Upper Gravenhurst Tutors and Upper Gravenhurst Tuition

Personal Description:
Hello. I am a fully qualified teacher with experience across the whole of the primary curriculum, including special needs and teaching for SATS tests . I continually update my teaching, mainly through the National Education Union online training sessions. I have had great results tutoring children extensively on a 1-2-1 basis for SATS and the 11+ entrance exam, plus have experience teaching adult literacy and English as a Foreign Language. I aim to motivate both children and adults who find reading and writing challenging, building both confidence and skills. Practical strategies and numeracy games are used to assist children to gain improved competence in mathematics. Assessment is used to inform my teaching in order to make efficient use of the tutoring time.
I enjoy running, Pilates, reading and volunteer for charity, including as a volunteer youth-worker with children and young people.

Teaching Experience:
Currently. I teach English to and host visiting international teenage students. Recently I volunteered as a tutor for the Catch Up Programme, Year 5 and 6 Literacy SATs, online with the charity Action Tutoring.
I am experienced in administering and marking voluntary SATs papers.
I have over twenty years of experience teaching in UK primary schools as a full time classroom teacher and as a supply teacher.
I was a special needs teacher in a public school for one year with individuals and small groups.
I have volunteered as an adult literacy tutor and taught Pilates to adults.

Tutoring Approach:
I have a patient, understanding approach to tutoring. Tasks are broken into small, achievable steps. Praise and encouragement are used to build self esteem and motivate learners. Your child will be encouraged to enjoy learning and to gain independent learning strategies.

Subjects

Personal Description:
I am a PhD mathematician, with a special interest in applied mathematics and statistics. I worked for some years in University departments as a tutor and then lecturer. More recently I have worked for almost two decades in industry as a mathematician at a prestigious research centre in Cambridge. I am familiar with many aspects of secondary education through my children who both completed their A levels at Hills Road 6th form college. My son has just begun reading Economics at London School of Economics while my daughter obtained a first class honours degree from Oriel College Oxford.
I have succesfully tutored a large number of A level students in both Mathematics and Physics from a wide variety of Sixth form colleges in the Cambridge area. I also teach International studnets who wish to gain entry to the UK University system.
My approach is interactive and encourages the student not to underestiante thier own ability. My experience is that many students are more talenetd in Mathematics than they realise themselves; the key is to gain the confidence to grow and develop to achive your goals.

Teaching Experience:
I have taught Mathematics and Physics, to A level students from a wide variety of Sixth form Colleges in the Cambridge area. I have also taught International students from many different countries but especially China. I also have particular experience of teaching Mathematics to people whose primary interests lie in Business studies and in Engineering. I also gained valuable insight into adult education when I taught adult part-time students.
I have also provided tutorials for students with many different requirements including A level and undergraduate Physics & Mathematics courses and, for example, GMAT Mathematics prep for MBA entrance exams.
I am self-employed as a private tutor and employed as a University Foundation tutor in Mathematics and Statistics at Cambridge Regional College and previously at Bell School Cambridge.

Tutoring Approach:
The details of the correct approach vary from one tutee to another, but the principles remain the same. I seek to establish the student's ability within the context of a given aim and to then set realistic objectives.
I think that most students have more mathematical ability than they themselves believe; this can be brought out in a positive fashion once negative stereotypes are discarded. Also the application of mathematics to the real world can be exciting and profitable.

Parental Comment
Hi Brian,

I hope you're enjoying the Summer break.

I just wanted to let you know that Kalen has a A* for maths and an A for further Maths. He's very pleased with this and on behalf of him I'd like to say thank you so much for all your help.

Overall he got A*A*AAB and is off to Warwick to do a general engineering course.

Thanks again Brian,

Suneela


STUDENT COMMENTS
August 2018

Dear Brian,
I have just received my results and wanted to let you know that I have an A* in A level maths !!!! I am very happy thank you for all your support and help I couldn't have done it without you!

