Guides for parents
Plain-English advice on the 11+, GCSEs and everything in between, from Manju Pillai and the Pillai Tutors teachers.
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11+ and grammar schoolsThe Sutton SET, explained for parents
One test, six grammar schools, and a second stage most parents hear about too late. How the Sutton Selective Eligibility Test works, from registration…
Manju Pillai · 17 September 2026
11+ and grammar schoolsA realistic 11+ timeline, from Year 3 to test day
What to do in Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and the September of Year 6, and just as importantly, what you can safely…
Manju Pillai · 12 September 2026
Study skillsA home routine that lasts: little and often, weekends free
Short, regular sessions at the same time each day beat long weekend marathons. How to set up homework at home so that it still…
Manju Pillai · 28 August 2026Latest guides
The SET is done. What happens between now and March?
Second stage papers, results in October, the council form by 31 October and offers on 1 March. A calm checklist for Year 6 parents…
Manju Pillai · 18 September 2026Grammar or independent? Questions worth asking at an open evening
Open evenings are designed to impress. These are the questions that tell you what a school is actually like for a child like yours.
Manju Pillai · 5 September 2026Reading for the 11+: a book list by year group
Wide reading does more for the 11+ than any vocabulary list. Books our teachers suggest for Years 3 to 6, and how to get…
Manju Pillai · 21 August 2026Nerves before the 11+: what helps, and what makes it worse
A few nerves are normal and even useful. How to keep them at a helpful level in the weeks before the test, and on…
Manju Pillai · 14 August 2026Triple or combined science? How to choose in Year 9
Two GCSEs or three, and what each one means for A levels, medicine and a busy timetable. A clear guide to one of the…
Manju Pillai · 7 August 2026GCSE Maths: Foundation or Higher?
What the two tiers are, which grades each one allows, and how to think about the decision if your child is near the borderline.
Manju Pillai · 31 July 2026UCAT: what Year 12s need to know
The admissions test for medicine and dentistry is sat in the summer after Year 12. What is in it, when to book and how…
Manju Pillai · 24 July 2026Our 2024-25 results, and what they tell us
95.17% of our Sutton candidates cleared the SET, every girl passed the second stage, and twelve children scored full marks in the Kent test.…
Manju Pillai · 17 July 2026Not sure where your child stands?
A short assessment tells you, and we will email the results with a clear next step.