One weekly lesson can only do so much on its own. The students who progress fastest are almost always the ones who do a little — not a lot — of something in between sessions. Here are five habits we encourage every family to try.

1. Little and often beats one big push

Fifteen focused minutes, three or four times a week, embeds learning far more effectively than a single hour-long cram the night before a lesson. Ask your tutor to suggest a short, specific task rather than “more revision” in general.

2. Let them teach it back to you

Asking a child to explain what they learned in their own words — even to a younger sibling or a pet — is one of the fastest ways to spot gaps and build genuine confidence.

3. Celebrate effort, not just results

Praising the attempt (“you stuck with that tricky question”) rather than only the outcome (“you got it right”) keeps motivation intact on the weeks when a topic is genuinely hard.

4. Keep a visible record of progress

A simple wall chart, notebook, or shared document where a student ticks off topics covered gives them something tangible to look back on — especially useful before exams, when it’s easy to forget how far they’ve come.

5. Talk to the tutor between lessons, not just during them

A quick message flagging a wobble in confidence, an upcoming school test, or a topic your child mentioned finding hard lets your tutor adjust the very next session — rather than finding out a fortnight later.

If you’d like tailored suggestions for your own child’s learning style, just ask their tutor directly — it’s exactly the kind of personal touch we build every session around.

“Do you have a Maths tutor?” is usually the first question we’re asked — but the right match depends on quite a bit more than the subject name on the label.

Exam board matters more than people expect

AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC each structure their GCSE and A-Level specifications differently — sometimes significantly so. A tutor who knows exactly how your child’s exam board words its questions and marks its papers can save weeks of wasted revision on the wrong style of answer.

Consider the goal, not just the subject

A student aiming for a top grade in GCSE Chemistry needs a very different kind of session to one who’s lost confidence and just needs to feel steady again. Similarly, IELTS, TOEFL and PTE candidates each face a different exam format, even though all three are “English tests” on paper.

Ask about vetting, not just qualifications

Every tutor on our team is DBS-checked and personally interviewed by our founder, Kirsty, before they ever take on a student — subject knowledge is only half the picture. Personality fit and teaching style matter just as much, especially for younger or more anxious learners.

If you’re not sure which tutor is the right fit, that’s exactly what Kirsty’s free matching consultation is for — tell us the goal, and we’ll suggest the right person, not just the nearest available slot.

Not every learning journey starts with an exam in mind. Sometimes it starts with a phone call you wish you could understand a little better.

That was the case for one of our students, who came to us wanting to speak English confidently enough to talk with grandchildren living abroad. At the first lesson, entire sentences felt like a struggle — not because the vocabulary wasn’t there, but because confidence wasn’t.

Building fluency through conversation, not textbooks

Rather than starting with grammar drills, the sessions focused on real conversation from day one: everyday topics, family stories, and the kind of small talk that actually comes up on a phone call. Mistakes were treated as part of the process, not something to be embarrassed about.

Confidence came before perfection

Within a few months of two lessons a week, hesitant single sentences had turned into full, natural conversations. Vocabulary grew steadily, but the bigger shift was psychological — a willingness to just speak, without waiting for every word to be perfect first.

Today, those calls happen easily and often. It’s a reminder that the goal of tutoring isn’t always a grade or a certificate — sometimes it’s simply being able to talk to the people you love.