Official Launch Day 17th June 2023-Pictures
The Mayor and Mayoress of Fareham have officially opened our brand new centre
We are excited to be welcoming the Mayor and Mayoress of Fareham to open our bespoke tuition centre in central Fareham on Saturday 17th June. We want to extend a warm invitation to you whether you are a past, present or potential user of our professional tuition services.
The event is taking place from midday. Fun, games and live music are all on the agenda! We will also be announcing the winners of our Royal Writing competition with the Mayor and Mayoress presenting the royal prizes.
We do hope you can join us!
SATs HELP FOR BUSY PARENTS
SATs Help: How can busy parents help their children facing Year 6 SATs?
When and How?
Age 11 early May of Year 6: SATs in English and maths, marked externally, results published nationally. Teacher assessment in science.
Year 6 SATs
Date |
Test |
|
Grammar and Punctuation Test-45 mins
Spelling Test-20 mins |
|
English Reading Test-60 mins |
|
Mathematics Arithmetic (Paper 1)-30 mins
Mathematics Reasoning (Paper 2)-40 mins |
|
Mathematics Reasoning (Paper 3)-40 mins |
Day 1: Grammar and Punctuation
Spelling Test
Day 2: English Reading Test
Day 3: Maths Arithmetics (Paper 1)
Day 4: Maths Reasoning (Paper 2)
Maths Reasoning (Paper 3)
Obviously, the children will be aware that there is something going on and that they are going to be tested. During Year 6, your child will undoubtedly get plenty of exam practice and specific work on how to answer particular questions in exams, particularly in regards to the reading comprehension exam. Some schools will put on more pressure or expect more revision than others, with many offering extra tutoring either before or after school. It may be a motivator for some kids to try and bit harder, however, many find it stressful.
Our Advice:
You can also help your child at home in the following ways:
Chat to the teacher about where your child is at and if there are areas for improvement.
Keep to routine by making sure they are well rested and get plenty of exercise. Avoid late nights or sleepovers during this time.
Talk to them about why tests are important but also not to worry. Keep up the communication so that they can tell you how they feel.
Talk about stories, books and characters. Read them stories and hear them read. Play story CDs in the car. It helps children to hear stories before they write them. Much children’s TV is chopped up into short or fast moving chunks that don’t hold any narrative, so minimise this.
Practice and re-enforce basic maths skills such as timed tables. It’s an essential skill that will improve accuracy but also fluency (getting it right but also completing more questions).
Suggested Links:
Here is a link to Past Papers:
KS 2 Year 6 Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling Past Paper
KS 2 Year 6 Reading Assessment Booklet
KS 2 Year 6 Reading Assessment Questions
KS 2 Year 6 Maths Paper 1 (Arithmetic)
KS 2 Year 6 Maths Paper 2 (Reasoning)
KS 2 Year 6 Maths Pape 3 (Reasoning)
We recommend Andrew Brodie books especially for maths.
Also CPG SATs revision books are great for maths and English.
In the end it is better that issues are flagged up now if they need extra support. SATs should be information for you and the school about your child’s progress rather than their performance. If you would like to book a free assessment with us to get professional advice then click here…
Who Our Tuition Is Not Suited For?
A Guide to Who Will Not Benefit From Our Tuition Service
We want parents and children to get the best out of our tuition service. The last thing we want to do is waste anyone’s money on something that is not for them.
Here is a guide to help parents decide if we are the right service for their child or children.
Last minute exam prep-esp GCSE
We are not able to cram for exams. Our tuition is designed to look for areas of weakness that students might have. We may need to go back a few years (educationally) to work on skills that students may have missed. This can take some time, and if you (or the student), are too focussed on an exam you might become frustrated. We are aiming for mastery and not just short term exam performance (that will probably be forgotten the day after the exam!)
