The most important fork in the road for 11+ families is whether to self-study at home or to use a structured tutor. Each has clear benefits and clear costs.
The short answer
Self-study works well for: families with academically-confident parents, children who respond well to working with a parent, and budgets where a tutor is unaffordable.
The longer answer
Structured tutoring works well for: families with limited time bandwidth, children who learn better from a non-parent voice, and tests where format-specific knowledge is a major barrier (CSSE, AQE, ISEB).
Self-study cost: £200 to £400 across two years for materials. Tutoring cost: £2,000 to £6,000 across two years for weekly sessions plus materials.
What experienced parents do
The performance gap between well-executed self-study and well-executed tutoring is small in the typical case. Both routes produce strong results when run with discipline; both fail when run without.
What to avoid
The middle ground works for many families: a tutor for the weakest single subject (typically extended writing or NVR), plus parent-led work in the others. This captures the format-specific tutor benefit without the full cost.
Practical next step
Decide before the autumn of Year 5. Switching mid-year (either direction) costs momentum. The family that commits to a route and runs it well outperforms the family that wavers between options. A small, deliberate action this week is worth more than a grand plan for the year ahead.