Posts Tagged ‘holiday tuition’

One to one tutor or tuition centre?

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Over the last few years tuition centres such as Kumon have become increasingly popular with parents, especially at primary level. Many of our students have at one time experienced tuition centres and many parents want to know if they are better (or worse) than the kind of one to one tutoring that 121 Home Tutors offer.

  • Tuition centres have their place – they tend to be cheaper than one to one tuition and for some parents budget is a serious consideration.
  • Some children respond better in the group environment – but we tend to find students who are struggling in the classroom really benefit from one to one attention in a quiet and safe place like their own home.  If your child struggles in a classroom, (for example they don’t want to approach the teacher, they don’t speak up and fall behind) then they will be much better suited to one to one tuition.
  • Group work is usually pitched at the average person in the classroom (as in school) and there is only limited time to deal with students who are struggling. This might mean serious issues aren’t dealt with.
  • Many tuition centres follow a set system or pattern for learning and your child works to achieve certain goals. One to one tutoring is adapted specifically to the needs of the individual child, what they need to learn and what they are struggling with (and can also incorporate ways they prefer to learn).
  • Most tutors (including 121 Home Tutors) will come and tutor in your home meaning you don’t have to deal with the inconvenience or cost of travelling to a tutoring centre.

We’d be happy to discuss your tutoring options and figure out if 1-2-1 or group work would be best. If you need help with one to one tutoring in subjects including English, Maths and History across Manchester and Cheshire including Altrincham, Bramhall and Sale then contact us today.

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Posted in Choosing a tutor, what to look for etc, General | No Comments »

Exams are over (for now!)

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

The exam season is finally over and it’s time for teens to take a well-earned rest. But then they have six (or more) long weeks stretching ahead of them and hours and hours of time to while away. The summer holidays are a great opportunity to catch up and/or work on areas where students might have struggled this academic year.

This is the perfect time for Year 9 students who are going into their GCSE years to work on subjects they’ve struggled with. If your child is in Year 9 and will start working towards their iGCSE (often in independent schools and perceived as harder than a traditional GCSE)  then summer tutoring can help them get a headstart.

And if your child is in Year 10 or 12 then they’ll be on their way to final GCSE and A Level exams in the next year – this is the summer that could make all the difference to how they enter one of the most important years of their life.  Summer catch ups and study aren’t just for those who’ve struggled a bit, it’s a chance for every student to get ahead or just make sure their brain doesn’t turn to mush in the space of six weeks.

It might seem daft to say that students can fall behind in such a short space of time – but in a month and a half (even longer for independent and boarding schools) the skills they’ve built up during the year can quickly disappear. It means they often start the year struggling to find their feet.  When we talk to parents and students we find the areas they most struggle with at the start of the year (after the long summer break) are modern languages (so French, Spanish etc), Maths and Science. It’s usually because these are the trickiest subjects for most students and all of these subjects combine using complex skills with learning a lot of knowledge. So for example they have to develop skills such as writing up experiments or solving equations alongside taking in knowledge of names of compounds or lists of vocabulary and noun formations. So how can we help them stay on top without destroying all the fun of the summer holidays?

The secret is to find fun ways of engaging the brain without making it feel like learning.

  • If your child is learning a language, maybe French or Spanish, then visit the country for a trip or holiday. Encourage them to use the language but also know that just being around it will utlise their skills (such as reading and comprehension).
  • Visit museums and exhibitions – places like MOSI (The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester) aren’t just for young children. There’s stuff for children of all ages (and even better it will entertain them for a whole day).
  • Keep them reading – encourage them to read their favourite books, invest in some new reading material and if they are willing get them to cast an eye over their textbooks.
  • Use the resources you have for educational purposes – yes they are probably already permanently glued to the television or internet, so encourage them to find programmes relevant to their study (Braniac for Science for example).
  • Think about using a private tutor – tutors don’t have to teach in a classroom style and an hour or two a week could be just what your child needs to go into the next year brimming with confidence.

If you live in Greater Manchester Cheshire and you’d like to find out more about how summer holiday tutoring can help your child –in tricky subjects like Maths, Science and modern languages –get in touch with 121 Home Tutors.

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Posted in General, Learn a language | No Comments »

Want to work with a celebrity tutor?

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Ok, we have to confess it’s not going to be Robert Pattinson or Cameron Diaz tutoring you if you call 121 Home Tutors. We spotted an article in the Independent this week  about students in Hong Kong and how their obsession with exams and private tutoring is turning some tutors into rich celebrities.

The education system in Hong Kong is highly pressurised and students are expected to consistently perform to the highest standards.  This is partly because there is intense competition for a limited number of university places.

