Shipston On Stour Tutors & Shipston On Stour Tuition

Personal Description:
If you choose me, your child will see a marked improvement in their results and confidence levels. I am a highly experience, professional and friendly tutor with advanced DBS clearance. My teaching experience includes GCSE, iGCSE and A level (Edexcel, AQA, OCR (A and B for Physics), WJEC), University level Maths and Physics (including Oxford entrance exams MAT and PAT) as well as assisting PhD students to improve their thesis writing skills.

I pride myself on making lessons fun and informative which I believe provides the right environment to get the best out of my students. (2022 results: 100 percent pass rate at GCSE and A-Level. 77 percent got A*/A or 7/8/9)

As well as being a tutor, I work in research and development where I lead programmes that use Physics to understand complex problems. This experience allows me to inspire young people who have a love for the subject. I am also a STEM ambassador and would happily come to your school (for free) to inspire children in both science and maths.

I was awarded a First Class Honours degree from University College London in 1997 and went on to study a PhD in Quantum Mechanics. On successful completion of my PhD in 2001 I started work at Thales Research and Technology (TRT) where I led projects on Adaptive Learning Systems and Information Management. I initiated the first programme to span the three TRT laboratories in France, Netherlands and UK in the area of Cognitive Systems research. I then went on to set up and lead a large collaborative team between TRT and University of Surrey to study remote collaboration technologies. I joined General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited in 2005, primarily to ensure exploitation of DIF DTC technologies into the UK Ministry of Defence Equipment Programme. I received my Chartered Physicist status in 2004 and am now a director.

Teaching Experience:
Several students have improved by more than 4 grades after just six months of tuition with me, and commonly students improve by at least one or two grades. Many of my students who previously had lost their passion for Maths and Physics, go on to take these subjects to a further level. Apart from the usual syllabuses I am experienced at teaching students the Maths section of the SATs and ACTs in order to get scholarships to American Universities.

Tutoring Approach:
My tuition method involves making Maths and Physics fun so that children and young adults will remember their lessons and overcome the "I can't do science" syndrome. So that you can assess whether or not I am the right tutor for your child I offer the first lesson for free.

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Personal Description:
Professional Guitar Tutor with over 30 years playing experience, Available in Motherwell, Bellshill, Hamilton, Airdrie, Coatbridge, Wishaw, Lanark and all the surrounding areas.All styles (although I play mainly Pop/Rock), all ages and ability levels taught. Examination preparation and coaching for RGT/Rockschool available.Member of the Musicians Union.
For Info re. RGT National Authority on Guitar Examinations and Playing simply click on the RGT Logo top right on this page.I also offer SQA help for Scottish Standard Grade Music Exams.

I teach both Electric & Acoustic Guitar(similar) .I can also teach Alto Sax at beginner level. Bass Guitar Lessons also offered.I can also bring along spare guitars for lessons.Bariton Ukulele also taught.

All Mel Bay books taught.Book 1 shown opposite right hand side on this page.I teach upto and including Mel Bay Book 7.All RGT & Rock School Course Books also taught.

Teaching Experience:
Over 30 years playing and teaching experience of both alto sax and guitar

Tutoring Approach:
Mel Bay, Rockschool & RGT .Use of backing tracks.
For Sax James Aebersold courses & Complete Sax Player books.

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Personal Description:
I am a Mathematics graduate from Cambridge University. Since 2009, I have been successfully tutoring Mathematics full-time to well over 300 pupils, with about 95% of my students achieving or surpassing their desired grades.
Before that, I worked in the IT industry, initially for a large corporation and then for an independent software house. I later formed my own company, specialising in developing applications for small- to medium-sized companies.
I study extensively to keep up to date with the latest mathematical ideas and educational trends. I ensure that I am familiar with the most recent syllabuses.
Outside work, my main interest is music, particularly singing. I belong to two choirs, one of which I am chairman.

Teaching Experience:
I teach exclusively one-to-one, as I believe that provides the best outcome for learning Mathematics. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I currently tutor exclusively online, using the applications Zoom for communication and bitpaper for whiteboard. I am available for home schooling: please contact me for rates.
My experience covers:
A-Level - Edexcel, AQA, OCR/OCR-MEI and Pre-U

Further Maths - Core Pure, FM1/2, FS1/2, FP1/2, D1/2

University entrance exams:

STEP
Oxford Maths Admissions Test
Advanced Extension Award

International Baccalaureate (IB) - Standard and Higher

Undergraduate topics - please inquire for details.

