Chris

Hi - here are some reviews:
A level English Literature
Chris only had 6 weeks to help me prepare for my English Literature A-Level - in such a short amount of time he managed to get me from a C grade student to an A. Chris is very enthusiastic about what he teaches and was always able to answer my questions and mark my essays. His essay structure plans were so helpful and he goes above and beyond to prepare you for your exams. Thank you so much Chris!
Maddi, Horsham, West Sussex

GCSE English Language and Literature
We found Chris through a friend's recommendation. We were not misled! Chris is a wonderful tutor with a great sense of humour. The comment from our daughter said it all. 'He gets me mum and he knows everything so I can ask him anything and he can explain it! I actually understand!' Exactly what you want in a tutor. She went up three grades in one exam and two grades in the other!! Highly recommend.
ML, West Grinstead, West Sussex
There are more reviews in the Tutoring Approach section.
I am a very experienced and successful tutor of English and Maths. I did an English degree at Cambridge, a PGCE at Nottingham, and then worked as an English and Drama teacher for 10 years, latterly as Head of Department. I have worked in educational and children’s television since then, as a producer, director and writer. I have made over 500 programmes for broadcast on the BBC, Channel 4, and around the world, winning numerous educational awards in the UK and internationally. I am married with two adult children.

Tutoring Experience

I taught in and near London, for four years in a grammar school and for six years in two different comprehensives, teaching English Language and Literature, and Drama.
My teaching experience more recently has been through creating television scripts, CD-ROMs and websites, especially helping young people to enjoy and learn maths. Supporting my daughter through her GCSEs and A levels has kept me very much in touch with students’ needs.

Tutoring Approach

I help children and young people learn through motivating them and building their confidence. I aim to make learning thorough, clear, enjoyable and inspirational; and to make obscure things interesting, complex things simple, and dull things entertaining.

Reviews:

I honestly cannot praise Chris enough. Not only did he spark my enthusiasm in English but he also did the impossible in raising me from E grade essays throughout the year to one of the highest A grades in my year in my final AS exam. Throughout the year I have known Chris he has always gone way above and beyond, helping my coursework throughout my second year and always responding to emails and questions that I have had. I cannot put into words how thankful I am for Chris's coaching and patience as without his tutoring there would have been no way I would have passed English, and therefore not continued onto University. I am very thankful that I came across Chris and cannot over estimate how much he has helped me achieve, far beyond what I had hoped to achieve.
PR, Beare Green, A level English Language and Literature

We have a lot to thank Chris for. We met with him after our son had been school refusing for a long period of time. We had previous tutors which our son had not engaged well with and then he met Chris. His ability to engage our son was fantastic to the point that he was excited about education again. I only wish we had found him sooner! Thank you!
AK, South Holmwood: GCSE Maths

Chris has been an outstanding tutor. As a result of Chris’s tutoring, I have been able to boost my English Language GCSE grade from a low B to a high A and have become a lot more comfortable with constructing longer pieces of writing. I was having real difficulty in approaching exam questions and knowing how to apply the correct exam technique but Chris helped me to overcome all these problems and most importantly made learning English very enjoyable! Thank you so much for all the help and guidance he gave me it really paid off!
GB, Dorking, GCSE English Language

Chris is brilliant. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for extra tuition.
TS, Brockham: GCSE English Language, English Literature and Maths
Having been let down by another tutor, we came to Chris in January before the June English language and English literature IGCSE exams. He immediately put together a plan to work with my son through the necessary material. He was exceptionally reliable in that I don't think we ever had to reschedule; flexible in that he was willing to meet over the half-term breaks; and effective in that my son achieved A*s in his exams by understanding the texts and learning how to write about them for the exam. More important, however, is that Chris is able to talk to a teenage boy about the topics covered in the texts in a way that helps him to understand more about himself as well as the literature. Books, poems, and plays are about who we are as humans, and Chris takes his tutorials out of the mundane realm of exam preparation into the boundless universe of mature discussion of all that literature communicates.
JK, Box Hill: IGCSE English Language and Literature,
Very friendly and made me feel comfortable to ask any questions! Chris definitely helped my confidence when it came to essay writing and structure. He introduced lots of different ways to interpret the texts I was studying at college in a lot more depth. I struggled a lot in my two years at college and if I'm honest Chris taught me more in 4 months than my college did in 2 years. Would definitely recommend to anyone that struggles with English!
EC, Horsham: English Language and Literature A Level