Because students (and their parents) are so keen to succeed, it has created a demand for more private tutors. In Hong Kong private tutoring is viewed as an investment in education and the best tutors can command hundreds of dollars for each session. Rather than focussing on the kind of one to one specialised tutoring we offer at 121 Home Tutors, students in Hong Kong tend to enrol in tutorial schools (an estimated 100,000 students every year). They are taught by highly paid, self-styled ‘tutor kings’.

One problem with this highly competitive exam culture and tutoring system is that students often take on more tutoring than they can cope with – often 5 or 6 subjects. At 121 Home Tutors we recommend that students limit private tutoring to one or two subjects, usually their weakest because anymore than that creates additional pressure that can cause more problems.

So the question is will education and tutoring go the same way in the UK? Will we become more competitive now the university system is introducing high fees and changing under our new Government?

A poll carried out a couple of years ago  indicated that a fifth of secondary school students have had some form of private tutoring and at 121 Home Tutors we have seen the numbers of students requesting one to one tuition increase since then. We know in some parts of the country there is a great deal of competition to get into independent schools and we often work with students to prepare them for entrance exams. We haven’t seen much evidence of increased competition for degree places except in areas where there is already a longstanding tradition of high entry requirements and a battle to get onto courses (such as medicine). It will be very interesting to watch what happens as the introduction of higher university fees and potential increased competition starts to take hold over the next couple of years.

If you’d like (non-celebrity!) exam and private tutoring in Manchester and Cheshire for GCSE, AS and A2 Level subjects including Maths, English and Science then contact 121 Home Tutors today.

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Posted in Choosing a tutor, what to look for etc, Entrance Tests & 11+, General | No Comments »

Make the most of your Christmas break – revision and study

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

It’s finally time for some festive fun but with so many students facing exams immediately after the Christmas break it’s a good idea to set some time aside for study.

Here are our top ten tips for keeping on top of things during the holidays:

1.       Get organised. Don’t leave revision until the last minute, sit down and make a plan including frequent small chunks of revision rather than one large chunk of panicky cramming. Make sure this plan is realistic (leaving time for breaks and mince pies!).

2.       Know when your exams are. This way you can prioritise the exams come first and ensure you don’t miss anything. Make sure you plan in extra time for weaker subjects or those where you need a good grade.

3.       What do you need to learn? Your time is best spent on things that will be on the exam so check you know the exam board and syllabus you are taking for each subject. The syllabus is often a good revision guide as it lists all the stuff you’ll be tested on. If you are going to use revision guides, find the right one for your syllabus and learning style, not just the one all your mates have.

4.       Do you actually understand what you have to learn? If there is a particular topic or subject you are struggling with then before you fight through it, it could be a good idea to chat it through with a teacher, friend or parent. Don’t be afraid to ask and if you can’t find the help you need then consider a tutor who can give you hints and tips on revision as well as helping with tricky subjects.

5.       How do you learn best? Try out different techniques to find the one that’s right for you. Try mind maps, writing notes, highlighters and pictures. Listening to revision CDs could work for you or Questions and Answer sessions (working with a friend could be perfect for you).

6.       Keep testing. Past exam papers are a great way to see if you can apply what you are revising. These papers give you an idea of the types of questions you might face in an exam and if you can also get hold of the marking scheme you can see the right answers and how examiners award marks.

7.       Take care of yourself. If your body isn’t healthy then your mind won’t work properly. There are some key things you need to do, drink plenty and sleep (not too much, not too little). Eat plenty of ‘brain’ foods like fish and nuts and try to choose healthy snacks such as fruit. Ensure you have relaxation time as part of your study plan.

8.       The night before. Make sure you get to bed early and have prepared what you need for the next day (pens, pencils, ruler, and calculator). Do not spend all night revising as this will just make you too tired for the exam the next day.

9.       On the day. Arrive in plenty of time. Check you have a pen/pencil. Calmly read the questions and if you don’t know an answer don’t panic. Instead move on, answer the next question and come back to any you struggled with.

10.    If you need help with revision and exam technique we have private tutors across Manchester and Cheshire that can help you with your 11 plus, GCSE’s and A levels. Contact us today

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Posted in Entrance Tests & 11+, Revision tips | No Comments »

How to get the best from your tutor

Friday, November 19th, 2010

At 121 Home Tutors we know our students get the most out of tutoring when they are on the same wavelength as their tutor. But how do you make sure you have a good relationship with your tutor and what can you do when things go wrong?

