our approach
How we teach
Our lessons are child-centred, academically ambitious and fully bespoke. We start with the student in front of us: what they already know, how they learn, where they’re getting stuck and what will help them move forward.
curiosity
We believe curiosity matters. Learning is more powerful when students genuinely want to understand something, so we encourage them to question, make connections and think for themselves. Mistakes are useful too: rather than something to fear, they tell us what to teach next.
no one way
Every student brings their own mix of strengths, challenges, interests and ways of thinking. We adapt our teaching to match, whether a student needs extra support, learns differently, or is already achieving highly and needs more challenge.
wellbeing
Wellbeing and academic ambition go hand in hand. We want students to feel comfortable asking questions, getting things wrong and being themselves, while giving them the structure, challenge and explicit teaching they need to make meaningful progress.
the aim
Above all, we want students to understand more, grow in confidence and become increasingly independent learners, while achieving the very best they can.
homework
Our approach to homework
Read. Often.
If we could recommend one habit for every child, it would be reading. Reading widely and regularly supports learning far beyond English: large-scale research has found a strong relationship between reading ability and achievement across the curriculum, including maths. And it doesn’t have to mean a child alone with a novel. Read together, read to them, listen to audiobooks, talk about stories and ideas.
Primary
Purposeful time with a tutor is worth more than time spent alone feeling anxious over a worksheet. Children already have busy days, so we don’t routinely add homework for the sake of it. We make sessions count and may suggest small, useful things to practise between lessons.
Entrance exams
Entrance exam preparation sometimes needs more structured independent practice: timed exercises, vocabulary, mental maths or sections of practice papers. It is always weighed against the child’s learning style, workload and capacity. The aim isn’t to fill every spare moment, it’s to make the practice purposeful.
GCSE
As students get older, independent work becomes more useful, particularly before exams. We may set past papers or questions, sometimes under timed conditions, then use the lesson to explore the answers, find where marks are being lost and work out how to gain them next time.
beyond the desk
Conversation with adults, reading, being outdoors, pursuing interests and simply having time to think all have value. When children are studying, regular breaks, movement, water and something to eat make sustained work much more manageable.
assessment
Assessment should tell us something useful
We don’t believe children should be reduced to a grade or a test score. Assessment is most valuable when it helps us understand a student: what they know, where they’re stuck, how they think and what they need next.
That’s why we favour formative assessment, sometimes called assessment for learning. As we teach we observe, question and respond, and that decides when to support, when to challenge and where to go next.
Formal assessment has its place. School reports, test results, exam papers, EHCPs and Educational Psychologist reports all help, and we use them alongside what we learn from the student, never letting a score or a label define them.
Questions parents ask
Do you set homework?
Only where it helps. For Primary children we don’t routinely add homework for the sake of it, and may suggest small, useful things to practise. Entrance exam preparation sometimes needs more structured practice, always weighed against the child’s workload. At GCSE we may set past papers, then use the lesson to work out where marks are being lost.
How do you know whether my child is making progress?
Mostly through formative assessment: as we teach, we observe, question and respond to what the student says, writes and does. School reports, test results, EHCPs and Educational Psychologist reports are useful too, alongside what we learn from working with the student. For exams, practice questions and papers show exactly where marks are gained or lost.
next step
Talk to us about your child
Tell us a little about your child and what would help. We will talk it through with you and, if tuition is right, find the tutor who suits them.
Make an enquiry or call Grace on 07716 131813 (East Sussex) or Samantha on 07886 812675 (Essex)