Tutoring Approach:
I believe in tailoring the teaching approach to each student's needs and individual learning style. For school children and university students, I discuss their aims with them - and with their parents, if required - to determine what topics need additional tuition and then to work out the appropriate programme. I advocate continuous assessment to measure the student's progress. Closer to exams, the pupils will work through focused papers. At this stage, strategic choices may be made to concentrate on the pupil's strengths.
My core teaching is for A levels. I have discovered that certain topics in the new syllabus often require extra explanation and practice. These are:
Pure: Logs, integration, and trigonometry
Statistics: Hypothesis testing
Mechanics: Forces and projectiles
For adults, I work with them to develop a personalised programme to enable them to achieve their goals. This may mean working towards a specific qualification they need.
I have great passion for and a deep knowledge of Mathematics. My aim is always to get my students to enjoy the subject. Most importantly, they are encouraged to gain confidence in their own abilities by building on what they feel comfortable with. I believe that the right teacher can undo wrong learning very quickly.
Although online currently, lessons would normally take place at the student's home, or at my home in Kingston, where I have a quiet study. Assignments and homework are an integral part of my teaching: there can be no improvement without practice.

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Personal Description:
I have been a full-time, specialist, one-to-one biology tutor for 34 years. I was based in Oxford, for 25 years and was widely regarded as 'Oxford's Premier Biology Tutor'. I have now moved away from Oxford to rural Devon and have been offering my services online only, nationally and worldwide, for the past nine years via the medium of Skype and 'Scribblar'. Scribblar is an interactive online whiteboard that is better than face-to-face tuition as there is zero travelling and waiting time and cost and it is more intimate and concentrated than 'in-person' tuition. I have taught online to 43 countries per date and can teach up to 55 hours per week. I have my own printed, illustrated notes for all sections of all the A-level specifications, plus the IB, and many of the GCSE specifications which I can e-mail in advance of tutorials as well as putting them up on Scribblar. I charge £80 per hour normally but offer a £10 per hour discount for tuition after 11 am and before 3 pm on weekdays.

Teaching Experience:
34 years (the last nine totally online) of one-to-one tuition in A-level, IB and GCSE biology.

Tutoring Approach:
Stick to the specification. Do ALL the past paper questions and go through them with the mark schemes. Take the exam. and get on with your life.

I like to work in a very methodical and structured fashion and not confuse effective work with hard work. The students who say at the end "yes, I learned biology - but, better still I learned how to study" are the ones with whom I know I have really succeeded.

Apart from an internet connection all that you need for tutorials is a thin A4 ring binder with a copy of the specification punched and put into the front and some coloured dividers in the back. If you are a retake student I ask you to highlight the specification (in yellow with solid highlighter if you are quite happy with the content; dotted highlighter if you are a bit unhappy with it and no highlighter if you have not done it or have forgotten it). This will tell me where to start and I can estimate to within an hour or so how many lessons will be needed to 'reteach' the syllabus.

I have board-specific, illustrated notes for all of the UK A-level specifications and IB, and for most of the GCSE specifications.
Effectively I have written a textbook for you and give you notes (to be filed in the coloured dividers) via e-mail and Scribblar (my interactive online whiteboard) to fill in any gaps in your knowledge. As I cover the specification I highlight my copy in pink so that I can monitor progress.

I have banks of past paper questions that I can e-mail to you that you can work through - these are specific to one exam. specification and contains not only the most recent AS/A2 papers and mark schemes but also the preceding many years of papers for that specification, chopped up into topic headings. So, for example, it will take an hour to 'cover' The Heart and then I'll give you the questions specifically on the heart on that board to do before the next tutorial. It is all very straightforward and actually rather less hard work than doing it in a slapdash, non-systematic fashion. The study skills that you will learn will stand you in good stead throughout life.

I can also advise on coursework/practicals.

Please note that I ONLY tutor online nowadays.

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Personal Description:
Zoom (online, highly recommended) sessions. All online sessions flat fee £30 per session for KS1 , KS2 and KS3 and £35 for A levels (sessions are nominally 50 minutes but usually lasts longer). I do a limited amount of free sessions for students with severe disabilities or families with very low income. I'm perfectly set up for remote sessions with two cameras, two screens and large bandwidth Internet connection. Screen interaction with students makes the session so much more effective and interactive and it's of course a face to face meeting. Experienced, qualified professional with excellent tuition skills in Mathematics. Very good interpersonal and relationship skills and a good sense of humour. Dedicated and enthusiastic. Achieving high success rates on a regular basis. Gentle but firm support to younger students at KS1 or KS2. Great help offered if you are at low and very low GCSE Foundation level. Great support for GCSE Higher Tiers and A levels Mathematics. Training for Entrance exams: 11+, 13+, SET. Old style and new style 9-1 Math GCSE and IGCSE. Cambridge style IGCSE. Functional Skills Maths. Trained in dealing with Special Needs students. Above all, most of my students grow CONFIDENT in themselves !

Teaching Experience:
Private tuition 1990 to present :
Mathematics for Primary and Secondary school levels in Crawley, Horley and adjacent areas.
Mathematics School teaching - part of PGCE training in Secondary Mathematics, Brunel University : schools in Crawley and London - 2001 to 2002 : have taught Mathematics Key Stages 1 to 4 in Kingston, London and St. Wilfrid's in Crawley on a part time basis.
Member of Surrey and West Sussex SATRO, Neighborhood Engineers : Variety of schools - Crawley - 2001 to 2002
Part time Private Tutor for Mathematics and Physics in Bucharest, Romania : All levels up to the European Baccalaureate stage.

