For Improved GCSE or A-Level Grades
Call 020 712 4832
Special Booster Classes to help Y10 and Y12 students end the term on a Strong Academic Position – there is also a programme for KS3 students
Key Benefits
- Diagnosing students’ understanding and skills level and identifying weaknesses and strengths
- Reinforcing knowledge of key concepts in each subject
- Boosting confidence in areas where students may be struggling or require in-depth understanding
- Every week, students receive both small group teaching and also a one-to-one tutorial in addition, ensuring that they are confident about the content
- Dealing with common mistakes in answering exam questions
- Setting realistic grade targets, monitoring students’ progress and supporting them to ensure they achieve the goals set
- Minimizing stress through rigorous exam preparation and teaching exam techniques to deal with challenging questions
- The boost in confidence achieved makes our students more aspirational and they begin to aim for a higher grade.
Why Six Saturdays?
Given the time remaining before the end of the academic year, six Saturdays are sufficient to do an initial diagnostic test and cover much of the core aspects that students often struggle to understand.
Why are these Booster classes necessary?
Both GCSE and A-level are two-year courses. The reality in good schools is that at least 60% of the GCSE content will have been covered by the end of Y10. The same goes for Y12, in which about 60% of the A-level is covered by the end of that year. The reason for this is that the final year is about four months shorter in teaching terms, as real teaching usually finishes in March or earlier. This is so that students can begin to prepare for their exams, which start in May and finish by the middle of June.
For the current Y10 and Y12 students, there is an added pressure this time, as many have suffered from inconsistent and poor online teaching during the lockdown.
This programme is aimed at minimizing any adverse effect on your child as a result from the disruption which has been caused to education since March 2020.
GCSE and A-level exams will probably take place next summer, but no one can say for sure that will be the case. Just as no one foresaw exams being cancelled for two years running, wherein grades were awarded by teacher assessment.
Many parents consider teacher assessment an unfair way to award grades for all sorts of reasons. Pandemics are extremely rare, so school closure and cancellation of exams are unprecedented, and this is unlikely to happen next year. However, it is better to be prepared for all eventualities, as no one can say for certainty that GCSE and A-level exams will go ahead as normal in the summer of 2022.
Key issues with many Y10 students
- Students with weak performance at the end of Y10 are likely to be put in a set where they will be sitting the foundation tier for GCSE, for which the maximum they can achieve is Grade 5. In the higher tier, there is the opportunity of accessing Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9.
- Even for those who do the higher tier, the difference between being in set one and set two or three can be up to two grade points. For the very top sixth form school and colleges, Grade 9 or 8 is required for admission onto A-level courses. The chances of obtaining a Grade 9 or 8 are much higher for students in the very top set.
Key issues with some Y12 students
- When the current Y12 students were in Y11, many were not as well-prepared for the start of the A-level course as they could have been, due to lost teaching hours. Teachers have noticed the effect of this, as so many are struggling with the rigour and the demand of A-level
- Students with weak performance at the end of the first year of A-level will not be allowed to carry on with some of their A-level subjects into the second year. They may be asked to drop one subject. This decision will limit the range of universities they can apply to and the degree course they can choose to study there.
Saturday dates for the extended Summer Term session | |||||||
Short Summer Term - June & July 2021 | |||||||
| 15th & 29th May - Open Day | 5th June - Diagnostic test for new students | 12-Jun | 19-Jun | 26-Jun | 03-Jul | 10-Jul | 17-Jul |
| The new academic year starts on 4th September and there are three terms in a year. | |||||||
GCSE– Fees for the extended online SummerTerm session | |||||
| 1 subject | 2 subjects | 3 subjects | 4 subjects | 5 subjects | |
| £ 245.23 | £ 441.42 | £ 625.34 | £ 784.74 | £ 919.62 | |
A-level – Fees for the extended Summer Term online session | |||
| 1 subject | 2 subjects | 3 subjects | |
| £ 416.89 | £ 750.41 | £ 1,063.08 | |
Call us now on 020 7112 4832
or book a place by going to the link below
Below is what the student gets each week per subject
GCSE - Y11 or Y10
1. 40 to 50 minutes of small group teaching
2. 60 minutes of homework assignment setting mainly exam questions, based on topic(s) covered in the lesson
3. 10 to 15 minutes of one-to-one tutorial (live video session) - dedicated to addressing individual student's weaknesses
4. Milestone work set and marked, with written feedback provided. This should be work that is focused to the need of individual students and included in the homework assignment
5. One subject takes a total of about 1 hour; 2 hours for two subjects and so on, and this includes both the small group teaching and one-to-one tutorial. There is also a homework assignment of about an hour per week for each subject. Most students take English, Maths and at least two Science subjects - studying for a total of about four hours each Saturday. However, some take just a couple of subjects.
A-Level
1. 60 to 70 minutes of small group teaching
2. Between 75 to 120 minutes of homework assignment, set mainly exam questions, based on topic(s) covered in the lesson
3. 15 to 20 minutes of one-to-one tutorial (live video session) - dedicated to addressing individual student's weaknesses
4. Milestone work set and marked, with written feedback provided. This should be work that is focused on the need of individual students, and is included in the homework assignment.
5. One subject takes a total of about 1 hour 20 to 1hour 30 minutes; 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours for two subjects and so on, and this includes both the small group teaching and one-to-one tutorial.
