Susan daughtrey education

About Us

At SDE we equip your child with the necessary tools and resources to achieve the highest level of readiness for the 11+ exam.

We do this by working with highly skilled teachers, who are also expert 11+ tutors, using our own proven techniques to maximise your child's prospects of 11+ success. Additionally, we have carefully crafted our own materials, courses and lessons to provide your child with the best possible resources for their preparation.

Our superb facilities, online resources and hybrid classroom technology (so your child never misses a class) further enhance the learning experience, creating an environment that fosters excellence. Everything we do is geared towards ensuring your child's success in the 11+ exam.

Our Family

Founded by Susan Daughtrey M.Ed in 1987, SDE has been a family-focused business ever since, with friendly support staff and invested tutors, many of whom have made it their teaching career for decades. As a member of the SDE family, families who join us are nurtured, supported and looked after by our team. We understand that the 11+ process can be intimidating. However, our aim is to equip both parents and children with the skills and resources necessary to achieve excellence in the 11+.

Small Classes

We are committed to ensuring individual attention through small class sizes. All SDE classes are capped at a maximum of 12 regular students (classes may occasionally accommodate up to two extra children who could not attend their normal weekly SDE lesson).

Regular Feedback

Our regular data-led feedback on your child's performance is integral to our educational approach, underscoring our commitment to transparency and collaboration with parents.

Safe And Secure

We hold the safety and security of your child with the utmost importance while they are entrusted in our care. All SDE personnel are subject to Enhanced DBS checks. There will always be at least two members of SDE personnel working when children attend an SDE teaching venue. All of our Tutors and Mock Exam Managers are First Aid trained. We have comprehensive Child Safety and Welfare Policies including a written Child Safeguarding Policy in place.

What We Offer

Foundation Courses for Year 4 Students:

The Foundation Course has been specifically designed to improve the personal performance and enhance the skills of those children who intend to join the SDE 11+ (Year 5) Course.

11+ Courses for Year 5 Students:

The Susan Daughtrey Education 11+ Course takes account of all the known requirements of the GL Assessment® 11+ tests, making the SDE 11+ Course a very thorough and effective preparation of your child. We also offer bespoke Year 5 11+ Courses for SW Herts and Reading Boys 11+ candidates.

Optional Extras for those on the 11+ Course:

11+ Mock Exams - a package of six Susan Daughtrey GL Assessment®-style 11+ Mock Exams (in addition to two 11+ Mini Mocks and one 11+ Mock Exam which are included as part of the 11+ Course). These take place between Easter and the final 11+ exam.
11+ Workshops - in either Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning or Non-Verbal Reasoning to address your child's weakest 11+ subject – we will make a recommendation shortly after the publication of the Mini Mock 2 test results (March of Year 5). These take place in the spring half term and the first half of the school summer holidays.
11+ Refresher Course - 10 ½ hour Refresher Course (revision) at the end of August.

11+ Summer Courses:

An intensive 20 hour 'Revision and Testing' Summer Intensive Course over five days for those students who are in Year 5 at school and who have not been attending the term-time Year 5 SDE 11+ Course.

Mock Exams:

SDE is thought to be the most popular provider of 11+ Mock Exams in the Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire and North London area. Choose from our extensive range of 11+ Mock Exams which are tailored to the 11+ exam requirements for your local 11+ area or school(s).

Meet The Tutors

At SDE, we take great pride in our rigorous tutor selection process and adherence to the highest standards, which ensures that we work only with the best teaching talent.

The SDE teachers are not only fully qualified and experienced classroom teachers, but also tutors with extensive experience in the key 11+ subject areas. They have been able to demonstrate the ability to effectively transfer this knowledge in the classroom.

Our commitment to quality extends beyond just our selection process, as most of our tutors have been with us for many years. This low tutor churn creates a stable environment for your child, allowing them to build a strong rapport with their tutor and receive consistent support throughout their time with us. A number of the tutors have other management-level responsibilities including the preparation of teaching resources, developing and overseeing student reward schemes and improving the way we feed back to parents.

We understand that finding the right tutor is essential to your child's success in the 11+. That's why we spare no effort in ensuring that our tutors are the very best in their field. You can have complete confidence that your child will receive the highest quality tuition with SDE.

To give you an idea of our tutors and their expertise, we have provided a list of our tutors along with a selection of tutor interview videos that showcase their teaching style and approach.

Year 5

Colin Sowter

BSc, PGCE

Colin has 38 years' teaching experience. Earlier in his career he was responsible for devising CAT tests, the BSTS (British Spelling Test Series) as well as developing the real 11+ tests for the organisation now known as GL Assessment. In more recent years at SDE he has focused on delivering the Year 5 11+ Course. Colin is also a published 11+ author.

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Kate Kightley

BA (Hons), PGCE

Kate has over 27 years' teaching experience. She taught for several years in a 'super selective' grammar school in London and in more recent years in two independent schools, including a local girls' prep school. As well as tutoring for SDE, Kate also holds the office-based position of SDE Teaching Resource Developer.

