Harry

Experience

- 11+ English: ISEB and public school exams, including pre-tests

- 11+ Maths: ISEB and public school exams, including pre-tests

- 13+ English: ISEB and public school exams

- 13+ Maths: ISEB and public school exams

- GCSE/IGCSE English (All exam boards)

- GCSE/IGCSE Maths (All exam boards)

- GCSE/IGCSE Religious Studies (All exam boards)

- AS/A-Level Religious Studies (All exam boards)

I've been with Keystone as a Professional Tutor for over nearly three years, and have taught over 1800 hours in that time. My students have ranged in age from 8 all the way up to 18, and I'm confident in teaching across a number of subjects - Mathematics, English and Religious Studies - both online and face-to-face.

Currently I am working with a number of students in preparation for school entrance at 11+ and 13+ level, and have helped with successful applications to schools such as St Paul's, Westminster, Francis Holland, Godolphin & Latymer, Reigate, City of London, Queen's Gate, Highgate, Eton and Winchester amongst others. This includes preparations for pre-tests, which incorporate Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

I've also worked with a number of students at GCSE and A Level in English and Religious Studies, securing top A and A* grades across a range of different exam boards and specifications (AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Pre-U), with my subject specialism being Religious Studies.

During my second year at Oxford, I also volunteered to teach a disadvantaged group of GCSE students in English at Oxford Spires Academy. This provided me with the opportunity to not only develop my interest in teaching, but help those less privileged than myself and see first-hand the holistic benefits of personal tutoring.

Biography

Growing up in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, I attended my local grammar The Skinners' School and achieved A*A*A* in A-Levels of English Literature, Economics and Religious Studies, alongside 10 A*s at GCSE. I then continued my studies at the University of Oxford having been awarded the Thomas William Thomas scholarship, graduating from Jesus College with a 2.1 in Philosophy and Theology. After a brief dalliance with the world of marketing, I swiftly realised that a teaching role would best combine my strengths and professional interests.

In particular, my experience at Oxford demonstrated the significant advantages of one-on-one tutoring, and ignited my interest in pursuing this in my own career. The opportunity it provides for in-depth discussions and student-led questioning facilitates high levels of comprehension, engagement and information retention, as well as the invaluable boost to student confidence. Within this field, Keystone's meticulous approach and core principles ally perfectly with my own, and I'm pleased to put these to use in my sessions.

My blog posts

26/04/2022: A Guide to the Philosophy Test for Oxford University

Personal Approach

As an enthusiastic and personable tutor, I look for every opportunity to engage students with their work and ensure their potential is being fully realised. Building a strong rapport is absolutely crucial to me, and I aim to develop a relationship with each of my students which enables them to feel comfortable and grow in confidence.

No two students are the same, and so an individualised approach tailored to each child's strengths and areas of focus is not a bonus in tutoring, but a necessity. Through this, alongside a detailed knowledge of the curriculum and exam specifications, I aim to fully equip each student with the confidence and know-how to not only achieve their goals, but crucially keep an eye on the 'bigger picture' and enjoy the learning experience. I believe there's no such thing as a stupid question, and teaching students to be comfortable in uncertainty is an integral part of properly learning a topic - very often, a tentative response will be on exactly the right path to the answer!

What I do when I am not tutoring

Outside of tutoring full-time, I am a keen sportsman - especially those involving racquets - although my competence varies wildly! Another of my passions is reading; books on psychology, neuroscience, fantasy, history and sci-fi populate my rapidly-warping bookcase. I can always be found with a minimum of two books in my bag at any one time; even narrowing it to two can be a real challenge!

I have always been fascinated by the interplay between the mind and brain, both scientifically and philosophically, and have a tentative plan to pursue further studies in this field. However, fascination doesn't necessarily entail understanding, and so I can commonly be found poring over the latest articles in philosophy of mind with a look of thorough befuddlement.

On a less cerebral note, I enjoy exploring the many cultural sights of London: musical theatre, discussion groups, gigs and museums in particular.