Tutoring Approach:
I would like my students to understand the logic behind mathematical applications and not just memorise the mechanics of solving exercises. I aim to make Mathematics something interesting, intriguing, useful, challenging and fun. I aim to enable the students to develop a useful tool for them to use throughout their life. My lessons are planned and structured based on the National Curriculum and the respective key stage requirements.
I keep a weekly progress sheet for each student using a rating score to monitor progress and proficiency.

I am fully familiar and working with the following:

National curriculum in England: framework for key stages 1 to 4
National curriculum in England: complete framework for key stages 1 to 4 - for teaching from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016
National curriculum in England: complete framework for key stages 1 to 4 - for teaching from September 2016

Also with the following:

National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study
National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study - key stages 1 and 2
National curriculum in England: mathematics programme of study - key stage 3
National curriculum in England: mathematics programme of study - key stage 4

Working with material from most examination boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR

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Personal Description:
I am a 48 year old male Psychology teacher, I have been teaching for 17 years and I love it. I am friendly and approachable but more importantly patient. I appreciate that A Levels can be difficult and that sometimes a little bit of support and extra guidance is required in order to maximise our potential. If you are struggling to keep up with the fast pace of psychology, having difficulty interpreting examination questions, struggling to write those longer essays, and want to achieve the best possible grade in your examinations, then let me help you. My motto is 'There is no such thing as a stupid question, if you don't get it, ask'.

Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching Psychology for 17 years. I have taught in both schools and standalone sixth form colleges. I have been an assistant Head of Department for a very large Psychology Department and I have also been a Head of Department in a school. My Psychology students have achieved marks well above the national standard. I am also an examiner for AQA Psychology. This has given me expert knowledge of exactly how to interpret and answer questions in order to gain full marks. I have taught AS, A2 and GCSE Psychology for AQA, aswell as AS for OCR.

Tutoring Approach:
I have an exam question orientated approach as being able to interpret questions is vital. If you don't know what they are asking of you, how can you answer it properly? We will take your class notes and use them to construct the perfect exam answers. I will set you work to complete, which I will then mark and provide you with constructive feedback at the start of each session. In addition to you own notes I can supply you with new resources, workbooks and revision packs.

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Personal Description:
Hello everyone,

I am an Oxford-based highly educated university lecturer from Kyiv, Ukraine with more than 15 years of experience in Civil Engineering. Would be happy to help you with Earth Sciences/Geotechnical Engineering as well as the Russian/ Ukrainian language.

Teaching Experience:
Have got more than 10 years of university lecturing in higher institutions as well as international experience at UCL and University of Michigan.

Tutoring Approach:
One to one tutoring

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Personal Description:
I currently work as a Lead Practitioner of maths in a large comprehensive school in Gravesend, having previously taught in a grammar school for a number of years. I'm a highly successul teacher having been fast-tracked to middle leadership qualifications and have also completed a Masters in Expert Teaching.

Outside of teaching I run a charity that helps boost educational and employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged students in the local area, and am involved in working with a number of other local organisations also.

Teaching Experience:
4 years in a grammar school
Placement in a special educational needs school
Currently work in a secondary comprehensive
Lead Practitioner of Maths
Achieved National Professional Qualification of Middle Leadership with full marks
Masters in Expert Teaching

Tutoring Approach:
I have a deep understanding of what make effective teaching and have been training and mentoring teachers for over 4 years to demonstrate this. My teaching style is built around helping students understand fundamentals, correcting misconceptions quickly, and reguarly revisiting knowledge so that it is embedded.

Subjects

Personal Description:
PLEASE SEE 'TUTORING EXPERIENCE' BELOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THIS PAGE, THE RESULTS AND FEEDBACK

I am an Oxford graduate (English language and literature, first class), as well as a qualified English teacher, and have been tutoring since 2013. My specialism is A-level English literature.

Please get in touch for online English tuition, particularly if you are or your child is

• Preparing to take A-levels in 2026/27
• Doing coursework
• Working on the basis of continuous assessment, mocks, etc.
• Or planning to do / doing an English degree

I graduated from the University of Oxford with a double first in English language and literature, winning the prize for the best performance in English finals at Mansfield College, and the college essay prize. At school, I was awarded eleven GCSEs at A-star and three A-levels at A.

As well as tutoring, I have worked as a researcher, a copywriter, and a proofreader. I have also completed a PGCE in secondary English at the UCL Institute of Education, the highest-ranking college of education in the world ('QS World University Rankings'), during which I taught all age groups at two west London secondary schools, and received A's for my master's-level assignments. I am currently pursuing a PhD in English literature at the University of Buckingham.

