COURSE INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2023/24 FOUNDATION COURSE

This information is provided in order to give you a flavour of our approach and an idea of the scope of our work.  It does not form part of the Terms and Conditions for our courses.  Click for full T&CS.

The information here is believed to be true and accurate at the time of publication.

If, after reading this information and the T&Cs for this course, you still have queries, please email us at manager@elevenplustutor.org.uk. We would be pleased to assist. 

 

A. WHO IS THE FOUNDATION COURSE SUITABLE FOR?

 

1. Children in year 4 who are academically able and eager to learn, and who might sit an 11+ test in due course.

 

This course prepares children for our unparalleled 11+ Course in several ways:

• Nurturing a growth mindset and love of learning
• Setting and reinforcing educationally beneficial daily habits such as varied reading, vocabulary building, and mental arithmetic practice
• Developing self-organisation skills through the chance to manage a variety of resources and tasks on a weekly basis
• Familiarisation with the routines, procedures and expectation of the course and company
• A syllabus consisting of concepts, knowledge and skills in literacy, numeracy and shapes that help form a solid foundation on which to build in the 11+ Course.

AND

2. Children in year 4 who are performing around average for their year group and seeking a boost to their general education.

• Many parents are seeking to give their child an educational boost without necessarily having an eye to selection tests.
• Provided that the pupil is able to cope with the workload and maintain a positivity about learning, this course is a wonderful opportunity for children to get this boost.

NOT SURE WHETHER IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR CHILD?  If you are unsure whether the course is suitable for your child, you can consult Sir Tailor directly.  Email us to request a free Zoom meeting.

 

 

WHY SIR TAILOR

 

B. WHAT MAKES THIS COURSE SPECIAL?

In a word, VALUES.  More fully, the following 5 points.

 

1. We prioritise education over profit

• How 11+ tuition is provided is largely shaped by the degree to which profit is a motive: the greater the profit motive the larger the group size for live lessons and the less effective the learning. 
• A small group size (10 or fewer pupils with a tutor) favours education over profit. 
• No number of assistants compensates for a small group with a tutor. 
• We run our live lessons in small groups because we prioritise education over profit.

 

2. We believe that preparation towards 11+ is also preparation beyond 11+

Preparation towards 11+ tests and preparation for life can coincide in some obviously important but under-appreciated ways.  We support children in becoming better at learning.  Here are the top three ways in which we do this.

 

(i) A broad view of education 

We encourage children to love learning for its own sake, read widely, work on coherent thinking and communication, and build their general knowledge by taking an interest in all things.

 

(ii) Growth Mindset  

• Some children’s learning is slowed down by a fixed mindset. 
• We encourage and coach children and parents to develop more of a GROWTH MINDSET (GM). 
• This helps children to enjoy learning and sustain motivation as well as enabling them to learn more effectively. 
• Focusing on applying good learning processes rather than on scoring high in course work is part of this. 
• We help educate parents about nurturing a GM because it is they who are the major influence on the mindset that their child exercises.

 

(ii) Learning opportunities 

• We characterise and treat mistakes and omissions as valuable learning opportunities to be embraced, thereby enabling children, parents and tutors to hone in on children’s individual, very specific learning needs. 
• Correcting each error and learning from it is a key feature of our courses. This allows children to focus most effort where they most need it.

 

3. We use a highly interactive, small-group format (i.e. 9 or fewer pupils per group)

Our normal group size for live lessons is between 3 and 9 pupils.  This allows for the optimal combination of two powerful learning factors:

(1) a substantial amount of interaction between the tutor and each pupil, and

(2) the opportunity for children to learn from one another’s questions, comments, and errors. 

• The first helps the Learning Coach to identify, communicate and address each pupil’s individual learning needs; this benefit drops off dramatically with more than 10 pupils per group. 
• The second benefit reduces substantially if the group is smaller than 3 pupils.  Between 3 and 10 pupils in a group with one Learning Coach is the ‘Goldilocks’ range.  That is why we adhere to this format wherever possible. 

 

4. The expertise, and quality of teaching that both pupils and parents have access to

• All syllabus units are taught by Sir Tailor himself and recorded for unlimited access by you and your child.
• This allows your child to benefit directly from his 2 decades of 11+ expertise and lifetime of teaching experience; and not just once, but repeatedly, at a time and place of the pupil’s choosing.
• This is not only a great learning resource but also a superb tool for revision.
• You, the parent, also have access to all this world of learning so you have the opportunity to support your child’s learning in an appropriate way.

 

5. Because of 1, 2, 3 and 4 above, our students become better at learning, which empowers them throughout their lives. 

 

 

ABOUT THE COURSE

 

C. OUR POWERFUL, NON-TRADITIONAL LEARNING MODEL

 

TWO KINDS OF LESSONS!  Teaching of the syllabus units is done by the person who is best qualified to do it - the course author and expert, Sir Tailor - via Video Lessons.   This has great advantages for parents as well as pupils, both of whom have direct unlimited access to the actual learning directly from the expert.  This model also has the virtue of allowing Live Lessons - whether attended in a ROOM or via ZOOM - to be utilised for things that can only be done in a Live Lesson.

