UK School Entrance Tuition for Families Overseas
Headteacher-led preparation for 7+, 11+, ISEB and UK grammar school entry — wherever you are based
For over twenty years I have worked inside UK education, seven of them as a prep school headteacher. I now prepare children living overseas for the same entrance examinations, to the same standard, entirely online. I teach every session myself.
Families come to me in two situations.
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You are staying overseas and want a British education. Your child is at an international or local school, will sit UK entrance examinations from abroad, and may be applying for boarding. The ability is there. The exposure to UK exam formats is not.
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You are relocating to the UK. You need your child ready before you land, usually on a compressed timetable, and you need to know which schools — independent or state — are realistic before you commit to an area.
Both are solvable. Neither is solved by generic online tutoring, and both are far easier with twelve months' notice than with three.
What I prepare children for
I work with children aged 5 to 14. The range matters when you are overseas, because the examination your child needs is often not the one you first assumed.
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7+ and pre-prep entry — for families moving early, or applying to London and boarding prep schools from abroad
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11+ for UK independent schools — ISEB Pre-Tests, Quest Assessments, school-specific papers and interview preparation
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11+ for UK state grammar schools — the Essex CSSE and FSCE tests, the Buckinghamshire secondary transfer test and other regional papers, for families relocating into those counties
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Creative and discursive writing — written English to UK marking criteria, where internationally educated children most often lose marks they ought to be gaining
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Secondary and GCSE subject support — for children arriving mid-key-stage who need to close a curriculum gap rather than sit an examination
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Admissions consultancy — shortlisting, applications, references and interview preparation
If you are not sure which of these your child needs, establishing that is the purpose of the Academic Audit, a focused 90-minute session with you and your child, followed by detailed, actionable feedback.
I currently prepare children in Ukraine, Poland and Switzerland for ISEB and other UK entrance examinations, entirely online. Families in Singapore and the United States have secured places at British independent schools, including Uppingham.
Relocating to the UK: the grammar school question
Families moving to the UK often assume the independent sector is the only route, and are surprised to find the county they are moving to has excellent state grammar schools — and that entry to them can be less forgiving than entry to the independent schools they were considering.
These tests are sat in person, in the UK, on fixed dates, almost always at the start of Year 6. There is no overseas centre and no remote alternative for these particular exams. Eligibility and allocation also depend on where you are living at the point of application, which catches out families whose move is still in progress.
I have prepared pupils for the Essex FSCE at Chelmsford County High School for many years, and for the Buckinghamshire transfer test. If a UK move is on your horizon, the timing of the move and the timing of these tests need planning together — and usually a year earlier than families expect.
Sitting UK entrance tests from overseas
You do not choose the test. The schools on your list do, and different schools use different ones: the ISEB Common Pre-Test, the London 11+ Consortium's Quest Assessment, Atom-based assessments, GL or CAT4 papers, a school's own written papers, or a county grammar school test. Several families arrive having prepared diligently for the wrong one.
Three things follow from that, and all three are worth settling early.
Confirm which test each school on your list actually uses, and its deadline. Schools set their own dates, and several close months before the test window itself does.
Establish where your child can sit it. Some tests can be taken overseas at an approved centre — your child's current school, or a third-party centre such as a British Council office. Others must be sat in person in the UK on a fixed date, with no remote alternative.
Check who does the registering. For some tests you register your child directly; for others the school does. Getting this wrong is the most common way an otherwise strong application falls over, and it is entirely avoidable.
Establishing all three for your particular shortlist is part of the Academic Audit. You will leave it knowing which tests your child is sitting, where, and by when.
A note on shortlisting schools from a distance
Choosing schools is harder when you cannot easily visit. I advise on the school that fits the child in front of me rather than the one with the best prospectus: boarding against day, realistic reach and sensible safe choices, how heads read an overseas application, and the guardianship arrangements UK boarding schools expect of families living abroad.
Achievement without anxiety
Distance, time zones and unfamiliar examination formats are real obstacles. They are not barriers. What they require is honest assessment, enough lead time, and steady weekly teaching — so that your child arrives at the test calm, prepared, and unafraid of it.
Frequently asked questions
Global Education Consultancy
THROUGHOUT MY YEARS IN EDUCATION, I HAVE WORKED WITH FAMILIES WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING:
China
USA
Hong Kong
Dubai
Ukraine
Turkey
Nigeria
Switzerland
Poland
Lithuania
Latvia
Across Europe