Strategic readiness for competitive, academically selective day schools – without hot-housing your child
A complete 11+ preparation programme for ambitious families combining 1:1 personalised tutoring for your child and bespoke, data-driven school admissions advice and readiness planning, from renowned 11+ specialist Adam D’Souza, supporting your whole family with this exciting transition
11+ entrance preparation
Your son or daughter will experience a personalised learning journey that will empower them with conceptual knowledge, vocabulary, logic and critical thinking tools to secure multiple 11+ offers and, more importantly, thrive beyond the exam, equipping your child intellectually for their entire senior school education.
Meanwhile, your decision-making as parents will be supported with regular academic benchmarking, and data-driven yet empathetic school admissions advice.
Adam D’Souza is an expert in 11+ school entrance preparation, specialising in teaching this age group, and demonstrating a significant track record of success securing places for former students at some of London’s most academically competitive schools.
Helping your child develop their academically competitive edge while protecting confidence and curiosity
Your son or daughter thriving academically in their senior school education is my main aim.
In the world of London’s high-stakes 11+ admissions, where offer rates at the most in-demand schools can be as low as 3.2%, ‘test prep’ is no longer sufficient. I believe strongly that 11+ success does not come from a bank of past papers, but rather in the cultivation of your child’s intellectual character.
My aim is to guide your son or daughter through an exciting journey where they will develop the knowledge and capabilities to secure an 11+ place at a top-tier senior school and thrive once they arrive: academically, creatively and emotionally. I am committed to encouraging my young students to be independent learners, creative thinkers and confident communicators.
Critical thinking and cognitive agility
The most academically selective schools use challenging, unexpected stimulus materials in their 11+ assessments – complex poems, non-fiction articles, abstract logic puzzles and data – to identify the cognitively agile, highly ‘teachable’ students. My teaching approach focuses on teaching your child to evaluate complex information, spot patterns and form logical arguments.
The heart of my educational ethos is academic value-add: helping your child to make exceptional progress, wherever their starting point.
Precision of language and advanced vocabulary
In a top-tier school’s 11+ English assessment, vocabulary is a proxy for intellectual maturity. A successful candidate must be able to spot and articulate nuance. I place significant weight on developing language fluency: exploring the etymology, context and double meanings of words, enabling your child to read critically and write with sophistication and precision.
The art of the spoken word
The interview is where the offer is arguably won or lost. Academically selective schools are looking for an 11+ candidate with a spark of intellectual curiosity, who will contribute to their community. Rather than old-fashioned ‘interview prep’, which risks your child appearing over-rehearsed, I weave oracy and improvisation exercises throughout my lesson plans from the very first lesson. Your child will be empowered with confidence to speak with authenticity about their interests, reading, viewpoints – showing their ‘best self’ without coming across over-rehearsed.
Former students have secured 11+ places at London’s most academically competitive schools…
Support for parents to navigate London’s ever-evolving schools landscape
11+ programme membership includes:
Academic benchmarking assessments
Data-driven school shortlisting
Tracking and homework task-setting
What sets my approach apart, the greatest source of professional pride, is the quality of human relationships, supporting your whole family – creating a culture of achievement and success.
I have supported more than 240 children, as architect of their academic futures, to apply to selective schools. 100% of students gained offers from shortlisted schools. The aspect of my work that I am most proud of is the quality of human relationships: building trust between your child, you as parents and me as tutor.
My mentorship includes you as parents, providing you with the strategic clarity needed to navigate the complex (and ever-evolving) London selective school landscape with confidence and calm.
In addition to personalised tutoring for your child, the monthly 11+ programme membership includes:
Academic benchmarking assessments each year to measure your son or daughter’s progress
Data-driven shortlisting/recommendations of schools aligned with your child’s academic profile and character/cultural fit
Tracking and homework task-setting on your chosen digital platform or workbooks
Furthermore, I have taught and led in London independent schools across both prep and senior phases, and served as an 11+ entrance examiner, so I know first-hand what academically selective schools are looking for.
A bridge in mindset to intellectual independence: teaching beyond the test
“My aim is students arriving into Year 7 on day one with the independent learning habits, conceptual frameworks and confidence to thrive academically.”
They say it is better to travel well than to arrive… I say it is best to travel well, then arrive somewhere amazing!
Most 11+ tutoring stops at the entrance exam. My aim is something deeper and longer-lasting: my students arriving into Year 7 on day one with the independent learning habits, conceptual frameworks and confidence to thrive academically.
