John Sykes

My first focus is on your child's current standard. Reviewing current strengths and weaknesses can help tailor what sort of tutoring structure will help best. Nailing a Maths GCSE is often a question of patching some holes, as struggling with two or three topics can significantly lower your grade. Alternatively, in cases where the struggle is more generalised, a mix of talking through and practising first principles can help unlock a great amount of the more complex mathematical ideas. As important as talking about the ideas is, I find the majority of students make their breakthroughs when practising maths, and so this is an integral part of the process. Out-of-session practice will help students identify their weaknesses, which we can discuss in sessions, and help gently guide their minds towards those sudden moments where the ideas are unlocked. I work with an agile review model, ensuring no stagnation or repetition in your child's sessions.