Dates for the
diary

Key upcoming dates and opportunities for Headway families.

Year 3 timetable, 2026 – 2027

25 weeks of lessons across three terms, with holiday breaks and our absence policy.

Year 4 and Year 5 timetable, 2026 – 2027

36 weeks of lessons across three terms, with holiday breaks and our absence policy.

Lead tutor recommends

A considered selection of books, tools and resources chosen to support confident, independent learning.

Course books

Spatial Awareness Puzzle Book

Spatial Awareness Puzzles: A diverse range of 100 puzzles to test your visualisation skills

Learn more about Spatial Awareness Puzzle Book

CGP Vocabulary Book Age 10 - 11

11+ GL 10-Minute Tests: Vocabulary for Verbal Reasoning & English - Ages 10-11 Book 1 (with Online Edition): for the 2026 tests (CGP GL 11+ Ages 10-11)

Learn more about CGP Vocabulary Book Age 10 - 11

CGP English Book Age 10 - 11

11+ GL 10-Minute Tests: English - Ages 10-11 Book 1 (with Online Edition): for the 2026 tests (CGP GL 11+ Ages 10-11)

Learn more about CGP English Book Age 10 - 11

CGP VR Sequences, Logic & Coding Age 10 - 11

11+ GL 10-Minute Tests: Verbal Reasoning Sequences, Logic & Coding - Ages 10-11 (+ Online Ed): for the 2026 tests (CGP GL 11+ Ages 10-11)

Learn more about CGP VR Sequences, Logic & Coding Age 10 - 11

Reading list

Once series collection

By Morris Gleitzman

Morris Gleitzman Collection 7 Books Set (Once, Then, Now, After, Maybe, Soon, Always)

Learn more about Once series collection

The Diddakoi

By Rumer Godden

Kizzy is a young traveller girl who feels she belongs nowhere. A moving story about prejudice, kindness and finding people who truly care.

Learn more about The Diddakoi

Stormbreaker

By Anthony Horowitz

Stormbreaker: A striking Silver Edition of the explosive first book in the action-packed spy series that has sold over 21 million copies; includes an exclusive new short story!

Learn more about Stormbreaker

My Friend Walter

By Michael Morpurgo

My Friend Walter: A hilarious tale of history come to life. From the nation’s favourite storyteller, Michael Morpurgo, best-selling author of War Horse.

Learn more about My Friend Walter

Friend or Foe

By Michael Morpurgo

Evacuated to the countryside during the war, two boys must decide whether a crashed German pilot is an enemy or a friend. A gripping wartime adventure...

Learn more about Friend or Foe

Mister Monday

By Garth Nix

Mister Monday: The Keys to the Kingdom

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Aquila

By Andrew Norris

Two boys discover a mysterious machine from another world, and keeping it secret leads to chaos, danger and plenty of laughs along the way.

Learn more about Aquila

Harry and the Wrinklies

By Alan Temperley

Sent to stay with his eccentric elderly aunts, Harry soon discovers they are not quite what they seem. A funny, warm-hearted adventure full of surprises.

Learn more about Harry and the Wrinklies

Northern Lights

By Philip Pullman

Lyra sets out from Oxford to the frozen North to rescue her kidnapped friend, the first book of His Dark Materials.

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A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve in this classic tale of second chances.

Learn more about A Christmas Carol

Dragon Rider

By Cornelia Funke

A young silver dragon, a brownie and a runaway boy fly across the world in search of a safe home for dragons.

Learn more about Dragon Rider

Journey to Jo'burg

By Beverley Naidoo

Naledi and Tiro walk to Johannesburg to find their mother in a powerful story set in apartheid South Africa.

Learn more about Journey to Jo'burg

Journey to the River Sea

By Eva Ibbotson

Orphaned Maia is sent to the Amazon and finds friendship and adventure far from her strict new family.

Learn more about Journey to the River Sea

The Owl Service

By Alan Garner

Three teenagers in a Welsh valley are drawn into an ancient legend after finding a strange set of plates.

Learn more about The Owl Service

Pig Heart Boy

By Malorie Blackman

Thirteen-year-old Cameron needs a new heart and is offered a pioneering transplant that raises big questions.

Learn more about Pig Heart Boy

Tom's Midnight Garden

By Philippa Pearce

When the clock strikes thirteen, Tom discovers a magical garden from the past and a new friend called Hatty.

Learn more about Tom's Midnight Garden

Watership Down

By Richard Adams

A band of rabbits leave their warren and face danger together on an epic journey to find a new home.

Learn more about Watership Down

A Wizard of Earthsea

By Ursula K. Le Guin

A gifted young wizard unleashes a shadow on the world and must hunt it across the islands of Earthsea.

Learn more about A Wizard of Earthsea

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

By Joan Aiken

Cousins Bonnie and Sylvia must outwit a cruel governess while wolves roam outside in this gripping adventure.

Learn more about The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Where the Red Fern Grows

By Wilson Rawls

Billy works hard to buy two hunting dogs and shares a moving story of loyalty in the Ozark mountains.

Learn more about Where the Red Fern Grows

Little Women

By Louisa May Alcott

The four March sisters grow up through hardship, friendship and ambition in this much-loved classic.

Learn more about Little Women

The Secret Garden

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Lonely Mary Lennox discovers a hidden garden and brings it, and the people around her, back to life.

Learn more about The Secret Garden

Artemis Fowl

By Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis kidnaps a fairy in a fast, funny and inventive adventure.

Learn more about Artemis Fowl

The Wind in the Willows

By Kenneth Grahame

Mole, Ratty, Badger and the reckless Toad share riverbank adventures in this timeless classic.

Learn more about The Wind in the Willows

Anne of Green Gables

By L. M. Montgomery

Imaginative, talkative orphan Anne Shirley wins over the Cuthberts and the whole town of Avonlea.

Learn more about Anne of Green Gables

Black Beauty

By Anna Sewell

A horse tells the story of his life, from happy days to hard times, in this classic about kindness to animals.

Learn more about Black Beauty

Holes

By Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats is sent to a camp where boys dig holes all day, and uncovers a mystery that links past and present.

Learn more about Holes

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

By Louis Sachar

Bradley Chalkers is the class troublemaker until a new school counsellor helps him see himself differently.

Learn more about There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

Vicky Angel

By Jacqueline Wilson

After her best friend Vicky dies, Jade finds Vicky's ghost still by her side in a story about grief and friendship.

Learn more about Vicky Angel

The Other Side of Truth

By Beverley Naidoo

Sade and her brother flee Nigeria for London and must find their way in a strange new country.

Learn more about The Other Side of Truth

Harry Potter collection

By J.K. Rowling

The complete seven-book Harry Potter series, following Harry from his first year at Hogwarts.

Learn more about Harry Potter collection

Confidence and wellbeing

Practical guidance to help children feel prepared, capable and supported throughout the 11+.

How to prepare for the 11+ without overwhelming your child

A calmer approach to preparation that makes room for learning, rest, confidence and childhood.

Read the guide
A smiling Year 6 girl writing happily in a notebook at the kitchen table

Practical
resources

Simple materials to help parents support learning at home.