As well as English tuition at any level, I can help you or your child with the following:

• Oxbridge entrance (the admissions process, practice interviews, the ELAT, etc.)
• Essay surgery - how to structure and write an essay
• How to revise - note-taking, organisation, making connections, committing to memory
• Grammar, punctuation, and style (a.k.a. 'usage and abusage')
• Speech-writing and public speaking
• Proofreading and redrafting essays
• Suggested reading and resources, including access to my library of 'TES' resources
• Creative writing
• How to annotate, analyse (and enjoy) English literature - sometimes known as 'close reading' or 'practical criticism'
• If you'd specifically like written feedback on your writing - more like a correspondence course - then I can also provide that.

In my spare time I enjoy cycling, writing, and photography.

Teaching Experience:
I have been tutoring since 2013, teaching English at all levels (including degree level), as well as A-level religious studies and classical civilisation. I have taught AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas, and CAIE (Cambridge International), and am constantly familiarising myself with the new texts that my students are studying. I have experience helping students who have autism and ADHD. And I am interested in the role of generative AI and large language models in education, not to write students' essays for them, but as research assistants for students and teachers alike. It is of course important that students do not get the likes of ChatGPT to write their essays for them, among other reasons because they will not be able to do so in the exams. Tutoring is well placed to discourage this, since it has always been my practice to ask my students many questions about every essay they write.

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A student, June 2025: 'thank you very much for all the sessions! It has not only boosted my confidence in English literature but they really reminded me of how much I love the subject. It's always a pleasure to discuss nuance readings of the texts, and it has been a great help leading up to my exams.'

Charlotte, a parent, June 2025: 'Thank you so much for all your help and support for [L.]. We are so grateful for everything you have done with him and wish you all the best.'

Ann, a parent, June 2025: '[Z.] has thoroughly enjoyed her lessons with you and has gained so much from your guidance. We're very grateful for all the support you've given her.'

A parent, May 2025: 'Thank you so much again for everything you've done to help [G.] prepare for these exams - he has really enjoyed his sessions with you and he and we really appreciate your support'.

A parent, May 2025: '[N.] just received the below. It's an A* if the grade boundaries is same as last year. She couldn't have done it without your help. We really appreciate it.'

A parent, February 2025: '[S.] is really enjoying studying with you and has gained a lot of confidence in English. I truly appreciate the effort and dedication you put into teaching.'

A student, January 2025: 'thank you ever so much for your kindness and creative encouragement the past months. What is very special about you as a tutor is that you have never told me "what to write". Instead, you have asked me questions about my work that have led me to discover what I truly wish to write'.

Kate, a parent, December 2024: 'We're so pleased [G.] is enjoying his sessions and seems to be really motivated to read widely in between sessions, is making useful structured notes (which he didn't do before) and his confidence and awareness of what he needs to do when essay writing is really building. Thank you!!!'

Eleni, a parent, December 2024: 'I just wanted to let you know that [D.] received an offer […] today! She is super happy! […] I wanted to thank you again as [D.] found your sessions incredibly helpful and inceased her confidence during the exams process.'

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A-level results, August 2024:

'I wanted to write to say a huge thank you to you for all the help, support and inspiration you have given [E.] over the past year. You have not only given her the technical advice and support to help her make the most of her essays and exams, but more importantly you have helped her keep the love of the subject alive. I know a big part of the reason she is so excited to study English at university is because of how much she has enjoyed your conversations, and how you have helped her to consider texts in a way that the rather narrower scope of teaching at school does not allow. I am so very grateful to you and I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into her sessions - thank you so very much. […] You've been so great, and any other student/parent would be lucky to have access to your teaching.'

'I have just opened my results and am happy to confirm that I am off to Bristol this September with an A* in English! I just want to thank you again for making this possible.'

'I got an A in English, and will be going to Exeter, so mission accomplished. I wanted to thank you for all your help, not only for helping me to get what I needed, but for giving me back my confidence and enjoyment of the subject in the process.'

'Just to let you know [I.] got her results this morning and achieved an 'A' in English. We are over the moon […] Thank you again for all your help with the English, it's much appreciated.'

'thanks for your help this past academic year! Got two A*s in English and Philosophy'.

'I got a B and I was accepted into my firm university (Durham) which I am very happy! Thank you for all your help and support.'

'I was really happy to receive […] A in English Literature […] I secured a placed at my firm university. I will be studying English Literature at Durham University this September and I am very excited! Thank you so much for all of your support, I really appreciate it!'

'i got into Warwick with […] an A* in English!!!!! I am very happy :) Thank you for all your hard work, wisdom and wit over the last year or two'.

'Thank you so much for all your coaching and advice that you shared with [L.], it made such a difference to his confidence leading up to his exams. He is (as are we) delighted with his English result.'

'an A awarded in English […] so she is off to her first choice of Edinburgh University to study History of Art and English Literature.'

'Results day went well and I'm going to the university of Kent. Thank you so much again for all the time spent helping me to prepare for my exams it means a lot I'm very excited to continue my English literature journey.'