Here to help

Remember your tutor is there to help. They aren’t the enemy and will always be willing to offer help when you ask. But you do need to ask. Tutors can’t read minds so you need to get it out in the open if you are struggling with a particular area or something the tutor does. If that’s hard face to face, you can always write it down, send an email or if you’ve chosen your tutor through a company like 121 Home Tutors speak to the person who initially put you in touch with the tutor.

Do the basics

Our best students enjoy their lessons and we enjoy tutoring them, they participate in each lesson, ask questions and take an interest. It’s great if you turn up when you should (as our tutors do), complete the work between sessions and stay alert during the lesson.

Keep it real

Tutors can’t work magic. We can’t help you jump three grades overnight. If you feel like you aren’t making progress at the pace you’d hoped then talk to your tutor. Most tutors will sit down with you before they start tutoring and talk about how you can achieve what you want and in what timescales.

What is the problem?

If you aren’t clicking with your tutor then before you stop using them try and figure out what the problem is. Is it the tutor or the subject you dislike? If you really hate a subject it can affect how you feel about the tutor. It can be the case that you just don’t like the tutor, some people get on better than others. But you will have to work with people you don’t like in the future and as long as you respect your tutors opinion and experience there’s no reason you can’t work together to get good results.

If you’ve reached a stage where you feel like the relationship is affecting your learning then take a three step approach. First try and talk to your tutor about the problem. Second talk it through with a friend or parent, ask them how you could get on better with your tutor. And finally if all else fails and you use a tutoring company like 121 Home Tutors go back and ask for a new tutor, sometimes it can take more than one attempt to find the right match.

If you live in Manchester or Cheshire and you’d like more information on working with tutor and how it can help improve your grade and confidence drop us a line today.

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11 plus/ grammar school entrance tests – gear up for September!

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

If your child has just completed Year 5 and you’re hoping for a place at a state grammar school you’ll know that this year’s summer holiday is critical. The 11+/entrance test season starts in the first week of September. (Independent school entrance tests tend to take place after Christmas – we’ll cover them in a post later in the year.)

To take our own region as an example of how Eleven Plus (11+) / entrance exam timings tend to work, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls and Altrincham Grammar School for Boys usually kick-off a test season that continues through to mid October/November. At 121 Home Tutors we have many students that enrol for last minute, summer holiday tuition and ‘cramming’. We advise that those planning to sit the early September/October entrance exams (for example the Trafford Grammar schools tests) work to a regular timetable of study. Even half an hour per day can make a crucial difference.

Young minds can very easily forget things they have learned, and with a summer holiday that varies from five to ten weeks, keeping numeracy, literacy and reasoning skills fine-tuned is essential. Competition for the state grammar schools in the Trafford area is very intense, especially in the current economic climate. Pass marks over 80% have become the norm.

So what can you and your child expect of ‘your’ entrance tests, and what can you do to prepare? Well, if your son or daughter is gearing up to sit an Eleven Plus (11+) or similar entrance exam, you have probably already found out from your prospective school or schools roughly what the contents of the test will be. Local entrance tests always have Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning components, and some also add an English component:

  • Maths –This is usually based on core skills learned during KS2 but at the demanding end of the spectrum. Children should be aiming towards a level 5 standard.
  • Verbal reasoning – typically, these are logic problems, involving both number and word type puzzles. A rapid ability to ‘frame’ the problem (i.e., understand and conceptualise it) is very important. For children not in Trafford primary schools verbal (and no-verbal) reasoning will be new to them as its not likely to be covered in school.
  • Non-verbal reasoning – logic problems based on shapes, sequences or patterns. They often take the form of ‘odd one out’ or ‘what comes next’ questions.
  • English – Some schools use comprehension-type tests, others test fluency and accuracy of writing by requiring candidates to write a short essay or story. Spelling, vocabulary and punctuation, use of language and handwriting are some key skills the schools are looking for.

Preparatory work with your child
As a parent, it is possible to help your child prepare for each type of test. In our experience, getting your kids to do some preparation in the holidays doesn’t need to be that difficult – especially because if they are planning to sit the tests they are probably the bright, engaged types who will enjoy a mental challenge. Bright kids especially enjoy verbal reasoning tests. The Bond assessment papers are an excellent resource and offer good short tests – we usually advise aiming to cover a paper a day in each of the required topics.

