Below we have produced a selection of recent reviews and testimonials from parents and students. To ensure the confidentiality of our students and parents, names and any other information which could be used to identify the pupil or parent have been removed/edited. Any words we have inserted in the place of names etc. in the body of the text is indicated by the use of square brackets.
[My daughter] found the SDE 11+ course with Warren at Finchley really helpful in preparing her for her entry tests. The structured classwork and homework is great for parents. She has done really well in her 11+ exams and has achieved a place at her target school St. Michael’s Catholic Grammar School.
– Mrs H
[My daughter] attended two mock exam sessions organised by Warren. She enjoyed the sessions and found them very helpful. Warren was organised and made the experience a good one. I am pleased to say she has now been offered a place at the school of her choice. A huge thanks to Warren.
– Mrs H
[My daughter] was attending tuition with another centre when we chose to move her to the SDE 11+ course with Warren at SDE Finchley. We came to an open day and found the information very valuable. Everything about the course was explained in very simple language and was presented professionally by James Daughtrey and Warren Barns. After the presentation, Warren was available to answer all our questions honestly.
We found the SDE structure was professional and the class consisted of a small number of pupils.
My daughter found the course very useful and Warren very approachable and an outstanding teacher. All her queries and questions were always answered with satisfaction.
After every session, she came out feeling happy and not stressed. She looked forward to the next one. She has done very well in her 11+ exams and has achieved a place at her target school, Latymer. The mock exams together with the overall work really helped her towards her 11+. She has learnt a lot through this journey and all the work will certainly benefit her in the future. The course requires a lot of hard work from the child, but SDE made it fun and engaging. I would strongly recommend the course to others.
– Mrs K
[My daughter] has been offered a place by Henrietta Barnett today after attending your course at SDE Finchley. We are so excited and happy. It was your Summer Revision Course, which has helped her a lot. The mock exams together with the overall work really helped her towards her 11+. She has learnt a lot through this journey and all the work will certainly benefit her in the future.
I felt Warren was an outstanding teacher and that the SDE 11+ Course provides a good overall structure to the children. I would strongly recommend the course to others. I have already recommended my 3 friends. Their kids are already joining the course this year.
– Mrs S
I’m pleased to inform you that [my daughter] achieved Band A in both HBS exams, and is now awaiting confirmation on March 1st as to whether she has got a place there. [She] found the 1 week SDE [Finchley] crash course she attended two weeks before the HBS exam to be very useful. Thank you for your help.
– Mrs T
My daughter found the SDE [Finchley] 11+ course with Warren really useful and fun. She came out of every session feeling happy and looked forward to the next one. She has done really well in her exam. The mock exams together with the overall work really helped her towards her 11+. She has learnt a lot through this journey and will certainly benefit her in the transition to Secondary School. Outstanding teachers that provide a good overall structure to the children. I would strongly recommend the course.
– Mrs S
Dear Susan, Penny,
Fantastic news from us – [our daughter] scored 134, we are so proud of her.
Her scores were:-
Verbal 132.[xx]
Numerical 136.[xx]
Non-Verbal 136.[xx]
[My husband] and I can’t thank you enough. All three of our girls have had the best support available through SD Education and have passed the 11+ with really strong scores over the last 8 years. We know that without your tireless enthusiasm, support, material and teaching these scores would not have been achievable.
We cannot sing your praises enough. Yes the work the girls have had to complete has been exhausting at times, however when we have seen the progress they have made through the months they have studied with you both, we know it has all been so worthwhile. [My daughter] has also progressed amazingly at school, moving from set 3 in Maths to set 1 at the end of year 5. Her reports and feedback from her school teachers last week have made me want to cry with pride and I know that is because her confidence in Maths and English has improved so much with your support.
Once again thank you so much from [my daughter], [my husband] and I for all your amazing support and teaching. Well done to you all!
– Mrs G
James, Susan and team,
Thank you very much for the tutoring you have given our daughter. We have been very impressed with the level of professionalism, experienced staff members, hands on touch and follow up if/when required.
If this sounds effusive I mean it to as I am at a celebratory dinner for our daughter passing with flying colours.
I recommend your tutoring set up unreservedly.