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Caroline Burden

BA (Hons), PGCE, TEFL Certification

Caroline has 25 years of experience in primary age teaching having taught in the UK and France and in both the state and independent sectors. At SDE she teaches both the Year 4 and Year 5 11+ Courses.

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Avril Burrows

BA (Hons), PGCE

Avril has over 40 years' primary teaching experience with additional exposure working with SEN students. She has many years experience teaching students who are preparing for the 11+ exams and has in the past operated her own successful Maths and English tutoring franchise. In addition to SDE, she continues to teach part-time in a local school.

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Fiona Wyeth

BEd (Hons)

Fiona has over 30 years’ experience in primary teaching as well as 23 years’ experience preparing children for the 11+ exams. Fiona has been part of SDE since 2015, successfully operating the SDE 11+ Tuition Centre (franchise) in Earley, Reading.

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Malcolm Amiss

CertEd, BEd

Malcolm has over 40 years' teaching experience, more than 20 years of which have involved preparing students for the 11+ exams, including as Head of Year 6 and then as Deputy Head of a leading local prep school.

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Monica Cattermole

BA, MEd

Monica has over 20 years' teaching experience and has taught in both America and England. She is a specialist Maths subject teacher. During her teaching career she has held positions including Head of Year, Head of Maths, Literacy Coordinator and Head of Science. She is now dedicated to teaching SDE's Year 5 Course.

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Niketa Ramday

BSc (Hons), MSc, PGCE

Niketa has 22 years' of classroom teaching experience in both the independent and state sector. Before completing her PGCE she obtained a degree in Biological Sciences and a Masters in International Management. During her career she has held the role of Assistant Headteacher.

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Phillipa Bloom

BEd

Phillipa has 40 years’ primary teaching experience including 15 years which have been almost exclusively devoted to preparing children for the 11+ tests, having joined SDE in 2009. Since 2014 Phillipa has successfully developed the SDE 11+ Tuition Centre (franchise) in SW Herts.

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Romina Sharrocks

BA (Joint Hons), PGCE

Romina has nearly 20 years’ experience in primary teaching and is a specialist Maths subject teacher. She has been preparing SDE 11+ candidates for the GL Assessment 11+ tests in Bucks since 2019 and is now devoted exclusively to teaching the Year 5 Course.

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Kim Lomax

B.Ed. (Hons)

Kim Lomax has over 25 years' teaching experience in primary education. She was a teacher at her most recent school for over 20 years before joining the SDE 11+ Tuition Centre (franchise) in Earley, Reading. In recent years she has focussed her efforts on teaching the 11+ curriculam in particular the entrance tests to Kendrick School and Reading School teaching both year 4 and year 5 students.

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Janice Holmes

BA, PGCE, NPQH

Janice has over 30 years' experience in primary teaching. She has held senior positions in school, including as Head of School, and alongside classroom teaching has worked on driving an increase in levels of attainment particularly in English, Reading and Maths.

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Year 4

Gill Bryant

CertEd

Gill has 50 years of primary education experience in both state and independent schools. She has comprehensive experience teaching Key Stages 1 and 2. She was head of a junior school before retiring from teaching in school. She now focuses on teaching of the 11+ for SDE in particular delivery of the Year 4 Foundation Course.

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Robert Wilkinson

Teacher’s Certificate, BA (Hons)

Bob has over 40 years' teaching experience in Key Stages 1 to 4 in both the independent and state sector. He has significant experience tutoring students preparing for entrance exams and in more recent years at SDE, preparing Year 4 students for the subsequent Year 5 11+ Course and the 11+ exam.

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Anna Simms

MSt Hist. (Dist.), PGCE, QTS and BSc Psych.

Anna has over 15 years of experience in the primary education setting. As well as achieving a PGCE in Primary Education she has also completed a Masters in History . She has undertaken the roles of Head of Maths and Head of History and also has experience with SEN students.

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Nikki Price

BA Hons

Nikki has 13 years of experience in teaching primary education. She has mostly taught Key Stage 2 but also has some Key Stage 1 teaching experience. She also has a qualification in SENDCo. As well as tutoring for SDE, Nikki is the Deputy Headteacher of a local primary school.

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Vina Sondh

BA (Hons), PGCE, NPQSL

Vina Sondh has 22 years of experience teaching having spent time teaching Years 1 to 6. In more recent years she has focusing exclusively on teaching Key Stage 2. As well as achieving her PGCE, Vina holds a BA in Psychosocial Studies. In school she has held the roles of Assistant Headteacher and Teaching and Learning Curriculum Design Coordinator. She teaches the SDE Year 4 11+ Foundation Course.

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Caroline O'Brien

BA (Hons), MA, CertEd

Caroline has over 18 years of teaching experience. She has a BA in History and English, as well as a Masters in ISM. She is an experienced teacher of English as a Second Language. For SDE, she teaches the 11+ Foundation Course on weeknights at SDE Amersham and the Year 5 Course on Sundays at SDE Bushey.

