A Guide to Additional 11+ Resources
Holland Park are experts in education. Here, our partners share valuable resources that engage, educate and encourage young minds.
The key to success in any endeavour is consistent preparation and ongoing practice. Holland Park Education’s leading 11+ tutor Isaac Baden-Powell, and Katie Ross, author and educator, offer their recommendations and support for various resources that can be incorporated into your child’s routine. While our consultancy team is always here to help with personalised learning support, these recommendations of helpful and straightforward supplementary exercises can be used to boost any student’s potential.
About Isaac:
Isaac Baden-Powell is an experienced full-time tutor, specialising in 11+, 13+ and Classics tuition. He has been working with Holland Park Tutors for a while and is one of their most respected and dependable tutors. Capable of realising the full potential of any student, he has been able to get students into City of London, Highgate and UCS, to name a few. As well as tutoring, he is currently studying as an honorary scholar doing a part-time MA in Classics at UCL.
About Katie:
After graduating from Oxford University, Katie worked in television, making and presenting educational programmes as well as presenting on Tomorrow’s World and Countryfile for the BBC. She is now a parent of two school age children and is committed to creating and promoting resources to support effective and productive study to take on the challenges of academia today.
- The New Oxford Book of Children’s Verse
This is a very good resource for getting children into reading, understanding and engaging critically with poetry. Some schools fail to see the significance and importance of poetry in children’s literary development, despite it being a vital part of the 11+ entrance exam. Having a child be able to talk confidently about a poem that they love will make them shine in an interview context.
- AtomLearning.co.uk
A very good online platform, which has great practice tests on it as well as a great interactive IOS/Android app. It covers all aspects of 11+ but is particularly useful for Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths, as you can choose to focus on weaknesses and develop them.
- Bond 11+ Books
These hardcopy, physical paper books are a great antidote to the excessive screen time that children seem to be having during the lockdown. They also have a great selection of short tests in all areas of 11+. They are well designed, easy to assimilate and, as they contain answers, can be used by parents to check their child’s work and progression.
- Maths Fun for Cool Kids
Maths Fun for Cool Kids is a puzzle book full of UK maths curriculum-related activities. Word problems, cartoons and jokes liven up the maths syllabus, making this book a fun activity for any child aged 9-12. Rather than being arranged by topic, the puzzles are mixed up so the student can dip in and out whenever they need a break from formal study.
- Revision Fun for Clever Kids
Revision Fun for Clever Kids is a challenging collection of Maths, English and General Knowledge tests cunningly disguised as fun puzzles and tempting brainteasers for children. The puzzle format encourages thinking skills, resourcefulness and applying learned strategy to problems, which is a vital aspect of good exam technique.
- Descriptosaurus: Supporting Creative Writing for Ages 8-14
A thematic expansion of a dictionary and a thesaurus, this book provides children with a comprehensive resource with which to expand their descriptive vocabulary, experiment with language and sentence structures, and build up narratives based around settings, characters and creatures.
- Haydn Richards Junior English – Book 4
Another excellent English-focused resource from a much-respected series.
- 11+ Super Selective Maths: 30 Advanced Questions
For those who are very focused on Maths and very advanced for their age, this book offers an extra push and more of a challenge.
Holland Park Tuition & Education
Since 2004, Holland Park Education has been committed to giving parents and children access to the best private tutoring and consultancy, and each year, Holland Park experts help students achieve places at the most sought after schools, pass public and entry exams and reach target grades. We have thousands of hours experience teaching, mentoring and advising both online and in person to an exceptionally high standard.
To find out more about how Holland Park can help with your child’s 11+ prep, please contact us on +44 (0) 20 7034 0800.
