Build the foundations early
Year-4 Foundations for the 11+
The 12-week track
One topic per week. Mastery (three in a row correct) unlocks the next week — so a strong week skips ahead instead of redrilling what your child already knows.
Week 1
Place value
Read big numbers like a pro
Every other maths topic builds on this. If 30,500 and 305 look the same, fractions will be brutal.
Week 2
Number bonds and mental arithmetic
Sums in your head, fast
11+ maths is timed. Speed comes from automatic recall of pairs that make 10, 100, and 1000.
Week 3
Fractions of a whole
What halves, thirds, and quarters really mean
Fractions appear in every 11+ paper. Year 4 is the right year to make it click.
Week 4
Times tables (up to 12×12)
Lock in every multiplication fact
Without these on autopilot, division and fractions both break down.
Week 5
Vocabulary builders
Learn the words exam papers love
Most lost English marks come from not knowing the target word. Daily reading + drilling is the fix.
Week 6
Retrieval (find it in the text)
If the text says it, you can quote it
The easiest comprehension marks. Always quote — never paraphrase from memory.
Week 7
Inference (read between the lines)
Spot what the text shows but doesn't say
The hardest comprehension marks. Practise the move: signal in the text → what it suggests.
Week 8
Word analogies
Apple : fruit :: Carrot : ?
Trains the same muscle as comprehension — relating ideas — but in a tighter format.
Week 9
Closest meaning and odd-one-out
Pick the word that fits — exactly
Pure vocabulary under time pressure. Reading widely helps more than drilling.
Week 10
Word problems
Turn words into a calculation
The biggest gap on real 11+ papers. Knowing the maths isn't enough — you have to spot which maths to use.
Week 11
Perimeter, area, and shapes
Geometry that shows up every paper
A reliable handful of marks if you know the formulas; a guessing game if you don't.
Week 12
Decimals
Decimals, money, and measurement
Bridges fractions to percentages. Get this right and Year-5 maths is a smaller leap.
What this is, and what it isn't
What it is
- · One foundation skill per week, drilled until it sticks.
- · 15-20 minutes a day, 4–5 days a week.
- · Single-topic sessions — no mixed papers in Year 4.
- · Mastery-driven — strong weeks skip ahead.
- · A weekly mastery email for parents.
What it isn't
- · Test cramming.
- · Mixed-topic 11+ papers (saved for Year 5).
- · Papers (irrelevant at this age).
- · A replacement for reading widely — keep that going.
- · Pressure. The whole point is to not need it later.
Common questions
Why start in Year 4?▾
Year 4 is a useful time to make the core skills feel familiar. Year-4 foundations means your child can arrive at Year-5 11+ prep comfortable with the building blocks, rather than learning fractions and 11+ technique at the same time.
Isn't Year 4 too early to think about the 11+?▾
Year 4 is too early to drill exam papers. It's the right time to build mathematical fluency, vocabulary, and reading stamina — the foundations the exam tests later. Our Year-4 track does foundations only, no test cramming.
How much practice per day?▾
15–20 minutes, 4–5 days a week. We don't recommend more at this age. Consistency beats volume.
What if my child finishes a week early?▾
Once they hit mastery on the week's topic (3 questions correct in a row), the next week unlocks. We'd rather they move on than redrill what they've shown they know.
Does this prepare them for the 11+ properly?▾
It prepares them for Year-5. After the 12-week foundations track, they enter the standard Leap 11+ curriculum at Year 5 with the basics already in muscle memory.
Make the next bit of 11+ prep clearer
Join the early-access waitlist. Connect your child’s practice, results and school plans, and choose a useful next step.
Already in Year 5 or 6?
This track is foundations-only. If you're already in Year 5+ and need full 11+ prep, get early access to Leap for school-style papers and a calibrated read of where your child stands.