Kind regards,
Alice B :-)
September 2018 (from Durham University student)
Hi Brian,
I just thought I would let you know, that with your help, I went from a 30 to an 85 in my retake. Thank you so much for all your help.
Kind regards,
Jake

Dear Brian. I found our tutorials very helpful and feel much more able to hit the ground running when I return to Oxford. I will be sure to recommend you to anyone else I know in need of tuition.
Peter N, returning undergraduate.

Brian helped me to revise my university maths before starting an MSc course 10 years after completing my undergraduate degree. He was patient, non-judgmental of my rusty abilities, and gave useful examples of mathematical problems to help explain some very difficult concepts. He is very reliable and a pleasure to work with. I would have no problem recommending Brian to others and would certainly see him again for further tuition should the need arise.
David C, returning graduate student

Another parent comment
Brian is helping my daughter who attends Hills Road with both physics and maths and she has just had her fifth session. This is the first time with have engaged with a personal tutor so really wasn't sure what we were doing and started out with some trepidation. We soon were able to ensure that the hour we spent with Brian was really productive and useful. Brian has been really helpful and and this has increased my daughters confidence and knowledge which is exactly what we were hoping for.

New student comments
I'm just emailing to tell you that my physics unit 2 exam went quite well. There were only a few small questions that I couldn't answer. I will tell you my result when I get them on the 14th of August. I must thank you for helping me over the past few months. I really have no clue how badly these exams would have gone if you did not help me. Thank you so much for your help.
Calum M AS Physics student.

Subjects

Personal Description:
A result oriented tutor who immediately creates raport with tutees. Encouraging and helps the student build a high self esteem and confidence in themselves.

Teaching Experience:
I have taught science in the main stream schools for over 30 years, but have offered private tuition for 20 years.

Tutoring Approach:
I use past exam papers for students who are preparing for final exams. For non-exam students I use activities and questions

Subjects

Personal Description:
I am a physicist living in Marsden and teaching at the University of Manchester two days a week. My research expertise is in quantum field theory, but I teach all the core maths and physics topics for first and second year undergraduates. Teaching and sharing understanding has always been the part of my work that is most important to me. One of my favourite things is seeing the penny drop for people when they start to become familiar with new ideas, and the pleasure and self-confidence this can bring them.

Teaching Experience:
25 years experience of successful tutoring in mathematics and physics at A-level and degree level, including work at Huddersfield New College and Manchester University.

Tutoring Approach:
Friendly and professional, with full attention to the syllabus and to the concerns and interests of each of my students. I enjoy helping people to get the hang of ideas and methods, uncovering their strengths and finding the approach that works for them. I see A-level maths and physics as an opportunity to encounter some genuinely fascinating ideas and insights, as well as developing core skills.

Alternatively, you may be looking for a calm, efficient way to prepare for undergraduate end-of-year exams or re-sits, or you may just want to learn calculus or climatology or cosmology for fun or to explore some of the universal principles of the physical world for your own curiosity, such as relativity or quantum physics.

I can visit tutees at their homes, up to around ten miles from Marsden, or I can provide a suitable space at my home, quiet and free from distraction.

Online tutorials are also available using Zoom, with work marked by email.

Subjects

Personal Description:
Hi there!

I am an experienced online Maths, Physics, Chemistry tutor, founder of two internet startups, graduate of Chemical Physics for a Master's degree at the University of Edinburgh (Honours + Edinburgh Award). Besides the fact that I have got 100% in Maths, Physics and 98% in Chemistry exams, I have also received many awards in scientific competitions as well as a Silver medal in the International Science Olympiad. With more than 1700 hours experience in SQA, OCR, AQA, Edexcel GCSE, A-Level and National 5, enhanced DBS and PVG checks, I can provide modern, professional and flexible online tutoring.

In my experience, online tutoring is as effective as in person, with the added flexibility that your busy schedule demands. It allows you to access the best tutors in the field nationwide instead of relying on local supply. I offer personalised lessons, more than just tutoring. I assess student's needs, accordingly customise study resources, teach the student, provide homework and send feedback after each lesson.

