Kevin

Highly experienced and student friendly one-to-one Tuition for all four areas of Bexley and Kent 11 plus and secondary Mathematics up to GCSE.
When choosing a tutor, I know you value experience! I retired (early) from being a secondary maths teacher with 32 years of classroom experience, as well as conducting 11-plus style exams for a large proportion of that time. Although part-time tutoring for many years, I have been a full-time tutor since 2016. I am also a professional magician!

I am fully up-to-date DBS cleared with an enhanced certificate which I recognise is really important to parents who are going to invite me into their homes. Although I prefer face-to-face teaching in the students` homes, during the Covid-19 lockdown I, offered one-to-one lessons online via the Zoom platform. But as guidelines eased I returned to face-to-face method of teaching and currently, I am back to tutoring almost all lessons in the students` homes.

I was born in Sidcup and have remained in south-east London for my entire life. I went to primary school in New Eltham, grammar school in New Cross, University in London and post-grad at Greenwich. As well as, school teaching for 32 years, I have worked with children and young people in my spare time working in a youth club, teaching Sunday School, running a performing arts club for 10 to 18 year olds, directing youth stage shows and organising residential courses and holidays for young people.

I gained an honours degree Majoring in Statistics and Minoring in Pure Maths and Media Studies. I have a post-graduate diploma in school maths education. I taught in secondary schools for 32 years and following that, I have been a full-time tutor for both Maths up to and including GCSE and also all areas of Eleven Plus since 2016 following my early retirement from school classroom teaching. I am regularly told that I help increase confidence in students who have previously under-achieved or felt they needed more support. Students appear to like me, find me patient and friendly and I am told that most of them actively look forward to their sessions! When full time teaching, I was promoted to both Head of Year and Head of House in previous schools so have significant pastoral experience.

As a tutor:
+ I teach ALL aspects of 11 plus and entrance exams (not just the maths),
+ I prepare children in Key Stage 2 for their year 6 Maths SATs,
+ I help boost confidence in maths at Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3 (ages 9 to 14)
+ I give full teaching, preparation, gap filling and increasing of understanding of Maths in readiness for GCSE at both Foundation and Higher levels,
+ I can stimulate gifted and talented students in maths who are feeling bored with their school maths using fun and challenging maths outside the formal curriculum,
+ I teach adult learners numeracy and "functional" maths,
+ I can provide the full maths curriculum for home-schooled children and teenagers.

In normal circumstances I travel to you and tutor in your home or your preferred location. (Please note, there is an additional charge of 50p a mile return travel on top of the hourly tuition rate to partially cover petrol and the time cost of travelling to your home.) If it is necessary to face each other over a computer screen, of course, there is no travel charge!

During the lockdown, many students looked forward to and enjoyed their once or twice a week lessons with me online. When teaching via Zoom I make use of an online whiteboard using a graphics drawing tablet, an extensive collection of resources including many PowerPoint presentations and a second camera with which I can show texts and my own working for illustrative purposes.
Of course, in the home, lessons can be more personal, more immediate and interactions are much easier.

Availability: Tutoring is my full-time living and I am available weekdays during the day (so can support home-schooled children and adult learners) as well as weekdays after school 3.30pm to 7.30pm. I have some limited availability at weekends, too. Please note - the 3.30pm to 7.30pm slots are in very high demand.

The 11-plus test is normally taken in September at the beginning of year 6. I also offer intensive 11-plus preparation throughout August in the summer holidays for those about to go into year 6. This is achieved with two hour sessions which include fully analysed full-length practice papers.

Willing to travel: 8 miles

Experience: + Home Tutoring: I retired (early) from classroom teaching at the end of 2015 and have been home tutoring full-time since May 2016 seven days a week. I tutor all areas of 11+ (for the Bexley, Kent and Medway tests) covering English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, secondary maths from Key Stage 3 all the way up to sixth-form and for many students to whom I have taught 11+ I continue teaching them in year 6 in Maths, English and Science up to (and beyond) their KS2 SATs. I also did secondary maths tutoring in the evenings whilst I was still full-time classroom teaching.

+ School Teaching: 32 years experience of teaching maths including 25 years in what was, for some years, the country`s most over-subscribed state comprehensive school!

+ I have conducted 11-plus style entrance exams for many years, have supported all abilities from Gifted and Talented pupils to those with learning difficulties and taught secondary school at all levels.

+ The school in which I taught for the longest was an ASD specialist school so I have received training and have experience in dealing with children on the autism spectrum.

+ I was Head of Year and/or Head of House in this school for the majority of the 25 years I taught there so have extensive pastoral experience and for the last few years I was Senior Head of House so ran the entire House System in the school.

+ Although no longer teaching in schools I still have a fully up-to-date completely clear DBS certificate due to my continued work with children and teenagers. I am happy to show this certificate to parents.

DBS Check: Yes