covid-19-statement

Group lessons available

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 12:28:52 +0100

I am now offering group lessons. These will be for a maximum of 4 students. For 2 students the price will be £15 per hour per student. For 3 or 4 students it's £10 per hr per student. Lessons will be on Bitpaper and we will use Zoom to communicate.

All students in the class should be studying the same topic and will preferably be at the same level.

Please email me on simonwilliamstutor@gmail.com if you are interested.

Easter Holidays

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 06:37:29 +0100

I will be working throughout the Easter holidays, including Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. If you would like to book any lessons, please contact me on 07870 524211 or email simonwilliamstutor@gmail.com

A headset for online lessons

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 07:34:28 +0100

In my last blog post I mentioned that a graphics tablet is very useful if you'd like to write on the whiteboard. The Huion H420 was my recommendation.

Another useful piece of kit is a USB headset, i.e. headphones and a microphone. I use a Logitech one which has served me well for over 6 years. There are plenty of others available and ones used for gaming may be suitable.

Online tutoring

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 10:38:25 +0100

Well, it's been quite a week! Many thanks to all the students and their parents who have been happy to switch to online lessons with me. Skype has held up well and Idroo is working fine. Although you don't need a graphics tablet it is certainly very helpful to have one. You can write on Idroo with a mouse but it does take some practice! If you would like to purchase a graphics tablet I can recommend the Huion H420 which is the model I use myself. There are plenty of options though - both Wacom and Huion make good graphics tablets.

Please let me know if you'd like to have a look at Idroo prior to booking a lesson - I can set up up to 50 separate boards for my students on my current profile. You can email me here or phone/WhatsApp me on 07870 524211 or Skype me at simoncwilliams1978.

A sad day... with more to come

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 09:28:18 +0100

Yesterday, I had four students finish their lessons with me as they no longer have their GCSE or A-level exams to prepare for. I don't remember a day like this in my 12 years as a tutor (with the exception of when exams finish of course). I completely understand their decision of course - I would make the same decision myself if I were in their shoes.

As a result of this, however, I am likely to have timeslots available at peak times in the evenings and at weekends. For pupils in Yr10 and Yr12 it is vitally important to keep up their studies as taking a potential six-month break could be very damaging to their results next year. I am also happy to out with younger pupils too.

For the time being, as long as my family and I are healthy (and the pupil's family is healthy too) I am happy to carry on delivering face-to-face lessons. Online lessons will be available to all students too if anyone has to self-isolate etc.

Please keep in touch and let me know if I can help in any way.

19th March - School's out!

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 07:12:05 +0100

With the news yesterday that schools are to close after Friday 20th March and exams will not now take place in May/June, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51956279 there is a lot of uncertainty over what will happen in the coming months.

I will continue to support my current Yr 11 and Yr 13 students for as long as possible up to any potential tests, exams or assessments. For all other students I will continue as normally as possible, subject to any infection in my household or the student’s household, for as long as possible.

From Monday 23rd March I will, however, have childcare commitments to juggle. For those that don’t know I have a 5yr-old and a 2yr-old, who will both be at home during the day. As my wife is not yet working from home, I will be the primary carer so I may need to move some of my daytime students who normally have lessons during school hours Monday to Thursday. If and when my wife is working from home I may have more flexibility during the day.

Simon Williams

Statement regarding Covid-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 07:17:03 +0100

Given the current situation with the Coronavirus outbreak I thought I should explain my position. A few people have already asked about online tuition and I am sure I will get more enquiries in the coming weeks.

I have been a maths tutor for over 12 years and I have tutored online for over 8 years. I use Skype and an online whiteboard called Idroo, for which I pay a yearly subscription. I can create up to 50 simultaneous boards with my account, enough for one for each of my students. My Skype name is simoncwilliams1978 - please feel free to add me. If you would like me to create a board on Idroo for your child so you can have a look at it, please let me know.

I have always believed that face-to-face tuition is the best approach to maths tuition as it gives me more feedback on whether a student is understanding the material we are working on. However, online tuition can work really well too, so I will be offering it to all of my current students and any new students in the coming months until the outbreak is past its peak.

My preference for working arrangements is as follows: I will continue to offer face-to-face tuition unless the student or their parent requests online tuition. I will suggest online tuition if either I or my family contract the virus or if the student or anyone in their household contracts the virus, providing both the student and I feel up to working online.

As far as we know at the moment, external exams such as GCSE and A-levels will be going ahead as scheduled in May and June, and it looks as though the government wants to keep schools and colleges open as long as possible. If schools are forced to close I will have times available during the day but I will also have childcare commitments of my own. In this scenario I will do my best to fit everyone in but if necessary I may need to prioritise Yr 11 and Yr 13 students who are about to take important external exams.

I hope this clarifies the situation. If you have any questions/concerns please do not hesitate to contact me either via phonecall, text or email. Simon Williams 18th March 2020