Why don't we have a trial online lesson and we would see how it goes? Most of my students, who agree to try it, continue having online lessons and you can find their reviews on my profile. If you are interested in my tuition, do not hesitate to contact me and we will arrange a lesson at a time that is the most suitable for you.

Here is some more information about me:

When did you start tutoring?
I have started tutoring one of my classmates while I was still in secondary school. It was a rewarding experience and it is quite interesting to go back to those times and compare how much has changed over the years in my lessons.

Why do you tutor?
I was always passionate about explaining Maths and Science to my peers back in school but I could have never imagined that it would become such a core part of my life. Tutoring is not just a source of income for me, it's something that makes me feel valuable in society, it allows helping so many amazing students around the UK to proceed in their future studies and careers. And it was never just theory and exams that we cover during our lessons, my tutoring sessions inevitably involve critical thinking and applying the knowledge in real life, thus I can contribute to students' lives even more.

What is your biggest tutoring success story?
Creating my own professional database of exam-type questions (the aforementioned startup) proved to be a success in my tutoring career since it allowed to spend more time and energy on creating quality resources for students and reuse them during different lessons. It was hard to see the value of the questions initially, but I have noticed that some students started to appreciate them so much that they no longer want to use a textbook during our lessons and I can focus more on their solutions rather than creating questions on the spot. Fast forward two years, 97% of my lessons are delivered using this system!

What is your biggest tutoring failure?
I could not distinguish a particular biggest failure while tutoring but there have been several cases when I was able to assess my tutoring, communication, preparation for lessons and enhance them accordingly. Such cases are responsible for the current structure of my lessons, communication with students and their parents, software and hardware that I use for tutoring and messaging. It really seems that every new challenge creates an opportunity for my services to be improved.

What are the students you love and hate to teach?
To be honest, I have not had any students that I hated to teach, they all are just different. With some pupils we have to thoroughly go through every concept in a topic and revise them later to build the knowledge up. However, that is not always the case with students who are already successful and aim for excellence. They usually solve provided questions quite quickly and I am just left checking answers and correcting silly mistakes. Therefore, I love tutoring every student, regardless of their skills and knowledge.

Who are you as a person?
I love reading books, I try to live a healthy life and be a responsible consumer. For 10 years I was a professional performer of dancesport, I was a swimmer with fins, a solo singer and participant in various science olympiads. I like reading articles, listening to talks and podcasts about how science and technology can be applied in both our lives and solving environmental problems.

What's your teaching style?
Students might decide by themselves how they want to learn during tutoring sessions, but otherwise, I always personalise my lessons according to their level and aims. There is always an option to go through a past paper or questions that a student did not understand at school or we can cover some topics fully by using a textbook. However, if they just want to revise a broader part of a subject or to cover something that they have missed at school, we can solve thousands of exam-like questions that I have got covered.

Whats your favourite place to teach?
Online

Teaching Experience:
I have been tutoring for more than 1700 hours as online, 1 to 1, Gojimo and Tutor Doctor tutor.

Tutoring Approach:
In my tutoring sessions with students we go through the topics where they struggle, solve past exam papers, I remind them the theory of the subject, and help completing homework questions, if required. I tend to explain the basic principles firstly, later I am developing students' s ability to solve problems by themselves starting from easy questions and building knowledge to thinking required solutions.

Subjects

Personal Description:
I am a French IT engineer with 20 years tutoring math and French at all levels from Year 6 to GCSE to A LEVEL or French Bac and University. I developed my own tutorials. I have a stock of 150 lessons growing every week covering pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary in French and most concepts in math
In French, I can tailor courses for professional with special needs: Business French or for adults wishing to travel or move to France.
In math, I can help you improve and get top marks at your exams.
With my method anybody wishing to learn quickly can improve in less than 10 lessons.

Teaching Experience:
In the last 30 years in France and in the UK, I have taught to tens of students. My favorite task is to take students struggling with French or Math and to bring them up to the 80%-100% range. It happened many times. I also help students with memory technics for remembering lessons and tips to pass tests successfully.