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A student, June 2024: 'Thank you so much for being the most amazing English teacher! It has been an immensely rewarding and interesting journey exploring so many books […] I have learnt so much from GCSEs to continuing with more amazing literatures in A-levels'

A student, June 2024: 'I […] wanted to say thank you for the tremendous help you have provided with the English content throughout the A level period. The resources that you provided for me were quite helpful in refining my knowledge in many areas of the syllabus so thank you very much.'

A student, May 2024: 'I've just received the results for my english coursework and wanted to thank you for all the help and feedback!!'

A parent, February 2024: 'your help has kept her love of the subject and her enthusiasm alive and I can't thank you enough for that.'

A parent, February 2024: 'You were such a huge help to [S.], we will always be very grateful to you.'

Kath, a parent, February 2024: 'We would both like to thank you for all your invaluable help, especially all the helpful feedback on the coursework essay. [S.] has definitely learnt a lot and grown in confidence, especially in her knowledge of Twelfth Night.'

A student, January 2024: 'I just wanted to let you know that I got an offer from Oxford! Thank you so much for checking over my personal statement and all the help that you have given me since GCSEs. I really enjoy our sessions every week, the discussions keep me constantly creative and thinking.'

A parent, January 2024: 'Thank you as always for all your continued help and support for [E.]. I know she gets a tremendous amount from your sessions and I'm very grateful.'

A student, January 2024: 'Just emailing to let you know I did get an offer from […] Cambridge yesterday so thank you so much for all your help! It is really appreciated and I'm really looking forward to starting my degree in October!'

A student, December 2023: 'So thank you so much again for all your help; your insights have been very useful and I have really enjoyed talking about literature with you.'

Tara, a parent, November 2023: 'you are really helping [R.], he is becoming much more confident. Thank you so much'.

Paula, a parent, November 2023: '[M.] is always delighted with your teaching. You are asking questions no one else does. My husband and I see her grow academically after every session with you.'

Liz, a parent, October 2023: 'Thank you so much for all the work you have done with, and the kindness you have shown, [E.] to date. She really enjoys her sessions with you, and you've helped keep her enthusiasm for English very much alive. I'm so grateful.'

Kim, a parent, August 2023: 'I cannot tell you how happy we all were and your help was clearly instrumental in that. Not sure if he told you but he got 12 points above an A* and it was his best A level result!'

A student, August 2023: 'I really enjoyed our lessons and think it has really helped prepare me for the Oxford style tutorials.'

A student, August 2023: 'wanted to let you know I ended up getting an A* in English, thanks so much for all the help!'

Mark, a parent, June 2023: 'Many thanks josh for your help this year. [E.] has said to me it has really helped, you started assisting her at a time when she felt behind her class mates for the whole of the first year, having switched to English half way through term one.'

Melanie, a parent, June 2023: 'Thank you so much for all your time and effort with [T.]'s English literature. She really enjoyed your sessions together and it really boosted her confidence and inspired her to think more deeply and critically about the texts. It also confirmed that she is happy and excited to study a literature based course at degree level.'

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A-level results, August/September 2022:

'[L.] came home from university yesterday to attend her school prize giving ceremony, and this morning as she was leaving she asked me to let you know that she won a special prize in English […] Until last night, she wasn't aware of any of her awards, apart from her scholarship, so it was all a lovely surprise. Furthermore, the essays she wrote in her A level English exams have somehow found their way into her teachers' hands; they told her, with beams of pride , that the three marks dropped overall were actually in her *non exam* assessment, so 30/30 in all questions across all papers under exam conditions, something she had never achieved before. She had admitted to me in the aftermath of the exams that when she was writing her English papers she had really enjoyed the process, her thoughts flowing pretty effortlessly on to the paper. But she had also worried this stream of ideas might not be fit with the mark schemes. […] she […] wanted you to know about her prize, as she thought you'd be pleased, and she also wanted to say thanks one last time for your inspirational teaching that led to it.'

'I got AAA* for my results much higher than my predicted! particularly for english'.

'[G.] got an A star in English. And is off to Oxford. […] Thanks so much for everything - you were honestly amazing and really helped her get there'.

'[L.] got 3 a stars and an A star as well in her EPQ. Her highest marks were in English Literature ( 197/200)'.

'I achieved 4A*s in my Alevels - one being in English Literature. My teachers also let me know that I got full marks in both the exam papers'.

'[T.] smashed English Literature, A* […] she is absolutely over the moon . Thank you so much for all the work you put in with her !'

'I got a D[distinction]2!!! […] I got full marks on my PI!'

'I got an A* in English!!! Thank you so much for all of your help I wouldn't have been able to do it without you!'

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A student, January 2023: 'Just wanted to let you know I got an offer from Cambridge, thank you so so much for all your help.' And Kathryn: 'You were such a great help to [E.] in her preparation for the Cambridge application and interview and we were all delighted when she was offered a place this week. Thank you for all the support you gave her.'

Shaun, a parent, January 2023: '[E.] has found the sessions really very helpful (and has enjoyed them!)'

Guifang, a parent, December 2022: 'From what I hear from [S.], she really enjoys her discussions with you, it's really one of the highlights of her week.'

