• I offer grammar school preparatory tuition for all the grammar schools in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Grammar school preparation with me is for students who attend state schools. Tuition takes place in groups of five students or fewer.  I specialise in offering tuition for students preparing for the entrance tests administered by the Centre for Evaluation and Management of the University of Durham. Schools that use the Durham CEM tests include Bishop Vesey's Grammar School and Sutton Coldfield Girls' Grammar School, the King Edward's Foundation and Queen Mary's Grammar and High Schools in Walsall.   

• I provide a professional service of relevant 11+ tuition in English (proof-reading, grammar, punctuation and syntax, vocabulary expansion, comprehension and cloze completion), mathematics, verbal and non-verbal reasoning for foundation grammar school entrance preparation (no-fee schools) to children whose assessment indicates that they have the potential to flourish in selective education.

• 11+ tuition is not a soft option!  I work in partnership with families and motivated children, and ask for active cooperation from parents – fathers as well as mothers. I require parents to monitor homework, but not assist children directly. I therefore ask parents to spend between 20 and 30 minutes each day, for five days of the week, revising and testing work that their children have begun in tuition with me.

' . . . The bigggest leap was [my daughter's] improvement in maths - that was phenomenal!  I'll always be grateful for your patience in teaching [my daughter] to understand how to break down parts of questions, to understand that the grammar of the sentence has the key to the solution.  This helped her greatly in the King Edward's tests, which she was successful in. . . '

Parent of a child at a state school in Handsworth

 ' . . . Your strict insisting on her learning her times tables thoroughly  from day  one of tuition was the start of the improvement.  You achieved in one session what we [her parents] had tried unsuccessfully to do for three years!'

Parent of a child at a state school in Walsall

How do you know whether your child is suited to grammar school education?

I advise parents who are considering 11+ tuition for their children to think very carefully about whether their child is equipped to flourish in selective education.  Tuition with me is only for students who show promise in my careful and thorough initial assessment.

What is my assessment and what does it involve?

I offer group and, where this is not possible, individual assessments with a view to children entering tuition with me in the future. I charge a fee for this service, which is paid in advance. 

The assessment is based upon measurable indicators and professional judgement, which does not commit families to unnecessary or unproductive tuition, but identifies specific potential for learning.

From me, parents will gain an objective, professional view of a child’s likelihood of success in the individual grammar school tests, with or without further tuition.  

11+ tuition with me is for students from state (not independent) primary schools, who are likely to benefit from education in a grammar school.

   ' . . . To tell the truth, we were a bit scared about the assessment.  We thought you'd turn [our daughter] down flat for tution.  But you saw that she had the potential but was held back by not understanding certain things. That soon changed with your help . . .'  

Parent of a child at a state school in Handsworth Wood

What happens if your child is bright but isn’t at a primary school that gives him or her the ‘push’ (or 'stretch') that they need for success in the grammar school entrance tests?

At present, all of my 11+ students attend state schools in Birmingham, the Black Country and Warwickshire.  This means that I am happy to discuss prospects for 11+ tuition with me for students from a wide range of state schools including those schools whose students do not traditionally go into selective grammar school education.

 

How much tuition does your child require?

Preparation for these tests can be for as little as two terms, according to the ability of the individual child and the examinations for which the tuition is preparing them. (For example, I recommend a minimum of four terms' tuition in preparation for examinations set by the University of Durham's CEM Centre; and a minimum of two terms' preparation for tests set by NFER [National Foundation for Education Research]. 

Students from those schools which do not traditionally send on students to selective schools might require a longer period of tuition. 

My 11+ students follow a planned scheme of work, and begin and end tuition  at the same time.  There is no wasteful repetition of the syllabus for some, at the expense of others.

A planned programme of work will prepare children for all grammar schools in the Birmingham and Walsall areas. The group's focus is on the no-fee grammar schools, but I also offer individuals within that group individual tuition for for for the selective independent schools. 

What does tuition for grammar schools involve?

The first term will emphasise the importance of wide reading in building strong vocabulary awareness, and will be supported by teaching and homework in proof-reading, grammar, punctuation and syntax, vocabulary expansion and comprehension.  In later terms, tuition will develop and widen the children’s understanding of mathematical and verbal and non-verbal reasoning. 

Students work with similarly bright children in a convivial and supportive fast-track environment.  We work hard but enjoy what we do here. Throughout the 11+ course, I will encourage students to learn to appreciate the rich rewards of developing a love of learning for its own sake in the long term, and not simply rehearsing techniques to pass a test.  Along with a balanced curriculum, children will enjoy reading a rich and rewarding range of books through the course. Your child’s motivation and understanding will develop rapidly through the committed and enthusiastic teaching of a qualified and experienced specialist teacher, within firm but fair, well-structured learning conditions.  

What is my record of success?

Between 1997 and 2010, each one of my 11+ students who attended a three term or more preparatory course with me gained a place at a foundation grammar school. In 2011, all but one student secured a place at a foundation grammar school. 

I can provide evidence of my academic and teaching qualifications, along with verifiable evidence of my students' success rates in the 11+ tests. 

Practical matters: fees and terms

Fees and terms & conditions for payment for individual and group tuition are fixed and are non-negotiable.  Fees for 11+ group tuition are £15 per hour per child in a group of five students or fewer.

Please be aware that in providing a service of high-quality, mainly individual and small group tuition, I organise the teaching I undertake under clearly-defined terms and conditions and contracts with parents, which are reviewed and, subject to performance, can be renewed each term. 

Therefore, the tuition that I provide is best suited to motivated, well-organised families for whom a balanced education and wider interests and the welfare of a child takes priority over parents’ work commitments and wider family and social functions. 

Please call Dr Karen O’Rourke for an informal discussion without further obligation any morning Monday to Saturday.

When will the next 11+ courses begin?

For children from state schools only in Year Four now (i.e. in the spring term, 2012): 

Please contact me NOW, without delay, to arrange an assessment with me in the current Spring Term 2012, if your child is in Year Four only and is in top sets in both English and Mathematics.   As places in the group are limited strictly to five students, please contact me without delay to discuss details and book an assessment. 

For children from state schools only in Year Three now (i.e. entering Year Four in the autumn term, 2012):

Please contact me in or before July 2012 to arrange an assessment with me if your child is in Year Three and is in top sets in both English and Mathematics.

• For more information about the recent changes in the timing of 11+ selection tests, please see the websites of the individual grammar schools.

• For more information about how this affects the tuition provided by Dr Karen O'Rourke, please see the FAQ page of this website by clicking on the <FAQ> tab in the top left-hand corner.

• You can view my contact details by clicking <Contact me> tab; but do read the FAQ page on the <FAQ Grammar Schools> page before you do! 

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