Video Lessons (VLs)

• Learning of the syllabus units (concepts and methods) is done via VLs, of which there are in excess of a hundred. Children study the VLs and complete notes and practice at home.  They write down queries that arise so that they can seek clarification in the Live Lesson.
• VLs allow parents to confidently provide suitable support with syllabus work by having access directly to our teaching of it.
• VLs allow pupils to conveniently and efficiently review or revise any topic at any time. This is very useful when you consider the amount of ground that they cover and the long duration of the course.
• Many parents have observed and commented on how useful they have found this resource for learning, reinforcing and revising, and for supporting their child at home.

 

Live Lessons (LLs)

• The weekly Live Lesson prioritises the things that can only be done in a Live Lesson because they require a two-way interaction: namely, checking some homework, conducting tests, explaining queries arising from prep work, and the teaching of problem-solving strategies.  A ten-minute break is included.
• As a direct benefit of the small-group format, the amount of interaction experienced by pupils is substantial.
• LLs have the same structure, content and learning resources regardless of how your child accesses them or who the Learning Coach is.

 

Live Lesson Schedule

• Children attend one LL weekly, normally only during term-time. (For historical reasons, we use Slough term dates).
• Each LL is 2 hours long.
• 30 Live Lessons are scheduled between late September 2023 and July 2024.

 

 

D. ROOM or ZOOM for Live Lessons?

ROOM LLs take place in a physical room in a venue such as a hotel or school.  For a ROOM slot, all the LLs would normally take place in a venue.

The main reasons parents have stated for preferring a ROOM slot are:

• They prefer their child to be in the same physical space as the Learning Coach and other pupils.
• Their child focuses better when in a dedicated environment away from home.
• There is no suitable, distraction-free space at home.

 

ZOOM LLs take place via the internet using the Zoom platform.  For a ZOOM slot, all the LLs would normally take place via Zoom.  The main reasons parents have stated for preferring a ZOOM slot are:

• They live too far away from a venue or travel is problematic for other reasons.
• They like the convenience and safety of their child participating in lessons from home.
• They save a substantial amount of money over the ROOM option.

 

 

E. RESOURCES

PUPIL’S RESOURCES
A rich blend of types of resources are combined to provide a unique, stimulating package to support children's learning.

• A kit that includes folders, a dictionary/thesaurus, a vocabulary book, a novel (for comprehension), a pencil, and a highlighter pen
• Publications (pubs): varied practice from a variety of publishers, primarily for pupils to practise problem-solving. The list of publications we issue is not fixed but is updated on an ongoing basis in accordance with resources available in the market
• Video Lessons: previously detailed
• Worksheets: some to support syllabus learning and others for groundwork
• Study Tests: online tutor-marked homework; reinforces understanding of syllabus units
• Online practice: for honing mental arithmetic skills
• Feedback: two-way online, written feedback system directly with your Learning Coach
• Monitoring: Online Records Sheet where scores collected by the LC are recorded for your 24/7 access.

 

PARENT’S RESOURCES
Because we recognise that the role of home and parents in a child's flourishing far outweighs the role of schools and tutors, we provide a substantial amount of support and guidance to you in order to empower you to help your child flourish.

• Email guidance
• Webinar guidance
• Email support 7 days a week
• Feedback  Two-way online, written feedback system directly with your Learning Coach
• Monitoring  Online Records Sheet, enabling you to readily identify likely learning needs
• General Videos covering topics of specific interest to parents going through the 11+ process
• Video Lessons  You, the parent, have access to 100% of the teaching of the syllabus!
• Sir Tailor  FREE individual meetings with the course author
• Study Tests  View-only access to your child’s online homework
• Parents’ Checklist & Answers  You and your child know exactly what work to do between Live Lessons as it is itemised in priority order and includes answers for marking some work.

 

 

F. AVAILABILITY & CHOICE OF SLOTS

The following slots are planned. Unviable slots may be cancelled without notice and additional slots may be arranged as required.

Numerous different slots (i.e. combinations of day, time and venue) are planned as shown below.

 

Note that availability can change from minute to minute.  As the availability indicated below is usually updated only once a day, it may not be accurate. 

 

Last Updated On 24th Mar 2024 17:31

Last Updated On 24th Mar 2024

 

*The venue may be subject to change at short notice as required by the management of the venue.

Venues for ROOM slots

• Copthorne Hotel, Cippenham Lane, SLOUGH, SL1 2YE
• Cranford Community College, High Street, CRANFORD, TW5 9PD
• Springwest Academy, Browells Lane, FELTHAM, TW13 7EF
• Lampton School, Lampton Avenue, HOUNSLOW, TW3 4EP
• Delta Marriott Hotel, Ditton Road, LANGLEY, SL3 8PT

 

 

G. LEARNING COACHES (LCS) [TUTORS]

• Each Live Lesson is conducted by a Learning Coach who is trained and qualified for this purpose by Sir Tailor.
• LCs who conduct ROOM slots are DBS checked.
• If you apply for a place on this course, you will be subscribing to the programme of learning (i.e. the course) and not to a particular LC.
• Requests for/against particular LCs, or for/against LCs of a particular sex, ethnicity, accent, personality or religion will not be considered.

 

 

H. APPLICATION

• All applications are to be made online via our website org.uk.
• You will be required to make a payment at the time of application. 
• Please read the Terms and Conditions for this course, and call us about any queries, before applying.