Tutoring Approach:
I have taught French as a foreign language to English students for the last 20 years. I have created audiovisual lessons taking in account similarities and differences between French and English to improve and speed up the learning. My method works as well for beginners with no French at all.
I have taught up to A-Level Mathematics to pupils who then went on to study Mathematics at top universities.
In math, I always start by assessing the student level. First, I propose a plan to fill the gaps while helping with the current difficulty. I usually encourage and teach my students to use spreadsheets (EXCEL) to help them formalize problem solving.

Always allow 80 minutes instead of 60 for the first meeting.

(In case you want me to travel to your place (up to 12 miles from my postcode please add £6 to the home/online prices))

Subjects

Personal Description:
I am a warm, engaging individual who loves working with a variety of people. I am currently a secondary school biology teacher, so am well used to working under pressure in a busy working environment. I have excellent creative and organisational skills; I currently plan and prepare lessons that meet every point on the specification from the exam board, whilst also tailoring it to my pupils' individual needs and attitudes.
I am self-motivated, enthusiastic, and self-aware - I deliver engaging lessons to my pupils, and help them find the world around them as interesting as I do.
I motivate and empower my pupils to achieve the very best they are capable of, adapting the lesson and resources to meet their individual needs. A key part of my role is providing quality and timely feedback to enable my pupils to progress in their learning, through a variety of methods. I am committed to continuing professional development, and regularly take part in CPD in my current role.

Teaching Experience:
Three years teaching science in both city and county schools.

• Teacher of science for ages 11-18, preparing and delivering content according to the national curriculum and/or the exam board specification, with a focus on pupils learning through questioning.
• My passion and skills lie in forming positive working relationships with my pupils.
• Managing behaviour through high expectations and following the school's behaviour policy consistently.
• Assessing learning throughout, with regular feedback during lessons, as well as tests and dedicated reflection lessons where pupils are encouraged to improve upon their work.
• IT use - creating and showing resources, IT lessons for research or revision, data entry. I am proficient at using Microsoft Office, SIMS, and Go4Schools, and am very capable of learning how to use any additional software/hardware required.
• Attending school meetings and acting on any new information given.
• Communicating with other members of staff, for example to share resources and to liaise regarding any additional needs that may arise for pupils.
• Communicating with parents through parents' evening, email, and over the phone to update them on positive behaviour or attainment, as well as when a pupil is struggling.
• Year 10 form tutor, working with head of year to deliver PSHCE content as well as cover any pastoral needs.

Tutoring Approach:
I love working with children, and this respect and appreciation is mutual within my lessons. Every pupil is an individual, and I respond to them as such. I often reflect on how I could approach a scenario differently in the future, or how to continue a positive relationship, and will approach other teachers for advice if I have not found the right approach for a certain child yet.
I expect every pupil under my care to achieve to their own full potential, and to take responsibility for getting themselves there.
I love trying new things and I am very willing to change my approach if a pupil is not understanding, or already has mastery of what I had planned. This flexibility was vital in my previous role as a supply teacher, and continues to be a key part of differentiating lessons for different abilities and enthusiasm levels.

Subjects

Personal Description:
Hello my name is Rebekah, I've been teaching the piano for 10 years now, with 100% pass rate for exams.

I've been playing the piano for 20 years and enjoy teaching very much!

Online lessons are available, which means I can teach anyone anywhere! By using zoom conferencing or facetime or whatever your preference, all you need is a keyboard or piano.

Teaching Experience:
Playing for 20 years
Teaching for 10 years
Have entered many students for exams all passed!
Achieved to grade 7
Teach up to grade 5

Tutoring Approach:
Fun fun fun!

You only enjoy learning if it's fun so I always make sure of that. But I also make sure that you are getting the most out of the lesson by giving tips for practising at home etc and giving little homework projects to do.

Lessons are half an hour for £15

Please note, lessons are conducted online until further notice.