Best regards
– Father of a happy daughter
Just to let you know [our daughter] passed the 11+. We are relieved as logistically it is easier to join the same school as her sister now.
Thanks for all your hard work and the excellent mock exams as well which were very helpful in achieving a positive result.
– Mr and Mrs W
Hi,
Just a quick email to thank the team for all their immense support and guidance throughout the 11 plus process. [Our son] thoroughly enjoyed the journey and enjoyed all the lessons delivered by Susan and her team. He passed with a score of 137. I look forward to seeing you all again in January 2019, when I will be starting the journey again with my youngest boy.
– Mrs B
Dear Susan / Penny / James / others
My son got the results today. He is very happy that he passed and scored 151. The highest mark in the County this year was 169.
We send, from all of our family, our dearest thanks from the depths of our hearts. Without you he couldn’t have done it. So please accept our dearest thanks and we shall keep you in our hearts forever.
– Mr and Mrs K
Thank you for teaching [my daughter]. She thoroughly enjoyed the SDE lessons with you and Mrs Forsyth – I must say she was always enthusiastic about the lesson considering we travelled from Weybridge.
– Mrs D
Hi,
This is [an SDE student]
I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had been awarded with the SDE course.
Due to this wonderful course, I passed!!
Thank you so much for all your support and help. I am so happy my parents signed me up.
– [SDE Student]
I am pleased to say [our son] passed the Bucks exam, with a lovely score of 135. He is very proud of himself, as am I, his father.
We are grateful thanks to you, Penny, James, Jane and everybody else in the team. Such a great job.
– Mr D
Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement whilst helping her prepare for the exam. [Our daughter] has visibly grown in confidence and consequently, has become a much more resilient learner. Comprehension no longer scares her! Thank you for always taking the time to respond to all my queries both promptly and courteously, especially when I have not always been able to attend every session in person. I would have no hesitation in recommending you to friends and family whose children are interested in preparing for the 11+.
– Mr R
Just to share some great news with you. [My daughter] thankfully did very well and seems to have achieved a comfortable position at Woodford County and all the CSSE schools. Her rank is [60-70] and standardised score is 118.[30-40]. Many, many thanks [The actual score has been changed to a band in order to conceal the identity of this student.]
– Mrs S
In addition to the Bucks and Slough results, we have also agreed to the option of [my son’s] results being shared with Reading Boys. He got 113.[70-80] which is slightly above the pass mark. We are not in Reading Boys catchment and are not planning to take up the offer of a boarding place. [The actual score has been changed to a band in order to conceal the identity of this student.]
– Mrs P
I am pleased to confirm that my daughter passed with a score of 144. Please thank Susan for her incredible teaching. Her course material was very well structured, relevant and challenging and her mock exams provided great preparation for the real exam. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed her lessons each week and I would highly recommend Susan to anyone.
– Mrs K
[My son] got 112.[50-60] which should get him a place at Reading Boys. [The actual score has been changed to a band in order to conceal the identity of this student.]
– Mrs N
[My Son] passed his 11+ with flying colours. As a family we would like to thank Susan Daughtrey and her amazing team of teachers for supporting our son through the whole process. We would and have recommended Susan to a number of friends and family.
– Mrs D
Hi. I am pleased to let you know that [my son] has done well in the [Redbridge] CEM exam and has come in the [30 – 40th] rank with a standardised score of 123.[00 – 09]. [The actual score has been changed to a band in order to conceal the identity of this student.]
– Mrs M
[This] is our third [child] to have been tutored by you and to have passed the 11+. Well done you!!! Many thanks to you and your team.
– Mr A
[70-80th] rank for Redbridge – 119.[10 – 19], 342.[70-80] for CSSE and [210-220] for Queen Elizabeth. Thank you very much! [All passes – the actual scores have been changed to a band in order to conceal the identity of this student.]
– Mrs C
Just to say [my son] passed, with 133. Naturally we’re delighted and would once again like to thank you for all your and Penny’s dedication. This is my last child to go through the system so I wish you all the best going forward.
