Olivia's Tutoring

31/07/2025

Foam shapes and sorting rings= endless learning possibilities!

By themselves they are great resources but together they can help strengthen understanding of various shape concepts depending upon their current level. This student had to decide on their own sorting criteria and then had to draw their own shapes to add to the diagram.

Quick question: Is a square a rhombus or can a rhombus be a square? This one has come up in past papers so I always make sure to discuss it!

21/06/2025

Now available for tutoring from start of July until end of August!

Now the GCSE season has come to an end, I will soon have good availability for Primary, Secondary and 11+ tutoring. Sessions available from my home in Maidstone or in-home around Kent from 45 minutes up to half-day full mock exam sessions.

Please feel free to message for more details and to book in a free consultation to discuss how I might be able to help!

(Please note from end of August I will be available only on Mondays)

14/06/2025

Now is the time to start really focusing on timings for the 11+ in September!

The 11+ test is particularly difficult when it comes to time constraints and it’s one of the trickiest challenges to prepare for. Being able to focus on the questions and keep an eye on the time elapsed and expected progress by that point, is something that takes a lot of practice. Having a small cheap clock in front of them can help a lot.

Now is the time to check with the school to see if they would be allowed to have one in their desk. As you do not know where they will be positioned in the classroom I’ve had many a child tell me the past that they couldn’t see the clock and missed vital questions.

Even if the school does not allow these, keeping a close eye on their time per question rate and practising moving on when a question takes too long can be hugely beneficial.

These are only £1-2 in IKEA so a worthwhile investment!

15/05/2025

One powerful way to support your child’s language development is by using a rich and varied vocabulary around them in everyday situations. The more words they hear and understand, the more confident they become in using language themselves.

The two language guides below take different approaches to building vocabulary. While the first guide can be a helpful starting point, it’s important to remember that not all similar words mean exactly the same thing. As adults, we understand the difference between words like “content” and “cheerful”, but do children? Will they know which one to choose?

That’s where the second guide can be really useful. By breaking each word down into smaller categories or shades of meaning, it helps children (and adults too!) understand the subtle differences, so they can choose the most accurate word for what they want to say.

The more we model this kind of language, the more children will naturally pickup on the nuances and beging using it correctly themselves.

08/12/2023

I love a festive themed science activity and this is the perfect excuse for some!

24 easy Elf ideas with a fun science twist!

The FREE pack includes daily challenge cards, templates and instructions to make elf antics as easy as possible!

https://www.science-sparks.com/easy-science-elf-ideas/

27/10/2023

National Pumpkin Day today! So I present my first ever carved pumpkin from 11 years ago!

25/10/2023

Some half term tuition places available and now have a couple after school sessions opened up for the next year. Tuition available from home whe booking 1.5 hours or more, or from my home set up in Tovil. Specialise in 11+ and Mathmatics but ca teach anything for ages 4 till 14.
Fully qualified, experianced, DBS checked etc. Can provide lots of lovely references and notes from the children themselves.

21/10/2023

Feeling really proud of one of my tutored girls who has now graduated from me. She is so much more confident now and knows exactly what to do if she is ever stuck and has got a glowing report from school. Their lovely little presents mean so much but the kind words mean the most of course! 🥰

23/08/2023

Teaching children this rule feels a little harsh when most adults don’t get it. The fact that each one also says “commonly used”, as of course there are expections to the rule as well feels particularly mean.
Do you know when to use effect or affect?

24/03/2023

Retrieval practices key role in learning has been known for over 100 years. Always good to read a study backing it up though.

This is why homework questions in the days after learning a new concept (in my case this is particularly so as I do not see the children every day) and then again a week or so later are very important. By retrieving the knowledge whilst it is still in short term memory (or at least some what there) it is much more likely to be retained in the long term.