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Peter Halfpenny - Maths Tutor and Science Tutor

In view of the current situation with coronavirus, I am now offering online tuition via Skype instead of face-to-face lessons for all of my teaching.

The closure of schools throughout the first lockdown has had a significant impact on the learning opportunities for most students. Although schools have now reopened, teaching has been further disrupted for many, due to the need for staff or students (either individually or as year groups) to self isolate. Many students have struggled to progress while studying from home and now need help to catch up.

My aim is to provide direct one to one support and guidance as students work to make up for the lost time and reduced learning resulting from the lockdown. The benefits of one-to-one tuition become even more important when students have fallen behind.

I have switched entirely to online lessons since mid-March. Skype works well for one-to-one tuition. I am able to use screen sharing or can switch between multiple cameras. So students can see me, what I am writing or a shared screen with questions, diagrams or examples. Students are also able to use screen capture to take copies of examples or other information to incorporate into their notes after the lesson. An ipad or other tablet or laptop work well. A desktop with a webcam also seems to be fine for the lessons. While not ideal, a smartphone can also be ok if reasonably large.

Patient, effective teaching from an experienced Maths tutor - helping to develop confidence and understanding. I am based in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire but travel to surrounding towns and villages within about 6 miles, including Trowbridge, Winsley, Holt and Atworth. I have been providing support to Maths and Science students in West Wiltshire for over sixteen years, drawing on more than 40 years experience of Science and Maths in teaching, research and industry. I offer help and support in Mathematics for students of all abilities:

  • GCSE Maths tuition
  • GCSE Statistics tuition
  • A level Maths tuition

Bringing Science to life - Science tuition based on a broad experience of research and teaching in Universities and industry. I offer tuition which encourages curiosity about the world around us and develops a sound understanding of science and technology:

  • GCSE Physics tuition
  • GCSE Chemistry tuition
  • A level Chemistry tuition

Every student deserves the chance to reach the full potential of their talents and abilities. There are times, however, when normal school lessons and a large classroom environment are not sufficient to allow this to happen.

"...building confidence and removing barriers to understanding"

Individual tuition is a very effective way to identify and remedy problem areas, thereby building confidence and removing barriers to learning. Many see tuition primarily as a means to preparation for examinations. It can certainly make a substantial difference to the grades obtained but it can also provide much more.

"...far greater benefit and satisfaction from their school lessons"

The increased confidence and motivation which usually result from effective, ongoing tuition allow students to gain far greater benefit and satisfaction from their school lessons. This is probably why many of my students choose to continue their tuition with me throughout a substantial fraction of their secondary education.

If your son or daughter has a friend in the same class who is also looking for tuition, double lessons can be an effective way of reducing the cost. Clearly, the individual attention of a one-to-one lesson is the ideal situation but the substantial savings of a double lesson make this a useful compromise. This approach can work very well provided the two students are of similar ability. I can usually advise after an initial lesson whether or not abilities are sufficiently closely matched for double lessons to be effective. The charge for a double lesson is £22 per student per hour - a saving of £8 compared to the normal rate.