I can't believe that the last time I posted in this blog it was July 2019!  Who could have known what the last 18 months have brought us in terms of tutoring alone.  On top of that we have experienced a global pandemic which has changed the way we work here at Diss Maths Tutor.

Prior to the March 2020 lockdown, Diss Maths Tutor had been experiencing a growth in demand for tuition, to the point that we had become a team of 5 tutors.  As talk began of a potential lockdown, one of my tutors came in to work and asked. "What will you do if schools close and we have to go into a lockdown?" 

The answer to her question was easy, and it took less than a second to come up with a reply.

"We'll just move our service online."

It was the obvious solution, as online tuition was already part of the service we offered and I was able to offer this option straight away.  Nearly all of our clients took up the offer immediately, while others waited until it was the only option.  Some clients declined and of course, all of the then Y11 GCSE students decided to end their tuition as soon their exams were cancelled, This meant that we lost 50% of our existing clients.

However, a few weeks into the lockdown, we were soon seeing a trickle of enquiries, and more clients than ever before requested summer holiday tuition. However, the biggest influx came once students returned to school and realised that they needed help to catch up with their learning.

As a result of increased demand, we now have an additional two maths tutors and have even taken on a GCSE English tutor.  This means that we can cater for the extra students that may have missed out on a place previously.

Diss Maths Tutor continues to grow and there are many changes coming.  The future is very exciting and we look forward to supporting many more students, helping them to achieve their learning goals in 2021.

As usual, it has been a very busy first half of the Autumn Term.  Many of my Key Stage 2 students have continued with their tuition and an increasing number of last year's Y6 students have continued with tuition into Y7.

Of my new students, a significant number are currently in Y10, embarking upon their GCSE studies.  It is certainly wise for students who lack confidence in maths to start tuition in Y10 so that their skills can be developed in readiness for the pressures of Y11.  By starting tuition earlier, we can work on basic skills which enable students to have greater success with some of the more difficult aspects of maths.

My new venture into small groups on Saturdays is really working well.  I currently have a Y7 group and a GCSE group running, with a new Year 6 group starting after half term.  I do have one space available in the Y7 group and two spaces in the Year 6 group.  

If required, I am able to add another class to my Saturdays, so please do get in touch if you would be interested.

This half-term holiday has also been a busy one - the option to have holiday tuition on Mondays and Fridays has also proved popular.  It has been wonderful to say welcome back to my students who currently attend boarding schools, so only take tuition during the holidays!

It has been a while since I have posted on this blog - an indication of just how busy I have been!  Normally, things go quiet after Year 6 have taken their SATs and the Year 11s have taken their GCSEs.  This year has bucked that trend.  Several of my Y6 students have stayed on until the end of term and some are even staying for Y7 and moving to the Saturday Classes.

In addition, I have had so many enquiries for tuition in September that all but one of my 1-2-1 weekday, after school slots are already filled!  I am now looking forward to starting my Saturday classes of up to three students in September.

Furthermore, this is proving to be my busiest summer holidays ever.  I have managed to fill Tuesdays with tuition and some students are even having tuition on other days.  Summer tuition is proving popular with students wanting to 'catch up' ready for the new academic year and those who attend independent schools and who have up to 10 weeks of summer holiday.  We are well on the way to preventing 'Summer Slide' and even reversing the tables by making plenty of 'Summer Progress'!

As there seems to be a demand for some students to have two sessions each week during the holidays, I am considering changing my 'holiday' offerings from Tuesdays, to Mondays and Fridays, for the October half-term.  (See, we haven't even reached September and I am planning for October half-term. Well, it is good to have a plan isn't it!)

For those who are enjoying their summer holiday break - I hope you're having a relaxing time ready to return to school feeling refreshed and ready to learn.  Enjoy!

This year has been full on, so far, in terms of enquiries for my tuition services.  As the Easter holidays approach, I am seeing unprecedented demand for tuition during the school holidays.  Some of my GCSE students have requested 5 tuition sessions during that time and I have also received 'late enquiries' for students requiring some pre-exam tuition.  This means that I am now fully booked for 5 days (7-8 hours each day) of Easter tuition, with a couple of students having some lessons on days I hadn't originally planned to teach on.  Unfortunately, I have had to turn away some students wanting regular weekly tuition until exams - purely because I can't currently fit any more time into my schedule.  I just wish I could help each and every one of them.

It is great that these students are well motivated to make the most of the opportunity for some 'guided' revision, or to just cover some subjects that they feel that they need some help with.  For the students are able to have tuition, and those who may not, there are some fantastic websites around which offer video tutorials and a selection of exam style questions to practise.  I am including links to a few of them here.  All of them are free to use, and provide worthwhile focussed revision.  I hope you find them useful.

mathswebsite.com/

​corbettmaths.com/

mathsgenie.co.uk/

In the meantime, if you have a son or daughter who will be taking his or her GCSE maths next May/June, and you are thinking of employing a tutor, then please do get in touch as soon as possible, in order to reserve a place for September 2018.

Lots of great news has been coming in to Diss Maths Tutor over the past few weeks. 

​My 11+ and 13+ entrance exam students have gained places - some with scholarships - to Ipswich School, The Leys School, Thetford Grammar to name just three.  In addition, I have had news of students who have been moved up to higher maths sets and some great news from Y11 mocks.  One student, who was worried about achieving a Grade 5 in her GCSE in the summer, had raised her score to an 'almost 6' and another student achieved a Grade 8 in his mocks; with continued hard work he could possibly achieve Grade 9 in the summer.  Other students are improving all the time, and are pleased with their progress - ,many of the Key Stage 2 students have made amazing progress with their arithmetic and we are working hard on honing those reasoning skills.

Sometimes, students practicing exam questions, get a little confused by the wording of the questions.  It is really helpful, if they can get to grips with the terminology used and what clues it gives to the marking criteria.

Please feel free do download and/or print the document below, which identifies common phrases used and what they actually mean.

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This is an interesting article published by the Guardian this week.  Many of my students come to me as a direct result of their parents identifying these problems.  
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www.telegraph.co.uk/education/0/10-ways-know-child-needs-maths-tutor/

One of my students recommended a film he thought I would enjoy and was kind enough to loan me the DVD.  Yesterday afternoon, I settled down to watch it.  It tells the story of three American female mathematicians who worked for NASA in the 1960s.  The film is truly inspirational - and is based on a true story - it is well worth setting aside a chilly Sunday afternoon to watch!
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youtu.be/RK8xHq6dfAo