A student, November 2022: 'I'm extremely happy to tell you that I received an 8.3 for the literary review […] Thank you for explaining to me what a literary review is […] I remember whilst working on it I was so worried about my grade, but it appears I've survived.'

Deborah, a parent, September 2022: 'a huge thanks again to you for all your work with [S.]. I know he has been in touch to let you know that he got 9s in both English Language and Literature. He was over the moon - well beyond his best hopes, so thank you again for being instrumental in helping him attain those grades.'

Karen, a parent, August 2022: 'Both my girls really like your way of teaching and talking to them, they feel really listened to and respected for their opinions (as well as respecting yours obviously), so thank you :)'

Helen, a parent, July 2022: 'Thanks so much for all the help you gave [J.], he really benefitted from the sessions he had with you.'

Tara, a parent, June 2022: 'Thank you so much for all your help and patience - I think you have been brilliant for her confidence. She found English exams really very difficult before she started talking to you and it's amazing to see how much calmer (relatively speaking!) she has been going in to her A level English papers. Whatever the result, her sessions with you have definitely helped her to enjoy English again and I'm really grateful.'

A student, June 2022: 'This is incredibly insightful and thought provoking feedback. Thank you so much.'

Mei, a parent, June 2022: 'She found your lessons very helpful and always remarked to me how much you went the extra mile for her ; looking up and sending on links to whatever you'd been discussing. Much appreciated!'

Marguerite, a parent, June 2022: 'Thank you so much for all you've done for [T.] in the past year . […] you are a very talented teacher.'

Monica, a parent, June 2022: 'You have been an absolutely wonderful tutor to [L.], and how time has flown since she first met you! […] Many a time she has needed someone to talk to, not so much about AO1-5, but rather about the beauty and burden of literature and life. You have always been willing to do that, and she is richer for it.'

A student, June 2022: 'Thank you for teaching me for the last year; I have enjoyed our lessons and I feel I have grown as an English student, with thanks to your teaching.'

A student, April 2022: 'I received an 8 for my essay!! I want to thank you for your tutoring on Keats and Wordsworth- I wouldn't have gotten such a grade without it!! […] I learned tons because of you.'

Ngozi, a parent, March 2022: 'Thanks for everything that you're doing for [G.] - it has been very helpful.'

A student, February 2022: 'Really, thanks so much. Was such a good and efficient service. Your feedback looks really good and I'm going to implement it today. […] Thanks again for doing this on such short notice'.

Deborah, a parent, October 2021: '[S.] said you make it really fun - he said at school his energy goes down in English lessons and with you it goes up! So that is praise indeed from a teenage boy!'

A student, August 2021: 'I got the A grade ! I'm so pleased, thank you for all the help and the essays really paid off :).'

Monica, a parent, July 2021: 'As would be expected from his first class qualifications, Josh is extremely intelligent. However, in my opinion, he has a a very particular advantage over others of a similar academic background, namely his ability to exhibit an authentic interest in the ideas his students express. He is always kind and encouraging, but without sacrificing rigour; this approach has had a hugely positive impact on my daughter when speaking, writing and reading. Furthermore, Josh has introduced her to a range of authors, poets , films and philosophical thought, thus enriching her far beyond the school curriculum. In the future, my daughter will undoubtedly look back on her time with Josh with both fondness and gratitude. I have no hesitation in recommending Josh as a tutor'.

Guifang, a parent, July 2021: 'I have know Joshua for 2 months and He has been supporting my daughter excellently through her GCSE courses, helping her to achieve a 9 in predicted grades. From this, Joshua has always been very serious with the work, needless to say, always punctual and gives detailed homework feedback. I know him to be a wonderful tutor to my daughter.'

Susan, a parent, May 2021: '[T]hank you so much for all your help with [N.] […] [N.] found your lessons extremely helpful which enabled her to enjoy and understand English in a greater depth […] it was excellent tuition . Thank you'.

Jamal, a parent, May 2021: 'Thank you Josh for all your efforts, you have greatly assisted [S.] in better understanding English Literature as whole.'

Zahed, a parent, May 2021: 'We are grateful for all your help and support. We are in no doubt that [A.] has improved a lot in English Literature under your guidance.'

A student, May 2021: 'I just got my coursework back and got an A in it. Just thought i should let you know thanks you!'

Margaret, a parent, March 2021: 'Thanks for helping [M.] to improve her English understanding. She really enjoys her lessons and chats!'

Chris, a parent, March 2021: '[R.] is benefiting immensely from your lessons and is definitely getting more confident in expressing his thoughts in writing! Thank you.'

Amanda, a parent, December 2020: 'Josh has really helped join the dots, encouraged a depth of questioning and ways to interpret and compare ideas, extracting and bringing fresh meaning to narrative styles and creative use of language. Josh has been a great support and steered [R.]'s confidence to look more thoroughly and develop a greater understanding all round. Josh has a kind, approachable style and encouraged [R.] with debating aloud and suggestions for further reading which all continue to be an invaluable help and inspire greater confidence in approaching exams and further reading in future!'

