SPECIALIST TUTORS
13+ Tuition
Building confidence and secure foundations for senior school entrance.
Witherow Brooke connects families with specialist 13+ tutors for senior independent school entrance, including Common Entrance, ISEB pre-tests and school-specific scholarship exams. Our tutors design personalised programmes that develop subject mastery, exam technique and the wider academic maturity senior schools look for, helping students approach their assessments with clarity and assurance.
The 13+ asks students to demonstrate subject depth across a broad academic curriculum, often including English, Mathematics, Science, French, Latin, Geography, History and Religious Studies, while many of the UK's most competitive schools now also require an ISEB pre-test as early as Year 6 or 7.
At Witherow Brooke, we offer different services to support students preparing for the 13+. Our services include identifying and recruiting elite tutors for full-time homeschooling, academic support and travelling tuition roles, as well as online homeschooling with a bespoke timetable of subject specialist tutors, and flexible hourly tuition, available in person in London and Dubai and online around the world.
We guide families through this process while helping students build secure foundations in English, mathematics and reasoning, alongside effective exam technique. Through bespoke preparation and teaching, students develop the knowledge, confidence, and study habits that support success in the 11+ and a smooth transition to secondary school.
Book a consultation with us so we can help you find a private 13+ tutor for your child today.
The benefits of 1-to-1 tuition for the 13+
The 13+ draws on a broad academic base, built up over several years of prep school education. Success depends on secure subject knowledge across a wide curriculum, strong written English and comprehension, mathematical fluency, and, for scholarship candidates, the ability to demonstrate depth and independent thinking beyond the syllabus.
A skilled 13+ tutor approaches this breadth by spending time identifying which subjects most need strengthening, explaining methods and content clearly, and helping students revisit key topics until understanding becomes secure. Tutors also help students practise pacing, structuring longer written answers, and managing several subjects across the Common Entrance timetable. A single tutor is able to provide a holistic view to a complex programme of learning, revision, and exam technique tailored to each student's individual needs.
One-to-one tuition also allows time for deeper academic consolidation. Students can develop subject knowledge, written technique and exam confidence at a pace suited to their individual needs, while also building the wider maturity and independent study skills senior schools expect of a Year 9 entrant.
Academic support for the 13+
For families seeking structured, long-term support alongside school, Witherow Brooke offers specialist Academic Support for the 13+. We conduct a bespoke global search to find an elite tutor who works closely with your child, delivering personalised academic support adapted to your child's current stage of learning, learning style, and chosen schools. Your dedicated tutor builds a bespoke programme that complements prep school learning while strengthening the core Common Entrance subjects, from English and Mathematics to Science, French, Latin, Geography, History and Religious Studies, alongside confident performance under timed conditions.
Because Common Entrance spans such a broad curriculum, many families find that a single, highly qualified tutor can cover the core subjects, typically English, Mathematics and Science, to an elite standard, providing consistency and a strong rapport across the bulk of the assessment. Where a school's requirements or a student's needs call for specialist depth in subjects such as Latin, French or a scholarship-level subject, we supplement this core tutor with additional subject specialists, coordinated under a single point of oversight.
Through our meticulous matching process, we identify tutors who combine deep subject expertise with specialist experience in Common Entrance and senior school scholarship preparation, ensuring your tutor complements your child's personality, learning style and academic goals. Witherow Brooke remains closely involved throughout the engagement, overseeing progress, providing quarterly reports, and advising families on admissions timelines, exam formats and preparation strategy for their chosen schools.
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Our Tutors & Approach
When identifying elite tutors for students, we ensure they combine subject mastery and extensive experience with the right personality to engage and motivate the student over what can be a demanding and stressful period. To learn more about services, book a consultation today.
Homeschooling with a full-time 13+ tutor
For families seeking a fully personalised approach to education, Witherow Brooke offers Elite Homeschooling for students preparing for the 13+. We place an exceptional, precisely matched educator who works with your family as a dedicated in-home teacher, delivering a comprehensive homeschooling programme adapted to your child's needs, learning style, and pace in ways many traditional settings cannot accommodate.
A full-time tutor can integrate the full breadth of the prep school curriculum with focused Common Entrance or scholarship preparation, ensuring that English, Mathematics, Science and a student's other examined subjects develop in a coherent and confidence-building way. With a dedicated educator working exclusively with your child, lessons can focus on skill development, targeted topic practice, exam technique, and revision alongside a rich and balanced wider academic programme, as well as stretch topics beyond the curriculum which most interest the child and help to develop a joy in learning.
