Year 5 Admissions 2026-2027: Course Information, Costs and Admission Assessment

Year 5 is our intensive 11+ preparation year. Classes are ability-based and depend on assessment results and availability.

All our Year 4 students automatically get a space in our Year 5 classes. Therefore, spaces for external students are limited.

Hybrid teaching programme

In a typical four-week month, two lessons are face-to-face with Mrs Manju Pillai and two are online with Mrs Leila Boumazouna, on the same allocated day each week. Classes begin in the week commencing Monday 14 September 2026. A detailed timetable is emailed monthly. An online-only class may be available for families living too far from the venues.

Classes are held in ability-based groups of 12 to 15 students.

• Harris Academy Sutton, 2 Chiltern Road, Sutton, SM2 5RD
  Mondays 5:30 to 8 pm
  Thursdays 5:45 to 7:45 pm FULL
• Harris Academy Purley, Kendra Hall Road, CR2 6DT
  Tuesdays 5:45 to 7:45 pm FULL
  Wednesdays 5:30 to 8 pm
  Saturdays 9:30 am to 11:30 am FULL

Core tuition fees

• Deposit: £216 for every pupil, whether the core class is 2 or 2.5 hours, payable when accepting a place
• Mandatory Learn2Write subscription: £27.99 per month
• Fees are payable monthly in advance by bank transfer, Tax-Free Childcare or childcare vouchers, and are charged per lesson week, so the monthly amount varies

Pillai Tutors is Ofsted registered. The notice period is one term: 12 term-time weeks in writing. Failure to give notice will result in the deposit being forfeited.

Compulsory books

• Reading and Spelling classwork and homework materials for Terms 1, 2 and 3 are provided free: PDFs for online classes and printed copies for face-to-face classes
• Optional four-book advanced Reading set: £100. It is free for eligible Pupil Premium pupils or families receiving Universal Credit

Additional classes

• Weekly Paper Class: £40 per two-hour session, using one short Maths paper and one short English paper each week, supplied with answers
• Weekly Support Class: £50 per two-hour session
• VR/NVR: £50 per two-hour lesson every other week
• Creative Writing and Comprehension: £50 per two-hour lesson every other week
• Papers at Home: £20 per week; one short Maths paper and one short English paper each week, supplied with answers, emailed for completion at home
• Summer Intensive Revision Course: £500 per course, for a 6-day course, 4 hours per day

Your results email will label each additional class Optional, Recommended or Required. Required means it is a stated condition of the Year 5 place and the email will explain the reason and review point. See Year 5 Extra Classes below for full details.

Compulsory mock examinations

The six mocks cost £250 in total and are payable with January 2027 fees. They take place at Harris Academy Purley from 4:30 to 6:30 pm on Sundays:

• 18 April 2027
• 23 May 2027
• 27 June 2027
• 25 July 2027
• 22 August 2027
• 5 September 2027

More information will follow. From April to September you also receive sets of full-length practice papers (a minimum of four Maths and four English papers in each set, with two sets every two weeks) at £20 per month. Results and detailed feedback are emailed after every exam.

Homework and feedback

Homework is provided through Dropbox and may take approximately one hour per day, five days a week. It includes Maths, a writing task and/or comprehension every week, and from May until the exams it includes practice papers. Learn2Write work must be uploaded at least three days before each lesson.

Homework marking service for Dropbox-based Maths and English worksheets: this service is available for those who want it and costs £10 per week.

Brief feedback can be given after every face-to-face weekly lesson, and detailed feedback is given once a month. The groups also have term exams at the end of each term.

Curriculum

The syllabus covers level 5 to level 6 of KS2 in English and Maths from September to May. From then until the exams, students are taken to level 7 of KS3.

Published holidays

Classes run through half-terms and school holidays, apart from the holidays below.

• Christmas and New Year: Sunday 20 December 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027
• Easter: Thursday 25 March to Wednesday 31 March 2027
• There is no summer holiday during the Year 5 programme

Missed lessons

Our classes run from Mondays to Sundays and follow the same lesson plan, so we will offer another session if there are further lessons that week. If there are no more sessions that week, the lesson is still payable, but you will get the class notes and homework.