– Mrs L
An excellent 11+ programme providing high quality structured learning delivered by outstanding teachers that are highly qualified in 11+ techniques and exam preparation. My child came out of every session feeling happy and motivated. Through the routine progress tests we were both able to see the progress he was making throughout the duration of the course. The benefits of the SDE 11+ course was also reflected in his progress at school with him feeling more confident in himself and achieving better grades in his core subjects.
– Mrs P
[My daughter] found the SDE 11+ course with Phillipa and the team in Herts really useful and funnily enough it not only helped prepare her well for the exam – over the year her school work improved as well. I felt my daughter became more confident in what was asked of her.
I genuinely believe the course coupled with the mock exams and the overall supportive environment really helped my child in passing the exam. I would strongly recommend the course.
– Mrs J
Just to let you know that [our daughter] did really well achieving 159 in her 11+ exam. She is over the moon! Thank you so much for all your hard work with her over the last year, we really appreciate it. I have one more daughter who is in year 3 currently, so am looking forward to working with you again.
– Mrs D
[My Son] cleared the bar with his test [score 158] and want to thank you and Penny very much for supporting him through the process.
– Mr A
Our thanks to you and the team for all your support and hard work.
– Mr and Mrs M
Thank you for all your coaching and encouragement.
– Mrs T
I really appreciate your guidance and many thanks for your support.
– Mrs S
[Our son] passed the Bucks 11+ with a score of 163. Thanks a million for your help.
– Mrs M
Just to say that we are a happy household tonight. Despite the illness and stress, [our son] managed to get a score of 159. We will be applying to RGS. [My son] is thrilled. Thank you so much for all your help and support.
– Mrs J
Just wanted to let you know that [our son] passed his Bucks 11+. There were many tears of joy as all that hard work and dedication paid off. Many thanks for all your help, support, care and wonderful teaching by everyone, it is very much appreciated.
– Mrs K
I am delighted to let you know that [my son’s] hard work and your guidance has paid off. [My Son] achieved 148. Thanks to you and Penny for all your hard work. Your encouragement and enthusiasm for [my Son] is very much appreciated.
– Mrs B
Good morning, Just to let you know that my daughter has been selected for Westcliff High School for Girls and Southend High School for Girls (CSSE grammar schools). Could you please thank Warren and Susan Daughtrey for me for a super Course. Thank you for your vital support.
– Mrs R
[My Daughter] achieved [210-219] rank at Woodford County. [The actual score has been changed to a band in order to conceal the identity of this student.]
– Mrs J
We would like to thank you for your invaluable help during the tutoring process, it was all worth the effort.
– Mr and Mrs K
We are hugely proud of [our son’s] achievement. Thank you for all your hard work in preparing [our Son] for the 11+ test. Without the support and encouragement from yourself and Mrs Forsyth it may have been a very different outcome.
– Mr and Mrs F
It’s been hard work but we’re delighted with the outcome. Please extend our thanks to the rest of the team. We’re very grateful for all your help and look forward to working with you again in the future.
– Mrs T
My son ranked [220-229] in the 2016 Redbridge 11plus selection test. [The actual score has been changed to a band in order to conceal the identity of this student.]
– Mrs B
Just to let you know that [our daughter] got 151 on her 11+ exam. Thank you for your effort in helping her achieve such great scores.
– Mrs D
[My Son] got 181 which I am very pleased about. Thank you for all your fantastic help and teaching. And for putting up with me for another year. Thank you. It’s always a pleasure to tutor with you Susan.
– Mr A
I just wanted to let you know, we are thrilled that [our daughter] has passed her 11+. Thank you so much to both you and the other teaching staff for all of the hard work you put in with the children.
– Mr and Mrs M
[My daughter] did extremely well in her exams in all the 3 schools where she appeared for the 11+ entrance exams, I am very pleased with my daughter’s results and thank you and your other colleagues in SDE Bushey for the excellent teaching and support given to her in the last two years.
– Mrs D
My eldest son benefited greatly from Phillipa’s invaluable tuition. It really helped boost his confidence at school, particularly with his maths work. We have been so impressed with the teaching and structure of the SDE 11+ programme that our younger son is now also completing the course. Thank you to all the team at SDE!
– Mrs H
My child went on to achieve good results in the Hertfordshire SW Consortium and Buckinghamshire Grammar transfer tests.
