Students can often struggle with school work simply because they have missed fundamental learning at some stage in their academic life. It is essential to pinpoint these weaknesses in order to improve. Therefore, we offer Mathematics and English assessments in centre for students in year 1 through to year 10. The assessment is conducted in the first session and a detailed written report is provided outlining strengths, weaknesses and targets for improvement. Through this, our tuition is actually targeted to the needs of students.

Primary

English: We’re excited to announce our new teacher-designed reading comprehension program being offered only in the centre. There are so many studies that specify the importance of reading comprehensions to bridge the gap from passive to active reading and enhance reading fluency across all subjects. Our series of reading comprehensions are based on popular books and will prompt your child chapter-by-chapter to understand the meaning of the text rather than spend their time and effort simply decoding words.

Maths: Maths doesn’t need to be boring! While we recognise the value in repetition in order to master working with numbers, measurement, shapes, time and money it is vital to engage your child’s interest in understanding mathematical concepts. To this end, our games and hands-on resources will assist to develop mathematical thinking and promote a solid foundation for later years.

Secondary and Tertiary

With the high level required for assignments and exams extra resources are a must for secondary and tertiary students. We have a range of text books from general science to specific referencing to ensure that, combined with your online research, you are well placed to excel. In addition, for exam preparation our books have practice questions to allow exposure to problem solving work that is often unseen before testing.

In our tuition centres we have custom designed rooms to ensure effective study. A quiet, air conditioned and comfortable environment is a great start to studying, not just for the student but also the tutor. Everyone works better in a well-lit, climate controlled space designed for study. Each room has a large study desk with space to spread out, internet and power connections, a whiteboard and comfortable, ergonomic chairs.

A major challenge to effective study is distraction. It has been found that students working in their own environment tend to become side tracked by both background noises (siblings, a TV in another room, someone in the kitchen) and their surroundings (toys, posters, books). A common example is when a student hears or sees something that prompts them to tell a story about an event which consumes study time and changes the focus. By studying in a quiet, blank area the student can solely focus on the task at hand and effectively take in the information with the tutor.

It has been recognised that students undertaking out of home tuition are more prepared than those who have tuition in-home. This is simply because the student must consider what is required for the session and take these materials with them. Often, for in-home tuition, the tutor is met with the whole school bag full of books that the student sorts through while deciding what should be worked on that session. By leaving the home, the student must take the time to contemplate what they need to achieve in the session and generally this leads to more effective tuition.

Although at Grace Simpkins Personal Tutors we screen our tutors to ensure they are not only smart but also have the personality to develop a rapport with the student, there are instances where the best tutor for the student is not within a reasonable travel distance or available at the right time. Through the tuition centre we are able to overcome this issue in most instances by providing a meeting point for tuition and employing our most popular tutors in the centre.

The benefit of personalised tuition is well recognised and the weekly support of a tutor enables problem areas to be weeded out and long term goals to be established and achieved. However, there are always areas that need more intensive help and to combat this we are introducing weekend and holiday programs at our new tuition centre. A prime example is the ability to problem solve. This skill is most prominent in math but appears in every subject area and of course in the real world. By targeting an area such as this, an overall improvement can be made. Programs are also offered in the sciences (general and specific), humanities and mathematics.