Lower KS3 | Middle KS3 | Upper KS3 | IGCSE | One-to-One
Supportive and nurturing English courses for home-learners designed to develop a love of reading and writing, inspire and motivate learners, and cover the national curriculum.
Tutor Led Learning English Pathway
Students may join at any point along the pathway – even during term time (if places are available). Just get in touch.
Lower KS3 (Year 1)
Students are typically aged 11-12*
Middle KS3 (Year 2)
Students are typically aged 12-13*
Upper KS3 (Year 3)
Students are typically aged 13-14*
IGCSEs (Years 4 and 5)
Students are typically aged 14-16*
*Ages/year groups are included as a guide only. Students of differing ages may be in the groups as we know that ability is not necessarily defined by age.
Lower KS3 English
Lower KS3 roughly equates to Year 7 at an English Secondary School and students are typically 11-12. Students should take a complete Reading and Writing course each year in order to make good, balanced progress in English. There is a choice of two groups for both Reading and Writing courses.
Lower KS3 Reading Course
We start the year off by reading Holes. It’s a great novel for engaging students with literature and for introducing concepts such as characterisation and structure. It’s a genuinely fun read, and students really seem to love the twists and turns of the plot as we discover why teenage boys are being forced to dig large holes everyday in the bed of a dried up lake. The tutorials are a blend of the tutor reading aloud, discussions about the novel and written work. Students will need to do some reading outside of tutorials to ensure we complete the whole novel. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
As Halloween approaches, we tackle some scary short stories. We read: The Landlady and Lamb to the Slaughter (Roald Dahl) where we discuss the writer’s structural choices in these carefully crafted stories; The Tell-tale Heart (Edgar Allen Poe) where begin to explore pre-1900s literature (as per the National Curriculum) and the gothic theme of madness; and finally we read The Monkey’s Paw (W.W. Jacobs) where we examine how writer’s can show rather than tell to help make stories more immersive and enjoyable. The tutorials are a blend of the tutor reading aloud, discussions about the stories and written work. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
Great literature often teaches about the world we live in, and this novel certainly does that. We don’t just learn about events in WWII; we also discover how seeing events through the eyes of an innocent child is a highly effective authorial decision, how characterisation is achieved through dialogue, and how writers can create empathy through juxtaposition. The tutorials are a blend of the tutor reading aloud, discussions about the novel and written work. Students will need to do some reading outside of tutorials to ensure we complete the whole novel. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
The Hobbit is an enduring classic, which our students adore. It’s a great opportunity to get stuck into a lengthy novel and explore the vast world Tolkien creates for the reader. We explore imagery, tension and character arcs (amongst other things), all while enjoying the exciting adventure we suddenly find ourselves on! The tutorials are a blend of the tutor reading aloud, discussions about the novel and written work. Students will need to do some reading outside of tutorials to ensure we complete the whole novel. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
As per the National Curriculum, we begin to examine poetry for meaning and writer’s choices laying the groundwork for more advanced study in later years. We discuss poetic techniques, structural choices and form along with why poetry can be so powerful as a kind of writing. We also study non-fiction texts in this term, exploring a range of articles, letters and diary entries for meaning, structure and language use. The tutorials are a blend of discussions about the texts and written work. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
We finish off the academic year with this exciting, amusing and magical novel. We explore how writers use language to create tension, find out how structure is important in creating a plot that includes time travel, discuss character’s motivations in detail, and wrap everything up with a detailed book review. The tutorials are a blend of the tutor reading aloud, discussions about the novel and written work. Students will need to do some reading outside of tutorials to ensure we complete the whole novel. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
Lower KS3 Writing Course
Our budding authors begin by mastering the basics in our first term. Through writing short descriptions of everything from monsters and aliens, to beautiful gardens and dilapidated buildings, students become confident in the fundamentals of creating imagery. We tackle grammatical terminology (as per the National Curriculum) and, crucially, put it into practice in our own writing. This first term provides the building blocks for the brilliant writing to come! In these tutorials, there is a blend of direct teaching, group discussion of extracts and model answers, and writing practice with live feedback from the Tutor.
