James H

BE AWARE MY ONLY AVAILABLE TIMES ARE SOME WEEKDAYS 345pm and earlier. Would suit those arriving home from school by 345pm, sixth formers who get to go home early, students from outside the UK in different time zones and mature students.

What I teach

I have been a specialist tutor in A-level physics for the last 31 years and also teach GCSE physics and maths plus the mechanics part of A-level maths. I teach all exam boards- Edexcel, AQA, OCR including syllabus B, Welsh Board, Northern Ireland system, plus Scottish Higher, Advanced Higher, University Foundation, and International Baccalaureate.

I teach what an individual student requires e.g. reinforcing what you learned in school that week, revision for exams and mocks, teaching specific topics as required, and teaching private candidates. I encourage students to be proactive in suggesting what topics to teach that lesson.

I can certainly teach exam technique (I am an examiner) and study technique as we go along.

I teach KS3 maths to years 8 and 9, but I think year 7 is too young.

Results

My students get excellent results, see reviews. Most of my Sherpa A-level students get A* to B since 2021. In 2024 the majority of my GCSE students got 6-9 and A* to C at A level including A* A and B grades. Two A-level A grades (AQA) and and two A*s (Edexcel) in 2023 (one went to Cambridge), Three A grades (OCR) in 2022 and an A* and A in 2021. Two of my female A-grade students went to uni to do Aerospace engineering (Edexcel and OCR), and one got an A grade and went to uni to study physics. One AQA retake got A* another (with dyslexia) improved from D to a high B as a private candidate in 3 months. In 2023 I got several 9s, 8s and 7s for GCSE maths and physics including a year 12 retake, and one A* Welsh Board. My 2022 GCSE students (maths and physics) got minimum 6, including several who really struggled with maths. Several 8s and a non-English speaker who got 9. One got 5 for maths but I only taught her for a month but she was still pleased. I had an IGCSE A* and a Welsh Board A for GCSE physics. In 2020 two of my A-level students got A* grades and an AQA retake student improved from E to A, by giving her the exam practice she lacked in her last school. Some of my students score 100% on A-level units and once 600/600. Most of my two-year students score minimum B and my retake grade improvement is at least two grades. Many of my students go on to university to study medicine, engineering and sciences.

Experience

Since 1993 I have taught full-time, in most private tutorial colleges in London e.g. MPW and Albemarle, often as Head of Physics, all exam boards. I teach two-year courses, one-year retakes, Easter Revision. I have tutored privately through agencies, via colleges and personal recommendations. I am experienced in teaching students whose first language is not English.

I am an examiner, marking A-level and GCSE physics each year since 2001.

Methods

I have successfully made the transition from face-to-face to online teaching and have acquired a taste for it. It works just as well for my students as traditional teaching. I enjoy using my online whiteboard and packs of exam board-specific past paper questions plus my own questions arranged by topic.

I teach study and revision techniques and provide topic-specific revision notes. I have been interested in exam technique since I was a teenager and share this with my students. As an examiner, I know exactly what is required and often use questions I have marked professionally. I address each individual student's issues and am patient and happy to repeat and use different explanations until a topic is understood. 

I use my own repertoire of worked examples which make the subject interesting by being real-life related, and also similar to exam questions. I use packs of board-specific past paper questions arranged by topic. My worked examples cover 90% of what will come up in your exam. For descriptive questions e.g. 6 mark questions I give lists of key descriptive phrases to break these down into manageable chunks, and details of the key practicals.

I enjoy making links between physics and other A-levels e.g. maths and chemistry and its relevance to e.g. engineering and medicine. I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for physics but also respect those for whom physics is not their favourite subject, and work with them to get the best possible grade.

Interests

I am passionate about physics. I am a keen amateur astronomer and give lectures on the subject and keep up to date by attending lectures at London Universities and the Institute of Physics. I also enjoy landscape photography, country walking, and cycling.

Qualifications

I have a 2/1 degree in astronomy and physics from University College London, a postgraduate qualification in meteorology, and a Further Education teaching qualification.