– Mrs D
My son has qualified for 11+ Grammar School in Buckinghamshire. Thank you for all your efforts and guidance in making this a success.
– Mrs B
I just wanted to let you know that [our daughter] passed both her 11+ tests. Thank you for all your support and help, it is much appreciated. Feeling very proud.
– Mrs D
We really thank you for hard work with our son and I hope that we will meet again when my middle son will be in Year 5.
– Mrs D
I can’t thank you enough for your brilliant work and support. We will most definitely contact you again for our younger son next year. Thank you very much once again Susan from all of us and especially [my Son].
– Mrs S
I am delighted to tell you that [my son] passed his Bucks 11+ with a transfer test score of 161!! I’m sure this fantastic score reflects how well he was prepared! Thanks for all your help.
– Mrs M
Just to let you know, [my son] got 157! We are very happy, and celebrating his hard work in London this weekend. Thank you very much for helping me by going through his papers […] There was a lot at stake; your help was invaluable.
– Mrs C
I wanted to start by saying ‘thank you’ to you all for the help and support you are offering the children and us parents during this difficult and uncertain time, so that they can continue preparing themselves for the 11 plus. The video tutorials have been very helpful and have given us an opportunity to support our son further. We really appreciate all the work you are doing and the calls to follow up, it has been a challenging time for all [of] us and I have wanted to reply back to thank you all, but have only had a chance now, as I have finally managed to catch up with everything!
– Mrs S
Just to let you know that we received our big package from you with everything beautifully presented. I also just want to say how constantly impressed I am with your approach and communication with this situation. Super professional, keeping us in the loop and clearly doing your very best for the kids. I am super impressed.
Keep up the good work and let’s hope that we are soon seeing the back of Armageddon.
– Mrs L
Thanks so much for the detailed email. I have to say I really am impressed with the work you and your team have done. I do see my son’s improvements academically, especially with all the vocabularies he learnt, he was actually using them in school and got recognised with house points awards. Great boost in confidence for him. I will get him to follow the weekly homework/tutorial and keep calm and carry on learning.– Mrs Z
I just wanted to say how impressed I am with the set-up you have provided in such difficult circumstances.
Thank you for continuing to help support our children through such a testing time for all.
Thank you, Susan Daughtrey, James, our tutor and all your support staff.
– C & L
I’m thoroughly impressed with all the work SDE is doing in this awful situation. Thank you so much. Huge thanks.
– Mrs G
SDE continues to impress us with fantastic communication and [the] overall organisation of the 11 plus course.
– Mrs B
I must say we have been very impressed with the quality of work and online tutorials we have been provided with by SDE.
– Mrs D
My son is in Year 4 and currently attends the Susan Daughtrey Foundation Course. I’d like to say how pleased we are with the quality of education provided by SDE. [My son] has benefited immensely from [the] course and [the] work provided complements his school assignments very well. We have signed him up for the year 5 course and recommended SDE to a lot of our friends. From what I hear, around half of the kids at [my son’s] school will be doing the SDE course for year 5 :0)
– Mr P
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you for the adaptability you’ve shown during this time – the quality of the tutorial material from your mum (and others I’m sure!) has been great. Whilst it’s not the same as face to face learning, it’s the next best thing and you can see the care and attention that’s gone in to produce this material.
– Mrs B
We are loving the review per question videos to accompany the test papers – great to see in detail where the problems are and how to correct them. Great idea!
Thank you again for all the support we are getting!
– Mrs G
May I also take this opportunity to thank you for the scheduled zoom revision sessions for the Y4 class. I have been very impressed with the communication, organisation, professionalism and attention to detail for the Year 4 course. Thank you.
– Mrs H
Let me first of all thank you for the fantastic video sessions. They are great as they can be played again if it’s needed.
The daily homeworks are perfect and [my son] is following the timetable enthusiastically.
– Mrs N
Thank you very much Fiona for your time on Tuesday to help out [my daughter] with her NVR difficulties.
Your session has really helped her and she is feeling much [more] confident now than before when attempting her NVR worksheets.
– Mrs S
I take this opportunity to say a massive and appreciative thank you to you and to your amazing team for all that you are doing for our children. We are extremely lucky to have you as our guideline in the 11+ process [at] this challenging time. We would had been absolutely lost without your help. Thank you!