In this term, we become professional restaurant critics so move over, Jay Rayner! By inventing our own good and bad restaurants, we create in-depth reviews that let our readers know just how brilliant or terrible these restaurants are. We analyse examples in detail and re-create the style and tone in our own writing. Expect plenty of silly similes and messy metaphors in the finished articles! In these tutorials, there is a blend of direct teaching, group discussion of extracts and model answers, and writing practice with live feedback from the Tutor.
This term we imagine we are running our own business. We use our communication skills to ask for grants, advertise, overcome complaints, and deal with difficult situations. Thinking carefully about audience and purpose, we reflect on why tone is so important in our writing, the necessity of good spelling, punctuation and grammar, and the value of writing in an emotionally intelligent way. In these tutorials, there is a blend of direct teaching, group discussion of extracts and model answers, and writing practice with live feedback from the Tutor.
Your plane crash lands near a desert island. You swim to shore. Exhausted you collapse on the beach and desperately wonder what to do… write a story of course! This term we’re stuck on an island where something mysterious is happening. Students are given rough ideas for six sections of a story which they develop and write up to make their very own adventure story over the course of the term. Students often want to write, but struggle for ideas; this is a great way to help them get going but give them the freedom to be creative and let their imaginations run wild. In these tutorials, the focus is very much on students writing and receiving live, in the moment feedback from the tutor to help them develop their writing.
We don’t stop using our English skills when we leave education, so it’s important students learn how to communicate effectively in later life. In these tutorials, we work on troubleshooting problems we might encounter in later life: from disputing undeserved parking tickets and dealing with messy co-workers, to writing open letters to politicians and persuading our local council. We cover a range of writing techniques and focus on creating the right tone to be effective and writing in an emotionally intelligent way in order to achieve our goals. In these tutorials, there is a blend of direct teaching, group discussion of extracts and model answers, and writing practice with live feedback from the Tutor.
More creative writing this term as students disappear into a fantasy world of their own making. Using a rough, six part story outline as a guide, students write a story that sees them develop amazing powers, battle dangerous enemies, and potentially save the world. It’s a chance to let imaginations go wild and bring together the writing skills developed over the year in a fun and exciting way. In these tutorials, the focus is very much on students writing and receiving live, in the moment feedback from the tutor to help them develop their writing.
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Lower KS3 English: Reading Course (Group 1)
£45.00 Add to cartMondays
Term 5: Six tutorials
13:00-13:50 UK time
Term 5/6
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Lower KS3 English: Reading Course (Group 2)
£45.00 Add to cartWednesdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
9:30-10:20 UK time
Term 5/6
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Lower KS3 English: Writing Course (Group 1)
£45.00 Read moreTuesdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
13:00-13:50 UK time
Term 5/6
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Lower KS3 English: Writing Course (Group 2)
£45.00 Read moreThursdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
9:30-10:20 UK time
Term 5/6
Please choose a group for reading and a group for writing. Courses are booked in termly blocks, but get in touch if you would like to secure your child’s place in reading and writing courses over the entire academic year.
Middle KS3 English
Middle KS3 roughly equates to Year 8 at an English Secondary School and students are typically 12-13. Students should take a complete Reading and Writing course each year in order to make good, balanced progress in English. There is a choice of two groups for both Reading and Writing courses.