Subjects

Personal Description:
Hi guys, to start off with my academic background: I studied at Winchester College and Cambridge University.

I was generally a straight A* student at Winchester, and in my final exams I received some of the highest Cambridge Pre-U grades in the UK for my subjects of Philosophy & Theology, Russian and French (these were D1, D1, D2 - which translates in A-Level terms to A**, A**, A*). At Cambridge I studied a mix of Theology and Philosophy, with a focus on philosophy (ethics and metaphysics), history and literature papers.

In terms of my personal background: I was born in London and have lived in Islington most of my life. I've travelled a great deal, and in my gap year I spent stretches of time living in and travelling around America, Italy, Malta, Russia, Jordan and Pakistan.

In my free time I like classic cinema (Hitchcock especially) and novels (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Dickens are my favourites) but I'm curious about everything really, and I read books of any kind whenever I have the time - especially those relating to History (classical and modern), Philosophy, Theology, Politics, and Literary Analysis.

For most of my professional life so far I've worked as a salesman, lawyer and corporate strategist. I like theatre and stand-up and sketch comedy - Dylan Moran and John Cleese are my favourite comedians - and at Cambridge I performed in a couple of sketch comedy shows alongside members of the Footlights.

I'm friendly, good-humoured, energetic and I love teaching more than anything else!

Teaching Experience:
I've received excellent feedback on my tutoring so far. Here are some quotes I've received from former students who've been kind enough to supply written references for me (I can provide these and their contact details to you on request) :

- "the best teacher I have ever had the pleasure of learning from"

- [different student] "I can say without any doubt that he is the best tutor I have ever had."

- "thanks to Jasper, my school results became much better."

- "I can talk endlessly about how much I loved having meetings with Jasper"

- "His ability to convey complex historical concepts with clarity and engagement is a superpower."

- "Jasper's professionalism is also worth highlighting. He is highly organised, punctual, and dependable. He never came to a session unprepared, his teaching materials were always well-structured and insightful."

- "I must give a massive word of praise"

- " I truly hope he will have more students to teach, as he is very talented and truly deserves to be recognised. I wish everyone had a chance to have such a wonderful and supportive tutor."

Please note: The website format unfortunately limits the numbers of subjects I can list; I shall therefore add three more here. In addition to Philosophy, Theology, English, History, Russian and French I am also capable of tutoring up to and including GCSE Latin, basic (ab initio) German, and Debating.

More generally, I am also happy to advise on academic interview performance for elite boarding school or Oxbridge admissions.

Tutoring Approach:
1. So first of all we'll have an introductory session to determine what your interests, strengths/weaknesses and ultimate aims are. If you like me then we can have another session!

At the end of this I'll set an assignment for you to work on before our next session. The assignment may be easy, it may be tricky, it may be normal, it may be quite unusual! It will depend on what your aims and interests are and what I can come up with etcetera.

I'll also try to recommend some valuable learning resources and techniques for you to work with as you prepare that assignment.


2. In our second session we'll go through and discuss the assignment and your answers to it, focusing on different ways of looking at the issue and thinking around it, or effective ways to internalise that knowledge. This will take the form of a dialogue and a conversation that I hope you'll find stimulating and rewarding.

Note: You are welcome to stop sessions with me at anytime; it's entirely up to you and I won't be offended at all. But if you let me, I truly hope to teach you as much as I can.


- In summary the fundamental idea is to make the ideas as fun as possible, to assist you in learning them effortlessly and wanting to learn more. Education is always self-motored; the trick is helping you to fall in love with it. It is also to expose you to a wide array of alternative perspectives to broaden your bank of wisdom. Finally, I can recommend books and podcasts and resources to you that can have enduring value for you far beyond our own sessions, perhaps even for your entire lifetime.

I believe in sparking creativity and helping students make the ideas their own. My aim is to ignite imagination and enthusiasm as I put your intellect to the test, because only then will you really enjoy learning, and only then will you truly do well. Therefore I'll do my very best to generate an enthusiastic but rigorous atmosphere.