– Mrs G
All the emails you’ve sent thus far have been very informative and the effort been put in by all at SDE during this difficult time has been commendable, so thank you very much. Susan’s online tutorials are great and [my son] is really benefiting from them.
– Mrs P
I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to you and your team for providing an excellent structure and guidance to all parents (especially working from home parents) to help children with their learning.
– Mrs K
I really like the online record tables! They are simple to fill in and motivating to see how much they have done already vs how much left to do. They help me keep track of where we are in the programme.
– Mrs G
Thank you so much for all you have done to support [my daughter] through her Year 4 course. Your response to this dreadful situation has been fantastic. I have just registered [my daughter] for the Year 5 course.
– Mrs B
Many thanks for the confirmation of [my daughter]’s place for the Year 5 course.
I’m really pleased with the tuition she has received so far and incredibly impressed with the online tutorials and SDE’s management of the current unprecedented situation.
We look forward to another year with you, whether face-to-face or online.
– Mrs G
My family, my friends and I are consistently in awe of the amount of effort and work you and your team are putting in to my son’s 11 plus education going well beyond any feasible expectation. Indeed, having shared the type of work we are doing with my son’s school, they have insisted we continue with this in addition to the regular work as even they can see the benefit.
Thank you for your continued mammoth efforts.
– Mr M
I appreciate that you are doing all you can to offer your students as much support as possible [at] this difficult time and the weekly mock papers are especially useful.
– Mrs S
Thank you both for all your hard work in getting these tutorials organised for us. It’s been a thoroughly professional service and we have been very satisfied.
– Mrs W
James this is brilliant well done – as a parent I would be heartened and full of optimism. You have turned a very difficult situation into a really positive one.
– Mrs Phillipa Bloom (SDE franchise owner)
I have just been viewing the video tutorial for Week 15. Well done to you and Susan – it is excellent and very reassuring that we can at least use this difficult period to progress some form of learning.
– Mrs G
As a group you have all put a huge amount of effort into setting up all the online videos and documentation etc. These have been really great and have given us a good structure to our days in lockdown. I think we are really lucky to have such dedicated people looking after us, to ensure our kids get the help and support they need. We really do appreciate all the extra work that is being done during this time.
– Mrs F
I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you for all the efforts and support from the entire SDE team for the children during this very difficult time. The video tutorials, great communication & allowing the children to attend lessons during the week as the weekend one was being cancelled, it is all greatly appreciated. It is reassuring to see that the children are in good hands, so thank you ever so much.
– Mrs S
Thank you so much Mrs Allott for your precious time teaching [my daughter] via zoom. She has enjoyed the lesson. Much appreciated!.
– Mrs G
Thank you, Susan and James for all the extra work you guys are putting in. So above and beyond. Thank you, thank you.
– Mr M
Thank you for this and for all your efforts to continue things as normal. I’m sure it must be a huge amount of work for you.
– Mrs M
Many many thanks for all that you are doing for the children during this crazy time. Let’s hope we get through it quickly and can be face to face again soon.
– Mrs H
Your email is very helpful and reassuring. It is clear that you and the team have put in a tremendous effort, so thank you for that. The videos are a great resource. I look forward to your communication about the coming weeks.
– Mr P
I give my 100% support for your decision. I am confident my child is in good hands. I’m so grateful for all of your help, efforts and thoughts for doing your utmost for these children.
– Mrs E
To be honest there’s no actual word that really can describe how I am grateful for all of your hard work towards our children’s education.
Thank you, thank you
– Mrs E
Thank you very much for all the support you have given and are planning to give to the boys in their education path. It is not straight forward to arrange for video tutorials, but all your hard work is very much appreciated.
Again, thanks a lot for all your hard work.
– Mrs P
Thank you for your email and would like you to know that we have successfully worked through the video tutorial for week 16.
We are currently working on the homepack. We as parents really appreciate all the hard work that yourself and SDE are doing to work under the current circumstances.
– Mr P
Thank you all for all the incredible hard work that you have been doing in order for us to be able to continue during this difficult time. It’s very [much] appreciated.
