The 11+ Confidence Gap Report
How prepared do parents really feel for the 11+?
Many families start 11+ preparation with tutors, books, practice papers and online tools — but still struggle to answer the simplest question: “How prepared is my child?”
We’re creating the 11+ Confidence Gap Report to understand what parents know, what they worry about, and what would help families prepare with more clarity and less pressure.
Prep+ is free for children to practise. Parents can optionally access deeper reporting and focus tools.
The problem
11+ preparation can feel expensive, confusing and hard to measure.
Parents often invest in tutoring, books, practice papers and subscriptions long before they have a clear picture of their child’s strengths, gaps or confidence. That can make preparation feel like guesswork:
- Are they practising enough?
- Are they working on the right skills?
- Are they becoming more confident?
- Do they need extra support?
- Are we doing too much, too little, or the wrong thing?
The 11+ Confidence Gap Report is designed to explore that uncertainty — and help families talk about preparation in a clearer, calmer way.
What we mean
The confidence gap is the space between effort and insight.
Many parents are putting effort into 11+ preparation, but still lack clear signals about whether that effort is working.
The confidence gap shows up when parents can see that their child is “doing practice”, but cannot easily see:
- which skills are secure
- which skills need more support
- whether timing is an issue
- whether confidence is improving
- whether practice is becoming consistent
- what to focus on next
Prep+ was built to help close that gap.
Why this report exists
We want to understand what parents actually need.
The 11+ journey is different for every family. Some start early. Some use tutors. Some rely on books. Some are only just beginning to explore what the test involves.
We’re asking parents to share their experience so we can better understand:
The findings will help shape Prep+ and create a useful public resource for other families.
Have your say
Help us build the report.
If you’re a parent of a child aged 7–11, we’d love to hear from you. The survey takes around 3 minutes and asks about your experience of 11+ preparation, tutoring, confidence, practice routines and what kind of support would be most useful.
Your feedback will help us improve Prep+ and better understand what families need from modern 11+ preparation tools.
Our belief
Children should be able to practise for free.
11+ preparation is already expensive for many families. Tutors, books, courses and practice papers can add up quickly. We believe the core act of practice should be accessible.
That’s why Prep+ lets children practise for free. Children can build a routine, try questions, review mistakes and grow in confidence without being blocked by a paywall. Parents can choose to upgrade for deeper insight, reporting and focused practice tools — but the child’s practice experience should remain accessible.
About Prep+
Free 11+ practice for children. Clearer insight for parents.
Prep+ helps children build a regular 11+ practice habit through short, adaptive sessions.
Children can
- Practise for free
- Build weekly streaks
- Review tricky questions
- Practise across relevant subjects
- See their progress grow over time
- Stay motivated through friendly, parent-approved group features
Parents can
- Create a personalised child profile
- Set target school or route details
- See strengths and focus areas
- Understand practice consistency
- Spot timing or confidence issues
- Choose to upgrade for deeper reporting and focused practice tools
Founder note
Why I built Prep+
The idea for Prep+ came from a concern I think a lot of parents quietly share.
My son is going into Year 3, and the 11+ has started to become part of the parent conversation. I saw families thinking about tutors, papers and preparation plans, but still not always knowing how prepared their child really was.
As someone who uses data to make decisions in most areas of life, that felt strange. Parents were spending time and money, but often without a clear view of their child’s strengths, gaps or confidence.
I wanted to build something calmer: a way for children to practise regularly and for parents to understand what is actually happening.
Prep+ is still early, which is why we’re asking families to help shape it. We want honest feedback on what works, what feels useful, what feels confusing and what would make this genuinely valuable.
For journalists, newsletters and community groups
Covering 11+ preparation, tutoring costs or parent confidence?
We’re happy to share findings from the 11+ Confidence Gap Report once responses have been collected. We can also provide:
- Founder commentary
- Parent survey findings
- Screenshots of Prep+
- Quotes on 11+ preparation pressure
- Practical parent checklists
- Insights into free practice and parent reporting
FAQ
Questions parents may have
Help us understand the 11+ confidence gap.
If you’re thinking about the 11+, your experience matters. Take the short parent survey and help shape a calmer, clearer way to prepare.