SEN
We are not a specialist special needs centre. However, if we meet children for an assessment and feel we can work with them, we take them on. There are a few students, maybe their behaviour is too bad or maybe they can’t speak any English, who we find it difficult to help. The best thing to do is book in for a free assessment and we will give you our honest opinion.
Can’t Attend a Centre Regularly
Regular attendance at lessons is essential for progress. In many cases we only get 80 minutes once a week. We do not want to waste anyone’s money, so if you cannot attend regularly, we may not be the place for you.
If You Want Online Tutoring
We do not have an online offer at the moment. We still feel in centre tutoring is of a much higher quality than online, and that most children needs teachers to be present.
Free or Cheap Tuition
Good quality tuition by professional and experienced tutors does cost money. We have to provide a great learning environment and pay for fantastic, experienced and qualified tutors. We try to provide the best tuition that money can buy but we quite understand that it is not in everyone’s budget. We are committed to helping your child make progress so please don’t try to drive down our prices.
Common Questions About Our Tuition Services
Ask A Question And We Will Answer
In this article we answer some of the common questions that parents ask. We hope that you will find it useful.
Is it One to One?
Yes, but each tutor has four or five students at a time. They are able to give each student one to one attention, even though they may be learning different subjects or be different ages. Each week, the tutor will plan a individual programme for your child to help them with any areas of weakness. Because all the planning and resources are prepared in advance, the tutor is able to teach each student something new each session.
Will you Come to Our Home?
No, all of our tutoring is done in our centres so your child has access to all of our learning packages and technology in an optimal learning environment, without any distractions. Try homeschooltutoring…
Do You Do Online Tuition?
No, we do not have an online offer at the moment. We feel that we can deliver the best quality lessons in person and we feel that children respond better when teachers are present in the room.
How long will it take to solve my child’s problem?
Every child is different, so it’s important they come in for a FREE Assessment so we can come up with a plan and goals, for them to work towards. We don’t know how long it will take, but we promise to give you honest feedback about progress. Every session that your child attends is individually planned and adapted to suit their particular needs. We aim to unlock areas of difficulty as soon as we can for each child.
How do I know that my child will improve?
We guarantee to work with your child until they feel confident to flourish and no longer feel daunted by the problematic area. Combined with our expert tutoring, their school work and extra homework from us; your child will feel supported, encouraged and will make progress in the areas you are concerned about.
Can you tutor my child with a Special Educational Need?
We are not a SEN centre, but because we tailor our lesson plans to the specific needs of each child we have taught children with diagnosed ADHD, Aspergers, Dyslexia, Autism and others in the past. If your child falls into one of these categories it’s very important you get in touch and set up an interview with us and an assessment. Then, we can establish whether we can effectively tutor your child.
Our Portsmouth Centre has wheelchair access and the use of a disabled toilet. We want to offer the best for all the children we tutor, so this is a very important process. We are always willing to go the extra mile regardless of any special need. Please call for more details.
If you have a question or concern why don’t you email us at tutors@ilovetolearn.co.uk
A Guide to the Cost of Private Tutors
Why Does the Cost of Tuition Vary So Much?
According to prospects.ac.uk after-school tutors in the UK charge from around £20-£60 per hour in 2025. Of course all of this will depend on a great deal? Is the tutor qualified? Does the tutor have experience with children? What qualifications does the tutor have in the subject and what exams (if any) is the child working towards? It would be quite normal to pay £65 per hour for GCSE tuition and much more than that for the best 11+ tutors in London say! (Tutorfair.com have prices of over £100 per hour for specialist 11+ tutors/entrance exam tutors)
So why is there so much variation?
What Makes Some Tuition More Expensive?
Does The Fee Include Overheads?
Some tutors work from home or will visit the student’s home, so may have travel expenses which are high at the moment. Some tutors work from a centre, so they have to pay overheads such as power, rent and rates. The resources and working environment may be better but it will cost a little more.
How Experienced and Qualified are the Tutors?
