2010 spring term tuition with Dr Karen O'Rourke
Clear, purposeful tuition through motivation and understanding
(Note before you call me that there are NO vacancies for children in Year Five, so please do not call me to enquire about this age group.
There are 11+ vacancies only for students in Year Four. Please call to arrange an assessment this term.)
NEWSFLASH! 2nd March, 2010 All five students who sat the foundation grammar school tests have a place at either a King Edward Foundation or Queen Mary's Grammar School. The entrance tests for these schools is administered by the University of Durham C.E.M. tests. That's now five out of five students with grammar school places; and also four out of four students with offers for KES and KEHS! Phew!
NEWSFLASH! 20th February, 2010: All four students who sat the independent schools tests have been offered places at KES or KEHS; and the two candidates whose parents applied for an assisted place were each offered one.
Please call Dr Karen any morning, Monday to Saturday, for an informal discussion without obligation on (0121) 554 1220.
Teaching skills, subjects and focus of Dr Karen O'Rourke - "Birmingham's best-kept secret"
I am a female tutor with twenty-five years’ teaching experience in the U.K. and overseas, and established in Birmingham since 1997.
I don't run a tuition centre, and I don't employ any staff.
I provide a tuition service in my home for three evenings each week during term time (and for a brief period in the summer holiday) for children aged 6 to 16 (and, occasionally, students of A-level English), in the following subjects and examinations, out of school hours:
11+ grammar school preparatory tuition in English, mathematics, verbal and non-verbal reasoning (specialising in the entrance tests for premier-league foundation grammar schools which charge no fees in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Tuition takes place in a group of five students or fewer.)
- GCSE English (OCR and AQA syllabi)
- A-level English & English Literature and English Language and Literature for the International Baccalaureate (‘IB’)
When and where does tuition take place?
In my home, for three evenings each week (days vary each term, but excluding weekends) during term-time; and during mornings for a limited period during the independent and state schools' summer holidays.
How many children do I teach at one time?
- Nearly all the teaching I undertake is for individual (‘one-to-one’) students, but
- I also offer highly structured courses of tuition to small groups of five students (or fewer) for grammar school examination preparation for the highly-competitive foundation grammar schools in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
How successful is the tuition?
· Between 1997 and 2010, each one of my 11+ students who attended a three- or four-term course with me gained a place at a foundation grammar school.
· Between 1997 and 2009, each one of my GCSE English students achieved a grade A* to B at GCSE.
What is the secret of my success?
' I want to tell you that before [my daughter] began tuition with you, I had bought all the test papers I could from W.H. Smith, but I still didn’t know how to start. When she did the papers and made mistakes, I really had no idea how to explain the corrections. We were going round and round in circles. It was the same with maths and non verbal reasoning as well. But you changed all that. I now know that understanding grammar and developing a wide vocabulary is the key to getting many verbal reasoning questions right.' Parent of a state school student, Harborne, Birmingham.
'We knew we couldn’t do it all [the whole 11+ preparation] ourselves, and had tried four tutors [in Birmingham and Solihull] before we found you. To be honest, I was ready to give up. I could not believe the poor quality of tuition that is out there – poor explanations, limited homework, time spent in tuition doing tests when there should have been teaching, homework taken in and never returned. It was a horrendous experience, but that all changed as soon as we walked through your door. [Our son] was devoted to you on sight with your thousands of books and clear boundaries and explanations about the work. Before that time, he’d been too afraid to ask for help . . . ' Parent of a state school student, Shirley, near Solihull
I monitor progress each week and provide parents with regular, direct feedback and advice to address problem areas.
' The whole 11+ business was a nightmare before we found you. Yes, it made our lives [as parents] harder for a short time because you insisted on us pulling our weight at home, testing and revising, and so on. But we soon got into the flow of it all. ' Parent of a state school student, Shirley, near Solihull
The parent of a child who gained a place at one of Birmingham's most competitive no-fee grammar schools wrote the following to me before her son's results were known:
'You are Birmingham's best kept secret! You don't push yourself forward, preferring to keep your standards and achievements to yourself, and have been totally honest with us. Even if [our son] is not successful in the tests [after two terms' tuition] the whole experience will have been worthwhile. You haven't coached [our son] but have broadened his horizons, giving him the precious gift of a real education in the fullest sense.'
Parent of a state school student, Walsall
' You educate our children so well because you are an educated person yourself. What I like about the way you teach is that you spot the child's weaknesses and have solutions at hand. I couldn't do this as a parent. Your handouts and support material are second to none, Karen, because you put your whole heart into what you do. [Our son] won't forget you when he starts his secondary school at C*** H*** in September! And neither shall we or [our younger daughter] when she starts with you in January! '
Parent of a state school student, Handsworth, Birmingham
Who benefits from my type of tuition?
The tuition service that I offer is best-suited to children of families who are well-organised and motivated.
How can you find out more?
See the following pages , then, if you want to know more, please call me.
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