Simon

I'm an experienced qualified teacher and course leader with many years of experience up to A-Level. As a full-time teacher, I tutored students in addition to my work at a Sixth Form College but have retired from the classroom focus on full time tutoring.

My main expertise in raising attainment for A-Level Maths, but I can also offer help for any of these:

Year 12/13 students studying Statistics, Further Maths or Core Maths
Year 9/10/11 students studying for GCSE, or other Level 2 qualifications (e.g. AQA Level 2 Further Maths)
Sixth Form/college students or adults who are resitting their GCSE in Maths
Prospective A-Level students who require some preparatory work before embarking on an A-Level course

I may be able to help with other courses or year groups. Just ask and I will give you an honest opinion.

I can provide online support, either one-to-one or in small groups.

I love Maths, Manchester City and dogs!

Tutoring Experience

I am an A-Level and GCSE Maths teacher with 13 years experience of teaching and curriculum leading at a Sixth Form College and High Schools. I have been an A-Level examiner for an exam board. My knowledge is current and extensive and I have a proven record in raising attainment in exam grades at A-Level and GCSE.

I was an EdTech lead during lockdown and have provided coaching to many schools on and colleges on the effective use of technology for teaching. During that time, I saw (and made) every mistake in the book. I have developed a simple and highly effective online teaching method using free and widely available tools. My students say that working online with me, is just as effective as a face-to-face lesson.

Tutoring Approach

Sessions will typically be 60 mins, 1-to-1 online. I can consider face-to-face in my dining room in Didsbury or small group sessions (face-to-face or online).

But, before we start...we need to chat! You, me and whoever is paying for it, so we can put faces to names, agree a format for the lessons, explain the tech and set an initial schedule. This initial session will be completely free of charge and comes with no obligation to continue.

Tutoring requires a serious commitment from both of us. It is therefore important that we are all clear about each other's expectations. With a good plan in place and lots of hard work I can help any student make meaningful progress.

The content of each session will be guided by you. A couple of questions e-mailed to me a couple of days before the session is a great basis for me to tailor a useful session. It could be something you didn't understand in class or a homework question you're struggling with or a scan of a test you've just completed. The more problems you can bring me, the better it will work.

Flexibility is key!! A tutoring session is not the same as a classroom lesson. Although I will plan work for each time we meet, we will often deviate from the planned course as questions and issues arise. I have a vast bank of resources that I can draw on, so I will always have questions and examples to hand if you want to go down a different route. This is the power of one-to-one teaching.

Typically, a session will involve a combination of:
- You completing some questions to assess for strengths and areas that require focus. We will normally do this on online whiteboard software so that I can watch and comment as you go along.
- You send me work you have already done at school or college and we will work through it together. I really like to get this in advance of the lesson so I can look it over before we meet.
- Me modelling specific questions, then you trying. I may model work on paper using a visualiser or on the interactive whiteboard.

I aim to build a positive relationship with my students and they should feel that they can ask questions as they come up rather than have to wait for our next session. I will do my best to answer as quickly as I can. This is all part of the service.

Finally, be open, honest and frank with me if something doesn't work well. We will adapt what we do until we find what works best for you.

However, if at any time you feel that my approach is not helping you move forward, please feel free to walk away. I wont be offended!

I use the Google package of products, so students should have a google account to get the most benefit. We will meet using Google Meet and share information using Jamboard and Google Drive. Don't worry if you haven't used any of this before, it is all very simple to use, free and there is no need to load any software on your computer (although there are some very useful free apps). How we use it all will depend upon what devices you have at your end, what we are working on and what you find the most effective.

For parents: As the father of two grown up children, I am aware of the challenges of getting the right support. I want you to feel confident that the support is working and encourage you to offer suggestions and advice on how to get the best for your child. I would recommend a chat every couple of months to feedback on how things are going. Of course, if you have any concerns or questions, you can get in touch any time.