Without doubt, I am incredibly grateful for Chris's English tutoring over the last year. With regards to my personal background, I believe I was an A or B grade English student, as it was the GCSE I felt I was struggling at most. However, Chris has helped me immensely with both English Language and Literature, offering an excellent balance of technical expertise, patience and support. He quickly understood what I required, and helped target my weaknesses with both practice papers and technical work. His good humour is what I believe to be a defining factor to his teaching excellence, since it allowed me to be instantly comfortable with him. I genuinely owe Chris a lot and I believe he is a leading factor to my final A*s in both English exams. I cannot recommend Chris highly enough and I would like to thank him dearly for his support.
KR, Surrey, IGCSE English Language and Literature

I contacted Chris because my son was struggling with his Maths and he was taking his GCSE in June. He needed someone to spend time with him to understand what his challenges were and to then explain and coach in a way he understood. Chris delivered this and more. He not only gave my son the technical knowledge on the areas he found difficult he showed him he was capable and built his confidence no end. He even went through how to approach the exam which proved invaluable on the day!
Chris came to our rescue at very short notice and really did put himself out and made sure my son had as much time as he could with him before his GCSE which showed Chris really cares about his students and that was very important to me.
I can't recommend Chris highly enough, he obviously knows his subjects and understands how to engage with students so they understand and learn which means they go into the exam in a position where they can do their absolute best. And as a parent that's all we can ask!
TB, Horsham: GCSE Maths

Thank you so much for tutoring my son in KS3 English this year. You have given him much more confidence and his results have greatly improved. Best of all, he has really enjoyed coming to the sessions, so the improvement hasn't been gained at the cost of losing his love of reading and writing.
AR, Abinger: KS3 English Language and Literature

Very approachable and flexible on times. Professional approach and followed up each visit with an email on work covered/areas to study.
AB, Surrey: English Language and Literature

Thank you so much for helping our son. His teachers predicted B's at GCSE so you can imagine his surprise and delight when he got A*s in both GCSE English papers – not to mention the confidence boost. I know this was only achieved because of your teaching skills, patience, understanding & getting to know exactly how he ticked and what worked for him.
KW, Reigate: GCSE English and English Language and Literature

Really nice person, my girls think he's cool and are enjoying learning time with him
PB, Surrey: KS2 and KS3 English and Mathematics

I thoroughly enjoyed every lesson that I had with Chris and my only regret is that I had to finish due to other commitments. Having lessons with Chris not only extinguished anxieties I had around reading and writing but also reignited my passion for English Literature. He takes great interest in his students teaching with a non-judgemental approach, with bags of creativity, energy and passion for his subjects. I felt valued, understood and constantly encouraged and praised.

JC, Capel: Adult Learner, English Language and Literature

Chris's tutoring allowed me to gain confidence and realization in myself. Using understandable and valuable techniques in essay planning and writing which I used to pass my A Levels and continue to use at University!
AW, Surrey: A level English Literature

We were lucky to find Chris two years ago to help with our son's English when he moved from India to the UK. My son was overwhelmed with the change of the system in his early days but the personal touch offered by Chris made a huge difference in boosting his confidence. Chris quickly identified my son's weak areas and systematically worked with him in improving all aspects of his language skills.
What had started as a summer coaching for a few weeks went on for the next two years which turned out to be a great learning experience. It is needless to say that my son couldn't have achieved 'A' grades in both GCSE English language and Literature subjects without the professional tutoring delivered by Chris. We can't thank Chris enough for giving us much more than what we asked for.
VT, Fetcham: GCSE English Language and Literature

Chris has taken teaching as it gives him joy to see the young generation perform and improve. To him, it is like a hobby that he loves and not just a profession. I thought it was a bit difficult to change my son's attitude towards learning. Now when Chris is not there, my son really feels there is something missing. My son is now enjoying learning his most difficult subject. We can not really thank Chris enough.
MA, Horsham: GCSE English Language and Literature

Chris was very patient and positive/supportive with a somewhat reluctant 16 year old boy, and really helped him progress and also gain confidence with his maths and English. Chris has a very good understanding of the exam and education system and was keen to know exactly what my son was working on and what help he could provide, tailored to the exam texts etc. He was calm and patient and my son responded well to this, and even when tired after a day at school would try hard at the tutoring session. A very supportive positive approach. Highly recommended.
CJ, Horsham: GCSE Maths and English

Chris is a truly excellent tutor. I struggled initially with my learning difficulties and exam technique during my A-levels. I needed help in approach to exam papers and learning, Chris helped me unequivocally. Besides this, I learnt a lot from his extensive knowledge in Classics and English language & literature. Chris dispensed very well versed grammatical advice to me in preparation for my essays. If it were not for Chris as my tutor, I would probably not have got into University. Overall, I can say that Chris is not only a very valuable tutor for the reasons above, but that he makes learning fun and that I highly recommend him for anyone looking for academic tutoring.
FB-L, Horsham: A level English, Classical Civilisation, Government and Politics