This is probably the biggest variable as tutors do not have to be qualified to offer their services. Some tutors may have a degree in the subject they are teaching and some tutors may have teaching qualifications and classroom experience in schools, so will expect to be better paid.
Does the Tutor Pay VAT?
Tutors do not have to pay VAT on the private tutoring they do if they are self-employed. Companies will need to pay this tax however if they go over the VAT threshold. The government
have recently changed the law on this as some agencies were avoiding VAT, now they will all have to pay it too.
What Education Level or Exam is the Student Aiming For?
Generally the higher the level of qualification the student is studying for the fewer tutors will be qualified to teach that subject. If you are studying for a maths degree, for example, it will be more expensive to hire a tutor. The tutor will have to be more experienced and qualified themselves and the lessons will take longer to prepare, therefore they will charge more.
What Makes Some Tuition Less Expensive?
The Number of Students in a Group
One way to reduce costs is to teach more students at a time. This may lead to a less individualised lesson if the planning is not well organised.
What Is the Preparation Time?
Using standard resources and computer programmes is a way to reduce costs. This reduces the preparation time for tutors and so reduces the amount of time spent on each lesson, before and after. Some companies use AI computer resources which respond to the child’s progress so the tutor does not need to do any planning.
Online or In Person?
Online tutoring can provide services anywhere which increases the supply of tutors and therefore reduces the cost. For example, they could be from another country with lower wage costs.
Why are some tuition companies more expensive?
Generally, the more qualified and experienced the tutors are, the higher the fees are going to be. Some tutors will charge more because, even though they may not pay VAT or have to pay wages, they may have built up a reputation that allows them to increase their fees. Also, in some regions there is a lot of competition for independent school places and therefore a lot of demand for 11+ tutors. This drives up prices.
Why are some tuition companies cheaper?
Some ‘tuition centres’ do not employ fully qualified tutors, in fact some may just be enthusiastic graduates or less. Some education businesses do not actually teach the children but allow the computer AI to teach them. If a tutor lacks experience and qualifications, teaches online or doesn’t have to travel far, they are likely to charge a lower fee.
I Love to Learn Professional Tuition-Where do we fall?
We only employ fully qualified and experience teachers to be tutors here at I Love to Learn. This means that we don’t even interview anyone unless they have QTS (qualified teacher status). We also expect tutors to have a number of years of actual classroom experience.
We run dedicated education centres which means we have to pay overheads. It does give us the advantage of having all our resources in one place and the ability to run tuition in small groups. For those reasons our frees of £48 for each 80 min session, which works out at only £36 per hour, and we think is great value. We also think the teaching environment, the excellent computer/non-computer resources and the fun of small group learning make our tutoring a really high quality product.
11+ Entrance Assessments 2024/25
Independent Schools in Portsmouth, Fareham & Havant
Greetings, parents! In the Portsmouth area, you’ll find a variety of independent schools, each offering its own unique blend of educational ethos and environment, ranging from the grand to the intimate, and spanning a spectrum of academic rigour. We take great pleasure in assisting children with their preparation for the 11+ common entrance assessments, recognising the significance of this milestone. Additionally, we recognise the importance of ensuring everyone is well-informed regarding relevant dates and schedules. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on that front.
Scholarships
Academic Scholarships may be awarded to the top achievers based on the results of the school’s 11+ assessment. The criteria for this will vary from school to school, so you must apply directly to them.
Additionally, some schools offer scholarships for excellence in Art, Drama, Music, and Sport at 11+, 13+, and Sixth Form. These need to be applied for, and applications are usually submitted by the end of November preceding the September of entry. You can apply for more than one scholarship.
Financial Assistance
Some schools may offer financial assistance (means tested on income and exam performance) for Year 7 and Year 9 entry, and the deadline for applying is normally the end of November prior to the year of entry. Often, financial assistance is allocated first and foremost based on the child’s exceptional performance in the Entrance Assessments; the financial information you provide is then considered.
