James Dumbrell

OCR A Level and GCSE Computer Science specialist. H046/H446/J277
Current Head of Dept. for Computer Science at an outstanding, multi-award winning, independent sixth form college in Mayfair, London with 100% high grades (A* to B) last year at A Level. As a trained examiner for OCR, I can also give you the best exam tips to rapidly improve your progress.

I have over a decade of teaching experience at A Level and GCSE for Computer Science and IT related courses. My specialism is Computer Science. I also have four years experience teaching GCSE Maths. I have worked at a range of centres from large comprehensive colleges to very selective independent schools. I have been doing private tuition in addition to my teaching commitments for many years now and have found it incredibly rewarding.

I think the first session is so important to get off on the right foot and build a rapport with the student as soon as possible. For this reason I find a quick conversation about where they are with their studies so far, what they are having trouble with and what they hope to achieve. I find having a genuine interest in each individual student really helps to tailor sessions to their needs. Once this first session is complete, I like to tailor resources around students' interest to help engage them in their learning journey. Learning is an active process, so I make my sessions as interactive as possible, ensuring that students feel they are working during the session and making progress. Depending on the requirements we will either be learning topics for the first time, or doing revision and consolidation or doing exam preparation. I always check in with students at the end of the session to ensure we have achieved our outcomes for the session.