A LEVEL MATHS SPECIALIST
GCSE (Higher) & Further Maths
Online & Face-to-face Tuition
How I Teach
Every student is different, so no two lessons are ever exactly the same.
Some students need help rebuilding confidence after struggling with a topic at school. Others are aiming for an A* and want to be challenged by the most demanding examination questions. My job is to adapt every lesson to the individual student while providing the structure they need to make consistent progress.
A Typical Lesson
Although every lesson is tailored to the student, most follow a similar structure.
Algebraic fluency
Every lesson begins with short algebra practice. Algebra forms the foundation of almost every topic in GCSE and A Level Mathematics, so developing fluency here makes everything else easier.
Topic review
We then focus on the topics the student has recently covered in school, reinforcing new ideas while they're still fresh and addressing any misconceptions before they become habits.
Exam question practice
Once the fundamentals are secure, we work through carefully selected examination questions, progressing from straightforward questions to the more demanding problems that distinguish the highest grades.
Knowledge retrieval
Towards the end of each lesson, we revisit important facts, formulae and techniques that students need to remember. Regular retrieval strengthens long-term memory and helps students recall key knowledge confidently in examinations.
Every lesson is individually planned
After each lesson, I prepare the next one based on the student's progress and the areas that need further development.
However, if a student arrives saying, "We've covered something new this week and I just don't understand it," then my plan goes out of the window!
One of the advantages of working with an experienced teacher is the flexibility to respond immediately. I can teach any topic from first principles, helping students understand not only how to answer questions but why the mathematics works.
KEEPING PARENTS INFORMED
Clear communication gives parents confidence and keeps everyone working togther.
After each lesson parents receive updates to their own Parent Dashboard, so they always know how tution is progressing.
✓ Homework review
✓ Topics covered
✓ Student engagement
✓ Highlghts / Breakthroughs
✓ Homework set
Parents don't need to chase updates - everything is provided clearly in one place
Between lessons
Learning doesn't stop when the lesson ends.
After every lesson I:
• Set personalised homework.
• Upload work and resources to the student's own Google Drive folder.
• Provide bespoke revision materials that I've developed myself over many years of teaching and examining.
• Send parents a lesson summary outlining what we've covered, how the lesson went and what I'd like the student to focus on before we next meet.
Online lessons
Online tuition is far more interactive than many parents expect.
Alongside our Zoom lesson, students use a second camera so I can watch their working in real time. This allows me to spot misconceptions immediately, discuss their thinking as they work and provide instant feedback, just as I would sitting beside them.
The research behind my teaching
If you're interested in the educational research behind my teaching approach, this section explains some of the evidence that has influenced the way I plan and deliver my lessons.
When I became a full-time tutor, I knew that my classroom experience alone wasn't enough on its own to ensure I was offering the most effective tution possible. I wanted to understand what makes one-to-one tuition as effective as possible and, more importantly, how individual students learn most effectively. Alongside more than 25 years of teaching, I've spent time studying educational research to ensure that every aspect of my tuition has a clear purpose.
The Education Endowment Foundation's Teaching and Learning Toolkit, developed from the original Sutton Trust research, consistently identifies individual tuition and carefully planned small-group tuition as among the highest-impact approaches for improving attainment. The evidence suggests the greatest gains are achieved when teaching is carefully targeted to a student's individual needs, feedback is immediate and lessons are delivered by an experienced teacher.
In detail, the following features are identified as key to making progress:
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Tuition is tailored to the individual student's needs.
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Feedback is immediate, specific and helps correct misconceptions.
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Teaching is closely linked to what students are learning in school.
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Students are actively involved throughout the lesson.
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Sessions focus on addressing gaps in understanding rather than simply completing more questions.
You'll probably recognise these principles from the previous section on my teaching because they're exactly how I structure every lesson. None of my routines are there by chance. Whether it's the algebra fluency practice, carefully chosen exam questions, knowledge retrieval or detailed lesson summaries, each element has been included because both experience and educational research suggest it helps students make stronger, longer-lasting progress.
Research informs my teaching - students come first
Research informs my teaching—it doesn't dictate it. Every student is different. If a student needs extra time on a particular topic or arrives with questions about something they've recently covered at school, I simply adapt the lesson accordingly. My priority is always to teach the student in front of me, using approaches that are both evidence-informed and tailored to their individual needs.