Greg

Professional Keystone Tutor

Greg is a professional tutor with a stellar academic record - he achieved a first class Masters degree at Imperial College London. He has tutored with us full-time since leaving University, amassing over 10,100 hours of lessons and helping over 220 families.

Greg is a professional Keystone tutor. This means Greg:

✔ Engages with Keystone's bespoke professional development programme
✔ Works exclusively for Keystone on a fully employed basis
✔ Is committed to tutoring as a career and profession

We believe these factors combine to make a unique difference to the level of commitment we can assure, as well as the quality of teaching that our professional tutors offer.

Greg teaches: 11+ Maths, 11+ Science, 13+ Maths, 13+ Science, GCSE Biology, GCSE Maths, GCSE Physics, AS/A Level Further Maths, AS/A Level Maths, IB Maths, Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT), STEP Maths, Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA), Undergraduate & Graduate Maths

''Just wanted to say how grateful I am to Greg for all his hard work in helping my daughter. She finished with her A-level maths exam and it went well. Greg is absolutely fantastic, excellent tutor!''

Parent of A Level Maths student

About Greg:

Experience
Biography
Approach to Tutoring
When not tutoring

Experience

• A-Level Maths: Edexcel, OCR, CIE and AQA

• IB and Pre-U Maths

• University Entrance Exams (TMUA, STEP, MAT, CSAT)

• Oxbridge Preparation (Mock Interviews etc.)

• GCSE/IGCSE Maths: AQA, CIE, Edexcel and OCR

• GCSE Additional Maths (OCR FSMQ, CIE IGCSE Additional, Edexcel IGCSE Further Pure, AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Maths)

• Programming Skills in Python and C#

I began tutoring informally while I was taking my GCSEs in 2009. I attended an all-ability school in Northern Ireland and typically found subjects much easier than my peers, so I began to teach those around me. This is where I initially developed a passion for teaching, and it inspired my school to introduce a program where older students could tutor younger students in a more structured fashion. Alongside this and outside of school, I offered private tutoring sessions to GCSE, and later A-Level students.

I continued to tutor on moving to university. Throughout my four years at Imperial I tutored a range of ages both Maths and Science. At Timeline Tutorials and Study Centre I worked with students in Years 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 helping them with preparation for their GCSEs and A-Levels in both Maths and Physics.

In my third year at Imperial, I was offered the opportunity to complete a teacher training course at the university which enabled me to teach a GCSE Further Maths class at Pimlico Academy. I have also tutored at university level at Imperial College, assisting first year Maths undergraduate students by delivering group tutorials and one-on-one intensive catch-up sessions.

Since joining Keystone in 2016, I have specialised in tutoring year 12 and 13 Maths (A-level, IB, Pre-U and entrance exams) while also tutoring Maths at lower levels and Science at 13+ and GCSE. The main entrance exams that I prepare students for are the TMUA, STEP, and (previously) MAT (which is now being discontinued). These are admissions tests used to select applicants applying to Maths-related courses at top universities like Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College, among others. In addition, I have helped facilitate courses for the TMUA and MAT run by Oxford and Imperial College on 7 occasions, after graduating from Imperial College myself.

I am in the process of writing a Maths textbook aimed at A-level students, which focuses on allowing students to thoughtfully discover concepts for themselves via guided exercises, rather than simply being told what to do and having them repeat the process. The goal is to not only have the students be able to achieve an A* in Maths and Further Maths, but also to develop the thinking skills, depth of knowledge and resilience that will prepare them for entrance exams like the TMUA and STEP, as well as setting them up to thrive at university.

In a given week, I currently spend around 20 hours tutoring online, so I have a lot of experience with this medium and stand by its effectiveness; it is certainly no compromise when compared to face-to-face tutoring.

I am a very passionate tutor and hugely enjoy helping students to engage with, better understand and ultimately, feel more confident in both Maths and Science.

Biography

After going to school in Northern Ireland, where I studied Maths (A*), Further Maths (A*), Physics (A) and Biology (A) at A-level, I went to Imperial College London to study Mathematics in a 4-year Master's degree, achieving first class honours.