Most A-level students take two or three subjects - studying for between 1.5 to 3 hours each Saturday. However, some students take 3 subjects.
Call us now on 020 7112 4832
or book a place by going to the link below
How to contact us:
In order to speak to someone directly, you can
- call between 2 and 3pm on weekdays or
- between 10am and 12pm on Saturdays.
- alternatively, call at other times and leave a message and we'll get back to you.
- send us an e-mail, and let us know when we can call you.
Mr. McManus BEd (Hons) MA(Ed) NPQH)
Senior Physics Teacher and Head of Science speaks about the impact of the Saturday Classes in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. He talks about the benefits the revision classes bring in maximising students' potential and enhancing their understanding of the topics - allowing them to obtain top exam grades in Triple Science and Combined (double) Science.
Mr. J Smith MA Oxon - Mathematics
In this short video, Mr. J Smith compares the differences between the two-day or three-day intensive revision courses and the regular, weekly Saturday Classes for GCSE and A-level students. In his explanation, you can see the benefits for each of the two courses, and how they can help in making a difference to students' understanding and examination performance.
Call us now on 020 7112 4832
or book a place by going to the link below
FAQs
Why six Saturdays?
For new students, there is actually a total of seven Saturdays, and the first week is for a diagnostic test. Given the time remaining before the end of the academic year, seven Saturdays are sufficient to do an initial diagnostic test and cover much of the core aspects that students often struggle to understand.
What material is covered on the course?
We will ask for details about your child's curriculum, including the exam board, and any topic to be avoided as your child school may decide to exclude those. Just before the classes start, we will provide your child with a list of the topics we will be covering. It will be mainly the core concepts in the specification, and every session will include exam questions on the topics covered on that day. We actually do the teaching and explain concepts, before a question practice session
What equipment does my child need?
- A computer with a camera - preferably via a laptop or desktop and not a mobile. Tablets are OK!
- Access to the Internet
- Writing material: pen and paper or notebook - in case your child wants to make notes
- A scientific calculator for Maths and Science subjects. No, mobile phones are not allowed to be switched on during lessons - to avoid distraction
- A quite place to learn and concentrate.
How do classes take place?
We will provide you a Zoom link in advance and, upon arrival, your child will be welcomed in a reception area, before being transferred into the teaching room (break out room), where the subject teacher is waiting
After the first lesson, your child will come back to the reception area and be transferred to the next class, and so on
For the group lessons, there are, on average, about four or five students in the group, and the teacher is teaching them by using PowerPoint presentations or writing on a paper or using a digital pen - usually a combination of all the above, and what is being written is displayed on students' screens
For the one-to-one tutorial, the student is in the room (virtually!) with just one student and they can see and speak to each other. Tutorial sessions are used to address the needs of the individual student
The students can see the teacher when the teacher is teaching, and he or she can ask questions
We expect students to login and show up in the reception area five minutes before the lesson starts, and we will call you if your child does not show up within five minutes of the lesson starting
Most classes take place on Zoom, but we occasionally use Microsoft Teams for some lessons.
Is this live teaching?
All the teaching is done by live video lesson, where the teacher interacts and your child can ask and usually will be asked questions. We expect the video camera for both students and teachers to be turned on during lessons.
Are lessons on video?
Yes, all lessons are on video and most classes are recorded. Your child can request access to most classes to view and reinforce their learning at a later time.
We expect the video camera for both students and teachers to be turned on during lessons. We believe that body language is an essential aspect of teaching and learning and our teachers like to see the students they are teaching, to ensure full participation and avoid unhelpful distractions!
Can my child use their mobile phone as a calculator?
No, mobile phones are not allowed to be switched on during lessons - to avoid distraction. A proper scientific calculator is required for Maths and Science subjects.
How can I join?
Contact us to find out if we have a place for your child and to ask any questions you may have.
Complete the application form and pay the fees.
We will provide you timetable of the lessons, which are usually between 9am and 4pm on a Saturday.
Can I pay the fees by instalments?
Yes, you can split the fees into two instalments - with the first payment due before starting and the final by 2nd April. However, there is an incentive of 5% discount if you pay the total in full at the start of the course.
Are all students taught together?
Each class only has students of the same year group and there are about four to five students.
The one-to-one tutorials are just a live video teaching between one teacher and a student.
Are students of the same ability?
Our classes are very small, about four to five students, and there is not usually a wide range of ability. Yes, some students are better in a specific subject than others, but, because classes are small, the teacher is able to identify the need of each student.
Maths groups are in set, as ability range can vary widely, even among those who are academically strong. Science subjects are similar but not as strictly streamed as Maths.
We move the student out a group if they are too weak or two strong for that group.
On average, our students are at around B region when they join us; however, some are much stronger and some are a little weaker.
We strive to help them improve by two grade points, and in fact, on average, this is the result we have achieved with our students, year in year out since 2004
Our courses are not suitable for youngsters who are unlikely to be able to achieve at least a C grade or much higher. It does not mean they have to be at that level when they join, but they must have the ability.
Your child's grade(s) will markedly improve with Excel in Key Subjects, or we will give you a full refund of your tuition fees.
That's how confident we are of our proven system.
Why Students & Parents Love Us
Mr De Bernier, parent of a former student
Nathaniel, former student at Excel In Key Subjects
Israel, former student at Excel In Key Subjects