Q: It’s a great school , the teachers are fabulous , your child is bright  and working very hard . So why might you need a tutor?

A: Even if you are lucky enough to tick all the boxes there are still lots of reasons why a tutor is an effective way of making sure your child achieves their full potential.

Not all ticks?

OK, so in the real world there are often things not going right in school.

Firstly, no one can doubt the importance of a good teacher, but good teachers leave or the good teachers get ill or good teachers may go on maternity leave.

Then you are left with the replacement teacher. For planned changes this should be no problem but often getting a great replacement takes time, but for your child there is only one first chance. Teaching is heavily concept based. Yes you can “learn” it from a textbook but to get good marks you need to understand it and understanding needs someone to explain when you don’t. We guarantee that your child will understand every concept in their course. We have the time and the expertise to explain, re-explain and overcome misunderstandings caused by the lack of a teacher.

OK, so the teacher is good, but what if your child has been ill or changed schools and they are behind (or in front) of the rest of the class?

The one to one approach of a good tutor means that we can design a specific catch up course over an agreed period to get the student back to the same position as the rest of the class as quickly as possible. 

If the situation is the opposite and the student is coasting because the class is a long way behind them then we can design enrichment sessions that deepen the subject knowledge without intruding on the school’s approach. Often schools WILL set extension work but this is often solo work without the interaction and explanation needed. We have time to give that one to one care and the knowledge to see how and where to deepen the knowledge without confusing what is coming next in class.

Finally, you may be told by the school that your child is not quite “A*” material (or is “C” material) and you are not happy with this.

Schools have to be realistic and generally they have to make quick decisions too about resources. In addition modern competition between schools means that it is bad for a school’s reputation to put a student into an exam that they fail or do badly in. We have the necessary time to work out what exactly is stopping your child achieving well. Any good teacher in school could do the same, but they don’t have time. Even extra classes in school are rarely one-one which is what is needed. Often we find that a poor student is either bored, missed some important idea, had an off day in an important exam or just didnt get it! We can redress this situation because we have time and the expertise to find out what is causing the problem. 

We cannot make someone into an Einstein, but achieving well in public examinations doesnt expect an Einstein just a hard working student who understands the material well.

Need to aim higher?

Even the most academic schools have limits on how much time they can devote to an individual student. The reality of modern education is that all students matter and it is very important to a school’s reputation that as many as possible get A-C grades. This can mean that very good students are supported less well than students who are achieving less than their potential.

Enrichment of most able students, or students aiming for very specific outcomes takes time, a lot of time and a lot of individual attention – things most schools cannot provide easily.

Some of our best work is with the most able students who want to aim for Oxbridge or a specific career but find the school is setting solo work that can seem quite boring and has little teacher involvement. We have the knowledge and expertise to support these students, complementing work at their school and giving time and understanding for the student. As we are also not part of the school environment we can develop a different more adult learning approach which would be difficult when the teacher is having to deal with a whole class and would be seen as having favourites.

Need special help?

Real life is complex. Things go wrong that need urgent fixing and yet schools have their own realities when your child is only one of 20 (or 30). 

Whatever the reason we have the time, expertise and experience that allows us to work with you to identify how to address your need and then develop a course of material that meets those needs.

• The range of possibilities is endless:
• catching up after moving school
• dealing with a bad relationship with a teacher
• working on a special interest/hobby
• dealing with a long term illness

We have supported students in all these situations and the key components of home tutoring can help. We provide time, an environment the student finds comfortable (home) and expertise. We have decades of experience of dealing with all of the situations described (and many more). We would welcome the opportunity to talk to you about any aims you might have. We are flexible in number of sessions (from only a few sessions to 1 every day or even online support) and we can build whole new courses. 

We have particular experience and expertise in helping students in mainstream school with specific learning difficulties and in recent years have developed support for students with dyslexia and ADHD spectrum issues.