May Half Term – 11+ Group (Year 5)
Date: 23rd May 2026 - 27th May 2026
Venue: Great Western Studios, 65 Alfred Road, W2 5EU
Time: 10:00 - 15:00 Daily
Course Fee: £1,875 +VAT
Book a placeCourse Introduction
This short, intensive group will cover maths, English, VR and NVR. The group will be led by our CEO and co-founder, Dr Tom Parkinson, a ‘super tutor’ with over fifteen years’ experience of preparing students for entrance exams. This fun, high energy group will focus on aspects of entrance exams which students find particularly troublesome, and will aim to tackle them at an early stage.
Course Schedule
On Day I – the focus will be English. We will cover common entrance exam texts, which have appeared before on many preceding exams, spanning poetry, verse, fiction and non-fiction.
On Day II – we will look at the stubborn VR rules which students struggle with every year. We will work on what to do when faced with unfamiliar vocabulary in synonym and antonym questions, and how to begin when faced with shuffled sentences.
On Day III – the group will address NVR. As with NVR, we will focus on challenging rules – figure analysis (hole punching) and figure recognition (hidden shapes). The morning will feature a special panel from an NVR expert, who will share strategies and tips.
On Day IV – we will work on maths, paying particular attention to ISEB and Consortium word problems, and maths puzzles and numerical reasoning.
On Day V – we will take an assessment which will encompass all topics covered. This will include multiple-choice English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning (60 minutes) and a short assessment designed to mirror Consortium and City Boys’ creative comprehension. Students will receive detailed feedback, grades and advice the following day.
The group will feature a fun and engaging learning game, and, as with all Tom’s groups, participants will have the chance to earn points and use them to purchase prizes!
“Thank you, for setting us up to get very helpful boosts at the right times this past term. You and the team around you made it easy to organise at our end, and simple–and that I’m sure reduces parental stress at the right moment!”
— Year 6 - Parent
Group Leads
Dr Tom Parkinson
Tom is Winterwood’s co-founder and overseas the entrance exam cohort. Tom has been running educational groups for the past decade, and has created several bespoke learning games which he uses in his group classes. Tom has found that group courses really drive attainment – possible due to the nature of the groups, which are supportive and provide guidance and reassurance, and possible as gameplay is incorporated, which helps to mitigate stress and makes learning fun. Either way, it works!