– Mrs M
My daughter has been working on [the] Week 15 and Week 16 video tutorials online and I believe they have worked very well.
– Mr W
I think the videos are excellent and such a good learning resource. Looking forward to the next instalment.
– Mrs D
I have been meaning to email to say how impressive the online lesson was last week – how easy it was to navigate and how well my child responded to and enjoyed this approach! Thank you.
Thank you once again for your great support and exciting new ideas on ways to keep our children on top of their education and motivated.
– Mrs M
Thank you for your email and update. We are grateful for your prompt response to the new situation. Mr daughter is my fourth child to go through the SDE program[me] and even though we were very impressed with the work and teaching before, what you have done in response to the present situation far exceeds any expectations we may have had.
– Mrs D
Thank you very much for the thorough and very helpful email and for all your and the team’s efforts in supporting [the] children during these challenging times.
– Mrs M
Hats off to you all for thinking ahead and having contingency plans in force.
– Mrs H
This is absolutely fantastic – many thanks for all your hard work and effort. We really appreciate it.
All worked absolutely fine. Thanks.
– Mrs M
Firstly, a big thank you for all your teams’ efforts over the last couple of difficult weeks and to let you know that we really appreciate how you have amended the course so well to suit the circumstances we now find ourselves in.
We received our call for our daughter’s Saturday morning tutor Mr Wilkinson on Monday which was useful to catch up and establish where we are and what our daughter needs to do.
– Mr K
Just watched the week 12 video tutorial with my child and it’s brilliant, did the class exercise at the same time, worked super well. My child thoroughly enjoyed it.
Got the call from class teacher yesterday as well. Thanks again for all the hard work you and your team have put in. I look forward to going back to the normal class in the near future.
– Mrs Z
THANK YOU SO MUCH! That was brilliant well done!!
– Mrs A
Your constant support is greatly appreciated.
– Mrs F
Thank you so much for all your and your colleagues’ hard work. It’s very much appreciated.
– Mrs M
This is great! Thank you for the hard work and effort put into this! I’ve been very impressed with how quickly SDE came up with an alternate solution and the clear lesson plans for the children.
– Mrs M
Thank you and please pass on my thanks to James and the team at SDE for all your hard work and communications. We have plenty of work to do with our child and appreciate the structure provided.
– Mrs H
Many thanks for all you are doing. As a new to home-schooling-working-at-the-same-time mum, your guidance and preparation/worksheets have been a life saver.
– Mrs S
Thanks for all the hard work the SDE team has put in, I’m very much impressed.
Especially liked James’s email about how we should use this time to get kids prepared with structured study so we can get a head start!
– Mrs Z
We would like to extend our gratitude for being extremely organised and for the resources you are providing in order for our child to continue his education.
Your time and effort in organising this is very much appreciated.
– K & R
Many thanks for the explanation and your hard work during this unprecedented time. We absolutely appreciate your support and actions to keep the kids busy in the best way.
– Mrs H
I just wanted to say thanks to you and the team for setting out the sessions remotely and for all the efforts you have made to keep things going. It is greatly appreciated, and I hope you are all keeping healthy.
– Mr F
We would like to pass on our heartfelt gratitude to you and your team for this priceless support. It is incredibly valued and appreciated. We fully recognise how much extra work this has created for your team and we are truly grateful.
– A & S
We have just had our phone call from Caroline which was very helpful and really nice to talk through this whole home-schooling situation. Great to know that she will be calling again next week to check on how we are doing.
Thank you for your informative e-mails and letting us know you are there if we need to be in contact.
– Mrs B
Many thanks for your efforts and my child said she would like to see Susan but I explained the effort it takes to produce these and to be honest I think they would be distracting! But she has been able to keep up and still actually enjoying the SDE work.
Many thanks and just wanted to let you know how we appreciate the amount of work that has/is going into producing these tutorials.
– The P Family
Thank you for all the hard work and preparation regarding the difficult situation facing us all right now. We are very pleased that SDE has worked fast to set up the online tuition sessions and help with the children’s preparation while they’re off school.
– Mrs H
We very much appreciate all the time and hard work that has gone into the production of the online classes and the packs we have received.
Once again thank you so very much for all your hard work and dedication.
– Mrs M