Gordon Robb

I have been a maths tutor in the Brackley and Buckingham area since 2009, bringing success and increased confidence with, and enjoyment of, maths to all my students. I am now only traveling to students who live in Buckingham or Brackley. If you live further afield, please look at my page on Online Tutoring.

Whether you have a child in school needing support with maths, require coaching for job entry/career progression tests or just want to learn for fun, I can provide the help you need. I also give support for undergraduates/postgraduates and for businesses wanting to arrange in-house numeracy training for their staff.

GCSE

There are a variety of routes offered by schools to a GCSE in maths. Different exam boards offer slightly different menus. The school will advise between Foundation and Higher Tier for your child. Some schools offer iGCSE. I give support to pupils of all abilities and across different Boards. I can see your child regularly throughout the year or just in the approach to exams. No matter what aspirations your child has, tutoring can help.

A Level - Maths

The step up from GCSE is enormous and can come as a huge shock, even for Grade 8/9 students. Concepts become more abstract and the approach to, and solution of, problems less obvious. The material is taught at a faster pace and it is easy to get left behind. A lot of my work with A Level students is in consolidating knowledge, reinforcing ideas perhaps from a different direction to help tie ideas together. Note I no longer offer Further Maths tuition, but can refer you to some excellent tutors that do.

I am familiar with the material of all the main Boards. I have seen pupils of varying ability and across a wide number of schools, including The Royal Latin, Magdelene Brackley, Sponne, Aylesbury Grammar, Stowe, Bloxham, Oundle, Harrow, Buckingham School, Shenley Brook End, Rugby, Stantonbury and Waddesden CoE.

The format of sessions for all school students is tailored to suit each individual. Whilst I am happy to teach all areas of school maths, my main focus is on helping with gaps in students’ understanding of what they have learned, often by approaching a topic in a new way. I help them develop strategies for dealing with maths problems, especially for exams. The aim is to make the subject interesting - something the exam system sadly knocks out of many students. With my strong science and finance background I can put maths into context in a very wide variety of settings. Above all else, my goal is to change students' perception of maths and their perception of their own ability. The message I want to get across is "no-one's maths ability is limited and set in stone!"

I am happy to cover just isolated topics of difficulty, or more fundamental areas of the subject. Support will be tailored to suit your needs. It might be just ad hoc sessions when needed, or involve regular sessions throughout the academic year.

Experience has shown me that the one issue that holds up progress in mathematics more than any other is a lack of confidence - a product of thinking their maths ability is fixed for all time. This applies at whatever level you are studying or for whatever reason you are seeking tutoring. It is all too easy to lose confidence and that always leads to lower grades or performance. It's at that point that maths becomes a dreaded subject. I've always succeeded in increasing students' confidence and interest in maths and that is reflected in their improved grades and more positive approach to the subject.

 

Maths skills for undergraduates/postgraduates

Many 1^st and 2^nd year undergraduate modules for non-maths degrees call on maths skills, often at A Level standard even when having A Level maths is not an entry requirement. Common topics include calculus, the study of functions and statistics. I can help support you through these modules. The same applies for many postgraduate modules which call on mathematical knowledge.

Numeracy coaching

A lot of jobs today require competency in maths and several firms and professional bodies require some level of entry exam to be sat, testing numeracy skills. For example, all trainee teachers are required to pass a numeracy skills test at the outset of  their training. The Armed Forces put all recruits through similar tests, as do the civil aviation and maritime industries. These tests can appear daunting, especially if it has been a few years since you last sat a maths exam! I have coached students across all these sectors and can help you with your preparation.

In-house training

Some businesses want to address the numeracy skills of their workforce as an in-house exercise. For example, the skills required might be very specific to the task in hand and so the maths knowledge is very focused. I can help design a training programme and deliver this at your business premises.