One-to-one tutoring · Years 7–13
Steady weekly work beats the night-before panic.
I teach maths, physics and study skills to one student at a time. Every course runs on the same rhythm: a written baseline, a weekly session that follows the school syllabus, and a short summary to parents so nobody is guessing what happens next.
- FormatsOnline or at your kitchen table
- Session length60 or 90 minutes, weekly
- LevelsKey Stage 3, GCSE, A-level
Subjects and levels
Four lanes of work, each tied to a real syllabus
I keep the teaching list short so I can stay current with exam boards rather than covering everything badly. If a subject is not listed below, it is not something I teach.
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Weekly · 60 min
Maths foundations
Fractions, ratio, negative numbers and early algebra — the topics that quietly break GCSE two years later. Work is diagnostic first: we find the three gaps that matter and close them before moving on.
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Weekly · 60 or 90 min
Maths, higher and foundation tier
Syllabus-paced teaching alongside school, with past-paper technique from the spring term. We track marks lost to method versus marks lost to arithmetic, because they need completely different fixes.
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Weekly · 90 min
Physics
Mechanics, electricity, waves and fields, taught through problem sets rather than definitions. A-level students get regular practice at the long-answer questions that carry the most marks and the least classroom time.
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Six weeks · 60 min
Study skills and exam planning
A short six-week block: revision timetabling, active recall, how to read a mark scheme, and what to do in the first five minutes of a paper. Useful for students whose understanding is fine but whose results are not.
How sessions work
The same four steps for every student
Tutoring only works when the routine is predictable. Here is exactly what the first month looks like, from the first conversation to the first progress note.
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01
A short introductory call
Fifteen minutes with a parent and, where possible, the student. We cover the current set or tier, what the school has flagged, and what a good outcome looks like by the end of term.
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02
A written baseline
The first session is a paper-based diagnostic. I mark it the same evening and send back a one-page map of secure topics, shaky topics and the two things we will start with.
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03
The weekly rhythm
Each session: ten minutes reviewing last week's set task, forty minutes of new teaching with worked examples, ten minutes of independent practice while I am still there to correct method.
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04
Half-term review
Every six weeks I write a short note covering what was covered, what has improved, and what still needs school-side attention. It is written to be forwarded to a teacher if that helps.
Weekly availability
Teaching windows this term
Slots are held for the whole term so students keep the same time each week. Where a window is full, I keep a short waiting list and offer the place when it next opens.
Before you enquire
Whether this is the right kind of tutoring
Weekly one-to-one work suits some situations far better than others. It is cheaper for everyone if we establish that in the first email rather than the fourth session.
A strong fit
- A student who is coping in class but losing marks on method, working or exam technique.
- A family who can protect the same hour every week for at least a term.
- Students moving up a tier or set who need the gap covered properly rather than skimmed.
- A-level physics students who understand the theory but freeze on multi-step problems.
Probably not the right match
- Last-minute cramming in the fortnight before a paper — there is rarely enough time to change much.
- Subjects outside maths, physics and general study skills.
- Group sessions or sibling pairs; everything here is planned around one student.
- Homework supervision, where the need is really a quiet room and a deadline rather than teaching.
Questions parents ask
The practical details, answered plainly
How is tutoring charged?
By the session, at a single rate for the session length, invoiced at the end of each month. Planning, marking of set tasks and the half-term review note are included rather than billed separately. The introductory call is not charged.
What happens if we miss a session?
Tell me before the day and we either move it to another open window that week or skip it with nothing charged. Cancellations on the day are charged, because the slot cannot realistically be refilled. Sessions I cancel are always rescheduled.
How much work is set between sessions?
One page, usually twenty to thirty minutes. It exists so I can see how the student works without me there, not to add to the school workload. If it is not done, we use the first part of the session to do it together and adjust.
Is online as effective as in person?
For maths and physics, yes, provided the student writes on paper and holds it up or photographs it. I share a writing surface on screen and the student keeps their own working. Key Stage 3 students often do better in person, which is why Wednesdays are reserved for that.
Do you teach to a specific exam board?
Yes. Tell me the board and specification in your enquiry and I plan against it, including the formula sheet provided in the exam and the way that board phrases command words. If the school changes specification mid-course, we adjust at the next review.
How will we know whether it is working?
Three signals: the half-term written review, the marks on school assessments, and how much of a set task the student can complete unaided. If none of those has moved after two half-terms, I will say so and suggest a different approach rather than continuing.
Book a trial session
Start with a fifteen-minute call
Send the details below and I will reply within two working days with the windows that are still open and a suggested first session.
- The introductory call is free and carries no obligation.
- The first paid session is the written baseline and its marked summary.
- Nothing is committed until a weekly slot is agreed in writing.