Online Tutoring
Since its inception over 18 years ago, Keystone has successfully provided students with online access to experienced and professional tutors based in the UK.
We work with tutors to provide one-to-one tutoring online, meaning that students receive tuition tailored to their unique learning style and requirements. One of the secrets to Keystone’s online tutoring success is that we trust in the quality of our tutors; we see the medium as a secondary consideration.
+230,000 online hours and over a decade of online teaching by our tutors
We work with tutors to provide one-to-one tutoring online, meaning that students receive tuition tailored to their unique learning style and requirements. One of the secrets to Keystone’s online tutoring success is that we trust in the quality of our tutors; we see the medium as a secondary consideration.
Why choose Keystone
for online tutoring?
Our Exceptional Tutors
The tutors we represent are dedicated professionals, who commit to tutoring because of their passion and skill for the job. Our team of 60 full-time tutors go through a rigorous on-going training programme; they have access to materials that Keystone have developed in-house; and they make a long-term commitment to their students.
Our Track Record
We have a wealth of experience in assisting students with preparation for competitive London day schools and top UK boarding schools including St. Paul’s Boys School, St Paul’s Girls School, Westminster, King’s Wimbledon College School, Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Wycombe Abbey and many others.
We have also successfully supported students with entrance into many of the top British universities, including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London (UCL), London School of Economics (LSE), University of Edinburgh, Kings College London (KCL), University of Bristol and many others.
Detailed feedback
After the first lesson, one of our dedicated client managers will contact you to find out how the lesson went. Our client managers are always available at the end of the phone and they are frequently praised for their efficiency, dedication and responsiveness.
We have a monthly reporting system which is used to update parents on an ongoing basis.
The monthly report details:
- the focus of that month’s tutoring
- the form of assessment used
- the student's achievements and areas for further work
- the focus for the coming month
The regular, rigorous reporting of the tutors we represent is frequently commended by parents.
How online tutoring with
Keystone Works
The online technology that our tutors use ensures that you get all the benefits of one-to-one tutoring plus easy access to online learning materials. Spoken communication is over video conferencing (e.g. Teams, Skype or Zoom) and written communication is via our online, interactive whiteboard.
The tutors use reliable and innovative online learning software and benefit from live video and audio streaming, interactive whiteboards and desktop sharing.
Students are able to access the whiteboard after lessons to assist with homework and revision.
Online tutoring subjects offered
School Entrance Tutors
Keystone represents an experienced pool of tutors who devise tailored programme to prepare students for 7 Plus, 8 Plus, 11 Plus, 13 Plus Common Entrance or 16 Plus entrance exams as well as Pre-tests (inculding the ISEB Common Pre-Test and UKiset).
GCSE, IGCSE, IB & A Level
Keystone represents experienced and professional GCSE tutors, IGCSE tutors, IB tutors and A Level tutors across the subject spectrum. The tutors we introduce to students have a thorough knowledge of the various exam boards.
University Admissions Tutors
Keystone represents a range of specialist tutors who can assist students approaching university admissions tests and interviews for Oxbridge and other leading UK universities.
FAQs
Parents and children are naturally more familiar with the concept of face-to-face tuition - after all, children learn a huge amount as babies literally face-to-face with their parents! The school classroom too, to a lesser extent, allows a degree of one-to-one learning time with teachers, and so in-person tuition can feel like a natural amplification of this learning style.
Online tutoring can sometimes seem like a very different beast to parents and children - somehow less immediate, effective, and providing less value for money. It’s a common question for parents considering all the options to support and enhance their child’s academic achievements, but it is an option with some powerful advantages that may be perfect for you and your child.
Here are answers to some of the most common questions around online tutoring:
The simple answer is yes. Many children around the world benefit enormously from online tutoring, for the same reasons as those who receive in-person tutoring. Expert teaching, advice, and guidance, tailored to your child’s specific educational needs and goals, will make a difference to their academic performance no matter the format used to deliver it.
The key factor, whether online or in-person, is the tutor in question - are they able to build trust, truly understand your child’s needs, and deliver engaging and effective tuition? Good online tutors understand the need to do this and take pains to ensure that though their tuition may take place at a distance, its impact on your child should be just as keenly felt.
Online tutoring has many distinct benefits. Removing the limitation of working with a tutor directly in your area means you have a wider range of choices, maximising your ability to find exactly the right tutor for your child’s needs.
Online tutoring can help to naturally integrate the use of a wider range of materials into tuition, including online worksheets and video resources. It’s also easier to schedule tuition at a time that suits your child’s particular daily routine.
It’s always good to start with some Google searches, alongside asking other parents and teachers you know and trust for their word-of-mouth recommendations. You’ll find a wealth of resources on good tutoring agencies’ websites that will help you understand their ethos and reputation, which you should follow up with some over the phone or online video calls.
You’ll get a sense by doing this of whether the agencies you shortlist have the right attitude and ask the right questions, and you’ll be able to look at the kind of tutors they have on their rosters. Ultimately, you’ll judge the tutor you eventually select by the impact and reaction you see them generate in your child.
The tutors we represent are well versed in delivering online tuition, using videoconferencing and an interactive whiteboard. This gives students, wherever they are in the world, access to experienced, high quality tutors who are familiar with the requirements of the GCSE exams.
In its ambitions to professionalise tutoring, Keystone Tutors only represents tutors who can commit for more than two years. We do not train all of the tutors we represent. Our teachers, or those tutors who have already been tutoring for more than ten years, do not need it (though they get a good briefing from us before each lesson). Our Professional Tutors go through a rigorous on-going training programme; this training is modular and unique.
All training sessions are designed and delivered by experienced educational professionals, including our Managing Director, Ed Richardson.
The tutors we represent are dedicated to their work, and receive outstanding evaluations from their students. After a strenuous screening process, we tend to choose intelligent and likeable tutors who enjoy relating to, and setting high standards for, their students. While it is a truism that intelligence does not make you a good tutor, we like tutors to be passionate and knowledgeable about their subjects so that they can field the most curious of questions from their students. Self-confidence and inspiration derive from such strong relationships we feel.
Professional Tutors
Keystone is singular in its commitment to professionalise tutoring. Rather than having a loose body of tutors, we have pioneered the first professional tutoring contracts in the UK. We have attracted tutors who see tutoring as a career, and behave accordingly. They train regularly, always looking for ways to improve their craft; they have access to materials that Keystone has developed in-house; most importantly, they have a long-term, committed professional disposition.
Teachers
Keystone is also fortunate to have a number of ex- or part-time teachers amongst its ranks. The combination of their teaching experience and subject knowledge enables teachers to be highly effective in the one-to-one environment.
Tutors
Most of Keystone’s tutors are committed to tutoring for the longer term. They are usually well aware of their plans for the next two or three years, at least, and use tutoring as their main source of income around vocational plans.
We make contact with the parent and tutor after the first lesson to discuss the reactions of both, and to see whether the stated objectives are realistic or needs adjusting.
Tutors are expected to submit a monthly report detailing the work done in the month; the successes and areas to work on; and the work for the coming month. Our regular, rigorous reporting is frequently praised by parents.
