Small groups · Maths, science, English, languages
Steady weekly teaching, not last-minute cramming
We teach in groups of six or fewer, follow one written plan per student, and send a short note home after every session so nobody is guessing what happens next.
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- Subjects taught
- Six core lanes Maths, combined and separate sciences, English language and literature, French and Spanish, and study skills.
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- Group ceiling
- Six students Every group is capped at six so each student reads, writes and is questioned aloud in the same hour.
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- Ways to attend
- Three formats Weekly small group, one-to-one, or a fortnightly exam clinic in the run-up to papers.
How we teach
One plan per student, written down and revisited
Most students arrive able to do more than they can show. The gap is usually in method: skipped working, a definition half-remembered, an essay that answers a slightly different question. So the first thing we do is watch a student work, on paper, without help.
From that we write a short plan — three or four priorities, in order — and that plan drives every session until it is finished. Tutors share notes between subjects, so the person teaching chemistry knows which parts of rearranging equations are still shaky.
We would rather close four gaps properly than tour the whole syllabus and close none.
- A diagnostic hour before any booking, with no obligation to continue
- Written session notes home the same evening, in plain language
- Marking against the exam board your school actually enters
- Homework set to be twenty minutes, not an evening
- A termly review where the plan is rewritten, not repeated
What we teach
Six teaching lanes
Each lane runs on a fixed weekly slot with the same tutor for the whole term. Lanes can be combined, and a student may sit in two without repeating content.
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Maths
Years 7–11 and Sixth Form
Number and algebra first, then the topics that depend on them. Sessions alternate between taught method and timed question sets marked in front of the student, so mistakes are explained while they are still fresh.
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Science
Combined and separate sciences
Taught in short topic blocks with the required practicals written up properly. Students build a single revision folder across biology, chemistry and physics rather than three unconnected sets of notes.
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English
Language and literature
Reading closely, then writing to a shape that holds under time pressure. We work from the set texts the student's school has chosen and mark one full response every fortnight with a redraft the week after.
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Languages
French and Spanish
Half of every session is spoken, in pairs, on the themes the specification actually asks about. Vocabulary is tested in writing from the second week so spelling and accents are secure before the speaking exam.
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Study skills
Years 9–13, six-week block
A short course for students who revise hard and gain little. We build a workable weekly routine, teach recall and spacing properly, and practise reading a mark scheme so revision time is spent where marks are.
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Primary foundations
Years 4–6
Reading comprehension, arithmetic and writing at a gentle pace, in groups of four. Sessions are fifty minutes with no homework beyond reading, and the aim is confidence before the move to secondary school.
Choosing a format
Which way of attending suits the problem
Most families start in a small group and move only if the plan calls for it. Compare the three honestly before you enquire — we will tell you if a cheaper option is the right one.
| Format | Small group | One-to-one | Exam clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Steady progress across a whole subject, term after term | A specific gap, an unusual syllabus, or low confidence speaking up | Technique in the final weeks, once content is mostly covered |
| Students per tutor | Up to six (four in primary) | One | Up to ten, with two tutors circulating |
| Session length | 75 minutes, weekly | 55 minutes, weekly or fortnightly | 2 hours, fortnightly in exam term |
| What you receive | Written plan, session notes, termly review | Written plan, session notes, direct tutor correspondence | Marked paper and a prioritised list of fixes |
| Commitment | Half a term at a time | Four sessions, then reviewed | Booked clinic by clinic |
Not sure? Book the diagnostic hour first. It is a teaching session in its own right, and the written plan it produces is yours whether or not you go on to book a term.
Inside a session
What the seventy-five minutes actually look like
The shape is the same every week, which is the point: students stop spending the first ten minutes working out what is expected of them.
Recall, ten minutes
Six short questions on work from previous weeks, written on paper and marked immediately. Nothing new is introduced until the old material comes back cleanly.
Teaching, twenty-five
One topic, worked at the board with the group answering aloud. Students copy the method, then rebuild it once without looking before moving on.
Practice, thirty
Graded questions at each student's level while the tutor circulates and marks in the room. Harder extensions are always available for whoever finishes.
Close, ten minutes
The group states what was learned, homework is written into the planner, and the tutor drafts the note that reaches you that evening.
Sit in on the first session if you would like to. Parents are welcome at the back of the room for a trial, and tutors will talk you through the plan afterwards.
Arrange a visitThe centre
Two small rooms and a lot of paper
No screens on desks, no background music. Students work on paper, and everything written in a session goes home with them.
Questions parents ask
Before you book
If your question is not here, write it into the enquiry form and a tutor will answer it directly rather than sending a brochure.
How do you work out what my child actually needs?
With a diagnostic hour. A tutor sets written work across the subject, watches how it is tackled, and asks the student to explain their method aloud. We are looking for the cause of the lost marks, not a score.
You receive a written plan afterwards listing three or four priorities in order, with the reasoning for each. The plan is yours to keep whether you book a term or not.
Can we join part-way through a term?
Usually yes, if a seat is free in the right group. Mid-term joiners get a longer first session so the tutor can place them properly, and we will tell you honestly if waiting for the next block would serve your child better.
Is my child's exam board covered?
Tell us the board and tier in your enquiry and we will confirm before you commit. Teaching is planned around the specification your school enters, and marking uses that board's mark schemes rather than a generic rubric.
Where a group contains two boards, the taught content is shared and the practice questions are split.
How much homework is set between sessions?
About twenty minutes, and it is always a consolidation of what was taught rather than new material. If a student is drowning in school work that week, tell the tutor — we would rather adjust the task than have it half-done.
What will we hear from you between sessions?
A short written note the same evening: what was taught, how it went, what was set. It is two or three sentences in plain language, not a grade.
At the end of each term the plan is reviewed and rewritten with you, and you can reply to any note to reach the tutor directly.
Can we try a session before committing to a term?
Yes. The trial is a normal session in a real group, so your child sees exactly what they would be joining. Parents are welcome to sit at the back for a trial and to talk with the tutor afterwards.
What happens if we miss a week?
Let us know before the session and we will send the materials home and offer a catch-up slot in the quiet room where there is space. Illness happens; we do not make families choose between resting and keeping up.
Do you teach students who are already doing well?
Often. Strong students tend to need extension rather than repair: harder problems, proof, longer essays and the habit of working without a safety net. Their plans look different, but the session shape is the same.
Enquiries
Start with a diagnostic hour
Tell us the year group and the subject that is causing trouble. A tutor replies with the sessions that are genuinely free and what the first hour would cover.
- Step oneYou send the form below with the subject and year group.
- Step twoA tutor replies with available slots and a suggested format.
- Step threeYour child attends the diagnostic hour and you receive the written plan.