J.S.
“Having had the honour of being taught by Claire and to have then later known her as a colleague I can absolutely vouch for her dedication to excellence and passion for the success of students in her care.”
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Small Group Tuition – Learn with Friends
Study doesn’t have to be solitary. Small group tuition offers the perfect balance of expert teaching and peer support. Students learn from each other’s questions while receiving structured guidance tailored to their exam board and texts.
What's included?
- A live 60 minute Zoom lesson with 1-5 other students, often classmates/friends
- Revision materials each lesson
- A strong focus on exam approaches to AQA Language and Literature papers
- No marking included, though this can be negotiated at an extra cost
Cost:
- Small groups of up to 6: £33 per student per hour. (Please note, most groups are 3-4 students.)
- Group of 2: £50 per student (per hour)
Enquire to book your place...
Problem: The traditional 1:1 model works extremely well for confident students who are prepared to speak readily in a live lesson, ask questions and get the most out of their tutor. However, in some 1:1 sessions the tutor can sometimes end up doing most of the talking and modelling, whilst the student is passive. Very little learning takes place in this scenario.
Answer: A small supportive group-learning scenario where students are studying the same Literature texts and feel confident in each other’s company. The Education Endowment Foundation asserts that ‘the best collaborative learning approaches take place in groups of no more than 5 students where there is a shared outcome or goal.’ Their research also reveals that ‘the impact of collaborative approaches on learning is consistently positive with students making an additional 5 months’ progress on average over the course of an academic year.’ Finally they assert that ‘most of the positive approaches include the promotion of talk and interaction between learners.’
I invite students to ‘learn with a friend or friends from the same school’ so that they are immediately comfortable with the people in the group. However, students can also apply to join a group where similar Literature texts are being covered. The groups range from 2-6 students and no more. Students are given a highly structured framework, targeting the key descriptors in the mark schemes, and they are regularly invited to ask questions, talk to each other and share ideas. It has been hugely successful with 100% of parents giving positive feedback.
Problem: 1:1 is generally offered at a premium by the tutor because it is an ‘expensive’ use of their time, and may be outside the budget of some families.
Answer: Group sessions are more affordable for many families and they are extremely effective. In fact my best result came from a small-group student who went from a Grade 3 in English at Christmas to a Grade 8 in the actual summer GCSE. She worked in a group of four, and they thrived. My 2024-25 groups all loved the sessions, as did their parents.
What people say...
Four grade Jump from Mocks to Actual Results. August 2025. HM
‘Having got a 4 for Lang and 3 for Lit in his mocks, B needed a 5 in Lang for college and after your lessons, he was hopeful. What we weren’t expecting was an 8 in Lang and not only that, but a 6 in Lit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to sit down and stop myself from bawling my eyes out. He is not a fan of English and I did wonder how much he was taking in, but you must be one b****y amazing teacher Claire. I knew you were, but now I’ve seen it for real. That’s a 4 grade jump in Lang and 3 grade jump in Lit and he was predicted 6/6. He got the grades he needed for college (and the school if he’d wanted) which is a massive relief and it turns out that his highest grade was Eng Lang! Thank you so much for the lessons and of course, you’ll be getting my recommendation. I could still cry and you’re owed a massive hug.’
Parental Review – Sept 25 (LF)
Highly recommend Claire! She helped my son break down the AQA GCSE English Language into something logical that he could navigate. Claire has a calm and clear approach to her sessions, which helped George cut through all the noise and notes from school! He achieved a grade 8, which says it all!
Parental Review – C.B.
Claire supported my son with his English language paper. Her individualised approach really helped him to feel that he could achieve and his voice was valued. The grade he got for GCSE was his highest grade out of all his subjects. He achieved a 6. Claire made him believe that he could pass. Her detailed feedback and positivity meant that he enjoyed the online sessions and came out of them understanding what he had to do rather than his classroom lessons where he became lost. We highly recommend Claire for supporting students not only academically but in developing their confidence and empowering them to believe they can do it!
S.P.
“I would thoroughly recommend Claire as a tutor. My daughter had Claire tutor her for her GCSE English after she had had to change schools in year 10. At the time she was really struggling with her English but Claire enthused, encouraged, supported and gave her confidence. My daughter went from a grade 1 in English lit and a grade 2 in English lang, in her mock exams in March, to passing both exams, of which the results came out yesterday. My daughter would come home after the exams and tell me how she had applied the strategies Claire had taught her. I am getting emotional thinking about it. This passionate teacher has enabled my daughter to achieve the results needed in her English to start as an engineering apprentice in Sept and I am completely certain she would not have achieved these marks without Claire’s terrific tutoring. Thank you Claire. You are a wonderful human being and have given her the confidence with her English that will help so much with her future career and helped her achieve far more than just the exam results xx”
Success for Home Educated Daughter (ET)
‘My daughter did the masterclass programme with Claire as a home ed student. To be honest, it was the length and breadth of her preparation for this exam. We’re absolutely delighted as it was so thorough. My daughter got a Grade 7. I’d HIGHLY recommend Claire’s programmes.’
SA
A recent message from a happy parent: ‘Hi Claire, I just wanted to let you know that J got a grade 9 in her mock! She is over-the-moon. Thank you so much for all your support so far.’
J.W. Review of the AQA GCSE English Programme
I already knew of Claire professionally and was aware of her outstanding teaching and commitment to students. After a disastrous mock result and losing all confidence, we signed up our son to the programme on the understanding he would be committed, (I had no doubt the programme would be tailored and meet the needs of the GCSE.) It has been brilliant. He has been engaged of his own accord, the resources are downloadable for further revision and recap, and he has received beneficial feedback. I was a bit worried he would struggle with his sporting commitments, work and homework, but he has been able to attend sessions, work through the programme, and this has been vital to his GCSE preparations. Thoroughly recommend.
J.J.
“Claire tutored both my children through Years 10 and 11, resulting in them achieving decent English GCSEs. As a parent I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Claire – not only as a tutor but as a person who actually takes an invested interest in her students. My children are adults now and still to this day are grateful and have fond memories of ‘Mrs Davidson’.”
Parental Review August 2025
Thank you so much Claire. E found your sessions enjoyable and was able to put it all into practice and get the grades he was hoping for. I highly recommend Claire for both English Language and Literature!
Parental Review – L.L.
I would thoroughly recommend Claire as a tutor. Claire was a conscientious and thoughtful tutor who went the extra mile to make sure that my son was prepared for his English GCSE’s. He wouldn’t have achieved the grade he did without her support and knowledge.
D.T. Review of the AQA GCSE English Programme
Claire has been absolutely wonderful tutoring our daughter and helping her understand what is required for her GCSE English exams. K always looked forward to her lessons with Claire as she was so approachable, and she was always on a high after her lesson as she just understood it so much better than in the classroom environment at school. K particularly liked her lessons at home and not having to leave the house to go for tutoring. Furthermore, Claire always marked her work and gave feedback straight away. She also kept in touch with us on our daughter’s progress and also let us know when she was getting a bit lazy!! We highly recommend Claire, and we are so grateful she was recommended to us. K went from disliking English to enjoying it, which is all down to Claire. Thank you Claire.