Kin Learning Blog

We help children to reach their academic best while learning to enjoy education, embrace challenges and believe in themselves along the way.

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The Bexley 11+ Exam is Changing – Again!

Just two years after adopting the GL exam format, Bexley is moving to Quest Assessments as their examination board. Here’s what that means for you …

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11+ School Test Application Dates – Kent Grammars

Newstead Wood Application Deadline:  Registration will open from 1st May 2026 with the deadline of midnight on 30th June 2026. Application Requirements:  The Supplementary Information Form (SIF) can …

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St. Olave’s Entrance Exam Preparation

Years  4  to  6 The video below goes through the English portion of the official St. Olave’s sample paper. DOWNLOAD THE WEEK 1 WORKSHEET PACKhttps://youtu.be/oMzzIssnMQk …

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Your 2025 11 Plus Timeline

January to March

Now is a great time to work on comprehension and vocabulary, which many children struggle with. Try to play the Fish! card game (available in class) regularly at home and to work through our 11+ vocabulary list on a regular basis.

The Eleven Plus

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Newstead Wood FAQs: Do you need to practise only the questions in the Newstead Wood sample paper?

The Newstead exam contains a 45-minute verbal reasoning paper and a 40-minute paper on non-verbal reasoning. There are approximately 80 questions in each paper. The verbal reasoning paper includes an assortment of GL-style questions.

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World Book Day: Quick, Easy and Diverse Character Ideas

Ah, March. It brings the start of spring, the birth of lambs and, to every parent’s delight: World Book Day. This weekend, parents will be rummaging around in a panic trying to find a literary character with an easy costume. If you’re a family of colour, you may also be trying to find a costume that is both easy AND bears some sort of resemblance to your child. 

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Four Questions that Improve Comprehension

What’s Happened So Far? Summarising will test literal comprehension and expose any misunderstandings that may have arisen. What Does That Mean? Try to have a children’s dictionary to hand when reading. Pick out the longer words in the passage and ask your child to define them. Look

Key Stage One Tips (for ages 4 to 7)

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Newstead Wood FAQs: Do you need to practise only the questions in the Newstead Wood sample paper?

The Newstead exam contains a 45-minute verbal reasoning paper and a 40-minute paper on non-verbal reasoning. There are approximately 80 questions in each paper. The verbal reasoning paper includes an assortment of GL-style questions.

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World Book Day: Quick, Easy and Diverse Character Ideas

Ah, March. It brings the start of spring, the birth of lambs and, to every parent’s delight: World Book Day. This weekend, parents will be rummaging around in a panic trying to find a literary character with an easy costume. If you’re a family of colour, you may also be trying to find a costume that is both easy AND bears some sort of resemblance to your child. 

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Four Questions that Improve Comprehension

What’s Happened So Far? Summarising will test literal comprehension and expose any misunderstandings that may have arisen. What Does That Mean? Try to have a children’s dictionary to hand when reading. Pick out the longer words in the passage and ask your child to define them. Look

Getting the Best out of Your Child

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Newstead Wood FAQs: Do you need to practise only the questions in the Newstead Wood sample paper?

The Newstead exam contains a 45-minute verbal reasoning paper and a 40-minute paper on non-verbal reasoning. There are approximately 80 questions in each paper. The verbal reasoning paper includes an assortment of GL-style questions.

Uncategorized

World Book Day: Quick, Easy and Diverse Character Ideas

Ah, March. It brings the start of spring, the birth of lambs and, to every parent’s delight: World Book Day. This weekend, parents will be rummaging around in a panic trying to find a literary character with an easy costume. If you’re a family of colour, you may also be trying to find a costume that is both easy AND bears some sort of resemblance to your child. 

Uncategorized

Four Questions that Improve Comprehension

What’s Happened So Far? Summarising will test literal comprehension and expose any misunderstandings that may have arisen. What Does That Mean? Try to have a children’s dictionary to hand when reading. Pick out the longer words in the passage and ask your child to define them. Look

free download:
The ultimate guide to the kent 11+ exams

We’re passing on our expert knowledge to you with this free and comprehensive guide to the local 11+ exams. 

Covers: Bexley, Kent, St. Olave’s and Newstead exams

Includes: catchment areas, historical pass marks and more.