Middle KS3 Reading Course
The Hunger Games is a brilliant novel to study; it’s exciting and engaging to read, but also rich in symbolism and links to the real world. We explore dominant themes in the novel such as wealth inequality, appearance and conflict, also learning how authors can use fictional stories to comment on significant events in real life. Students will be expected to read the majority of the novel outside of tutorials and be ready to discuss and write about the reading they have done. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
The Woman in Black. The quintessential ghost story. What would the run up to Halloween be without a spooky story to dive into? We explore how the writer uses language and structure to create a sense of foreboding, to foreshadow events and to create truly terrifying moments in this gripping and ghoulish novel. Students will be expected to read the majority of the novel outside of tutorials and be ready to discuss and write about the reading they have done. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
By reading a range of poetry, this term students learn how poetic writing is different from prose, why those differences are important and why writers are allowed to break the typical rules of writing. We explore important terminology students will need for future study as well as exploring the deeper meanings that poems often have. In these tutorials, we will analyse and discuss poetry as a group as well as responding individually in writing. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
“Is this an opportunity I see before me?” Absolutely! Unlike Macbeth, you are not hallucinating; this really is a chance to learn about one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. As per the National Curriculum, we study Shakespeare and examine his use of language and structure in creating an enduring and horrifying story of witchcraft, murder and madness. From context to subtext, we have it covered. Students will be expected to read/watch the majority of the play outside of tutorials and be ready to discuss and write about the reading/watching they have done. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
What better way to study pre-1900s literature (as per the National Curriculum) than by dusting off our detective skills and attempting to solve two brilliant Sherlock Holmes cases. Students not only try to crack the case, but also learn to navigate language that is less familiar than our modern vernacular. Examining the deliberate structural choices and carefully placed clues, we learn how writers can choose to give and withhold information to create mystery in a story, and how certain techniques can be used to reliably create tension when it’s needed. We will read the stories in the tutorials together, but students may wish to re-read parts outside of tutorials. Students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
This term, we study this emotive play about young men waiting in a trench in WWI. We examine characters in detail, make links to the historical context of the play, and explore how features of a play such as stage directions and mise-en-scène contribute to the audience’s experience. In tutorials, we will read some key scenes together and examine parts of the text closely. Students will need to read/watch the play outside of tutorials. We will discuss the play in detail and students will receive live feedback on written work during tutorials.
Middle KS3 Writing Course
We begin our writing course by creating our own dystopian novel. Drawing inspiration from The Hunger Games in the reading course, students learn how to use language to create a world where something seems to have gone terribly wrong and there is huge inequality. Students will have a rough guide to help them generate ideas and they will receive guidance on how best to use language via individualised, in the moment feedback on our online worksheets. The focus in these tutorials is very much on students writing and receiving feedback to help them make progress and feel confident and excited about their writing.
As the nights begin to darken in Term 2, we continue with creative writing as we write a spooky ghost story. It complements our work in the reading course and give students the chance to unleash their scary sides and terrify us with their petrifying prose! Students will have a rough guide to help them generate ideas and they will receive guidance on how best to use language via individualised, in the moment feedback on our online worksheets. The focus in these tutorials is very much on students writing and receiving feedback to help them make progress and feel confident and excited about their writing.
This term, students will learn about a variety of poetic forms. We will learn how poetic language means we need to bend and break the normal grammatical rules and put this into practice by writing several poems of our own. From haiku and limericks to odes and sonnets, there’s a poetic form for everyone to have a go at! These tutorials are a blend of direct teaching and students writing. Live feedback and support is given in the moment to help students make good progress and feel confident and engaged.
This term, we’re developing oracy and rhetoric. Being able to express oneself powerfully through speech is an important part of life and the pinnacle of this is public speaking. In these tutorials, students choose topics they care about and learn how to write passionate, persuasive and powerful speeches. We analyse successful speeches of the past for language and structure and then use these techniques to enhance our own speeches. These tutorials are a blend of direct teaching and students writing. Live feedback and support is given in the moment to help students make good progress and feel confident and engaged.
Students this term will learn how to write journalism. Covering different types of journalistic writing such as news reports, lifestyle articles and investigative journalism, students learn how to use language and structure to convey information in a clear and compelling way, varying tone and register for specific audiences and purposes. These tutorials are a blend of direct teaching and students writing. Live feedback and support is given in the moment to help students make good progress and feel confident and engaged.
To complete our course, students return to creative writing to craft a sinister sci-fi story about suspicious circumstances on a spaceship. Drawing on the tropes of the genre, students are given a rough guide to help them generate ideas and they will receive guidance on how best to use language via individualised, in the moment feedback on our online worksheets. The focus in these tutorials is very much on students writing and receiving feedback to help them make progress and feel confident and excited about their writing.
