One-to-one tuition · GCSE & A-level
Maths that finally
holds still long enough to make sense.
Pine Yonder is a small tutoring practice run by one teacher. Sessions are planned around your child's actual specification, their next assessment, and the topics they quietly avoid.
Trial sessions are 45 minutes and unpaid — they exist so both of you can decide.
Term dates
Autumn block runs to mid-DecemberRevision clinics resume in the new year
Session format
60 or 90 minutes, weekday eveningsIn person locally, or online by shared whiteboard
Current focus
Foundation and higher tier mathsPlus AS/A-level maths and GCSE physics
What is taught
Four lanes, taught properly
Rather than covering every subject thinly, Pine Yonder keeps to the courses it knows line by line. If your child's course is not listed, say so in your enquiry and you will get an honest answer rather than a booking.
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01
GCSE maths — higher tier
Algebraic fractions, circle theorems, vectors and the longer multi-step problems that decide the top grades. Work is built around the exam board your school actually entered, so the notation and question phrasing match.
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02
GCSE maths — foundation tier
Confidence first. Number fluency, ratio, percentages and graph reading, rebuilt slowly enough that the method sticks. Most students here have decided they are "bad at maths" — the first term is mainly about dismantling that.
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03
AS & A-level maths
Pure, statistics and mechanics, with a bias towards the modules students find least supported at school. Sessions favour worked reasoning over recipes, since the step marks in this course are awarded for the argument.
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04
GCSE physics & the maths inside it
Rearranging equations under pressure, unit conversions, graph interpretation and the required practicals. Often booked by students whose physics grade is really a maths problem in disguise.
How sessions run
From first message to marked paper
The same four stages apply to every student, so you know what the first month looks like before you commit to anything.
Step one
A short enquiry
You send the year group, subject, exam board and the evenings that could work. You get a reply within two working days saying whether there is a genuine slot.
Step two
Free 45-minute trial
Your child works through a few diagnostic questions out loud. Nothing is sold in this session — afterwards you get a plain note on where the gaps sit.
Step three
A term plan
Topics are sequenced against school assessments rather than the textbook order, with the weakest foundation topic always placed first.
Step four
Fortnightly marked work
Every second week, a past paper section is marked with examiner-style comments. That marking, not the session itself, is where most of the progress shows up.
Who you'll work with
One tutor, a deliberately short list
I taught secondary maths before moving to one-to-one work, which is where I found most of the useful teaching actually happens: in the pause after a student says "wait, why does that cancel?"
I keep the practice small on purpose. A capped number of students means I can mark real work, remember what we did three weeks ago, and tell you honestly when tuition is not the right answer.
- Background Qualified secondary maths teacher; classroom teaching before private tuition
- Approach Reasoning out loud, minimal note-copying, one method taught well before alternatives
- Safeguarding Enhanced background check held and available to view at the trial session
- Also fine with Maths anxiety, extra processing time, and students returning after a long gap
Availability & cost
The week, and what it costs
Published in full so you can check the logistics before you write to me. Slots are held per student for the whole term rather than rebooked weekly.
Weekly timetable
- Monday 16:00 – 20:00 GCSE maths, higher tier · in person or online
- Tuesday 16:30 – 20:00 AS & A-level maths, 90-minute sessions only
- Wednesday No sessions Marking, planning and replies to enquiries
- Thursday 16:00 – 20:00 GCSE maths foundation tier and GCSE physics
- Saturday 09:00 – 13:00 Exam-season clinics, spring term only
Sessions pause for school holidays unless you have booked a revision block. Cancellations with more than 24 hours' notice are rescheduled at no cost.
Fees
- One-to-one, 60 minutesGCSE maths or physics £48
- One-to-one, 90 minutesA-level, or GCSE in exam term £68
- Paired session, 60 minutesTwo students in the same set, price each £32
- Holiday revision blockFour 90-minute sessions in one week £240
Included in every booking
- A fortnightly past paper section, marked with written comments
- A one-page topic plan you can share with school if useful
- A short monthly note on what has improved and what has not
- Email answers to a stuck homework question between sessions
Where sessions happen
A quiet table, or a shared screen
Both formats are taught the same way. Online is not a lesser option here — the shared whiteboard means every step of working is saved and sent home afterwards, which suits students who lose their notes.
- In person: a quiet study room with a large table, spare calculators, and printed papers ready for each session.
- Online: shared whiteboard plus document camera, so handwritten working stays visible on both sides.
- Either way: phones stay in bags, and parents are welcome to sit in on the first session.
Questions parents ask first
Before you enquire
If the answer you need is not here, put the question in the enquiry form — it will be answered directly rather than deferred to a phone call.
Is the trial session really free?
Yes. It runs for 45 minutes and involves diagnostic questions rather than teaching. You receive a written note afterwards on where the gaps are, and you are free to use that note elsewhere if you decide not to continue.
How many sessions before we see a difference?
Honestly, it varies, and anyone promising a fixed number is guessing. What you can expect early is a change in how your child talks about the subject — attempting questions before asking for help is usually the first visible shift, often within the first half-term.
Do you set homework on top of school work?
Only the fortnightly marked paper section, which takes about 40 minutes. It replaces revision your child would otherwise do unguided, rather than adding to the pile. If a school deadline week is brutal, we skip it and I say so.
How will I know what is happening in sessions?
You get a short monthly note covering topics taught, what improved, and what still needs work. It is written plainly, without grade predictions, and you can ask for more detail at any point.
My child finds maths genuinely stressful. Is this the right setting?
Often it is, because there is no class to be wrong in front of. Early sessions with anxious students deliberately use topics they can already do, so the first twenty minutes are a success rather than an audit. Progress is slower and steadier by design.
Can you support extra processing time or an EHC plan?
Yes, within reason. Send whatever the school has agreed and sessions will be paced and formatted to match — larger printed papers, fewer questions with longer thinking time, or spoken working instead of written notes. I am a tutor, not a specialist assessor, and will say if a specialist would serve you better.
What happens in school holidays?
Regular sessions pause and your termly slot is held. Optional revision blocks run in the weeks before exam season: four 90-minute sessions across one week, built around a specific paper.
Can we switch subject or session length mid-term?
Switching length is usually straightforward at a half-term boundary. Switching subject depends on the timetable above, since physics and foundation maths share the same evening. Ask early and it can normally be arranged.
Book a trial
Tell me about the student
Six fields, no phone call needed. The more specific you are about the exam board and the topics going wrong, the more useful the reply will be.
- Reply time Within two working days, including a yes or no on availability
- Next step A free 45-minute trial in one of the slots on the timetable
- No pressure If tuition is not what your child needs, I will tell you that instead