N.B. Please note that advice given here may vary between individual schools. It is important that you get in touch with individual schools to find out their exact criteria for entry requirements, scholarships, and financial assistance.
Common Entrance Assessment or 11+
This exam is so called as it is taken at the age of 11 years at the beginning of secondary education. Not all independent schools are selective, but almost all schools will want students to take an entrance assessment exam of some kind.
The entrance exams always cover maths and English to a high level. Children are also usually tested on their verbal and nonverbal reasoning. These tests are designed to be more difficult to prepare for as they are not school subjects. Verbal reasoning is concerned with language and word problems, while non-verbal reasoning includes logic, shape, and number patterns.
The 11+ Assessments typically consist of the following: Maths (50 mins); English (45 mins); Reading Comprehension (30 mins); Non-verbal Reasoning (30 mins); plus an Interview (20 mins).
Full Bursary
“We are so pleased that Mahera has got a FULL BURSARY for the local girl’s high school in Portsmouth. She has been to your centre before for tuition but we came back in November so she could get ready for the exams. She has worked so hard and Linda has really encouraged her in her writing! Thanks so much!”
Click here to read more about our success…..
Portsmouth High School for Girls
Music, Art, Drama & Sport Scholarship Day
Monday 6th January 2025
11+ Assessment Day
Tuesday 7th January 2025
Portsmouth Grammar School
11+ and 13+ Entrance Assessment
Saturday 9th November 2024
Mayville High School
All Candidates Sit Exam
Saturday 16th November 2024
The Gregg School
11+ Entrance Assessment
Saturday 25th January 2025
Meoncross School
Open Week: 25- 29th September 10.45am
Open Morning November Friday 24th November 10.45am
Boundary Oak School
Assessment can be booked all year
Are you considering entering your child for an independent school? Book a Free Assessment today!
NOW IS THE TIME
If your child is currently in Year 5, then NOW is the time to start preparing for the entrance assessment exam in January.
During your child’s free forty-five-minute assessment we will:
- Test your child’s reading age, spelling age and maths ability.
- Give you honest feedback on your child’s ability to pass the entrance exams for each school.
- Discuss our previous experience preparing students for entrance exams for local independent schools.
- Give you a breakdown of the topics your child needs to cover to prepare for the entrance exam.
- Explain our materials and teaching methods to you.
- Give you the chance to ask any questions and to tap into our expertise.
Click here to find out more about tutoring for Entrance Exams …
Administrator (Part Time)
Administrator (Part/Time)
Summary
A part-time administrator is required to help support the thriving I Love to Learn Professional Tuition after-school tuition centres; in Havant, Fareham and Portsmouth. Hours are flexible during daytime or early evening.
Communication
- Internal-e.g. emails and calls to customers
Missed sessions and catch up sessions
- External-e.g. letter and emails to schools
Finance
- Recording payments-non-automatic
- Following up late payments
- Updating financial records
Data Management
- Keeping Calendar and database up to date
- Updating management data
Qualifications and Education Requirements
DBS cleared
Customer service skills
Ability to work independently
Verbal communication skills
Attention to detail
Numeracy and literacy skills
Salary and Hours
Hours to be negotiated, but minimum of 6 hours a week initially
£10.50 per hour (depending on experience)
Summer School 8th -12th August 2022 Fareham Centre
Maths and English Fun in Fareham
Summer will soon be here and we are offering a Summer School in our Fareham Centre! Each student receives 10 hours of professional tuition with fully qualified teachers. Some children stay in the afternoon for sport activities at the John Pounds Centre in Portsmouth. Transport will be provided.
During the week our tutors are able to give each child a really good boost in maths or English. As they are not at school we can teach longer sessions each day (2hrs). This allows us to focus on a smaller number or skills to really work on. Summer School is always a really fun and positive experience with children getting lots of stamps and stickers and feeling they really have made a lot of progress! Many of our families enjoy it so much they come back year after year!