Admission assessment

The Year 5 assessment costs £60 and admission is selective. A suitable place cannot be guaranteed; if no suitable class can be offered, the assessment fee will be refunded. Please disclose any medical, learning or behavioural needs.

Book here: https://pillaitutors.co.uk/admissions-test/

Once marked, we will email the results and confirm whether a suitable group is available.

Grammar School and Independent School admission process

We offer free, extensive support throughout the admission process and will guide you through every step of the way. We would be delighted to support your child through Year 5 and the 11+ admissions process.

Year 5 Extra Classes

September 2026 to July 2027

This guide explains the extra classes we offer alongside the core Year 5 Maths & English classes: who each class is for, what happens in it, and what it costs. Your child’s results email labels each class Optional, Recommended or Required based on the Year 4 end-of-year exams. Optional is entirely your choice. Recommended means we believe it would help, but it is not a condition of the place. Required means it is a stated condition of the Year 5 place and the email will give the reason and review point.

At a glance

Paper Class

Who it is for: Children who know the concepts but need regular practice with timed tests, harder word problems, and speed and accuracy in Maths and English. Recommended if your child scored above 60% in either subject; these classes suit children ranked within the top 100.

What happens: Children sit a 30-minute written test in Maths and a 30-minute written test in English. In the second hour, a teaching assistant goes through the corrections and explanations in class, and the answers and methods are emailed home. Maths tests work through the curriculum topic by topic until each is covered, then move to mixed topics; English tests include both multiple-choice and written questions.

Please note: These are practice classes, not teaching classes. The teaching assistant will cover the tough questions, but anything your child is still unsure about should be brought to us in their weekly tuition class.

Papers at Home option: If the class times do not suit you, we can email one short Maths paper and one short English paper each week, supplied with answers, for your child to complete at home and for you to mark. You will be given a link to upload writing tasks for us to mark. This costs £20 per week.

Support Class

Who it is for: Children who find the pace of the core lessons challenging or need more guided revision to grasp concepts. Recommended if your child scored below 50% in either subject.

What happens: We repeat and revise the concepts taught in the weekly class, with plenty of extra practice to build confidence. There are no timed tests in support classes.

Paper Class or Support Class: which one?

Paper classes are for children who are secure with the concepts and now need practice in test-taking, speed, and accuracy. Support classes are for children who are still building their understanding. Testing these children every week would only dampen their confidence, so instead, we provide more teaching and support with no timed tests. The majority of our Support class cohort eventually moves on to paper classes.

Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning

Who it is for: Children sitting exams that include Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, such as schools in Kent and Bromley and many independent schools. This class is optional, and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

What happens: Lessons cover core VR and NVR concepts and techniques, with ample practice.

Creative Writing & Comprehension

Who it is for: Children who need additional support in creative writing and comprehension. One hour of English in the main teaching classes may not be sufficient for some children. This class is Required as a condition of the Year 5 place if your child scored under 20% (below 10/50) in the English paper, and Recommended if they scored under 30% (below 15/50). Everyone is welcome to join, and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

What happens: Each 2-hour class focuses on building creativity, overcoming writer’s block, expanding ideas, and writing more fluidly and coherently. We also help children improve the reading skills and habits that form a key part of the comprehension exams.

Who teaches it: An experienced specialist creative writing teacher who heads up the creative writing and literacy team at the outstanding school where she works, and who is also responsible for improving reading skills across her school. Lessons are delivered online every other week.

Key things to know

1. Please book extra classes based on your child’s Year 4 end-of-year exam results. Your child’s results email sets out our recommendation.
2. Extra classes are in addition to the weekly Year 5 core classes.
3. Paper Class and Papers at Home both use one short Maths paper and one short English paper each week, supplied with answers. These are separate from the monthly practice paper programme that runs from April to September (£20 per month), which provides sets of full-length papers: a minimum of four Maths and four English papers in each set, with two sets issued every two weeks.
4. Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
5. Fees for all extra classes are payable at the start of each month. There are no refunds for non-attendance.
6. Notice period for extra classes: one term (12 term-time weeks), in writing by email. One term’s notice is mandatory for every extra class, whether it is Optional, Recommended or Required. Without that notice we will still invoice you for the term and provide the class resources. If a Required class is still part of the agreed Year 5 programme, stopping it must first be discussed with the Year 5 teachers because the suitability of the remaining programme may need to be reviewed.