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Middle KS3 English: Reading Course (Group 1)
£45.00 Add to cartMondays
Term 5: Six tutorials
9:30-10:20 UK time
Term 5/6
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Middle KS3 English: Reading Course (Group 2)
£45.00 Add to cartWednesdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
11:00-11:50 UK time
Term 5/6
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Middle KS3 English: Writing Course (Group 1)
£45.00 Add to cartTuesdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
9:30-10:20 UK time
Term 5/6
-
Middle KS3 English: Writing Course (Group 2)
£45.00 Add to cartThursdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
11:00-11:50 UK time
Term 5/6
Please choose a group for reading and a group for writing. Courses are booked in termly blocks, but get in touch if you would like to secure your child’s place in reading and writing courses over the entire academic year.
Upper KS3 English
Upper KS3 roughly equates to Year 9 at an English Secondary School and students are typically 13-14. Students should take a complete Reading and Writing course each year in order to make good, balanced progress in English. There is a choice of two groups for both Reading and Writing courses.
Upper KS3 Reading Course
Building on the requirement to study pre-1900s literature (as per the National Curriculum), we begin our Upper Reading course with the seminal vampire novel written in epistolary form by Bram Stoker. Exploring the complex language and structure allows us to uncover key gothic themes such as madness, isolation, and the supernatural. Students will need to read the majority of the novel outside of tutorials and be ready to discuss and write about the novel in our sessions. Tutorials will involve direct teaching, group discussion and individual work with live feedback. Students may use an abridged copy of the novel if they would like to.
To meet the requirements of the National Curriculum, this term we study a Shakespeare play. Focussing on character, language and form, we explore Shakespeare’s writing and learn how, although the language can present a barrier, the themes and ideas are timeless and universal. In these tutorials, we will discuss key scenes and examine important moments in the play in detail whilst contextualising them against the backdrop of the play as a whole. Students will need to read/watch the play outside of tutorials. Tutorials will be a blend of direct teaching, group discussion and individual work. Students will receive feedback on their work during tutorials.
This term, we examine the context, meaning and language use in a range of war poetry. We explore how a writer’s purpose can influence their use of language, form and structure in a poem, and think deeply about the effects of those choices. Students learn how to approach analysing poetry in a thorough way, as well as learning how poetry can be a powerful way to express ideas and emotions. We will read and analyse poems in tutorials, but students may wish to re-read poems carefully outside of tutorials in order to help fully appreciate their meanings and complexities. Tutorials will focus on group discussions, direct teaching and written work. Students will receive live feedback on their work in tutorials.
In this term, we cover a range of non-fiction texts such as articles, speeches, letters and more to broaden students’ understanding of how language is used in a variety of contexts. We practice applying our analytical skills to these texts, which helps lay the groundwork for GCSE Language study where students will be expected to analyse unseen texts confidently. These tutorials are a blend of direct teaching, group discussion and individual work. Students will receive live feedback on their work in tutorials.
Continuing our study of great literature, we now explore Steinbeck’s masterpiece: Of Mice and Men. Beginning by learning about historical context, we see how Steinbeck creates a microcosm of life in 1930s USA. We explore how Steinbeck presents racism, misogyny, loneliness and disability (amongst other themes) in this very short, but powerful novella. We discuss how the views of characters in a novel do not necessarily represent the views of the writer, and how stories can actually show us truths about the real world despite being fictional. Students will need to read the majority of the novella outside of tutorials, but we will do some reading together. The tutorials will focus on group discussion and individual work. Students receive live feedback on their work during tutorials.
We complete our Upper Reading course with a play about the Salem witch trials and the parallels Arthur Miller saw with McCarthy’s attempt to root out communists in 1950s USA. It’s another example of how great literature can reveal truths about the world and serve as a warning against groupthink and irrationality. Digging into characterisation, context and writer’s purpose, studying The Crucible is a powerful and important way to complete our course. Students will need to read/watch the play outside of tutorials, though we will examine key scenes together in detail. Tutorials will be a blend of direct teaching, group discussions and individual work. Students will receive live feedback on their work during tutorials.
