Years 5 to 13 · Term-time teaching
Elm Dapple teaches maths, science and English in groups of four or one to one. We start by finding out where the gaps really are, then plan a term around them — not around a generic worksheet pack.
Sessions run Monday to Friday after school and Saturday mornings, following the school term calendar.
Small groups are capped at four so every student gets marked work back and time to ask in the session.
Long enough to teach, practise and check understanding — short enough to hold attention after a full school day.
Parents receive a short email covering what was taught, what was set for the week, and what to watch.
Subjects & levels
Tell us the board and tier your school follows and we teach to that specification. Below is what a typical term works through in each lane.
01
The lane most students join first. We rebuild the arithmetic and algebra underneath the topic they are stuck on, then return to the topic itself, because most GCSE errors are older than the question.
02
Taught as three separate disciplines rather than one blurred subject. Required practicals are worked through on paper with the data handling and graph skills examiners keep asking for.
03
Reading and writing taught together. Younger students work on comprehension and sentence control; older students work on essay structure, quotation choice and timed writing under exam conditions.
04
A short-course lane that runs alongside subject teaching in the spring. It is about how to read a paper, budget minutes and recover marks — useful for students who know the content but lose marks under time.
Ways to study
Most families start in a small group and add one-to-one sessions only where a specific topic needs it. You can change format at the end of any half term.
One 75-minute session a week
Best when confidence has dropped, when a student is working well above or below their class, or when only two or three topics are causing trouble.
One 75-minute session a week
Students at a similar stage learn the same topic together. They hear other people's questions, which is often where the useful correction happens.
Four Saturday mornings
Runs in the spring for Year 11 and Year 13. Full papers under timed conditions, marked and walked back through the same morning while it is still fresh.
How a term works
Nothing is committed before the baseline session. If we do not think we are the right fit, we will say so and explain what we would look for instead.
A 45-minute session where the student works through graded questions while a tutor watches how they approach them. We look at method, not just answers.
You receive a short plan naming the topics for the term, the order we will teach them in, and which format we recommend. You decide from there.
Sessions run to the plan with the same tutor each week. Work is set between sessions and marked before the next one so gaps are caught early.
A written summary of what moved, what did not, and an honest recommendation about whether another term is worthwhile.
Weekly timetable
Weekday sessions run after school; Saturday sessions run in the morning. Groups are set at the start of each half term.
| Day | First session | Second session |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 16:30 – 17:45Maths, Key Stage 3 | 18:00 – 19:15GCSE Maths, Higher tier |
| Tuesday | 16:30 – 17:45Science, Key Stage 3 | 18:00 – 19:15GCSE Combined Science |
| Wednesday | 16:30 – 17:45English & literacy, Key Stage 3 | 18:00 – 19:15GCSE English Language |
| Thursday | 16:30 – 17:45GCSE Maths, Foundation tier | 18:00 – 19:15A-level Maths clinic |
| Friday | 16:30 – 17:45GCSE Triple Science | 18:00 – 19:15A-level Biology & Chemistry |
| Saturday | 09:30 – 10:45Years 5 & 6, maths and literacy | 11:00 – 12:15Exam technique, Years 11 & 13 |
Sessions pause during half term and school holidays, except for the spring exam intensives. Holiday dates are confirmed with parents at the start of each term.
Inside the centre
Elm Dapple runs four teaching rooms, each set up for a table of four. Phones go in a tray at the door. Work is done on paper so a tutor can see the crossings-out, which is usually where the misunderstanding is visible.
Tutors keep the same groups for the whole term. That continuity is the point: a tutor who has watched a student work for eight weeks can tell the difference between a careless slip and a topic that was never properly taught.
We would rather teach four topics properly than tick off twelve and hope one of them lands in the paper.
Questions parents ask
We teach to the board and tier the student's school has entered them for. Tell us the board on the enquiry form and the tutor will plan from that specification, including the set texts for English Literature.
By working level and target, not by age alone. A confident Year 9 may sit with Year 10 students, and a Year 11 rebuilding foundations may work in a lower group for a half term. Groups are capped at four.
The baseline session lasts about 45 minutes. The student works through graded questions while a tutor watches their method. Afterwards you receive a written plan naming the topics we would teach and the format we recommend.
Usually yes, if a place is free in a group at the right level. If a group is full or has moved past the topics your child needs, we will offer the next start date or a one-to-one slot rather than place them badly.
Yes — typically 30 to 45 minutes, designed to be finished in one sitting. It is marked before the next session so the tutor arrives knowing what landed. We keep it light during school exam weeks.
A short written note goes out after every session covering what was taught, what was set and what to watch. At the end of term you get a fuller review, including an honest view if we think tuition is no longer needed.
Let us know before the session and we will send the materials and the set work so nothing is lost. Where a group slot at the same level has space that week, we will offer it as a catch-up.
Enquire
A few details are enough to tell us whether we have a suitable group and to book a baseline session.