David

I have more than 35 years teaching experience, in schools and latterly private tutoring, teaching GCSE and ‘A’ level Mathematics including Maths and Further Maths at both levels.
Since starting private tutoring more than ten years ago while I was still teaching in schools I have developed a track record of substantially improving children’s performance beyond their school predicted grades. Examples include:-

• Predicted a ‘4’ at GCSE in Y10 when he started seeing me –achieved an ‘8’ and is now studying A level Mathematics.

• Assessed at GCSE grade 2 a few months ago in Set 4 – now being prepared by myself and the school to sit the ‘higher’ level exam (grade ‘5’ or above) and realistically hoping to achieve a ‘6’ or ‘7’.

• Starting with me in April this year in Set 3 at school - moved up to Set 2 then Set 1, and we are aiming at an ‘8’ or a ‘9’.

• Predicted to achieve a ‘D’ at A-level by the school - after seeing me for most of Y13 achieved an ‘A’ grade.

If you or your child wants to improve, I can help.

Feedback from parents tells me that tutees enjoy my sessions with them - one boy recently referred to it as 'the highlight of his week', which I thought was nice.

Tutoring Experience

I taught for more than 25 years in a selective grammar school with a significant number of my pupils going on to university. I then taught in an Independent Academy which has a superb reputation for exam success. Both of these schools were rated ‘Excellent’ repeatedly by Ofsted.

For the past few years I have enjoyed working as a private tutor for people studying for GCSE and A-level Mathematics.

I am equally happy teaching Pure or Applied Mathematics (both Mechanics, for which I illustrate my lessons with a variety of practical models to aid understanding, and Statistics).

I did a degree in Engineering and worked for a while in the engineering industry both in the UK and abroad in the Far East, but fairly soon qualified as a teacher, moving to full time teaching which I enjoyed for over 30 years. My practical experience of seeing how mathematics is applied in the real world is something which adds to what I can do to prepare my students for university and the world of work.

Tutoring Approach

I use a variety of approaches, but the important thing is for my pupils to obtain a good understanding of what they are doing and why they are doing it.

I use online assessment material to find what skills need to be developed, and work to explain those aspects so they are properly understood. (I tell the tutee ‘why’ we do things as we do, not just ‘what’ to do, and link it to other areas of the curriculum for a broader understanding and increased rate of learning.)

If a tutee shows a lack of understanding, we go back to a level at which they are confident and build the topic up until he or she can see why the new topic works the way it does.
I insist on them writing down their workings in a correct and rigorous way, developing a framework into which they can fit the full variety of questions which can be asked on a topic.
I often employ physical models of a mathematical nature which I have made to aid understanding, particularly with Vectors and Mechanics where it is often difficult for the student to visualise the question otherwise.
My tutees say I make things seem very simple and their parents say their children are much more confident with the subject.