In short
Performance Learning's 11 Plus coaching helps children in Years 4 to 6 build the skills beneath exam performance: organising their learning, memory and recall, time management in timed papers, exam technique and staying calm. It is not 11+ paper-practice tutoring and works alongside tutoring or school preparation. It starts with the £50 Foresight assessment, which shows how your child learns and what may be holding them back.
What is the 11+ exam?
The 11+ is a selective entrance test, usually sat in Year 6, used by grammar schools in some areas of England and by many independent schools. What it covers varies by area and school, but papers commonly include some mix of English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
Some independent schools set their own entrance tests or use Common Entrance. Formats and dates differ, so check your local authority and each school’s website early.
Why do capable children struggle with 11+ preparation?
Most 11+ preparation focuses on content and practice papers. That matters, but practice alone doesn’t teach a ten-year-old how to remember what they have learned, how to pace a timed paper or what to do when their mind goes blank.
The pressure is real at this age. Children notice how much the result seems to matter to the adults around them, and some start to link their worth to a score. In primary school, the seeds of self-belief, curiosity, confidence and anxiety are planted, and what children believe about learning now shapes what follows.
So you may see a child who knows the material at home but freezes in timed conditions, rushes and makes careless mistakes, or avoids practice because getting things wrong feels too uncomfortable.
What does Performance Learning do for 11+ children?
Performance Learning teaches children how to learn, so the preparation they do with school or a tutor sticks and shows up on the day. Performance Learning Primary helps Years 4, 5 and 6 identify early barriers to learning, prepare for the 11+ or SATs and move confidently to secondary school. Coaching focuses on:
- Organising learning: simple routines and a clear plan, so preparation feels manageable.
- Memory and recall: retrieval practice and spaced repetition, so knowledge stays in long-term memory.
- Time management: pacing a timed paper and knowing when to move on.
- Exam technique: reading questions carefully and checking answers.
- Calm and confidence: recognising nerves and using practical ways to stay steady.
- Sleep and energy: healthy habits in the run-up to test day. Our sleep tips for children are a good place to start.
Performance Learning uses the same strategies with pupils preparing for Common Entrance.
11+ coaching vs 11+ tutoring
Tutoring and coaching do different jobs, and they work well together. Tutoring covers what the test asks. Coaching covers how your child learns, remembers and performs under pressure.
| Performance Learning 11+ coaching | 11+ tutoring | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | How to learn, remember and stay calm | Test content and question types |
| Typical activity | Learning skills, recall practice, exam technique | Practice papers and topic teaching |
| Starts with | A Foresight assessment of how your child learns | Gaps in test content |
| Helps with | Confidence, nerves, pacing and memory | Familiarity with the test format |
| After the test | Skills that carry into secondary school | Focused on the test itself |
How does 11+ coaching work?
- Book a call. Talk to the Performance Learning team about your child, the schools you are considering and the preparation already in place. There’s no obligation.
- Take the Foresight assessment (£50). The Foresight assessment is a calm, child-friendly online assessment, built for children aged 8 and over. It shows how your child feels about learning, as well as factors such as recall, time management, sleep and stress. You receive one-page action plans for your child and for you, plus a 35-page in-depth report you can share with school or a tutor. An optional 30-minute review call costs £45.
- Choose a coaching route. The team will advise which suits a primary-age child:
- SOAR Online Learning, £10 a month: Foresight plus unlimited access to an adaptive platform with personalised pathways, on-demand coaching and monthly progress monitoring.
- Virtual Classroom with PL, £295: two live, interactive 2-hour masterclasses in a small group, with a Foresight assessment included.
- Academic Transformation with Dr Tej, application only: year-round one-to-one coaching and mentoring with Dr Tej Samani.
What can parents expect?
You can expect a clear picture of how your child feels about learning, not just how they perform. It can help explain behaviour that is hard to read, such as avoiding practice or getting upset over small mistakes.
You get your own action plan, with practical ways to support preparation at home without adding pressure. For more on handling worry, read Dr Tej’s advice on exam anxiety in children.
We won’t promise a pass mark or a school place. We will give you an honest view of whether coaching can help, and the skills your child builds will stay with them whatever the result.
What is the evidence behind Performance Learning?
Students using Performance Learning improved by an average of 2.4 grades against their predicted grades (Thomas et al., 2024, an analysis of 940 students led by Birkbeck’s Centre for Educational Neuroscience). That figure is an average, not a promise for any child, and Performance Learning does not publish a separate figure for 11+ results. The approach is grounded in Dr Tej Samani’s research into how pupils learn, which you can read on our research page.
Performance Learning has also worked with primary schools, including Topcliffe Primary School in Birmingham, whose work with Performance Learning was featured in an i News long read.
Frequently asked questions
Is Performance Learning an 11+ tutor?
No. Performance Learning is not an 11+ tutoring or paper-practice service, and it does not teach verbal reasoning question types or set mock papers. It teaches the skills underneath performance: how to organise learning, remember and recall it, pace a timed paper and stay calm. Many families use Performance Learning alongside an 11+ tutor or their school's preparation, so their child has both the content and the learning skills.
What age is Performance Learning's 11+ coaching for?
Performance Learning Primary works with children in Years 4, 5 and 6. That covers the years leading up to the 11+ and the move to secondary school that follows. The starting point is the Foresight assessment, which is designed to be calm and child-friendly for primary-age learners. The team can advise on the best route for your child's age.
Does Performance Learning help with Common Entrance?
Yes. Performance Learning uses the same learning strategies with pupils preparing for Common Entrance as it does for the 11+. As with the 11+, coaching does not cover the exam content itself. It helps your child organise and remember what they are learning, manage their time in exams and approach entrance tests with more confidence, alongside the preparation they get from school or a tutor.
When should my child start 11+ coaching?
Learning skills take time to become habits, so starting in Year 4 or Year 5 gives your child room to build them gently, without exam pressure. Coaching can still help in the months before the test, when calm, pacing and recall matter most. Test dates vary by area and school, so check them early and book a call with Performance Learning to talk through your child's timeline.
My child gets very anxious about the 11+. Can coaching help?
Yes. Managing nerves and building confidence is a core part of Performance Learning's coaching. The Foresight assessment looks at how your child perceives stress and anxiety at school, alongside sleep, energy and time management, so you can see what is driving the worry. Coaching then gives your child practical ways to stay steady, and gives you ideas for supporting them without adding pressure.
How much does 11+ coaching cost?
Every route starts with the Foresight assessment, which costs £50, with an optional £45 live review call. After that, SOAR online learning costs £10 a month including Foresight, the Virtual Classroom with PL costs £295 for two live 2-hour group sessions plus an assessment, and Academic Transformation with Dr Tej Samani is by application only. Full details are on the Performance Learning pricing page.
Will coaching help my child move up to secondary school?
That is part of the aim. Performance Learning Primary helps children in Years 4 to 6 identify early barriers to learning, prepare for the 11+ or SATs and make the transition to secondary school. The skills your child builds, such as organising their work, revising actively, managing time and handling nerves, are the same ones they will need in Year 7 and beyond, whatever the 11+ result.