Upper KS3 Writing Course
To begin our Upper Writing course, we work on developing students’ writing skills and understanding of storytelling through exploration and practice of more advanced language techniques as well as an examination of different plot structures, character arcs and use of techniques such as symbolism and allegory. The writing skills learned here are designed to add maturity and sophistication to students’ writing – crucial elements for high grades at GCSE level. These tutorials are a focus of direct teaching, discussion and writing. Students will receive live feedback on their writing in tutorials.
Students now put their writing skills in to practice by writing a gothic horror story. By drawing on ideas from our reading in Dracula from the reading course, students will be supported to develop and write their own story. They will need to plan their plot carefully, create characters, and manage their time effectively to complete the story. They’ll be supported along the way, of course, but there’s lots of freedom here to follow their imagination! Tutorials will focus on students writing their stories and receiving live feedback from the tutor to help them progress and feel confident with their writing. Students may wish to write more outside of tutorials.
This term, as part of developing our non-fiction writing skills, we become professional critics. We learn how to create engaging reviews of restaurants, hotels and other businesses by employing humour, irony and surprising imagery in our writing. Through a combination of examining excellent examples of reviews and producing their own writing, students will become confident in using language and structure to create compelling non-fiction texts. These tutorials are a blend of direct teaching, group discussion and writing. Students receive live feedback on their work in tutorials.
Our creative writing continues this term as students develop and wrote their own play. We’ll learn how to create an interesting plot, an intriguing cast of characters and how to use stage directions and theatrical settings to enhance the audience’s experience. Students will be able to start from scratch, or follow a rough outline to help them get going. Whatever they choose, the tutor will be there to support them and give feedback on their work. Tutorials will focus mainly on students writing and receiving feedback on their work to help them make good progress and feel confident and supported.
Students now build on their rhetorical skills by becoming a budding politician seeking election. We will explore how to write persuasively, not only through our use of language techniques, but through consideration of the audience’s likely emotions and reactions to what we say. We will consider how to carefully structure our writing for maximum impact, and how to respond empathetically to those who disagree with us. These tutorials are a blend of direct teaching and students writing with a focus on writing. Students receive live feedback on their work in tutorials.
To complete our writing course, students invent, pitch, advertise and create website copy for their own business. We learn how language needs to be adapted for specific purposes and audiences, this time thinking about how our writing helps reflect the characteristics of the brand we create. Some students have actually developed real websites for their businesses in the past, and some may well go on to run these businesses for real. Best of luck to them! These tutorials are a blend of direct teaching and students writing. Live feedback is given in tutorials.
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Protected: Upper KS3 English: Reading Course (Group 1)
£45.00 Add to cartThere is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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Upper KS3 English: Reading Course (Group 2)
£45.00 Add to cartWednesdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
13:00-13:50 UK time
Term 5/6
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Upper KS3 English: Writing Course (Group 1)
£45.00 Add to cartTuesdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
11:00-11:50 UK time
Term 5/6
-
Upper KS3 English: Writing Course (Group 2)
£45.00 Add to cartThursdays
Term 5: Six tutorials
13:00-13:50 UK time
Term 5/6
Please choose a group for reading and a group for writing. Courses are booked in termly blocks, but get in touch if you would like to secure your child’s place in reading and writing courses over the entire academic year.
IGCSE English
Our IGCSE English Courses are password protected. Please get in touch if you would like to join a group.
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Protected: IGCSE English Language: Edexcel Spec B
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Protected: IGCSE English Language: Edexcel Spec A
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Protected: IGCSE English Language: Cambridge
£90.00 Read moreThere is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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Protected: IGCSE English Literature: Edexcel
£90.00 Add to cartThere is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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Protected: IGCSE English Language (Spec A) Fridays 11am
£200.00 Add to cartThere is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Courses are booked in termly blocks, but get in touch if you would like to secure your child’s place over the entire academic year.
1:1 English Tutorials
Our 1:1 tutorials are password protected. Please get in touch if you would like to arrange tuition.
Courses are booked in termly blocks, but get in touch if you would like to secure your child’s place over the entire academic year.