A student, December 2020: 'He helps focus my understanding and makes sure i understand the topic we are learning before moving on. Josh will make sure to ask you questions throughout the process and is always ready for your ideas even if you think it's wrong. He will set homework but makes sure to switch it up each week to make it more interesting and gives his feedback to help me understand what i need to do to improve.'

Diana, a parent, September 2020: 'Josh worked with my daughter for her A Level in English Literature. He was outstanding with his ideas and expanding her critical thinking. He went above and beyond to develop her analytical skills and as a result helped her obtain an A*. He is an absolutely lovely, gentle but dynamic and reliable tutor who has a rare ability combine his academic achievement with a natural talent for teaching. A real gem and we cannot thank him enough.'

A parent, September 2020: 'Joshua is an excellent tutor with great communication skills . He is very patient , helpful , approachable and takes time to explain everything clearly to my daughter . Joshua has been able to breakdown and explain in full detail all aspects of the A Level content.'

A student, June 2020: 'it's been great being taught by you, I've learned so many critical thinking skills in such a short space of time.'

A parent, March 2020: 'I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for her - you've been the best English teacher she's ever had and she has loved her time with you.'

*

During my teacher training, I taught all age groups at two west London secondary schools.

While at Oxford, I was part of an 'e-mentoring' scheme to help candidates from schools without a history of Oxbridge applications.

At Christ College, Brecon, I ran two series of seminars, for sixth-formers studying RS and English literature. In English we covered 'The Tempest', Gothic literature, Pat Barker's 'Regeneration', 'Jane Eyre', Wilfred Owen, and 'The Canterbury Tales'.

Tutoring Approach:
I try to combine three things that I want my students to do, which are three forms of thinking: speak about complex ideas, read high-quality material, and write essays for which they will receive detailed feedback. For obvious reasons, lessons are weighted to speaking, and homework to reading and writing.

Speaking

Pedagogy's holy grail is measuring progress, which is difficult in a classroom and impossible in a lecture. Happily, the tutorial system allows this to occur continuously and efficiently via dialogue. Can a student re-express an idea they have heard or read in their own words? If the answer is yes, they have probably understood the idea. Hence the constant questions!

As well as understanding the ideas of others, speaking is essential for students to develop their own. I love the quotation from the novelist E. M. Forster, 'How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?' We improve the quality of our ideas through the process of articulating them.

For my part, quite a lot of what I say is explaining what texts mean. This might sound obvious, but great works of literature are complex, so, to understand their meaning, one's own interpretation probably needs the support of others' prior interpretations.

I sometimes like to break the question of a text's meaning into two: What's it about? And what's it really about? Answering the first question is comprehension, a necessary first step. To answer the second question is to understand. In 'A Streetcar Named Desire', for example, Blanche goes to live with her sister in New Orleans. She expresses a strong dislike of her surroundings and is frequently associated with images of water. She declines mentally and is eventually taken away. So what's the play really about? Blanche is a Romantic idealist who is disappointed with her life but still tends to imagine things in their perfect form. The play is about the human soul conceiving of things being as good as they could be (as if cleansed by water), reaching for the conception, and failing to grasp it - shuttling back and forth, in other words, on the streetcar named desire.

One thing I frequently encourage is making the link between those oft-cited elements of a good essay, themes and quotations. These are not unrelated ingredients, they are the text itself viewed from different distances. A theme (the desire to be cleansed) is a wide shot, and a quotation ('the land of the sky blue water') is a close-up. So the student of English has to practise their ability to zoom in and out.

Another way I try to support my students' studies is by making connections between the texts they are reading, which in my experience doesn't happen that much at school. Particularly at A-level, there are often many fruitful connections between the half-dozen or so texts being studied: the Romantics were devoted to Shakespeare and Milton, the Gothic is an aspect of the Romantic, the Aesthetic Movement drew on particular strains of Romanticism, etc. When these connections get made with reference to particular writers, they are no longer just isms. They make the material deeper and easier to understand at the same time. Towards the end of their school careers, students of the humanities should be able to get the sense of taking part in 'the Great Conversation that began in the dawn of history and that continues to the present day' (Robert M. Hutchins).

Reading

I regularly give my students PDFs of high-quality secondary material pitched at their level or just above it. Explanatory notes, commentaries, and essays can help with understanding, particularly when it comes to context. (And all exam boards have assessment objectives relating to historical context.) To know that a text was written during a particular period and what characterised that period is to have a mental scaffold that does not limit movement but frees it. In studying the humanities we are studying human culture, and no one can do that without a bit of structure. It also helps when thinking about texts in relation to each other - when writing a comparative essay, for example. I like to think of honing in from context to text, e.g. Romanticism (late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries) > William Blake (1757-1827) > 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience' (1794) > 'The Tyger'. (What's 'The Tyger' about? There's a question!)