Testimonials

"My daughter gained a place at her top school choice and made it into the top third of candidates which shows just how hard she worked. What’s more, what stood out was my daughter's verbal reasoning which she always felt was her weakest area. I like to think, Harry, they that might be down to all those brilliant little word games you played with her. Thank you Harry for weeks of patience, fun, encouragement and Confidence- building. I think you helped their dreams come true." (Mother of 11+ student)

''I’ve been meaning to write to thank Harry so much for his very hard work. I turned to Keystone when I realised just how challenging the 11+ was for my daughter and when it was really beginning to impact upon our mother daughter relationship. Keystone was quick to react and efficient in finding us not only someone but the right one in Harry. Harry not only took the responsibility (and pain!) away from me, he hooked in my daughter with lots of fun games and got to know her style of working quickly. Harry was always encouraging, positive and fun, and my daughter left his sessions joyful and bouncy, despite the tough work. She made vast improvements in both her comprehension and her descriptive writing with simple tools that he gave her. If anyone at all needs a recommendation on Harry I would give it wholeheartedly. My daughter has so far heard back from 2 out of the 3 schools she has applied to and she is on a 100% success rate so far – 1 to go!'' (Mother of 11+ student)

"When Harry walked out of the door my daughter's grin was from ear to ear, she jumped up & down and punched the air. Let me tell you, that has never happened over a comprehension before!" (Mother of Year 6 student)

"I just got my result today from school and I got an A in religious studies! Thank you so much for your lesson and techniques. They were so useful. I couldn’t achieve it without your help. Thank you again." (A Level Religious Studies Student)

''I have received my RS result for my mock and am extremely proud to tell you that I got an overall percentage of 93 % which has been marked as a 9…Thank you so much for all your help!'' (GCSE Religious Studies student)

''You have been instrumental in my son's improvement in Maths and his move to the top set early last school year... he has gained so much confidence. My daughter has also gained a lot of confidence and enjoyment of the subject and she always looked forward to your sessions and never complained of having to do them, even when very tired. Specifically I think your patience and diligence in going over each question and working with them really worked well for my kids.'' (Mother of 11+ student and 8+ student)

''I can't thank you enough for the work you've done with my son. His whole mindset has changed, as noted by his teachers, and he's so focused on working through problems by breaking them down. He sees you as a brilliant role model, and rushes home after school to be back in time for your lessons!'' (Mother of 11+ student)

''I would like to thank you for all your help throughout the RS GCSE process and I'm proud to say that I got a 9 in RS!'' (GCSE RS student)

''Please pass our thanks on to Harry - my daughter really enjoyed working with him, so we would definitely look out for him again if we need a tutor!'' (Mother and father of 11+ student)

''Good news, my daughter got an offer from Queen's Gate and Francis Holland! We are so grateful to you for helping her with her Maths. If we need more help in future we will definitely contact you.'' (Mother of 11+ student)

''Harry's been great - my son is super happy and is loving the sessions so far!'' (Mother of Year 4 student)

''My daughter has grown in confidence and is very happy, academically she has developed hugely too'' (Mother of 11+ student)

''My son has moved up into the top Maths set! You've made such a big impact on his learning, and the difference in his confidence is really noticeable.'' (Mother of 11+ student)

''My son has been offered a place at Magdalen College, Brighton College and Eton - we're really very happy, as is he! Thank you so much for all your help'' (Mother of 11+ student)

''Our sessions had such a good structure - we started with one topic, then explored how we could link it to others. This really helped me to learn and built a greater interest in Philosophy as well!'' (Year 11 Philosophy student)

''Thank you so much for your work with our son - his confidence in Maths has really improved, and we're very pleased with the offer from Charterhouse'' (Mother of 11+ student)

''We've received my son's scores from the Oxford Philosophy test, and he had the highest across the whole cohort! Many thanks for your excellent tutoring'' (Mother of successful Oxford applicant, Philosophy and Theology)