School entrance experience

Phil has worked with children aiming to attend the following schools:

• Alleyn’s School
• Charterhouse
• City of London School
• Dulwich College
• Emanuel School
• Eton College
• Forest School
• Harrow
• Highgate School
• King’s College School
• St Paul’s
• Tonbridge School
• Westminster
• Winchester College

Phil has recently prepared the following number of students for each of the schools above:

1 to Alleyn's, 8 to Dulwich College, 2 to Emanuel, 3 to City of London Boys, 7 to Eton College, 5 to Harrow, 1 to Highgate, 4 to King's College School Wimbledon, 5 to St Paul's, 10 to Westminster and 10 boys to Winchester College.

Phil's biography:

Phil studied Environmental Science at the University of Southampton before going on to do his PGCE at the University of Birmingham. He began his teaching career in 2002 and has now amassed 14 years teaching experience, teaching in some of the top schools (in both the private and state sectors and also internationally). His recent post (of 6 years) was teaching science and maths to Common Entrance 13+ at Westminster Cathedral Choir Prep School in London where pupils consistently achieved excellent results enabling them to go on to some of the leading schools in the country. Indeed in every inspection he has been through (be it OFSTED or ISI) his teaching has always been classed as outstanding.

He has also been tutoring in both Maths and Science since 2010 with many of his students wanting help to get through their senior schools entrance examinations (Common Entrance, City of London, Dulwich, Winchester). All, so far, have got to their first choice school! He knows the pressures his students face and, in a calm and patient manner, aims to instil confidence and enthusiasm. Having a sound knowledge of the syllabus for these subjects and knowing the tricks of the trade, he is in a very strong position to get the very best out of all his students, ensuring they have a sound understanding of the subject matter and are well prepared for any examinations.

Phil has recently moved to Worcester to begin a big house renovation project and is building up his tuition base as well as dabbling in international teacher recruitment.

Phil's qualifications:

Phil qualified to teach Primary education in 2002, and holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from University of Birmingham.

Recent testimonials:

"Phil was an engaging tutor who was able to really give my daughter confidence to tackle her maths demons! She also rose to the challenge of sitting exams to try and transition from state to the private school sector. We would highly recommend Phil, he is a gifted teacher."

Tuesday, 13th February 2018

Mother of online 13 plus student in the UK

"My son really enjoys working with Phil. It is via Skype since we are in different countries, and even though it's not "hands on", Phil always finds a way to make it fun and interesting for Isaac. At times I hear him laughing out loud and at the end of the session he often wants to share what he has learned."

Tuesday, 19th December 2017

Mother of 13 Plus student based in Switzerland.

"We were very happy to have Philip as our online tutor. He made very detailed, to the point observations and worked on them together with our son."

Tuesday, 4th July 2017

Parent of online school entrance student

"Philip has managed to engage our son in science lessons! This is despite the fact that he finds school science lessons deadly boring. Philip teaches in manner appropriate to a 12 year old and provides a variety of learning materials that keeps it interesting. As parents we are very pleased with the tuition Philip is providing. Our son actually seems to be enjoying it. What more can we say?"

Monday, 5th June 2017

Father in Clapham

Phil has written the following:

Fair testing and repeated tests in Science – what’s the difference?

In this blog, our lead 13 Plus Science tutor Phil uses "Pokemon Go" to explain the difference between fair testing and repeated tests. Knowing the difference could help secure top marks at Common Entrance.....and help Pikachu avoid getting caught!

Phil October, 2016

Making online Science tuition practical, outside of the lab

Teaching Science online may seem a difficult task, particularly for topics typically demonstrated in the school laboratory. However, as Phil sets out in this blog, for every challenge, there is a solution. While great communication between tutor and student is key, along with careful preparation ahead of each session, there is nothing to say that online Science tuition cannot be practical and interactive!

Phil October, 2016

How to Pass 13 plus Common Entrance Science

Firstly, there is no formal pass mark. Individual secondary schools decide on their own thresholds and so what constitutes an A* at one school may only be a B at another. The minimum expectation stands around the 55% mark and for the most competitive and highly rated schools, pupils need to score over 70%. Some pupils may struggle with a particular discipline of science more than the other two and so, even if the pupil is never going to score highly in the Physics paper (for example), the average of the three sciences will be taken into account. Equally should they excel in the Chemistry then this will compensate for any lower scores elsewhere.

Phil September, 2016

Phil is available for online tuition

Phil is available for online tuition to students anywhere in the world. Find out more about online tuition.