• 11+ Maths: ISEB and public school entrance exams and pre-tests
• 13+ Maths: ISEB and public school entrance exams
• KS3 Maths
• GCSE/IGCSE Maths: all exam boards
• 16+ Maths: public school entrance exams
• A-level: all exam boards
• IB Studies, IB Standard Level and IB MYP
• Other School Entrance (10+ Maths, 10+ Non-Verbal Reasoning, 12+ Maths, 12+ Non-Verbal Reasoning, 14+ and occasional entry)
• Numerical Skills Test for Teacher Training
• Sandhurst Officer (AOSB) Tests
I qualified as an outstanding teacher through the internationally renowned and highly competitive Teach First scheme. It was here that I discovered my enjoyment of teaching, particularly when my students consistently achieved higher grades than anticipated. In the past few years I have focused on assisting high performing students through my various roles, one being the Gifted and Talented coordinator focusing on Oxbridge applications and Extended Project Qualifications. My previous teaching role as Lead of Teaching and Learning in Mathematics focused on ensuring an excellent standard of teaching and learning was maintained not only in my Mathematics Department, but across the school. My most recent teaching position was at St Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith.
Case studies-
I have tutored online, multiple students through their 13+ entrance exams in order to gain places at English boarding schools, including academic scholarships being offered. Through intensive sessions, we covered all areas examined, focusing on the mastering the methods first and then moving onto typical exam questions, including problem solving for each area.
I have tutored online many international students through their 16+ entrance exams to ensure that they achieved the required grade to attend Sixth Form in England. In sessions, we focus on a set scheme of work which covers key topics in the IGCSE syllabus since many schools don’t cover all of the areas that 16+ exams contain, including the problem solving elements.
I have tutored an 11+ student who was a naturally gifted mathematician although surprisingly not methodical in her approaches when necessary. We initially started to work on topics such as shape and time, which she struggled with, and then progressed onto strategies to approach questions which required her to be disciplined and precise in her working and layout. I also identified that all the ‘silly mistakes’ she made were in the first ‘easier’ 80% of the paper, and using engagement techniques to motivate no ‘silly mistakes’, she was soon getting full marks in the first 80% of the paper. This, alongside keen communication with parents and past paper guidance and timetabling meant that she was able to achieve entry to all the schools that she applied for.
I have tutored a Year 12 student taking AS Level mathematics who achieved a B grade at IGCSE. The initial aim of the sessions was to ensure that the student passed a mathematics test which would allow them to continue the AS Level course (since they did not get the usual required A or A* IGCSE grade). After this was passed, the objective was to ensure his smooth progression through the rest of the syllabus. Since the learner was reluctant to undertaken his own revision, the sessions needed to be engaging so that he began to enjoy mathematics and would want to revise outside of tutorials. Through my personality and positive relationship with the student, he began to see the value of studying and enjoy the high level mathematics that he was learning.
I have tutored multiple Year 10 and 11 students who have been aiming for A* grades at GCSE and IGCSE. Although these students were naturally gifted, they perhaps did not revise as much as they could have. This meant that the aims of the sessions were to really push the academic ability beyond a methodical learning technique. It was here that using my knowledge of the syllabus, experience as a GCSE examiner and also how to best scaffold and guide complex problem solving questions, delving into the skills required at A Level, I was able to ensure top results were achieved. Alongside the outstanding grades, the students were then also able to perform extremely well at their chosen A Level subjects, which for some included further mathematics.
I have tutored an adult learner who wanted to take GCSE mathematics in order to facilitate a late career change. The student lacked a lot of confidence and by using my friendly and approachable character, I was able to reassure her and regain her belief in her mathematical skills. By constantly assessing her strengths and weaknesses, I could then make a unique and detailed plan of what would need to be covered in our sessions. I also guided her through evaluating and getting the most out of her home learning in order to achieve the pass mark she needed.
I have tutored a young female athlete GCSE statistics who was only receiving one lesson a week in school. She was a very capable student in GCSE mathematics, but due to the nature of the statistics GCSE course and it being slightly more definition based, she needed extra guidance on her study skills, which also needed to fit around her demanding training schedule. By getting to know her unique learning style and habits, alongside connecting with her through our mutual love of sport, she was able to fly through the course alongside maintaining her other commitments.
I have tutored online, an AS student through his exam periods. By initially focusing on individual topics within the AS specification and then once mastery of those topics were achieved, we moved onto challenging exam questions to ensure that he was able to answer A grade questions. I was able to build a great rapport with the student and this enabled him to improve significantly on his own communication skills in general and around mathematics itself, something vital for university interviews.
I have tutored online, an A2 student through his exam periods. By initially focusing on his retakes in some of his AS modules, we eventually moved onto his A2 modules. I quickly identified that he made silly mistakes by rushing, not reading questions properly and overcomplicating easier questions. By addressing these in the appropriate way, he was quickly able to tackle all AS problems that he had been struggling with and then eventually A2 topics.
I have a tutored a Year 11 student the additional maths qualification as he was only receiving once a week lunchtime tutorials. I set up a detailed scheme of work, to compliment his IGCSE maths that I was also tutoring him for, which included both teaching time and consolidation practice. The student lacked some basic algebra knowledge which I quickly identified and rectified. Following on from this, silly mistakes were the main issue which we worked on by using varying strategies that did not rely on the prompting of myself to alert him to the error.
I have tutored a Year 9 student who was an intelligent and methodical mathematician but he struggled with worded problems. We worked through content from his school work that he struggled with, often introducing GCSE exam questions. I consistently focused on improving his approach to worded problems by breaking down keywords and encouraging his own note taking style of a question. He rapidly improved and worded questions were no longer an issue.
I have tutored a mature student successfully through the maths requirements for the Sandhurst Officer tests (AOSB). We focused on the quantitative reasoning tests, developing tricks to increase the speed at which they could answer speed distance time questions. We also worked on ways to present their planning exercises solutions.
I have tutored a mature student successfully through the numeracy skills tests for teacher training. We focused on making sure she knew the appropriate tricks to be able to answer the mental maths sections quickly and calmly. We also worked on ensuring her familiarity with the electronic format of the test and the written arithmetic and data areas needed by practicing with multiple resources I made available.