Back to school: top tips from parents who’ve been through the 11+

The new school year is full of fresh starts, new routines and challenges. For many families, it’s also when the countdown to the 11+ begins, as they start looking ahead to secondary school. While most children start focused preparation in Year 5, many parents said they wish they’d begun earlier.

We asked parents whose children used Atom Learning and secured offers from their preferred secondary schools what really worked for them. Their advice is honest, practical, and rooted in real-life experience, perfect for setting up your child for success this September, heading back to school.

1. Start earlier than you think you need to

A new school year is the perfect opportunity to set good learning habits, and the families in our survey were clear: don’t wait until the exam is around the corner.

Atom Learning is an adaptive online learning platform for 7–11-year-olds. It is designed to prepare children for the 11+, grammar school, and independent school entrance exams. Many parents admitted that they wish they’d started using Atom earlier.

If your child is in Year 5 this September, our term-by-term guide to Year 5 might help you plan for the months ahead.

“Start as early as possible! I wish we had known about Atom earlier.”

2. Make learning a habit

Back to school is a natural moment to settle into a routine, not just for school homework, but for any extra preparation your child might be doing. Parents in our survey found that when learning became a regular part of their week, it stopped feeling like “extra work” and started feeling like a normal part of their routine.

Many families found that 3–5 short Atom sessions a week, just 10–30 minutes each, worked well in the early stages. They focused on building a steady rhythm rather than aiming for perfection, reminding their child that showing up regularly was what mattered most. Then, as the exams drew closer, they gradually increased to daily practice.

“Be consistent, patient and keep an eye on what they need to practice.”

With Atom, you don’t have to guess which topics need more attention. The platform’s detailed progress reports highlight where your child is excelling and where they might need more practice. This means every session can be focused and productive, and you can see their improvement as the weeks go by.

Pictured: An example Atom Learning progress report. Clear progress bars highlight their strengths and areas to improve for each subject, so you know exactly where to focus.

When establishing your child’s learning routine, it’s also important to remember that life happens, school trips, after-school clubs, and the occasional tired evening. Missing a day here and there isn’t a disaster. The real progress comes from having a steady rhythm that fits your family’s life!

3. Go for a ‘little and often’ approach

One of the most repeated messages from parents was that shorter, more frequent sessions worked best. The start of a school year can be busy, and carving out small windows for practice is often more realistic than aiming for long study blocks.

With Atom’s bite-sized learning, your child can complete a focused set of questions in 10–20 minutes, enough to consolidate skills without feeling overwhelmed. Parents told us that this approach kept motivation high and avoided burnout.

“Little and often is better than mammoth sessions.”

If September feels too early to go “all in,” remember you’re just planting seeds now. The aim at this stage is to make learning part of your child’s weekly routine in a gentle and manageable way.

Over time, those small, regular sessions will grow into strong habits, so that when exams draw closer, your child will already feel confident and prepared, without the need for a big, stressful push.

4. Focus on tricky areas

New academic years bring new topics and sometimes, tricky ones. Several parents told us that the biggest wins came from helping their child revisit challenging subjects until they no longer felt intimidating.

Atom easily spots these gaps early through adaptive learning and progress tracking. By using September and the months ahead to work steadily on weaker areas, your child can confidently approach the later stages of preparation rather than panic.

“Keep revisiting Islands that are tricky until they’re not tricky anymore! Do use the hints and videos when you don’t understand!”

On Atom, these “Islands” are topic areas your child can explore in English, maths, science, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Each Island contains interactive questions, explanatory videos and helpful hints, so children can learn at their own pace and build confidence step by step.

Pictured: Example learning islands from the Atom Learning platform.

As they work through each Island, they unlock new challenges and see their scores improve, turning progress into a game-like journey. This keeps children engaged and encourages them to revisit topics until they’ve truly mastered them. It’s a gentle, motivating way to turn tricky areas into strengths.

5. Use the right support

Starting a new school year is ideal for deciding what support will work best for your child. September offers a clean slate, fresh timetables, and still-forming routines, and you can put the right help in place before the busier months arrive.

In our survey, parents told us the key was finding the combination of support that suited their child’s learning style and personality and starting early enough for it to make a real difference.

Atom makes this easier by giving you a clear view of your child’s strengths and gaps from the very start. Progress reports guide you to the areas that need more focus so you can help your child build skills steadily over the year.

“Use the resources on Atom for an excellent all round learning program. The online tests were brilliant for seeing where the gaps were in his learning so we could focus more on those areas!”

Atom’s mock tests, which replicate the format and timing of the 11+, are best introduced later, once your child feels confident with the content. Used at the right time, they help familiarise children with the exam environment without adding unnecessary stress early on.

Implementing the right support at the start of the school year sets the stage for calm, consistent progress rather than last-minute panic.