In my experience, knowledge acquisition operates according to the Matthew principle, named after a verse in the Gospel of Matthew: 'unto every one that hath shall be given'. In other words, the more you've got, the more you'll get. Every time you learn something about Romanticism, the greater will be your understanding of the poetry of William Blake. Your internal bookshelves expand - more connections, greater understanding. Reading secondary material is obviously 'extra', but it works to enhance students' understanding of set texts rather than crowd them out. Homer Simpson said, 'every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain', and we laugh because it's not true. You can't fill up a brain, so the cliché about people's (particularly young people's) limitless potential is true. Every time you learn something new, you enrich your contextual understanding of everything else you have ever learnt. '[E]very moment is a new and shocking / Valuation of all we have been', as T. S. Eliot put it in 'East Coker'.

Writing

Speaking and reading are in a concrete way preparation for writing. If you think and make notes while speaking and reading, by the time it comes to writing an essay, the question should not be about what to say, but how to arrange the things you want to say. So annotation is an important skill. It's a bit like getting 'in the zone' for a sportsperson - students must practise getting there and staying there. I model the annotation process something like this:

Read with a pencil in your hand. What makes you underline? Something fires in your brain, so that you have a response - you spot a developing theme, you're reminded of another book, you agree or disagree, there's a word you don't know and need to look up, you like the way a sentence sounds. It could be anything. Read until you've underlined twenty words or sentences. Work out the three or four connections between the things you have to say, and you've got a paragraph plan. Work out the main thing you have to say, and you have a thesis for your essay, which, as you aim your paragraphs at it, will accumulate force.

A lot of learning (and life) is about noticing connections, so getting into the habit of doing so is something like learning how to learn. If a student has developed this habit, they shouldn't really have to think 'What shall I write?' in front of a blank sheet of paper or screen. The content of the essay will be a sort of emanation of prior thinking.

When it comes to giving students feedback, I keep in mind one of the best incites I heard early in my PGCE: attend to your students' writing as you would a piece of literature. This way, the marking progress becomes analogous to the writing process. What are all the things that could make this essay better? And is there a connection between them, i.e. what's the main thing this student needs to focus on? (I usually give feedback using comments and 'track changes' in Microsoft Word.)

Why study English?

It has been said that 'If you can think, and speak, and write, you are absolutely deadly', and I think that's right. Learning how to construct and articulate good arguments is learning how to impose ideas on the world. To the extent that English is about feelings, it is about their articulation, and there is a great deal to learn about how feelings have been and can be articulated. Moreover, because English is the medium of instruction in all other subjects, command of it confers a freedom to range through the history of ideas and discriminate between reliable and unreliable, including online. Language is a prerequisite for thought - doing English properly is learning how to think better.

Subjects

Personal Description:
I have taught Mathematics and Statistics at Advanced, Foundation and University levels to students in the FE and HE sector.
At the Advanced level, I have tutored students studying for AS, A2, IB exams under various boards (OCR, CIE, Edexcel, AQA, MAT/STEP, GRE). Topics covered have been in Core Maths, Further Maths and Statistics.
My pupils include those requiring help with boosting their 'foundation level' maths for degree entry, to those taking maths modules for their HE/degree qualification.

Teaching Experience:
I have 6 years experience .

Tutoring Approach:
My approach is to be a `guide` to my students, helping them to learn maths using their own thinking, thus making sessions a shared learning experience. I encourage my students to set their own 'agenda', ask questions and work with them to improve their confidence and ability.

Subjects

Personal Description:
Hello there. My name is Kana. I am a person who found my passion to teaching the young kids not only their subject to score in their exam but also to have some attitude to score in their life as well.

Teaching Experience:
I am a Chemical Engineering graduate who is currently teaching for the past 6 years in an international school. I have the patience and ability to teach in a way that you will learn by understanding the subject and loving it.

Tutoring Approach:
I use daily life examples to most concepts that it is logical for you to apply the knowledge elsewhere or to understand the concepts better.

Subjects

Personal Description:
Hi! I'm Rayyan- a second year architecture student at Cardiff University. As I did my A Levels and GCSEs in different schools, I am familiar with AQA and Edexcel exam boards. I am passionate when it comes to teaching as it is something I believe is rewarding to both the student and the tutor. It has instilled patience and communication within me among other qualities necessary for the role and I am looking forward to passing knowledge onwards!

Teaching Experience:
I used to tutor GCSE and A Level students at my college to prepare them for their maths assessments from which they benefitted a lot in the lead-up to their examinations.

I also used to be a liaison for 2 years working with year 8-9 kids in a classroom environment. My job was to guide and teach them, on a collective and individual scale, revision techniques, exam preparation and carry out weekly activities with the class in order to provoke thoughts for their futures and improve their teamwork, communication and academic skills.

Tutoring Approach:
Teaching method (open to be altered according to the student, however my default teaching method is as follows):
- Short walkthrough of the module topic with QnA throughout to ensure the topic is understood
- Exploring and answering example questions together
- Exam questions for the student to attempt and walk through the answer together (we go through questions until the student is comfortable with the topic and is able to move on)

Subjects