I believe that the 11+ process is a rewarding bridge between childhood and the pre-teen years, where you can share the excitement of watching your son or daughter evolve their mindset and develop new capabilities.
For every child, emotional wellbeing is key to academic success. I place equal emphasis on academics and personal development. By guiding the development of vocabulary, mathematical skills, critical thinking, oracy and logical reasoning, I will support your child to create their own toolbox of intellectual skills. This will allow them to pursue independent study and open doors to sustainable success in academically rigorous schools.
I invest in CPD as a leading professional private tutor, including safeguarding qualifications and coaching training with Graydin, to support the pastoral needs of pre-teen children at this crucial transition stage of their education. Alongside teaching, I have held leadership roles overseeing admissions, as a founding member of the management team of an international private schools group and as a head of year overseeing 11+ in a selective London independent school. This gives me insight on the pressures facing families during the 11+ process.
FAQs
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The 11+ programme is specifically designed for children aged 8-11, and their families, targeting entrance to highly selective day schools in London and across the UK.
The personalised benchmarking and school shortlisting advice make this programme particularly valuable for children currently in state primary schools, although Adam also works with children attending private preparatory schools, where he is able to provide a useful ‘second opinion’ on ambitious 11+ school placement.
Adam also offers the Full Circle programme for students targeting 13+ entry to British boarding schools.
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This programme is available for children aged 8 upwards. Students can join in British primary/prep school Years 4 or 5.
Assessments have been shifting earlier in the academic year, so Adam is unable to enrol new students in Year 6 owing to the limited time available. However, he may be able to support with specialised masterclasses or courses – please book a call to discuss.
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We have a 100% success rate in students securing admissions in at least one of their shortlisted schools – the norm over has been several offers. See full list of destination schools
The aim is to find the right-fit school for your son or daughter. For some children, who are very academically ambitious, this may well be a ‘Top 10’ school; for others, it may be a school with a different emphasis – academic value-add, sports, music, performing or visual arts.
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Traditionally, educational consultancy was a ‘legacy’ business, built on the individual relationships between consultants and school admissions departments. This is a vital piece of the puzzle, but cannot be the whole story.
The Select:ed IQ+EQ approach combines data-driven academic benchmarking with an empathetic all-round portrait of your son or daughter’s interests, motivational style, strengths and weaknesses, built up over time teaching and challenging your child.
Our in-house dataset now extends to more than 3000 data points, allowing us to determine schools’ real entry requirements and to track patterns in academic performance.
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The monthly fee is 525 GBP, billed via GoCardless to make settling invoices seamless and straightforward.
Private academic tutoring delivered by self-employed sole traders in the United Kingdom is exempt from VAT.
Once up and running, following satisfactory exploratory sessions and initial assessment, the notice period is two months.
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Adam D’Souza is renowned as an expert teacher and education consultant, preparing children for academically selective school entry and helping families navigate the ever-changing, and competitive independent schools market in London, Surrey and the Home Counties.
Former 11+ students have received offers at some of most academically competitive schools, including Westminster School, St Paul’s Girls’ School, King’s College School Wimbledon, Dulwich College, Alleyn’s School, and Godolphin and Latymer among others.
See full list of destination schools
Adam is an elected member of The Tutors’ Association, the professional body for personalised education.
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Yes, definitely.
Select:ed is a consultancy, not an agent, so our singular aim is finding the right-fit schools for your child. We understand that there are often lots of moving parts around your child’s senior school transition.
Our expertise encompasses schools of all different types: day vs boarding, single-sex vs co-ed, 11+ vs 13+ entry, prep and senior.
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After our initial consultation call, which is free of charge, Adam D’Souza will prepare an individually tailored proposal for you and your child. We will then schedule a follow-up call, usually within 2-3 days, to talk through the planned programme of support.
The next step is usually arranging an exploratory session with your child to build an initial rapport, and an academic assessment to ensure everyone is clearly aligned on shared academic goals, before making a commitment to a regular programme.
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Yes, certainly. You are welcome to pause the programme membership during July and August if you need. Travelling tuition and specialised group courses are also available during school holidays.
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Yes, certainly. Adam and his team also offer educational consultancy services, including
to help you select and secure a place at the right-fit school for your child, aligned with their academic profile, character and interests.
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Yes, Adam and the Select:ed team also have expertise in British curriculum school admissions worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the Middle East, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh.