FAQs
Do we offer shared 2:1 sibling lessons and is there a discount for these?
Shared 2:1 sessions are priced at £30 for 30-minutes and are suitable for students who are working at very similar learning levels; 2:1 sibling sessions will only be offered if a tutor believes they will be beneficial for both students.
What are our learning levels?
We offer two learning levels: FUNdamentals: for those who are working towards the UK expected standard, and Delve Deeper: for those who are working at the UK expected standard.
Why are all our lessons thirty minutes long?
Even though many tuition centres offer longer sessions (up to 80 minutes), we believe students cannot fully-concentrate for this long. 30 minutes allows us to study a subject, play a game, and re-cap material at the end. We have found attainment to be just as high in 30 minutes (compared with the longer lessons we offered a few years ago) and, in many cases, we find students perform better when they study for a slightly shorter period. Additionally, students can learn a great deal in 30 minutes and will usually re-call this information well in the next lesson. Moreover, People enjoy studying with us and do comment that lessons are 'just the right length' for optimum focus.
How do I pay for tuition?
When you initially enquire, we will book you in for a free induction over video call. At this introduction, you will meet Helena and/or Annabel and learn more about our unique style of tutoring. The induction gives us a chance to chat to you and your child, and we will take down important details to help us devise a tailored learning plan. After the induction (if you decide to go ahead with tuition), you will be given 24 hours to pay your first block of five lessons; this can be done via bank transfer (UK customers) or by Stripe (international cuastomers). All lessons must be paid for in blocks of five, although we do give a guarantee of a four-session refund if you didn't want to continue after your initial lesson.
Why is our illness policy so strict and what options do we have if we cannot attend a visiting lesson?
Our illness policy is incredibly strict to protect both ourselves and the other children we tutor. We require ALL parents/guardians to cancel a visiting lesson if their child has ANY sign of contagious illness (this includes mild sniffles) and we will always offer an online session if a child is well enough to work. Therefore, we can only take on visiting students who are also comfortable learning online. If a child consistently has to miss more than half of their visiting sessions, a regular online lesson may be more suitable. We will discuss all these options when you enquire.
Can I sit in on my child’s lesson?
All parents/guardians are required to wait for their child outside the tuition venue or room where they are studying (if online) and will not be allowed to watch lessons. Children do not perform naturally when a parent/guardian is watching and this can have a detrimental effect on their performance. We require a high-level of trust from all parents/guardians and a tutor will always provide verbal feedback from each lesson to ensure a high-level of understanding.
Can we book more than one lesson per week?
Two sessions per week will be offered only under these circumstances: 1) When we have no waiting list. 2) If your child is studying both maths and English with us. If a customer books two lessons a week, they should understand the second session is only reserved when we have no waiting list.
Can we teach your child other subjects such as Science, History or Geography?
Thematic-style learning (integrating elements from other subjects) is used in many lessons to keep engagement high and we always try to work with your child's interests to ensure lessons suit their learning style.
Can Entrance Exam material be covered in lessons?
General skills such as verbal and non-verbal reasoning, memory and spatial awareness will be covered on a weekly basis in all lessons. Unfortunately, we do not focus on specific entrance exam tuition as all learning is tailored to develop general skills in the areas of focus. Many children who have studied at Bedford Tutor have gone on to sit entrance exams with great success, but we do not focus on specific skills for these assessments.
Do we travel?
All tuition is carried out in our fully-equipped classroom: The Swallow Room, or over Zoom (Skype only if Zoom is not available).
Are we experienced?
Annabel has been tutoring full-time for over eleven years and began offering mindfulness coaching during the COVID-19 outbreak. Always fascinated by education, she has been developing Bedford Tutor since 2012 and enjoys the challenge of running a creative business. Annabel is proud to have a BA Hons in History; a Diploma in Life Coaching (with Distinction); a Future Learn certificate in Understanding ADHD: Current Research And Practice; a certificate in TEFL; a Dyslexia Therapist Diploma; as well as numerous other awards related to child development and psychology. Her mother, Helena, has been trained by Annabel over the past nine years and benefits from having past experience teaching in a nursery school.
Are we DBS checked and fully-insured?
Both Annabel and Helena are fully insured and both have been checked and cleared by the police.
Where is Bedford Tutor located and what area do we serve for visiting lessons?
Bedford Tutor's postcode is MK44 2RD and we usually serve those within a 12km radius of our venue (please see map and pink circle for area served). We offer online tuition to those all over the world, so please let us know if you'd like to find out more about this.
Shared 2:1 sessions are priced at £30 for 30-minutes and are suitable for students who are working at very similar learning levels; 2:1 sibling sessions will only be offered if a tutor believes they will be beneficial for both students.
What are our learning levels?
We offer two learning levels: FUNdamentals: for those who are working towards the UK expected standard, and Delve Deeper: for those who are working at the UK expected standard.
Why are all our lessons thirty minutes long?
Even though many tuition centres offer longer sessions (up to 80 minutes), we believe students cannot fully-concentrate for this long. 30 minutes allows us to study a subject, play a game, and re-cap material at the end. We have found attainment to be just as high in 30 minutes (compared with the longer lessons we offered a few years ago) and, in many cases, we find students perform better when they study for a slightly shorter period. Additionally, students can learn a great deal in 30 minutes and will usually re-call this information well in the next lesson. Moreover, People enjoy studying with us and do comment that lessons are 'just the right length' for optimum focus.
How do I pay for tuition?
When you initially enquire, we will book you in for a free induction over video call. At this introduction, you will meet Helena and/or Annabel and learn more about our unique style of tutoring. The induction gives us a chance to chat to you and your child, and we will take down important details to help us devise a tailored learning plan. After the induction (if you decide to go ahead with tuition), you will be given 24 hours to pay your first block of five lessons; this can be done via bank transfer (UK customers) or by Stripe (international cuastomers). All lessons must be paid for in blocks of five, although we do give a guarantee of a four-session refund if you didn't want to continue after your initial lesson.
Why is our illness policy so strict and what options do we have if we cannot attend a visiting lesson?
Our illness policy is incredibly strict to protect both ourselves and the other children we tutor. We require ALL parents/guardians to cancel a visiting lesson if their child has ANY sign of contagious illness (this includes mild sniffles) and we will always offer an online session if a child is well enough to work. Therefore, we can only take on visiting students who are also comfortable learning online. If a child consistently has to miss more than half of their visiting sessions, a regular online lesson may be more suitable. We will discuss all these options when you enquire.
Can I sit in on my child’s lesson?
All parents/guardians are required to wait for their child outside the tuition venue or room where they are studying (if online) and will not be allowed to watch lessons. Children do not perform naturally when a parent/guardian is watching and this can have a detrimental effect on their performance. We require a high-level of trust from all parents/guardians and a tutor will always provide verbal feedback from each lesson to ensure a high-level of understanding.
Can we book more than one lesson per week?
Two sessions per week will be offered only under these circumstances: 1) When we have no waiting list. 2) If your child is studying both maths and English with us. If a customer books two lessons a week, they should understand the second session is only reserved when we have no waiting list.
Can we teach your child other subjects such as Science, History or Geography?
Thematic-style learning (integrating elements from other subjects) is used in many lessons to keep engagement high and we always try to work with your child's interests to ensure lessons suit their learning style.
Can Entrance Exam material be covered in lessons?
General skills such as verbal and non-verbal reasoning, memory and spatial awareness will be covered on a weekly basis in all lessons. Unfortunately, we do not focus on specific entrance exam tuition as all learning is tailored to develop general skills in the areas of focus. Many children who have studied at Bedford Tutor have gone on to sit entrance exams with great success, but we do not focus on specific skills for these assessments.
Do we travel?
All tuition is carried out in our fully-equipped classroom: The Swallow Room, or over Zoom (Skype only if Zoom is not available).
Are we experienced?
Annabel has been tutoring full-time for over eleven years and began offering mindfulness coaching during the COVID-19 outbreak. Always fascinated by education, she has been developing Bedford Tutor since 2012 and enjoys the challenge of running a creative business. Annabel is proud to have a BA Hons in History; a Diploma in Life Coaching (with Distinction); a Future Learn certificate in Understanding ADHD: Current Research And Practice; a certificate in TEFL; a Dyslexia Therapist Diploma; as well as numerous other awards related to child development and psychology. Her mother, Helena, has been trained by Annabel over the past nine years and benefits from having past experience teaching in a nursery school.
Are we DBS checked and fully-insured?
Both Annabel and Helena are fully insured and both have been checked and cleared by the police.
Where is Bedford Tutor located and what area do we serve for visiting lessons?
Bedford Tutor's postcode is MK44 2RD and we usually serve those within a 12km radius of our venue (please see map and pink circle for area served). We offer online tuition to those all over the world, so please let us know if you'd like to find out more about this.
