Having lived in Mill Hill all my life, I have a longstanding connection with the local area and the families and schools within it. As a private tutor, I have also seen how pupils’ experiences of mathematics can change considerably as they progress from Primary school through to GCSE and A Level.
One of the most important lessons I have learned from tutoring is that progress in maths is rarely just about doing more questions. Practice matters, but it is much more effective when a pupil understands why a method works and can recognise when to use it.
A pupil may be perfectly capable of solving an equation when the exercise is clearly labelled “solving equations”. The difficulty often comes when the same mathematics appears inside a longer or unfamiliar problem.
This is particularly noticeable with worded questions. Pupils can sometimes perform all the individual calculations required but struggle to decide where to begin.
A useful first step is to slow the problem down. What information has been given? What are we trying to find? Which pieces of information are relevant? Can the situation be represented with a diagram, equation or table?
Learning to ask these questions helps pupils become less dependent on being told which method to use.
As pupils move through school, mathematics increasingly requires them to connect different areas of the subject.
A GCSE problem, for example, might combine algebra with geometry or percentages with ratio. At A Level, topics that initially appear separate can become closely connected. The exam question is most unlikely to tell you which topics are being tested.
This is why I place considerable emphasis on understanding rather than simply memorising procedures. If a pupil understands the reasoning behind a technique, they are in a much stronger position when a question is presented in an unfamiliar way.
It also helps develop independence. Instead of immediately thinking, “I haven’t seen this exact question before,” the pupil can begin asking, “What mathematics do I already know that could help me here?”
Getting a question wrong can reveal much more than getting several routine questions right.
When working with a pupil, I am interested in why an error occurred. Was there a gap in the underlying mathematics? Was the question misread? Was the correct method chosen but applied incorrectly? Or did a small arithmetic error undermine otherwise sound reasoning?
Identifying the cause matters because different mistakes require different solutions.
Simply correcting an answer may solve that particular question. Understanding the reason for the mistake can help with many future questions.
Mill Hill is not simply an area in which I advertise tuition. I have lived in Mill Hill all my life, so my connection with this part of North London goes back long before I became a tutor.
Barnet and Mill Hill contain a wide range of schools and pupils with very different mathematical needs. Some pupils need help securing the fundamentals of Primary Maths, while others may be preparing for entrance examinations, GCSEs or A Levels.
Whatever the level, I believe the underlying aim should be similar: to help pupils become more confident in their own mathematical thinking.
Confidence in maths does not mean making every question easy.
Sometimes the most useful tuition involves allowing a pupil time to wrestle with a problem rather than immediately showing them what to do. With appropriate guidance, they can begin to find their own route towards the solution.
That moment—when a pupil realises that they can work something out for themselves—is particularly valuable.
Over time, these experiences can change a pupil’s relationship with mathematics. Instead of seeing difficult questions as something to avoid, they can begin to see them as problems that can be broken down, explored and eventually solved.
I have been tutoring since 2002 and provide private Maths tuition for pupils across Barnet, Mill Hill and the surrounding areas, covering Primary Maths through to GCSE and A Level.
My approach is centred on clear explanation, careful reasoning and helping each pupil understand the mathematics they are doing rather than relying solely on memorised methods.
For further information about the levels I teach and my approach to lessons, please see my Maths Tutor Barnet & Mill Hill page.