What else can you do to prepare? There are various bits and pieces of useful advice – the school you are applying for might even give you a few pointers. Here are some broad ideas to start you off:

  • Vocabulary can make a big difference. This isn’t just a question of succeeding in English tests; good wordpower will help your child make sense of verbal reasoning questions quickly, ensuring an accurate understanding of the problem and saving valuable time in the test. Encourage reading over the summer, along with use of the dictionary to find out unfamiliar words.
  • Even if there isn’t a specific English test, spelling and punctuation matter. If your child is a borderline case, the school may look at the quality of his or her writing in written answers to verbal reasoning questions. Look at your child’s previous work, make lists of ‘problem’ words and encourage him or her to learn them. Revise punctuation, especially apostrophes to indicate possession and plurality.
  • Strong (and accurate!) mental arithmetic skills are important. Again, quick, reliable arithmetic can make all the difference in reasoning tests.
  • Past and sample papers are often available – we’ve already mentioned Bond products. Get hold of as many different ones as you can and work on them over the summer. Don’t pressurise your child too hard (you don’t want to teach them to hate logic tests…) but it can be a good idea to get your child to sit down and work through a paper a day, or at least a few a week. They generally take 45-50 minutes each. Closer to the test it is a good idea to practice doing past/sample papers to time to get your child used to the time constraints.
  • Going on holiday? As well as past papers and your child’s choice of reading, pack some books of puzzles, word games and logic problems. There are loads available in the shops, suitable for all ages. Even simple crosswords and Sudokos can make a big difference and help your child develop fast, accurate logical thinking skills.

If you’re in the Greater Manchester or Cheshire area and you’d like some extra help, get in touch with 121 Home Tutors. Our tutors are very experienced at supporting children in the run up to the Eleven Plus (11+) and entrance tests, and will help you give your child the best possible help and support at this stressful and exciting time!

You might also be in interested in this post from last year on the 11+ test.

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Posted in Entrance Tests & 11+, Primary | 2 Comments »

Summer holiday catch-up for GCSE and A-Level students

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Now that the exam season is all but finished, it might be time for your older children to think about how they can use the summer holiday break to get a head start, catch up and/or improve on areas where they haven’t performed as well as they might have wished. This is particularly important for students who have just completed Year 9 who will soon begin their GCSE courses, and for those in Years 10 or 12, who will be moving into the critical final phases of GCSE and A-Level next year.

That said, for students in this age group doing a bit of work and catching up over the summer holiday break isn’t just for those who have failed or underperformed in exams. It is also a great opportunity to get a head start and/or keep information fresher. The summer holiday break is quite long: six weeks or so for state schools, around eight weeks for many independent day schools and even more for many boarding schools. Even bright students often lose ground during this time, getting out of good habits, forgetting key information and neglecting skills that they had developed to a high level for the previous exam season.

Three subject areas most at risk from this ‘slippage’ are Maths, Science and modern languages. There are two reasons for this. First, they are among the most difficult subjects any student will be working on, especially at A-Level. Second, each one combines relatively difficult skills with a large amount of knowledge that needs to be learned.

Maths, Science and languages require the student both to develop skills (e.g., solving complex equations; designing, conducting and writing up experiments; forming grammatical sentences) and learn a great deal of information (formulae, physical laws, names of elements and compounds, long lists of vocabulary and tables of noun and verb forms).

It’s not necessary for students to spend their entire summer holiday revising all this stuff to stay on top of it – everyone needs a break, after all. The trick is to ensure that knowledge, skills and relevant thinking habits don’t just drop to the bottom of their minds for six, eight or ten weeks. As a parent, there are several ways you can help:

  • Travel can make an enormous difference. If your child is learning French and German, consider a visit to one country or the other for a holiday or short break.
  • Think about a visit to the Science Museum or the Natural History Museum in London. These aren’t just resources for younger kids – they contain a great deal of thought-provoking, inspirational material for older students, too.
  • Encourage reading – something we’ve blogged about recently.
  • More engaged students can be encouraged to actually pick up their school books during the holiday and have a quick refresher read. You could give them some sort of incentive to do this.
  • Switch on the telly! Keep an eye on the TV listings for programmes relevant to particular areas of study, and encourage them to watch. There’s also tons of good stuff on YouTube, iTunes U and the web in general.
  • Consider hiring a tutor, especially if your child underperformed in the end of year exams. Summer holiday tutoring doesn’t have to be intensive: a ‘slow burn’ approach to help students reinforce key ideas can work very well. It is a worthwhile summer holiday activity that keeps them occupied

If you live in the Greater Manchester or East Cheshire area and you’d like to find out more about how summer holiday tutoring can help your child – especially in tricky subjects like Maths, Science and modern languages – don’t hesitate to get in touch with 121 Home Tutors. We’ll be very happy to advise you, and, if you wish, put you in touch with tutors relevant to your child’s needs.

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Posted in A level, English, GCSE, Languages, Learn a language, maths | 2 Comments »