Black and white portrait of a young girl aged 11+ looking to the side with a smile, hair slightly tousled.

11+ school entrance tutoring

with renowned, specialist school entrance tutor Adam D’Souza

Your son or daughter will be supported with a personalised learning journey that will equip them with skills, vocabulary and conceptual knowledge to succeed in 11+ (or 10+) exams and, more importantly, their entire senior school education.

Adam D’Souza is an expert in school entrance preparation, specialising in teaching this age group, and demonstrating a track record of success.

  • In Arjun’s words you were “awesome” and he loved his lessons / discussions with you. You treated Arjun as an an equal listening to his views, debating and discussing as equals. It really did wonders in terms of Arjun finding his own viewpoint and increased  engagement. I appreciated that you thought of his interests in getting him to appreciate new genres etc. I wish we had found you sooner. It would have helped his creative writing skills more. And I really appreciated  that you didn’t dump him with lots of homework. This way he enjoyed the learning.

    Meghna, happy parent of a successful 11+ student, now at Whitgift School

  • Adam has been very good at understanding what makes my son tick and where his interests lie and has tailored the tuition to suit that. It’s typical ‘boy stuff’ a lot of the time with interesting adventure stories, tales about new countries and interesting parts of history, but interwoven into that are all the vital skills they need for 11/13+. The rapport Adam has with him is great: it’s professional but relaxed and that inspires my son to want to impress him and to give it his all in the hour he has with him. His vocabulary and style has undoubtedly improved

    Mel, happy parent of a successful 11+ student, now an academic scholar at King’s Wimbledon

  • Adam tutored my son for a couple of years in preparation for very competitive 11+ entrance exams for top London schools. The sessions were online as we lived out of town at the time and he did a great job of connecting with my son and finding topics to engage his attention. His sessions are in no way rote-learning or repetitive, they are individually tailored and very well-thought through. The aim wasn’t to tutor our son to pass the exams per se. We wanted to ensure he didn’t become complacent at school, where he wasn’t being challenged sufficiently, as well as develop his skills and abilities to be learning, to some extent, at the level of the schools he would be trying for, which helps with the second stage of exams.

    Laura, happy parent of a successful 11+ student, now at Westminster School

  • Adam helped prepare our son for his 11+ exams via weekly tutoring sessions at our home. He got to know our son and his interests at an early stage and tailored his teaching to reflect those passions, which really helped engage our son. His approach was very well rounded and mature, encouraging our son to think around issues, challenge himself and tap in to his curiosity, rather than solely focussing on exam technique. We also hugely valued Adam’s input when considering secondary schools, as he knew our son (and us!) and what might be the best fit. Ultimately, our son was accepted to all four schools he applied to and was offered two academic scholarships.

    Sam, happy parent of a successful 11+ student

  • The engaging approach of our tutor totally clicked with our daughter. She blossomed in the tutoring and looked forward to it. It meant that when she came to the entrance exams and interviews for the school she was keenest on, she aced it. I'm convinced she wouldn't have got in without Adam D'Souza as her tutor. Absolutely convinced. I highly recommend.

    Simon, happy parent of a successful 11+ student

Sustainable learning: 11+ exam success and beyond

Group of co-ed students at boarding school 13+ entry in uniforms walking outside a brick school building.

Your son or daughter thriving academically in their senior school education is my main aim.

You might think 11+ tutoring is about passing exams. For me, it is about empowering your son or daughter with lasting knowledge and skills to succeed in their new school. The heart of my educational philosophy is academic value-add: helping your child to make exceptional progress, wherever their starting point. 11+ exam success is a happy by-product of this work.

I am committed to helping my young students grow intellectually – encouraging them to be independent learners, creative thinkers and confident communicators.

A track record of outstanding results

Three boys in school uniforms from highly academic private London single-sex school 11+ entry sitting on grass, looking at a book, outdoors.

They say it is better to travel well than to arrive… I say it is best to travel well, then arrive somewhere amazing!

The aspect of my work that I am most proud of is the quality of human relationships: building trust between students, parents and me as tutor. I have supported more than 230 children to apply to academically selective schools. Furthermore, I have taught across both prep and senior, and acted as an 11+ examiner – so I know what schools are looking for. I also aim to put your mind at ease about some of the entrance exam myths that circulate on social media.

My former students have received 11+ offers at some of London and the UK’s most academically competitive schools.

Former students have secured 11+ places at London’s most competitive schools…

Emotional wellbeing and pastoral care

Three girls from single-sex London private day school 11+ entry in blue sports hoodies holding lacrosse sticks on a field, smiling and talking.

What sets my approach apart, the greatest source of professional pride, is the quality of human relationships.

For every child, emotional wellbeing is key to their academic success. What marks out my 11+ tutoring approach as exceptional is the emphasis I place on developing strong relationships, pastoral care and positive mental health.

11+ preparation is a marathon, not a sprint – it is important to help your child build sustainable learning habits that will enable them to show off their potential on exam day.

I invest in CPD as a professional private tutor, including safeguarding qualifications and coaching training with Graydin, to support the pastoral needs of children at this crucial transition stage of their education. Alongside teaching, I have gained insight in admissions leadership as a founding member of the management team of an independent schools group, and as a head of year overseeing 11+ in a prep school. This gives me insight on the pressures facing parents during the 11+ process.