Levels Taught
Every child is different, so how lessons develop will very much depend on your particular child’s needs and interests. But wherever they are on their mathematical journey – starting in Primary, preparing for Nat 5 or GCSE, or embarking on Higher or A-Level work – you can be confident that I’ll bring the subject alive.
Although every experience is different, over the years I’ve developed some resources and approaches that I make regular use of. The following will give you a flavour of what to expect at each level.
Early Primary Years
Building a strong foundation in maths during the early years is so important. As a primary maths specialist, I have a strong understanding of how the different stages of learning are connected, so I’m well-placed to help your child make the best start. Face-to-face tuition works best at this stage, so I can give your child the practical experiences they need. We’re likely to use number lines and arrays of counters to understand how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division work, and we’ll learn games to embed key concepts through repetition and over-learning. If you choose me as a tutor, you can be confident that I’ll guide your child carefully step by step, ensuring all the gaps in their understanding are filled and they look forward to each lesson with enthusiasm.
Later Primary Years
As children’s understanding matures, they need to develop their thinking skills. At this stage, I use various diagrams and models to help visualise key concepts in fractions, and decimals and show them how to apply their understanding to a wide range of problems. We’ll also explore the links between measurement, shapes, and angles, so your child sees the connections between different mathematical ideas. And we’ll learn strategies to build fluency in core number skills (such as multiplication tables) which are essential in they’re going to tackle problems with confidence.
Specialist Coaching
For those who’d like to go beyond the regular curriculum, I offer a variety of opportunities for mathematical enrichment. My open-ended investigative challenges can spark children’s curiosity, and enrich their learning, by exploring interesting ideas in more depth. Alternatively, the U.K. and Scottish Mathematical challenges, for both primary and secondary pupils, provide a wealth of material for developing problem-solving skills. Whether your child is looking for general confidence-building, or preparing for Independent school entrance exams, such as Common Entrance, I can provide a supportive and structured approach that will help them to thrive mathematically.
National 5 / GCSE
The first major external exams – Nat 5 in Scotland or GCSEs in England – can be a source of anxiety for students and their families. The best way to approach these exams is to start preparing well in advance, although some pupils prefer support closer to the exams, such as after the mocks in January. My preferred method in both cases is to dive straight into working with past-paper questions. This immediately highlights strengths and weaknesses, showing where understanding is strong and where more focus is required. By working together in partnership, with targeted work between sessions, we can ensure progress is rapid and effective, and so boost your child’s confidence, to maximise success.
Higher / A-Level
Many students who excel at the earlier exam levels find the transition to Higher or A-Level maths daunting. In the Scottish curriculum, the leap between Nat 5 and Higher can feel like a two-term sprint, with a wider variety of question types that require deeper understanding. The jump from GCSE to A-Level is less severe, but can create the same challenges. In whatever system, I help students bridge the gap by teaching them a powerful strategy for tackling unfamiliar problems, ensuring they can approach even the most complex questions with confidence. As with earlier exams, I recommend focusing from the start on past-paper questions, to identify which areas are secure and which need development. My goal is to provide each young person with all the tools and strategies they need, to believe in themselves and realise their full potential.