My enthusiasm can be pretty infectious... I promise you our conversations will be the opposite of boring!

At the same time, many of you will have real goals : to get better grades on your essays, to pass a crucial academic interview, or to smash your final exams. I believe utterly in studying carefully how to do that, and devising a strategy, so you can work "smart", not just "hard", and achieve your goals. I did this with great success for my own exams, and for many former students. I'm a former corporate strategist at an industry-dominating company! This is a real passion of mine.

Finally I also promise you that I'll also prepare carefully in advance of every session you have with me, to ensure you get the most out of me that you can. I have immense respect for my responsibility to you and your development.

Feel free to try a preliminary session with me!

I so look forward to talking with you,

All the very best,

Jasp

Subjects

Personal Description:
Hi! I'm a friendly and enthusiastic tutor who would love to help you understand subjects better. I currently study Biomedical Science at the University of Oxford.
I received A*AA in my A-levels, with a 90 and 92 in maths paper 1 and 2. I also took 12 GCSEs, achieving eight 9s in total, including in Maths, triple sciences and English literature.

Teaching Experience:
I have tutored the 11+ for four years, and am familiar with all common exam boards (GL, CEM, CSSE). Last year, I tutored 3 students for the 11+ with weekly sessions starting from early June, and some more sessions towards the end. Two received offers from Ilford and Woodford county, their first choice grammar school, while the other passed the exam for other grammar schools in the borough.

For GCSE's, I have professional experience tutoring GCSEs and KS3 english, maths and science at an Ofsted-registered tuition centre. I strongly believe with the right support and revision methods, anyone can pass their key subjects, even go on to get grades 2/3 levels higher than their predicted if they revise strategically. I would love to share my tips and tricks for maths, English and the sciences that helped me and many others attain A*s/9s.

Tutoring Approach:
I love Maths and Biology and would love to help you understand them aswell. I will personalise my lessons for each student, taking tests to see where you are weak and then we can improve on those topics.

Subjects

Personal Description:
I am a critical care nurse and a mom of three , passionate to learn and share my knowledge and skills. I am very soft spoken, genuine and hardworking person who is always considerate to others. As a mom of a child with special needs I have learned the importance of teaching from known to unkonwn through individualised fun games and activities.

Teaching Experience:
I used to be a teacher at a nursing college in India.

Tutoring Approach:
I understand that each person is different and I believe that the teaching and learning style must be tailored to individual needs.

Subjects

Personal Description:
I am a third-year medical student at Medical University Pleven with a strong academic record and a deep understanding of the competitive medical school admissions process. I achieved a high UCAT score of 2920, and received offers from all three universities where I was interviewed-success that reflects not only academic ability but also strong communication, preparation, and critical thinking skills.

What sets me apart from many other tutors is that I've recently gone through the exact same process, giving me unique insight into what current applicants truly need to succeed. I combine this up-to-date experience with a patient, structured, and supportive approach that helps students build confidence as well as competence.

Teaching Experience:
While I may not have formal tutoring experience, I treat every student with the care and attention I would give a younger sibling. Parents can trust that I'm committed, organised, and fully invested in helping their child succeed-not just academically, but also personally, as they take on the challenges of applying to medicine.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach to tutoring is personalized, goal-oriented, and focused on building true understanding rather than just providing answers. I begin by identifying the student's current level, goals, and specific challenges to tailor the learning experience to their needs. I break down complex concepts into clear, manageable steps, often using analogies, examples, or visuals to make the material more relatable. I encourage active learning by asking guiding questions and prompting students to explain ideas in their own words, which helps reinforce their understanding. Practice and immediate feedback are key parts of my process, allowing students to apply what they've learned and quickly correct any misunderstandings. I continually adjust my approach based on the student's progress, moving at a pace that supports both comprehension and confidence. Ultimately, my goal is to help students become independent, critical thinkers who feel confident in their abilities.

Subjects