11+ Tutor in Greenwich: How to Find One You Can Trust

An 11+ tutor in Greenwich is a specialist teacher, in person across the Royal Borough or online, who prepares your child for the selective entrance exams that decide a grammar or independent school place. The reliable way to find one you can trust is to stop guessing from a self-written bio and start from evidence: a tutor's verified DBS and identity, their qualifications, the 11+ outcomes they have actually delivered, and reviews from real families. On Tutorwise that evidence is gathered into a single credibility score, shown on every profile, so you can see who genuinely knows the 11+ before you book a first session.

That distinction matters more with the 11+ than with almost any other tuition. It is a high-stakes, one-shot exam, the fees are not small, and the market is crowded with confident promises, "guaranteed grammar place", "11+ specialist", "unbeaten pass rate", that no one has checked. Most searches end at a directory listing where every profile sounds the same, or at a name passed quietly between parents at the school gate that no one has actually verified. You are left trusting words a stranger wrote about themselves. This article explains what the 11+ really tests, which schools Greenwich families are actually preparing for, and how to tell a reliable 11+ tutor from a plausible-sounding one before you spend a penny.

What the 11+ actually tests, and why a general tutor is not enough

The 11+ is not harder school work. It is a different kind of exam, and that is the single most important thing to understand before you hire anyone. Most selective tests, including the ones Greenwich families sit, cover four areas: English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. The first two your child meets at school. The second two, in most cases, they do not.

Verbal reasoning tests how a child works with language under pressure, codes, letter sequences, logic puzzles built from words. Non-verbal reasoning tests pattern recognition with shapes and diagrams, rotations, reflections, sequences, the odd-one-out. Neither is on the primary curriculum, so a bright child who is doing well at school can still walk into the 11+ having never seen the question types. A general primary tutor who is excellent at Key Stage 2 maths is not automatically an 11+ tutor. The reasoning papers need someone who teaches the specific formats, the standard question patterns, and the timing, because the 11+ is as much a speed test as a knowledge test. Children are asked to work quickly and accurately on material pitched above their current year group, and that combination of pace and difficulty is exactly what has to be practised.

Format matters too. The selective tests in this part of London are largely set by GL Assessment, and GL papers have their own conventions, question styles and answer methods. A tutor who knows the format your child is actually sitting can prepare them for the real thing rather than a generic imitation of it. So the first question to ask any 11+ tutor is not "are you good at maths?" It is "do you prepare children for this specific test, and how recently have you done it successfully?"

The Greenwich route: no grammar schools of its own, so where do families go?

Here is the local reality that shapes every 11+ decision in the borough. Greenwich is not a selective authority and has no grammar schools of its own. Its state secondaries, schools such as Thomas Tallis in Kidbrooke, The John Roan near Greenwich Park, Harris Academy Greenwich and Plumstead Manor, are comprehensives that admit without an entrance exam. So a Greenwich family aiming for a selective place is looking outward, and there are two main roads.

The Bexley grammar route. Greenwich sits directly beside the London Borough of Bexley, which is selective, and this is the route most local families preparing for the 11+ take. Bexley runs a single entrance test, the Bexley Selection Test, and it is the gateway to the borough's grammar schools: Townley Grammar School in Bexleyheath, Beths Grammar School, Bexley Grammar School in Welling, and Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. The test is sat at the very start of Year 6, in September, which means the real preparation has to happen across Year 5, and registration closes the summer before. Miss the registration window and there is no second chance that year. Competition for these schools is intense, with far more strong candidates than places, so a good mark is not enough on its own; children need to be prepared to perform under real pressure on the day.

The independent route. Greenwich and the streets around Blackheath are well served by independent schools that set their own 11+ entrance exams, among them Blackheath High School, Colfe's in Lee and Eltham College a little further out. These exams run to their own timetables and their own formats, often tested earlier in Year 6 or through the ISEB Common Pre-Test, and a tutor preparing your child for an independent school needs to know that school's specific process. Some families also look further afield to the Kent grammars via the Kent Test, though for most Greenwich households Bexley is the practical target.

Knowing which of these roads your child is on, and which specific schools you are aiming at, is the most useful thing you can bring to a tutor search. It turns "an 11+ tutor in Greenwich" from a vague request into a precise one, and it is the difference between preparation that fits the real exam and preparation that only looks busy.

How Tutorwise lets you check an 11+ tutor before you trust them

Here is the concrete difference Tutorwise makes. On an ordinary tutoring directory, or in a word-of-mouth recommendation, a tutor's reputation is a self-portrait. The tutor writes their own history, picks their own adjectives, and claims their own pass rates, and nothing behind it is verified. You find out whether it was true after you have paid for a term of lessons and the registration deadline has passed.

On Tutorwise, a tutor's credibility is a computed score, not a self-written claim. It is built from real signals the platform checks and holds:

• Verified identity and DBS. A tutor cannot earn a full credibility score without passing identity verification, and an enhanced DBS check is rewarded directly as the single largest trust signal on the platform. Safeguarding is the first question any parent has, and with the 11+ it often means a stranger working closely with your child for a year or more. You are not taking the tutor's word that they are safe to work with children; the platform has checked.
• Qualifications and delivery. Degrees and teaching background count, but so does what the tutor has actually done on the platform: sessions completed, students supported, real work delivered rather than promised. An "11+ specialist" label means little on its own; a record of delivery behind it means a great deal.
• Real reviews. Feedback comes from families who booked through Tutorwise, not testimonials the tutor gathered and curated themselves. When a parent says a tutor prepared their child calmly and well, that is a review the platform can stand behind.

