GCSE Maths

GCSE Maths is often the grade that decides what comes next. A grade 4 can open a sixth-form place, an apprenticeship or a college course; a grade 7 or above is usually what sixth forms ask for before A-level maths. This course is for pupils in Years 9 to 11 who need the topics rebuilt in a sensible order and the exam papers made familiar. We teach it one-to-one, online or at home, so the lesson moves at your child’s pace rather than the pace of a class of thirty.

Below you will find what the course covers, who it suits, how the first weeks work, what your child needs to bring, and what changes the timing or the fee. We teach school pupils aged 7 to 18 across maths, English and science; this page is the GCSE Maths strand. Every tutor is DBS-checked and qualified, and progress reports for parents are part of the course.

What the course covers

We start with number and algebra, because so much of the rest of the paper depends on them. Fractions and decimals, percentages and standard form, expanding brackets and solving equations all get rebuilt from the ground up if they are shaky. Then we move to ratio, geometry, probability and statistics, matching the order your school is teaching or fixing the gaps that are blocking the current topic.

Foundation and Higher tier are different courses in the same subject. Foundation pupils need confidence with the straight marks: the first half of each paper, the calculator routines, the questions that reward careful reading. Higher pupils need the grade 6 to 9 topics and the stamina to hold a method together across a six-mark question. We confirm the tier before the first lesson and we do not mix the two.

Exam technique runs alongside the content. We teach the language of the mark scheme: “show that”, “hence”, “estimate”, “give a reason”. We practise the calculator paper with the calculator the pupil will actually use in the exam. We look at where marks are lost for a missing unit, an unrounded intermediate value or an answer that stops one step too early.

Who it suits, and who it does not

It suits a Year 10 pupil whose school report says “inconsistent” and whose exercise book has more gaps than notes. It suits a Year 11 pupil who knows the formulas but freezes when the paper puts three topics in one question. It suits a Year 9 pupil who is on track but wants the highest grades to be a real option rather than a hopeful target.

It does not suit a pupil who wants to sit in a group and copy from the board. One-to-one is the whole point: we stop at the exact step that is unclear and we do not move on because the clock says so. It also does not suit a family looking for a fixed promise of a grade. We will not promise a grade. We will tell you what we see and what still needs time.

If the need is English or science, we have separate courses for those. If the need is a one-off review of a mock paper, say so when you call; we will tell you honestly whether a short block of past-paper lessons will do more than a full year of weekly sessions.

How the course works, step by step

Before the first lesson

We ask for the exam board, the tier, the date of the next mock and a recent school report or paper if one exists. AQA or Edexcel, Foundation or Higher, a mock in November or a mock in February: those details change the plan. We also ask what your child says about maths. “I hate it” and “I run out of time” need different first lessons.

The first four to six lessons

The first lesson is a working assessment, not a test with a pass mark. We watch how your child reads a question, where they reach for a calculator and where they give up. Then we build a short plan with two or three priorities, not a list of forty topics. Each lesson ends with a small piece of practice that is marked in the next session, so nothing is left to “we’ll come back to it”.

The middle block

Once the foundations are steady, we move to past papers by topic. A pupil who can do a page of fractions in an exercise book may still miss the same fractions inside a geometry question. We use exam questions from the relevant board and we keep an error log. The log is simple: question, what went wrong, what to do next time. It becomes the revision list in May.

The final run-in

In the last six to eight weeks we move to full papers and timed sections. We practise the first ten minutes of the paper, the last ten minutes and the moment when a pupil decides to skip a question and come back. For home lessons, we can set a paper as homework and mark it before the next session. For online lessons, we can share the paper on screen and annotate it together.

What your child brings and what we prepare

For a lesson at home, your child needs an exercise book, a calculator, a pencil, a ruler and the school topic list if there is one. A quiet table and a glass of water help more than a dining table full of post. For an online lesson, the same kit plus a laptop, a stable connection and the camera on. We do not need a special app beyond the lesson link we send when you book.

We prepare the worksheets, the exam questions and the mark schemes. We keep a record of what was covered and what still needs practice, and we use that record for the progress reports for parents. Online lessons use a shared whiteboard, and we save the worked examples so your child can look back at them before the next lesson. For home lessons, we leave a short written summary of the same points.

You do not need to prepare your child for the first lesson. Tell us the exam board, the tier and any access arrangements the school has put in place. If your child has a reader or extra time in school, tell us, because the practice papers should match the exam conditions they will actually sit.

What affects the timing and the price

Timing depends on the starting point, the tier and how close the exam is. A pupil who starts in Year 9 can spread the work across three years, with the odd break for the February half-term or a school trip. A pupil who starts in Year 11 with eight weeks to go needs a different plan: past papers, the highest-value topics and a realistic conversation about what can be secured. Starting earlier usually means fewer sessions in April, which is where the real saving sits.

The fee is confirmed when you book. We do not publish a single figure because a block of weekly lessons in Year 10 and a short past-paper review in Year 11 are not the same piece of work. We will give you a clear fee for the block you are considering before you commit, and we will tell you if we think you need fewer lessons than you asked for. Progress reports are included as part of the course, not added as a separate invoice.

There is value in the format itself. One-to-one means you are paying for one tutor’s attention on one pupil, not a share of a class. If you book maths alongside science or English, we can line up the revision calendar and the mock dates so the same planning is not done twice. Ask about that when you call the Manchester number, +44 161 6306222, or email [email protected].

Questions parents ask

Is this only for pupils who are behind?

No. Plenty of pupils come to us on grade 6 and want grade 8. The work is different: harder problem-solving and longer questions. The course is built around the pupil in front of us, not a fixed syllabus of lessons.

Can lessons be online or at home?

Yes. We teach one-to-one lessons online or at home, and every tutor is DBS-checked and qualified. Online lessons suit a busy week; home lessons suit a pupil who works better away from a screen. You can move between the two if your week changes, subject to the times we have.

How do progress reports for parents work?

We agree the points in the course when the report is written. It covers what was taught and what still needs practice. It is written for you, not for a school file, so it avoids jargon and tells you what to ask your child about.

What if my child is in Year 11 and the exams are close?

We can focus on past papers, timing and the topics that appear most often. We will not promise a grade, and we will say plainly if we think the time is too short for the target. A short block can still steady a pupil who is panicking.

Do you teach both Foundation and Higher tier?

Yes. We confirm the tier before the first lesson and we use the matching papers. If the school is still deciding between tiers, we can work on the common ground first and make the call with you when the mocks are marked.