Peter

I have over 17 years’ worth of experience teaching History and Politics to both A level and Undergraduate students. I am teach at a specialist sixth form tutorial college in Oxford in addition to being a local councillor. In this time I have helped students achieve excellent results in their exams and gain entry to their first-choice university including Oxford, Cambridge and the Russell group. I also tutor year 12 students with a particular focus on helping them make the step up from GCSE to A Level.
I specialise in European History from the middle ages to the present day and also teach modern American, Russian, Indian, South African and Chinese history. My own particular focus is the revolutions of the 19th and 20th century and the Cold War which I have been tutoring from the start of my career. Some of my current topics are Tudor and Stuart England, the German Reformation and the Counter Reformation, France under the Bourbons to the Revolution, the Dutch Revolt, Italy under Fascism, Nazi Germany and the FRG/DDR, Spain in the golden age and the civil war, America from independence to the cold war, South Africa under Apartheid, Russia from Tsars through to end of Communism, Mao's China and India from Mughals through to the Raj and Independence . For Government and Politics I teach Ecologism, Nationalism and Anarchism as non-core ideologies and both the politics of the USA and Global Politics.

Tutoring Experience

I have experience with both private and public sector clients (currently Oxfordshire County Council before this several London boroughs) and I currently work for a sixth form college in Oxford. I previously work at a number of schools and universities across in London. In addition I have taught many home-schooled pupils, those taking resits, as well as high achievers looking to get into elite universities and students looking to improve their grades to open up a wider choice of university options. In addition I have had a great deal of experience tutoring those with SEND requirements. While teaching at university I taught undergraduate and sixth form pupils writing techniques and exam coaching and how to build confidence in their abilities so as to successfully make the step up from A levels. In addition to my tutoring work I am active in political research and outreach to schools for my local council where I focus on environmental issues, especially climate change and sustainability - as well as the energy transitions that are required. I also work in local schools as part of a curriculum enhancement programme. My political work and teaching are two sides of the same coin; I find that by doing one I also strengthen the other. Representing my constituents acts I part as public education on important political issues and providing an understanding of their historical context.

Tutoring Approach

I offer a personalised, student-centred approach to tutoring where I conduct full assessments of each student’s interests, strengths and weaknesses and where they are with the curriculum in the introductory session. This then allows for planning out topics for future sessions. (This session would last only half an hour so be 50% of the quoted rate.) Through completing a thorough analysis of each student's ability I can then utilise their strengths to help improve their weaknesses. Each tutorial will be filled with subject matter that serves as content delivery or revision and I always ask for input from the student as to what they are interested in and would find relevant. I attempt wherever possible to ground the tutorial in a contemporary setting for politics bringing in examples from everyday life and current events and using the most recent developments in research for history, including orthodox and revisionist interpretations as well as those with unique political or social focus. I focus on ensuring the learning aims are achieved (as well as assessment objectives) and that all revision topics can be easily committed to memory. I do not have a designated writing technique that I try to teach pupils, instead I opt for an approach that assesses the student’s current aptitude and works on making small improvements incrementally over time to peak at the critical moment when exams are being sat, so as to deliver the best possible results, in line with what the examination boards are looking from them.