Dr Stephen Cox
I support students in their studies from GCSE to university level, including Level 2 Further Mathematics, FSMQ (Additional Mathematics), A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, IB SL and HL Mathematics AA and AI, and preparation for university, including MAT, TMUA, STEP, personal statement and interview practice. With over 25 years' experience in teaching mathematics at university, I have strong subject knowledge. I offer friendly and supportive tuition and hold a current Enhanced DBS certificate.
TRAVEL TO YOU: please note that if I travel to you for tuition then there is an additional charge of £10 per session.
Tutoring experience
I taught mathematics at universities in the UK and Australia for more than 25 years. I was Admissions Tutor for Mathematics at the University of Nottingham for several years, and have mentored year-13 students to success in their university applications. I have used this experience in supporting students in their university applications, including the UCAS application process and preparation for entrance exams and interviews. As a personal tutor, I supported students both academically and in broader decision making.
A level students I have tutored have secured places at their first-choice universities, including Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol and York. GCSE students I have tutored have gained a wide range of grades, depending on what they were aiming for: some achieved their target of passing the exam so that they would not have to continue studying maths, others succeeded in achieving grade 9. All of their hard work really paid off!
I have also recently taught year 7, 8, 9 and 10 classes in local secondary schools, in person and online, as part of a teacher training course; through this course, I kept up-to-date with current research on how best to support students in learning mathematics.
Approach to tutoring
I am calm and patient. I aim to develop a deep understanding of mathematics through a careful sequencing of tuition; this helps to ensure that the student's learning is secure and that my tuition provides an excellent foundation for future studies.
Homework is a key element of my tutoring: it gives the student the opportunity to practise skills that they have developed during the tutoring sessions; it also shows me where the student’s new knowledge is secure and where we need to do further practice to help consolidate that knowledge. Normally, I set and mark weekly homework for each student and use their performance in the homework to guide my planning of subsequent sessions.
It might be that you have specific topics in maths that you would like to work on, or it might be that you want to regain your mathematical confidence more generally. Accordingly, we might agree to focus on specific topics, or we might choose topics to fill knowledge gaps as they become apparent through tutoring sessions and weekly homeworks.
Tutoring sessions themselves generally include a mix of explicit teaching from me together with a lot of student practice on relevant problems. My aim in the tutoring sessions is to support the student as they develop greater competence and fluency across a range of mathematical topics. As their mathematical fluency grows, my students become more confident mathematicians.
Qualifications
| Year | Course | Grade | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | BA Mathematics | First Class Honours | University of Oxford |
| 1989 | PhD Mathematics | PhD awarded | University of Bristol |
| Availability: | Weekdays (daytime and evening) / Weekends |
| Tuition location: | Tutor's home / Your home (up to 10 miles away) |
| References: |  |
| DBS check: | |
| Tutor's website: | stephencoxtutoring.com |