Some children will want to stay in the afternoon to do the sport programme. Children will be transported to and from the John Pounds Centre each afternoon. We are again collaborating with Michael Whitelock at Go Active Camps who we have worked with many times before.. The morning tutoring is run by our experienced tutors in the John Pounds Centre IT Suite. After that the children have a full programme of games and activities designed to boost their physical, social and cooperative skills.
Summer School 8th -12th AUGUST
Ages 6-16 years
*Early Bird Price for 9-3.30pm Tuition and Sport £300 £270 or Tuition only £235 £220*
Tuition: Maths & English 9-11am or 12-2pm Cost £235 £220 6-16yrs
A full ten hours of professional tuition in reading, writing, spelling and maths to boost your child this summer. Individual plans and all abilities catered for. Classes in our Fareham Centre.
Tuition and Sport*: Maths & English Tuition + Sport & Games 9am-3.30pm Cost £300 £270.
Sport*: Sport & Games and other activities with fully qualified coaches from Go Active Camps at the John Pounds Centre, Portsmouth.
*Transport is available to take students from the Fareham Centre and back to John Pounds Centre for the sport activities.
*Early Bird Price £300 £270 pay by May 31st*
Gain Confidence
For children who have struggled in school, summer is an invaluable opportunity to catch-up on key skills and feel more confident when they return to class. For students who do well, it is an opportunity to keep their enthusiasm for learning high.
If your child needs help with reading, writing, spelling or maths call Howard or Linda for a free assessment on 023 93 96 86 26 now.
Summer School 15th -19th August 2022 John Pounds Centre
Maths and English Fun at Summer School
Summer will soon be here and Summer School 2022 is here by popular demand! Each student receives 10 hours of professional tuition with fully qualified teachers. The children stay in the afternoon for sport activities.
We are again colaborating with Michael Whitelock at Go Active Camps and the John Pounds Centre. The morning tutoring is run by our experienced tutors in the John Pounds Centre IT Suite. After that the children have a full programme of games and activities designed to boost their physical, social and cooperative skills.
During the week our tutors are able to give each child a really good boost in maths or English. As they are not at school we can teach longer sessions each day (2hrs). This allows us to focus on a smaller number or skills to really work on. Summer School is always a really fun and positive experience with children getting lots of stamps and stickers and feeling they really have made a lot of progress! Many of our families enjoy it so much they come back year after year!
Summer School 15th -19th AUGUST
Ages 6-12 years
*Early Bird Price for 9-3.30pm Tuition and Sport £300 £270*
Tuition & Sport
Maths & English 9-11am
A full ten hours of professional tuition in reading, writing, spelling and maths to boost your child this summer. Individual plans and all abilities catered for.
Sport and Games and other activities with fully qualified coaches from Go Active summer camps until 3.30pm.
Learn some new skills, cooperation and coordination.
Classes are held at the John Pounds Centre, Portsea.
*Early Bird Price £300 £270 pay by May 31st*
Many Children Fall Behind
‘Research shows as many as one in three children can fall behind as a result of a seven-week break from the classroom.’
For most children, summer is a time to leave classes and homework behind. While summer is a holiday from school, it does not have to be a holiday from learning. The summer holiday is great for recharging your children’s batteries, but if they are not using the skills and knowledge that was learned in the classroom, they will find themselves struggling when school starts up again.
Skills and knowledge gained throughout the school year fade during the summer months. Research shows that loss of content retention begins within 24 to 48 hours of learning unless the new information is reinforced or applied immediately. That is why, during summer holidays, even the best students forget lessons they have learned during the school year. After a month without reinforcement, approximately 80 percent of what a student has recently learned can be lost.
Gain Confidence
For children who have struggled in school, summer is an invaluable opportunity to catch-up on key skills and feel more confident when they return to class. For students who do well, it is an opportunity to keep their enthusiasm for learning high.
If your child needs help with reading, writing, spelling or maths call Howard or Linda for a free assessment on 023 93 96 86 26 now.
