- What makes Sparky Tutoring different from any other online tutoring service?

  • Our ideas:  We think that children learn best when they're interested. Memorable learning activities create connections in the brain and lessons stick. Whether this means designing lively activities or providing some sort of hook to lure them into learning, we'll always endeavour to make our sessions interesting. Where appropriate, we use our own unique resources to supplement lessons - for instance, our Game Show Maths resource when teaching probability or The 'M' Files when revising for SATs.
  • Our attitude:  Education nowadays is often about jumping through hoops. Sadly, self-esteem, confidence and (dare we say it!) enjoyment can often take a back seat as children have to prepare for the next standardised test. At Sparky Tutoring, our aim is to help your child get through their next hoop, at the same time showing them that they are far more than the sum of their test scores by boosting their confidence and having some fun along the way.
  • Personalised learning:  Your child is an individual. The benefit of 1-to-1 tuition is that we can design lessons around their specific needs. We don't have a ready-made set of lessons that we roll out for every pupil or a set of pre-recorded videos. Rather, we make sessions personalised and focus on your child's interests and requirements.

    • - I'm concerned about internet safety. How can I be sure online tuition is safe for my child?

    Having taught in schools and for online tutoring companies, we're very aware of our responsibilities in this area. Here are some of the ways we ensure that your child is safe online...

  • - Fully CRB-checked tutors with over 9 years worth of teaching experience
  • - All sessions are recorded and you can access these recordings
  • - We don't use webcams in our tutoring
  • - Parents are encouraged to be present during your child's tutorials
  • - All email communication is with parents, never with students.
  • - Any information you submit is never shared with others, just used to plan tutoring with.

    • - How much do sessions cost?

    An individual 30-minute lesson costs £12.50 and a 60-minute lesson costs £20.

    We also have the functionality to tutor small groups (2-3 pupils), for which the price per student would be slightly less. If you are interested in a shared session, please ask.

    - What experience do you have?

    We worked for nine years teaching mostly Years 5 and 6 in primary schools in England and Wales.

    Since starting Sparky Teaching in 2008, we have worked for online tutoring companies, including a year spent with AQA's online tutoring service MyTutor. We have been asked to tutor for SATs-preparation, booster lessons, to prepare students for the move to secondary school or simply to build self-esteem in a subject. Year groups have been mostly Years 5-7, although we have tutored Year 8 and gone as low as Year 2!! We are happy to provide references from existing customers and AQA - just ask.

    Our free Meet-a-Tutor sessions are a chance to introduce ourselves and provide more information about our experience.

    - What do I need to use the whiteboard?

  • Connection:  A reliable Internet connection (DSL or better) is required
  • Headphone and microphones:  Headphones or speakers and a microphone are needed, although we do recommend you use a headset if possible (it helps stop feedback!)
  • PC-based users:  Windows 7, Vista, XP, or 2003/2008 Server
  • Mac-based users:  MAC OS X Leopard or newer
  • Browsers:  Internet Explorer 7.0 or newer, Firefox 3.0 or newer, Google Chrome 5.0 or newer

    • Using webcams tends to slow the connection speed down, so we don't use them in our tutoring. If you need any further information, ELECTA (the people behind the whiteboard) have provided their own system requirements guide, which you can download by right-clicking here.

    Book a meet-a-tutor session