again for all your support and kindness.”
“Our son achieved the required entry score for Reading School after studying weekly with his tutor and attending a mock exam in August. Thank you so much for all your support.”
“Thank you to her tutor and the rest of the Brainbox Learning team – we were successful with the Kendrick exam. What an amazing turnaround over the summer.”
“It has been an absolute pleasure seeing you work with our child. The change has been remarkable, and we are so grateful for all the kindness and warmth shown.”
“Our daughter’s 11+ tuition has been wonderful, and she recently attended the June Kendrick mock, which was run very well.”
“This was incredibly useful preparation for our son, and the walkthroughs are very well put together.”
“Her tutor has been so wonderful and we adore her visits each week. Our daughter lets us know that she learns well from her.”
“Authentic experience for the kids and great feedback afterwards. Incredibly useful for them in their preparation.”
“Very well done and a great experience for the kids.”
“Thank you very much for our son’s detailed examiner report following his mock exam. It was great to hear how well he has done in many areas, and also useful to know which areas he and his tutor can focus on together.
We’ve shared the report with him so he can hear the encouraging comments, which he enjoyed reading. We’ve also begun to explore areas which were more challenging for him.
The mock, and the follow-up report, have been extremely useful in helping him to be – and feel – more prepared for the exam in July.”
Student, parent and tutor names have been redacted for privacy. Reviews are available to read in full via Google or our Reading School 11+ mock exam page and Kendrick School 11+ mock exam page.
Contact us
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Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch straight away for a free consultation, where we will be happy to guide you through our process and answer all of your questions.
Frequently asked questions
Which 11+ entrance exams do you prepare children for?
Brainbox Learning provides school-specific tuition for children preparing for the Reading School FSCE and Kendrick School GL Assessment entrance exams.
We can also provide tuition for other school-specific entrance exams, Common Entrance at 11+, scholarship entrance papers and SATs.
How are the Reading School and Kendrick School entrance exams different?
Reading School uses a four-paper FSCE entrance-exam format covering English, Maths, Creativity and the wider National Curriculum. Kendrick School uses a two-paper GL Assessment format covering English, Verbal Reasoning, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Our tuition and mock-exam programmes are therefore created separately around the requirements of each school’s entrance exam. Full details can be found in our Reading School 11+ guide and Kendrick School 11+ guide.
Who are your teachers and tutors?
All of our tutors are based locally in and around Reading. We interview all tutors face-to-face, and carry out detailed reference and qualification checks, as well as ensuring they have up to date enhanced DBS checks. Our team includes tutors from a mix of backgrounds, with different personalities, interests and areas of expertise.
In terms of experience, our tutors range from experienced teachers with 20 or more years of in-school experience, to recent Masters and Phd graduates with a wealth of recent subject-specific and exam preparation experience.
How do your assessments work and how do you match students with the right tutor?
Your child's first session with Brainbox Learning will always be with our senior tutor responsible for his or her age group. This allows us to do two things. Firstly, it gives you as parents or carers an opportunity to discuss any preferences regarding your child's tuition in greater detail, asking any questions you may have at the same time.
Secondly, over the course of this first session, our senior age-group tutor will be able to assess your son or daughter, in terms of areas of strength and weakness and learning styles, and will be able to determine the most appropriate tutor for you going forward. Interests and personality of both student and tutor are also taken into account. We will be in touch to introduce your child's tutor and propose a schedule for regular weekly tuition.
What days and times do you offer tuition?
Tuition is available throughout the day. We have tutors operating between 9AM and 9PM, 7 days per week.
Where does tuition take place?
Tuition takes place face-to-face, in your home. Our tutors are also happy to meet in other locations, such as coffee shops, however a responsible adult would still need to be present. We also offer online tuition where requested, but we always recommend face-to-face sessions where possible.
How much does tuition cost and how is payment made?
Our rates start at £34 per hour. You can access our price list here. Invoices are sent out via email at the end of each month, covering all completed sessions for that month. These can be paid by debit or credit card, Apple Pay or bank transfer.
What measures do you take to guarantee the safety of children?
As corporate members of The Tutors' Association, we adhere to strict safeguarding procedures. All tuition sessions and mock exam days are fully insured. We interview all of our tutors and teachers face-to-face, as well as meticulously checking references and qualifications, and ensuring that all tutors have up to date, valid enhanced DBS checks.
Are you a local Reading company?
Yes! We are based in Reading, including all tutors and staff. This gives us a great level of knowledge when it comes to local schools and local exams. You can also check out our local community and charity page here.
When are the next Kendrick School and Reading School open days?
Please see our Kendrick School 11+ guide and our Reading School 11+ guide for the latest announced dates.
Are your tuition services or mock exams endorsed by the local grammar schools?
Neither Reading School nor Kendrick School endorse any private tuition providers, mock exams or guides. The schools do not run their own mock exams.
Why study with us?
Because we’re based in Reading, we know the local area inside out, and everything we do is tailor-made towards the specific exams being sat by local students. We pride ourselves in knowing all of our tutors and students as individuals. We also love supporting local charities.
We strongly believe in face-to-face tuition over remote learning, and we make it easy! Our tutors will come to you. It’s been regularly proven that the improved rapport built between student and tutor leads to better engagement, higher productivity levels and ultimately better results.
You can trust us to deliver, both in terms of punctuality and safety. We go above and beyond, providing all of our tutors with an enhanced DBS check. Our lessons are all covered by our public liability insurance, and to top things off we are proud members of The Tutors’ Association, the UK’s professional membership body for the tuition industry.
Our unique approach gets results. We get to know every student individually, and this allows us to tailor everything we do to their specific needs, rather than following a predefined program. By mixing our work between focusing on problem areas, the school syllabus, and regular exposure to real world mock exam questions, we ensure every student is learning the right things, in a way that will easily translate to exam success.