Homework

Tailor-made homework made specifically for each individual student to support their personal understanding and progress.

Each homework is created using a variety of resources and questions/exercises created from scratch. As well as being designed to consolidate understanding of material covered in both tutoring lessons and school, it also aims to provide me, the tutor, with additional insight into students' progress whilst identifying any misconceptions, which in turn helps me to continue adapting my tuition to their specific needs and makes my support more effective.

Set after each lesson, students are expected to handwrite their responses and give in the homework (via email or in-person) for marking either before or at the start of their next lesson. Together, the student and I will then go through their feedback and use it to co-plan upcoming lessons.

Why handwritten?

Most schools these days set the majority of maths homework through online platforms such as MyMaths and MathsWatch. These are fantastic resources but their use means students are putting pen to paper less and less often whilst performing mathematics. What's the issue with that? Well, the fundamental problem is that GCSE and A Level exams are still paper based, and they require students to communicate and structure their mathematical thinking via written methods. Moreover, students are expected to use mathematical instruments such as protractors and a pair of compasses; such practice cannot be adequately provided via online platforms. The act of physically writing down mathematical workings engages more areas of the brain, develops a deeper level of understanding and improves memory.

Why is homework so important?

Completing extra practice work independently in their own time allows students to consolidate their understanding and helps to transfer new learning into their long-term memory. Homework also helps students to learn to manage their free time, and to develop study and organisation skills; these are all habits that will serve them well throughout life.

Why Opt-In?

Here are just a few of the many great reasons to opt in for tailor-made homework in addition to regular tutoring lessons:

Just for them

With a lack of time and huge workloads, school teachers simply aren't able to adapt and differentiate every homework task to best suit each individual student and their needs, but a maths tutor can! Give your child the rare opportunity to receive homework specifically created to support their own personal progress.

Quantity and Quality

Unfortunately the quantity and quality of school homework set can vary massively not only from teacher to teacher, but at different points throughout the year. This can lead to huge inconsistencies in students’ progress and unfairly widen the gaps between attainment levels within the same year group. Help your child make consistent progress through regular, high quality homework set after each tutoring lesson.

Guaranteed Marking and Feedback

Sometimes completed school homework is not marked by the teacher or discussed in class. Understandably, this can cause students to become disengaged and begin to feel there is little worth or purpose in them completing homework. Through tailor-made homework your child will regularly receive personalised feedback and have the opportunity to go through their homework in detail in a one-one setting.

Why is there an extra charge for homework?

It is important to me that students view their tuition as something more personalised and relaxed than school. Therefore, I have always made it clear to students that doing any extra work between lessons is entirely their choice and that they will never be penalised for not completing it. I believe in and have seen first-hand, the positive effect on their self-development that can come through providing students with the chance to decide and demonstrate through extra work their level of commitment to their own progress in maths. I am always very happy to encourage any student’s choice of wanting extra work between lessons by providing them with tailored homework, which I often create from scratch. However, sometimes very carefully planned and worthwhile homework remains uncompleted for a long time, causing it to become redundant. This can often be frustrating, especially if a lot of thought and time has gone into creating and tailoring the homework to meet the specific needs of the student. It can also create the awkward position of having to repeatedly remind a student to do their homework or explain why it is a shame they did not complete it. This in turn can potentially have a detrimental effect on the teacher-student relationship, which is paramount to effective tuition. In summary, to further encourage students to undertake agreed extra work between lessons, and to avoid the issues that can arise from its incompletion, I have decided to offer homework on a subscription basis only as an additional service to regular tutoring lessons.