A written assessment, free of charge
Forty-five minutes of diagnostic work in the subject you are concerned about. It is marked by the tutor who would teach the group, so the notes come from the person doing the teaching.
Years 3 to 13 · Maths, English, Sciences, Entrance
Tuition built around one honest question: what is actually getting in the way?
We start with a written assessment, not a sales conversation. Then we place your child in a small group of four to six working at the same point in the syllabus, with a plan you can read.
How tuition works here
Four steps, in the same order, for every learner
Nothing about the process is improvised. You will know what the tutor is working on, why, and how it will be checked before the first paid session begins.
A plan you can read on one page
We send the marked paper with a short plan: the three or four topics we will rebuild first, the order we will take them in, and the point at which we expect the group to move on.
Weekly small-group sessions
Seventy-five minutes, four to six learners, grouped by working level rather than school year. Each session ends with a short piece of set work, roughly thirty minutes, never busywork.
A six-week review, in writing
You receive a plain summary: what has improved, what has not moved, and whether the group placement is still right. If a learner has outgrown the group, we say so and move them.
What the first paid session covers
The tutor reworks two questions from the assessment with the learner, sets out the notation the group will use all term, and agrees how set work will be handed in. Parents are welcome to stay for the last ten minutes.
Subject index
What each lane actually works on
Groups are built by working level. A confident Year 9 mathematician may sit in the GCSE foundation lane; a Year 11 rebuilding fractions will start in the lower lane without comment.
Primary numeracy and literacy
Years 3–6Number bonds, written methods, fractions, reading fluency and sentence construction. We build the habit of showing working before we build speed.
- Written methods
- Reading fluency
- Spelling patterns
Entrance and selective preparation
Years 5–6Verbal and non-verbal reasoning, timed comprehension and the creative writing task. Papers are worked under real timing from the second half of the autumn term.
- Reasoning
- Timed comprehension
- Writing task
Key Stage 3 maths and English
Years 7–9The bridge years, where gaps usually open quietly. Algebraic manipulation, ratio, geometric reasoning, and analytical paragraphs that answer the question asked.
- Algebra
- Ratio and proportion
- Analytical writing
GCSE maths, foundation and higher
Years 10–11Two separate lanes. Both work from past papers by topic rather than by paper, so a learner spends time where marks are actually being lost.
- Topic-led past papers
- Method marks
- Non-calculator work
GCSE combined and triple science
Years 10–11Required practicals, equation recall, and the six-mark extended response. We drill the mark-scheme language that makes the difference on longer questions.
- Required practicals
- Equation recall
- Extended response
GCSE English language and literature
Years 10–11Unseen extract analysis, comparison across texts, and quotation banks for the set texts. Essays are marked twice: once for argument, once for accuracy.
- Unseen analysis
- Text comparison
- Essay structure
A-level maths and further maths
Years 12–13Pure, statistics and mechanics, with a first-term focus on the algebraic fluency that Year 12 assumes. Groups here are capped at four.
- Pure
- Statistics
- Mechanics
A-level biology, chemistry and physics
Years 12–13Synoptic questions, data analysis and the long-answer technique that separates a B from an A. Often taken as a single-subject one-to-one in the exam term.
- Synoptic questions
- Data analysis
- Long answers
Weekly timetable
When each group runs
Term-time pattern for the autumn term. Assessment appointments sit outside these windows so they never take a group slot.
Two weeks before each exam series we add morning revision clinics and pause set work, so learners are not carrying homework into study leave.
Who teaches
Three tutors, each holding their own subjects
The tutor who marks the assessment is the tutor who teaches the group. Nobody hands a learner on after the first term unless the placement changes.
Nadia Ellison
Maths, Further Maths, Physics
Teaches the higher GCSE and A-level maths lanes. Works almost entirely from topic-sorted past papers and insists on method marks being written down before answers are checked.
Marcus Rede
English Language, Literature, History
Runs the English lanes and the entrance writing task. Marks every essay twice, once for the argument and once for accuracy, and returns both sets of notes.
Priya Shanmugam
Primary, Entrance, Key Stage 3 Maths
Leads primary numeracy and literacy and the selective preparation groups. Spends the first half-term on written method and reading stamina before any timed papers appear.
Questions parents ask first
Before you enquire
How small are the groups, really?
Four to six learners in most lanes, and capped at four for A-level maths and further maths. If a group reaches its cap we open a second session in the same window rather than adding a seventh learner.
Do you teach one-to-one as well?
Yes, on Saturdays and in the exam term. We usually recommend a group first: learners tend to work harder when they can see how others are approaching the same question. One-to-one suits a narrow, specific gap or a short pre-exam block.
Can a learner join part-way through a term?
Usually, if the assessment shows the group is the right level. The tutor gives a short catch-up brief covering what the group has already rebuilt, and we do not charge for weeks before the start date.
How much set work should we expect each week?
About thirty minutes, tied directly to the session just taught. It is always marked and returned. We pause set work entirely during study leave and in the two weeks before a live exam series.
Which exam boards do you follow?
We teach to the board the learner's school uses and ask for that on the enquiry form. Where a group spans two boards, the tutor teaches the shared content together and sets board-specific work separately.
How will we know whether it is working?
A written review every six weeks, covering what has improved, what has not shifted, and whether the placement still fits. If we do not think tuition is helping, we tell you rather than renewing quietly.
Can you support a learner with dyslexia or an EHCP?
Often, yes. Tell us about it on the enquiry form and we will discuss it before the assessment so the paper is set up appropriately, including extra time, coloured paper or a reader where that reflects the learner's usual arrangements.
What happens if we miss a session?
Tell us before the day and we will move the learner into the other session that week where a space exists. Missed sessions are not carried over indefinitely, and we send the session notes and set work either way.
Book a free assessment
Start with the marked paper
Send the details below and we will offer an assessment slot in the Friday window, or on a Saturday if that is easier. There is no charge and no obligation to continue.
What happens next
You will hear from the tutor who covers the subject, not an office inbox.
- We confirm an assessment slot and the subject to be tested.
- Your child sits a forty-five minute written paper at the centre.
- You receive the marked paper and a one-page plan within three days.
- If a group place is right, we tell you which session and when it starts.