From Gaps to Gains: How a Summer Academic Assessment Can Transform Next Year

For many students, summer is a welcome break. But for parents, it can also be a moment of reflection: how did the year go? What’s next? How do I avoid such a stark restart to school in September? And crucially, is my child really where they should be academically? 

That’s where a summer academic assessment can make a real difference.

At Enjoy Education, we’ve worked with hundreds of families to use the summer wisely – not to overload students, but to provide clarity. Whether a student is preparing for 11+, Common Entrance, GCSEs, A Levels or transitioning into a new school or curriculum, an academic assessment offers a focused, expert view of where they are now, and how to support them in the year ahead.

Why consider an academic assessment?

1. Pinpoint strengths and gaps
   An assessor works one-to-one with your child to understand their current level across core subjects. It’s a low-pressure, high-value session designed to reveal where your child feels confident, and where they may need a boost.
2. Create a targeted plan for the year ahead
   After the assessment, we provide a tailored written report, including recommended next steps. For some students, this might mean light-touch consolidation. For others, especially ahead of exam years or school transitions, we might suggest a more structured support plan.
3. Support confidence and motivation
   Understanding where you stand helps remove anxiety, for both students and parents. It allows families to approach the next academic year with purpose, rather than guesswork.

Who is it for?

We offer academic assessments for students aged 4 – 18, including:

• Students transitioning between schools (e.g. prep to senior, or international to UK)
• Students entering an exam year (7+, 8+, 11+, 13+, 16+, GCSE, A Level)
• Students who struggled with confidence or consistency in the past year
• Students aiming for selective schools or universities

What do tutors say?

We spoke to Sophie, one of our experienced tutors, about how assessments support her work:

How did the assessment help you prepare for your first session with a student?
“It helped me understand areas of strength and things that the children find more challenging. While it is important to go by what you see in lessons over time and keep assessing informally, it gave a good starting point to help me plan those initial sessions. It can be difficult to know where to start when meeting new students, as age, year group, or school is not a good enough indicator of where a child is.”

How does having this insight support your tutoring over time?
“As we progress through the curriculum, I find that it is useful to have the information to come back to, particularly for using for quick starter tasks and to ensure the children are frequently recalling and practising the skills and facts they need most.”

Would you recommend assessments to others before starting tuition?
“Absolutely! The assessment was very detailed and uncovered a lot of information that can take a long time to discover when you are doing one session a week.”

Practical advice for parents

If you’re considering an academic assessment this summer, here are a few tips to help you get the most from it:

• Time it well: Aim to schedule the assessment early in the summer. That gives you space to act on the recommendations without cutting into the holiday, and it avoids the back-to-school rush.
• Frame it positively: Present the assessment as a chance to show what they know, not a test they can fail. 
• Use the report actively: Once you’ve received the assessment feedback, talk it through with your child. What surprised them? What are they proud of? This can be a great starting point for goal setting together.

Set realistic goals: If extra support is recommended, think about what’s realistic for your family over the summer and into the school year. Sometimes, a short, intensive burst of tutoring in the summer can be a great kick-starter ahead of weekly lessons in the term.