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What Parents Say About Us

Courses

Mocks

All Testimonials

I found SDE is a great place to prepare the children for 11+ exam. From the start to finish the course is extremely well organised and clearly structured which offers the children every opportunity to be successful and to unlock their potential. Children are provided with all materials A to Z and the Tutors are very helpful. My son has passed both Slough and Bucks. I highly recommend SDE to all parents who need support with their child's 11+ preparation.

– Ramachandiran Balachandar

My son was so happy to have his 11+ tutorial in SDE in last two years and finally passed the 11+exam. The tutors at SDE have much experience for the 11+, and the staff in SDE have always provided a nice service for the parents and students.

– Dori Liu

My daughter enjoyed the lessons and SDE catered to her needs well. Resources were quite useful and I would highly recommend parents to join SDE for preparing their children for 11+ exam.

– Sneha Shah

SDE is an extremely supportive and well organised tutition establishment. My son became a confident learner because SDE guided him week by week and helped with anything that he or I were unsure about. The materials SDE write and provide are well thought out and clearly labelled so that children can get on with the homework with confidence. The tutors are really helpful and make themselves available to answer questions. SDE is everything that an 11+ tuition establishment should be.

– Sanmeet Dua

Our daughter had only recently transferred to the UK school system and we were not familiar with the 11+ exam requirements. The SDE classes were invaluable in helping her to prepare for the test.

– Richard O'Keeffe

Meet The Support Team

At SDE, we take pride in being a family-focused firm where our support staff are an integral part of our extended family.

We have been working with many of our support staff colleagues for several years and we value the strong bonds we have built as a team over time.

Our close-knit relationships with our staff allow us to foster a warm and welcoming environment where you and your child can feel supported throughout your 11+ experience with us.

We work together as a unified team, bringing our collective expertise and dedication to help your child achieve their full potential.

At SDE, we believe that the key to success lies in providing personalised support tailored to the unique needs of each child. Our staff are committed to going the extra mile to ensure that your child receives the attention and guidance they need to thrive. By choosing SDE, you can trust that you and your child will be welcomed into our family with open arms, and that we will work tirelessly to help your child succeed in the 11+.

Tina Mayberry

Customer Support

Tina joined the SDE 11+ support team in 2018 following a career in advertising. If you call SDE there is a very good chance that you will speak to Tina as she spends much of the day talking to parents on the telephone! She is also responsible for maintaining the class registers, as well as processing the daily online book orders.

Sinead Kinnell

Customer Support

Sinead joined SDE in 2019 and works closely with Tina, helping us to answer as many calls as possible within the first few rings. Sinead also assists with the preparation of the class registers, processing online book orders and the production of the 11+ Course resources, all of which are personalised and prepared for each student individually.

Pippa Pearson

Admissions Manager

Pippa joined SDE in 2024 following a career in Admissions and Marketing in schools. She is responsible for ensuring an engaging and efficient admissions process and to help guide prospective parents who are considering enrolling their child on an SDE 11+ Course.

Gauri Bij

Assistant Manager - Mock Exam Feedback and Statistics

Gauri joined SDE in 2020 as a Classroom Assistant. She is now a key member of the support team in particular overseeing the accurate and timely dissemination of the 11+ Mock Exam Feedback and Statistics, as well as the students' class and homework data visible within the secure Parent Login area.

Harinder Kang

Finance & HR Manager

Harinder joined SDE in 2019. She now holds the position of Finance and HR Manager. Harinder’s role encompasses finance as well as personnel matters such as payroll, recruitment and scheduling. Harinder is also responsible for overseeing SDE (Tuition) LLP’s compliance with Ofsted's requirements.

Hannah Rowland (née Deacon)

Project Manager

Hannah first joined SDE in 2017. In her current role as Project Manager, Hannah helps to oversee product development such as 11+ materials. Hannah has also helped to design and then to project manage the development of the complex processing systems behind the new SDE website, such as the 11+ Course and Mock Exam Feedback Portal.

Kate Kightley

Teaching Resource Developer

Kate is a qualified teacher who joined SDE in 2019. She is responsible for helping us to keep the SDE resources up-to-date and, most importantly, error free! Her role involves writing, editing and proof-reading. She also teaches a group of SDE students which gives her first-hand experience working with the lesson plans and resources.

James Daughtrey

Partner

James is responsible for overseeing the support team at the SDE Head Office in Beaconsfield, supporting SDE’s independent franchisees and devising strategies and new services so we can best support the SDE 11+ students. He joined SDE in 2013 following a career as a corporate solicitor in a City law firm where he specialised in LLP matters.

Aleksandra King

Head of Marketing

Aleksandra first started working with SDE in 2022. She is responsible for creating and implementing marketing strategies that effectively promote SDE's educational programs to potential students and their families.

Our Community

At SDE, we are committed to meaningful engagement with our community. This includes supporting local sports clubs that make a positive impact and actively participating in neighbourhood events.

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