Top Ten GCSE Maths Exam Tips & Dates
When are the GCSE exams 2025?
GCSE Maths exams
GCSE English Language exams
Maths GCSE Examination Tips
Getting GCSE exam ready takes lots of practice. These tips are to help you tackle the exams and to get the best possible result, they are not a substitute for good preparation and revision prior to the exam.
Imagine: You are in the exam room. The paper is in front of you. You have been told to write your name on the front of the paper (please make sure you do this!!). You are told to begin…how do you feel?
Many students, despite hours of revision, will still feel nervous. Despite these feelings you can still do well.
Gettting Started
Step 1 – Take a breath
Take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out. This will give you a moment of calm and stop your heart from racing. Look at the clock and now open the paper.
Step 2 – Flick through the paper
For about 3 minutes flick through the paper and put a tick against the questions you like the look of and a star against those you don’t like the look of. The ones you have ticked can be tackled first – this will build your confidence and get you warmed up. These questions will take you less time to complete, so that you can then spend a longer amount of time on the trickier questions.
Having said that, the number of marks in a question is the indication of the number of minutes to be spent on it. 1-mark questions require little more than 1 minute; 2 marks, 2 mins and so on. If a tricky question is taking up too many valuable minutes, it’s okay for you to move on and come back to it later.
Step 3 – Read the Question
Now, answer as many questions as you can. Once you have answered each question, take a moment to read the question again. Have you answered the question? Have you answered the question in the way it requires? Have you rounded correctly? Does your answer make sense? Using this moment can enable you to pick up marks you may have otherwise lost.
Tip 1- Be Tidy or at Least Clear
Make sure your work is as neat and tidy as possible. Make it easy for the examiner to assess your work and award your mark.
Tip 2-Use the Calculator
For the calculator exam – use the calculator! Chief Examiners have noted that students sometimes work out calculations manually when they should be using a calculator. Know your calculator prior to the exam, use the one you always use!
Remember to write on the paper any calculation that you type into the calculator as this will give you the extra marks.
Tip 3-Round the Numbers at the End
Write down the figures on your calculator and then make a suitable rounding. Don’t round the numbers during the calculation. This will often result in an incorrect answer.
Tip 4-Are You Sure You’re Right?
If you’re in the situation where you try two methods and you aren’t sure which one is correct, don’t put an answer on the answer line. If you do, the examiner will ignore the working that doesn’t lead to that answer. If you leave the answer line blank, the examiner will mark both methods and award whichever one is lower.
Tip 5-Attempt All Part of Questions If You Can
Look at all parts of a question. Even though you may not be able to complete the first part of a question, if the second part is unrelated, it may be easy for you to complete.
Tip 6-Cross Out What is not Relevant
For wordy questions, cross out any information that is unnecessary and/or highlight the words that are needed for your calculations. If it’s relevant make a sketch or a drawing that can help you to think about the problem.
Tip 7-Include Your Workings
If there are 3 or more marks available for a question, then be sure to include your workings (even if the question does not ask for your workings). You are unlikely to get full marks for just the answer.
Tip 8-Know Your Units!
How many mms in a cm; cms in a metre; metres in a km; etc. Be sure to put your units on the answer line as this is usually worth an extra mark.
Tip 9-Only Write or Draw in the Answer Space
Do not write or draw anything outside of the answer space. It is likely to be missed by the examiner and you will drop marks. If you need extra space to write, draw an arrow indicating where the extra writing is. If the examiner cannot read it, or is not clear where the answer is, you will not get the marks.
Tip 10-Put a Hand Up and Make a Request If You Need to
You should have all your own equipment for the examination, and you should be confident in using it. However, don’t be afraid to ask for help or equipment if you need it during the examination – your pencil may need sharpening; the batteries on your calculator may run out; you might need tracing paper for that transformations question. The invigilators are there to help.
We wish you every success!
