Rates, practicalities and my cancellation policy:

Tuition sessions are £30. For most students, I recommend weekly one-to-one sessions of half an hour: shorter sessions are highly productive and therefore the best value for you, especially online. If we agree that your child would benefit from an hour or more per week, splitting that time into more than one session will mean you get a great deal more for your money. I am firmly committed to the one-to-one model as I believe it is the best way to help someone who requires intervention; for this reason, I do not offer group sessions. If you'd like to read more about why I believe in 30-minute one-to-one sessions you can do so here and here. I ask for payment via bacs transfer prior to each session. It's entirely up to you whether you wish to pay as you go or for several sessions up front. Either way, my policy is not to continue with sessions unless payment for previous sessions is up to date. I also reserve the right to withdraw my services at any time if a client makes frequent, excessive cancellations or is unreliable when it comes to paying.

If your child is ill or you have a genuine emergency, I understand that cancelling with notice can be difficult and am always willing to be flexible for regular clients. I ask for at least 24 hours' notice if at all possible and with more advance notice than that, it may be possible to re-schedule a session that your child cannot make due to other planned commitments, but I cannot guarantee it as I will be relying on cancellations by others. If you/your child simply forget about a session, or you cancel on the day when the circumstances are foreseen, my usual policy is to expect payment for that. I send a WhatsApp message or a text within the first 5 minutes of the session if the client has not appeared and I will keep the session open in the the hope that they will make it. Your slot remains reserved for you for as long as you want it, including into the next academic year. If you wish to change slots you will need to provide me with plenty of notice as my calendar fills up months in advance: I cannot promise that I will be able to find a slot to suit you if you wish to change the day and/or the time, especially during the same academic year.

To acccess my one-to-one Zoom sessions you will need a reliable internet connection at a decent speed, a microphone and speakers: integrated is okay, although a headset can help with focus. You must also ensure that your child has a quiet space, with minimal noise intereference; if you're cooking or chatting in the background, this carries through your child's mic and is quite unbearably loud at my end, meaning I will struggle to hear your child speaking. You should also consider what else your child has access to during the session, both on the device that they are using and on their phone. For more on how I manage online safely, please see the section on safeguarding.

Most students find that tutoring makes such a difference to them that they are only too keen to stick with it. However, there are always exceptions to that rule: it is entirely up to you and your child whether and for how long you wish to continue. Tutoring relies on student buy-in and while I'm very experienced at encouraging young people to engage with the process, I have to admit that I can't win them all! I won't continue to take your money if I think your child is not benefitting from the process. If I feel that your child is not engaging with the sessions in a way that will ensure that they will see the benefits, I will advise you to discontinue.