Stephen

Maths tuition from GCSE to university application: GCSE Maths; FSMQ; A level Maths/Further Maths; IB SL & HL Maths AA & AI; university application (including Oxbridge), TMUA, MAT, PAT, STEP, personal statement, interview preparation. With over 25 years' experience in teaching mathematics, I have strong subject knowledge. I offer friendly, supportive, high-quality tuition and hold an enhanced DBS certificate.

Tutoring Experience

My tutoring ranges from Foundation Tier Maths GCSE to university-level mathematics. Included in that is support for Oxbridge entrance exams, TMUA, MAT, PAT and STEP.

At the moment, I have limited availability.

I taught mathematics at universities in the UK and Australia for more than 25 years. I was Admissions Tutor for Mathematics at the University of Nottingham for several years, and have mentored numerous year-13 students to success in their university applications. I now use this experience to support students in their university preparations, including the UCAS application process, the personal statement and preparation for entrance exams and interviews. Students I have tutored have secured places at prestigious universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Warwick, Bath, Bristol and York.

For more information on specific aspects of university application, such as the personal statement, entrance exams and interviews, please see the relevant sections towards the end of this profile.

GCSE students I have tutored have gained a wide range of grades, depending on what they were aiming for: some achieved their target of passing the GCSE exam so that they would not have to continue studying maths, others succeeded in achieving grade 9, leading on to further study.

I recently taught year 7, 8, 9 and 10 classes in Nottinghamshire secondary schools, in person and online, as part of a teacher training course; through this course, I kept up-to-date with current research on how best to support students in learning mathematics.

Tutoring Approach

I am calm and patient. I aim to develop a good understanding of mathematics through a careful sequencing of tuition; this helps to ensure that the student's learning is secure and that my tuition provides an excellent foundation for future studies. I recognise that some students are still feeling the effects of the significant disruption to learning that took place due to covid-19.

Homework is a key element of my tutoring: it gives the student the opportunity to practise skills that they have developed during the tutoring sessions; it also shows me where the student’s new knowledge is secure and where we need to do further practice to help consolidate that knowledge. Normally, I set and mark weekly homework for each student and use their performance in the homework to guide my planning of subsequent sessions.

The cost of each tutoring session includes the setting and marking of homework.

It may be that you have specific topics in maths that you would like to work on, or you may wish to regain your mathematical confidence more generally. Accordingly, we might agree to focus on specific topics, or we might choose topics to fill knowledge gaps as they become apparent through tutoring sessions and weekly homeworks.

Tutoring sessions themselves generally include a mix of explicit teaching from me together with a lot of student practice on relevant problems. My aim in the tutoring sessions is to support the student as they develop greater competence and fluency across a range of mathematical topics. As their mathematical fluency grows, my students become more confident mathematicians.

UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT (or its replacement): Using my experience as a Mathematics Admissions Tutor, I can support you in writing an effective personal statement (or its replacement; the UCAS personal statement is being replaced for applications made in 2025 onwards).

ENTRANCE EXAMS (TMUA, MAT, PAT, STEP): Sessions comprise: a review of the detailed requirements; instruction on important topics; practice in essential skills; guidance and feedback on past-paper attempts; demonstration of key principles for effective performance in multiple-choice and (where relevant) long-answer questions. For example, according to need, STEP sessions include: advanced algebraic techniques, complex numbers, curve sketching, differential equations, inequalities, integration, mechanics (including circular motion, friction, projectiles), number theory, permutations and combinations, polar coordinates, polynomials, probability, sums and series, statistics, trigonometry, vectors.

INTERVIEW PREPARATION: Sessions include: discussion of the purpose of the interview; key things to do in advance to prepare effectively for the interview; key things to do on the day to make the interview as effective as possible.

TRAVEL TO YOU: Please note that if I travel to you for tuition then each session is subject to an additional charge of £10.