While at school and university, I tutored part-time and so have built up a vast amount of experience since 2009. I joined Keystone in 2016 as a professional tutor, which allows me to solely devote my attention to tutoring.

Approach to Tutoring

It is my fundamental belief that making lessons interesting for my students is crucial in effective teaching. This is especially so for mathematics, where a huge amount of learning takes place while students are doing unassisted exercises. Through my encouraging and animated approach to tutorials, I aim to instil a passion in my students, so that they will respond to such exercises with enthusiasm and confidence.

I feel that the needs of every student are unique and that one-on-one tutoring offers the ideal environment to adapt to these needs. Personally, I love the process of forming questions that are tailored to specific students in order to give them a deeper insight into a topic. In my view, this is an art, especially with students who are already on A or A* grades, as it can be quite challenging for a tutor to come up with questions that are pitched correctly: Pitch the level too low and the student is bored and doesn't learn anything new. Pitch too high, and the student won't be able to fully engage with the material, meaning the tutor will have to do most of the work for the student, and so it is of little value to them. But pitch the question just right and the student learns something new and, crucially, learns by going through their own thought process, meaning that they are much more likely to be able to recall the key ideas later.

Ideally, I want my students to feel that every new topic or idea that they come across is something that they could have invented themselves, given enough time and the right initial line of thought. Therefore, when time allows, I tend to teach the reason behind each formula and result that we use in Maths, rather than just teaching how to apply this to a question. I even encourage my more able students to derive these results themselves, with some assistance, where necessary. In recent years, Maths exams at GCSE and A-level have tended to increase in difficulty and I feel, now more than ever, the extra understanding gained by learning in this manner is paramount in setting students up for the more difficult questions on their paper; when an unfamiliar or particularly difficult question appears in a paper, students with a deep understanding will be more able to adapt than students who have just been 'taught to the exam.'

When not tutoring

Outside tutoring, Maths, and writing my textbook, I enjoy indoor rock climbing, cooking, playing piano, visiting new places, going on walks and reading.

What clients say about Greg:

“X has given very positive feedback to me about Greg. She particularly likes the way he focuses on understanding rather than rote learning. There is no doubt that X not only learns more with Greg, but enjoys the lessons far more than those at school.”

Mother of A-Level Maths student

“I would like to thank you very much for all the tuition you have given X over the past year. Your passion for your subject is infectious and X has very much enjoyed being taught by you. Never did I think she would come to enjoy Maths lessons! You have been one of the best tutors we have had.”

Mother of IGCSE Maths student

''Greg did an amazing job assisting my son with his Further Maths A level. My son was awarded an A*, which secured him a place at a prestigious university – in no small part due to Greg’s brilliant teaching. My son is fairly forthright in his assessment of teachers, and his feedback on Greg could not have been more glowing. Greg explained concepts very logically and has a very easy, calm and encouraging manner. I can’t recommend Greg highly enough. Indeed, he is now teaching my daughter Further Maths – her feedback is similarly glowing.''

Mother of A Level Further Maths students

“We are all delighted with X's results (A* in both Maths and Further Maths), due in no small part to working directly with you. I am in no doubt that the one to one made the difference for him so well done you too.”

Mother of A-Level Maths and Further Maths Homeschooling student

“I wanted to let you know that my daughter came down to supper last night absolutely buzzing after your tutorial. She is so enjoying your lessons and loves the fact that you are happy to explain to her how various formulae and rules work rather than just telling her to accept these at face value. Thank you so much for inspiring her and indulging her intellectually - it is just what she needs.”

Mother of GCSE Further Maths student

Parent of A Level Maths student

''Just to drop you a line now that exam has come to an end. May I say that regardless of the outcome, I found your contribution to my son’s preparation very significant. I cannot judge how your help and mentoring has impacted his marks, but I did find my son so much more confident this time, certainly compared to his preparation last year. So, thank you very much for the help. He definitely appreciated, which coming from such a stubborn, capable and confident person, must be taken as a Big Thank you from our side.''

Mother of ECAA student

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