Those signals are weighted and combined into the score you see on the profile, so the reliability you are reading is earned and checkable, not asserted. When two Greenwich tutors offering 11+ preparation both look plausible, the score is what separates the one who has genuinely prepared children for the Bexley test from the one who writes a persuasive bio. It also protects you from the particular risk of 11+ tutoring, the high-pressure promise, the "guaranteed place" that no one can honestly guarantee, because the claim you are weighing is backed by checked evidence rather than confidence. None of this replaces your own judgement in a first session. It changes what you walk into that session already knowing.

In person across the borough, or online

Greenwich is spread out. Blackheath, Charlton, Woolwich, Eltham, Kidbrooke and the town centre are a real distance apart, and weekday evenings are tight around school runs and traffic. In-person tutoring, at your home or somewhere local, suits younger children and anyone who focuses better with a tutor beside them, and it works well for the hands-on early stages of 11+ preparation. Online tutoring has become just as effective for a great deal of 11+ work, particularly the reasoning papers and timed practice, and it widens your choice enormously: you are no longer limited to tutors who can physically reach your postcode, which matters when you need a genuine specialist in the exact test your child is sitting. On Tutorwise you can filter for either, and the same verified credibility score applies whichever you choose. The check does not weaken because the lessons are on a screen.

When to start, and how to choose well

Start earlier than feels necessary. For the Bexley test sat in September of Year 6, serious preparation runs through Year 5, and many families begin gently in Year 4 to build reasoning skills before the pressure starts. The 11+ rewards steady, spaced practice far more than a last-minute sprint, partly because the reasoning papers take time to become familiar and partly because a child who has practised calmly performs better on the day than one who has been crammed.

A short checklist for choosing well:

• Match the exact test, not just "the 11+". Ask directly: do you prepare children for the Bexley Selection Test, or for this independent school's exam, and how recently and successfully? A tutor who knows the specific format is worth far more than a generalist.
• Start from the score, then trust your session. Use the verified credibility score to build a shortlist you can rely on, then judge the human fit in a first lesson. Does your child come out clearer and steadier, or just quieter?
• Ask how they handle the reasoning papers. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are where many children lose marks because school never taught them. A good 11+ tutor has a clear method for both.
• Confirm safeguarding is checked, not claimed. On Tutorwise, DBS and identity verification are visible on the profile. Do not settle for "I've got a DBS" with nothing behind it.
• Be wary of guarantees. No honest tutor can promise a grammar place. What a good one can promise is thorough, calm, well-targeted preparation, and evidence that they have delivered it before.
• Agree the practical basics upfront. In person or online, when, how often, and the rate, which each tutor sets and shows clearly on their profile, so there are no surprises across what is usually a long preparation.

The goal is simple: your child walking into the 11+ prepared and calm, knowing the question types and the pace, rather than meeting them cold. An 11+ tutor in Greenwich who has been genuinely checked, not just well-described, is how you get there without gambling on a stranger's own account of themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Which 11+ exam do Greenwich children usually sit? Greenwich has no grammar schools of its own, so most families aiming for a selective state place sit the Bexley Selection Test for the grammar schools in the neighbouring borough, Townley, Beths, Bexley Grammar and Chislehurst and Sidcup. Others prepare for the entrance exams set by independent schools such as Blackheath High School, Colfe's and Eltham College. A good local tutor will know the specific test you are targeting.

When should we start preparing for the 11+? Earlier than most parents expect. The Bexley test is sat at the start of Year 6, so the substantial work happens in Year 5, and many families begin gently in Year 4 to build reasoning skills. Steady, spaced preparation beats a last-minute rush, both for results and for your child's confidence on the day.

How much does an 11+ tutor in Greenwich cost? Rates vary with the tutor's experience, whether sessions are in person or online, and how intensive the programme is. On Tutorwise each tutor sets and displays their own rate on their profile, so you can compare openly before you book rather than negotiating blind. Online sessions are often a little more affordable, since there is no travel involved.

How do I know a Greenwich 11+ tutor is safe and genuinely qualified? Look for checked evidence, not claims. On Tutorwise every tutor's identity and DBS status, qualifications and real family reviews are gathered into a visible credibility score, so safeguarding and competence are verified before you book, not something you take on trust from a self-written bio or an unchecked recommendation.

Should 11+ tutoring be in person or online? Both work. In person tends to suit younger children and the early, hands-on stages of preparation. Online is just as effective for the reasoning papers and timed practice, and it gives you a much wider choice of genuine specialists in the exact test your child is sitting. On Tutorwise the same verified credibility score applies either way, so you can choose on what fits your child and your week.

Find an 11+ tutor in Greenwich you can trust

Start from evidence, not adjectives. Browse tutors verified for 11+ preparation on Tutorwise, compare their credibility scores, and book a first session with someone who genuinely knows the exam your child is sitting, in person across Greenwich or online.

You may also find these guides useful: 11+ Maths Tutor: How to Find One Your Child Can Rely On, 11+ English Tutor: How to Find One You Can Trust, 11+ Verbal Reasoning Tutor: How to Find One You Can Trust, and 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning Tutor: How to Find One Your Child Can Rely On.