The continuity of a dedicated tutor allows lessons to build progressively from day to day, with time for deeper exploration of key topics and consistent development of the breadth and depth required for senior school entrance.
Through our careful matching process, we source homeschool educators who combine deep subject expertise with specialist understanding of the 13+ requirements for your chosen schools, creating a supportive environment where your child can prepare with confidence. Witherow Brooke remains closely involved throughout the engagement, overseeing progress, providing quarterly reports, and advising families on admissions timelines, exam formats and preparation strategy for their chosen schools.
Our immersive process for full-time roles
For full time positions, how we facilitate and oversee the highest-quality tutoring for your child.
Our goal is to ensure each child transitions confidently, whether into higher education,
a new school, an alternative curriculum, or more advanced tuition.
Hourly tutoring for the 13+
For families seeking flexible, targeted support, Witherow Brooke offers specialist hourly for students preparing for the 13+. Available worldwide online, or in person in London and Dubai, our service connects you with an experienced 13+ tutor who adapts their teaching to your child’s current stage of learning, learning style, and chosen schools.
Online tutoring is particularly well suited to students living overseas who are preparing for UK senior independent and boarding schools, or international schools using UK-style entrance assessments. Our tutors support students following the British curriculum internationally, including preparation for the ISEB Common Pre-Test, Common Entrance and school-specific scholarship papers.
Whether your child is preparing for Common Entrance or a competitive scholarship exam, each session is structured to develop the subject knowledge and exam technique required for senior school entrance. Tutors support students in strengthening core subjects while building confidence in written expression and timed exam conditions through structured practice, targeted feedback, and familiarity with exam-style questions.
Through our careful matching process, we source tutors with extensive experience in 13+ preparation, ensuring sessions are carefully tailored to your child's strengths, needs, and chosen schools.
K, (THE MOTHER)
“We were delighted to find your service, enabling us to travel to the places we want to whilst keeping up with B’s [the student] education. He really looked forward to his lessons with H [the tutor], and even today they are in touch.”
FAQs
When should we start 13+ preparation? Many families begin working with a 13+ tutor from Year 6 or 7, particularly where a chosen school requires an ISEB Common Pre-Test, so that core subject knowledge can be strengthened gradually ahead of Common Entrance in Year 8. Some students benefit from earlier support, particularly for scholarship-level depth, while others begin later with a more focused plan. The right timing depends on your child's current stage of learning, chosen schools, and the pathway they will follow.
What does 13+ preparation usually involve? Effective 13+ preparation usually combines core subject support across English, Mathematics and Science with additional Common Entrance subjects such as French, Latin, Geography, History or Religious Studies where relevant, alongside timed practice, mock papers, and familiarity with school-specific formats. The most effective programmes are tailored to the individual child and the schools they are applying to.
Can one tutor cover all of my child's Common Entrance subjects? Often, a single tutor can cover the core subjects, typically English, Mathematics and Science, to an elite standard, providing valuable consistency and rapport across the bulk of the assessment. Where a school requires subjects such as Latin or French, or a student is preparing for a scholarship exam, we supplement this core tutor with specialists in those areas, all coordinated under a single point of oversight.
Do you support the ISEB Common Pre-Test and school-specific scholarship exams? Yes. We support preparation for the ISEB Common Pre-Test, Common Entrance, and a range of school-specific scholarship exams, including academic, music and other specialist scholarships. We carefully match families with tutors who understand the requirements of their chosen schools.
How long does 13+ preparation usually take? For many students, steady preparation from Year 6 or 7 through to Common Entrance in Year 8 is the most supportive approach. However, timelines vary depending on the child's starting point, chosen schools, and whether they are pursuing standard entrance or a scholarship pathway. Preparation may be delivered steadily over time or through a more concentrated schedule where appropriate.
MEET ONE OF OUR TUTORS
Ilan Lazarus
Tutor of Mathematics
Ilan studied Mathematics at Cambridge University and currently works as a tutor and musician. He is an expert in Mathematics tuition, having taught at every age level from precocious 4 year olds in New York to 30-year old accountants in London, as well as preparing students for competitive 11+ and 13+ admissions tests in Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning. He is also a Subject Expert for the Centre of Thinking Youth in London, covering Mathematics up to Further Maths A Level.
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