Imperial-educated grammar school teacher located in Wimbledon

"Tom helped our son gain confidence through his calm, encouraging and appreciative approach which helped him achieve a place at his first choice senior school. Tom’s sessions were something that he looked forward to. We are very grateful and would definitely recommend Tom"

Wimbledon Mum 2018

"Tom helped my older son for about 3 months, and I noticed that during this brief period my son had gained lot of confidence and had improved a lot in his Maths and was able to pass the 13+ entrance exams of two very academically selective private schools. According to my son Tom is very calm, patient and makes math problems easy to solve. I am glad I got to know Tom and would definitely recommend him to anyone I know."

Mohamed Rabie, SW20

"An excellent teacher with an ability to make Physics easy to understand, resulting in an A* at GCSE for our son"

Dr A Patel, Surrey.

"Both my daughter and her friend gained grade A in their AS Physics exams and give Tom, their tutor, the credit!"

Gloria Onafeko, NW11

"We asked Tom to help our son who was attempting the Eton College Scholarship (Kings Scholarship - KS) but lacked confidence in attempting the very challenging maths questions. In a very short space of time, Tom taught him to think through a problem rather than be fazed by it. Tom gave our son the encouragement, the confidence and the problem solving tools he needed to break down complex, unfamiliar questions into simpler component parts, which he could then solve. It was undoubtedly helpful to our son who was awarded a scholarship."

Adam, KT10

"Tom provided extra tuition for our daughter in maths in Y4-6 - as a result of Tom's patience and experience as a trained teacher, her confidence and capability increased significantly."

Nausicca Martin, SW19

"My daughter achieved the top grade, a level 9, two levels higher than expected in her physics GCSE. Tom is very insightful into the abilities and weaknesses of individual students and tailors his teaching to individual needs. He inspires and makes learning interesting and fun for difficult subjects like maths and physics and achieves excellent outcomes beyond expectations."

Chintha

"We approached Tom to help our son in the run-up to the King's College School (KCS) scholarship exams, as maths was his weakest subject. Working consistently with Tom proved extremely helpful to him, and to our great delight he was awarded a Scholarship."

Jo, SW19

"Our son finished his AS exams knowing he needed to secure at least an A in physics in his A level final exams. He was predicted lower by his school and the signs were not encouraging. By the time he finished his AS exams, he was lacking in confidence slightly in the subject and his scores were nowhere near an A. He needed a tutor and a guide who could instil confidence, push him just the right amount and above all else, get him to enjoy the subject once again. In Tom, our son found the right tutor. He has scored a very high A in physics (narrowly missing an A*) and is now going to study Natural Sciences at UCL. Thank you Tom"

Sanat Rao

"Tom was of great help to our 17 year old son during his A levels. As a result he achieved an A* in Physics and will soon be off to his first choice university to study mechanical engineering."

Brian Flasck, SW19

"Mr McKennan is an excellent physics tutor, with a passion for teaching. His interactive teaching style and extensive knowledge helped my son to secure a high A* in physics at A level. I strongly recommend him as a physics tutor."

Mr Sharma, Sutton

"Tom is a dedicated and inspiring tutor. He encouraged, motivated and guided my son not only on what to think but on how to think in Physics. As a result, my son has gained more confidence and fascination for this science. He has obtained an A in this subject and he is well equipped to start an MEng degree in Mechanical Engineering at Sheffield, his first choice university. Thank you Tom!"

Dr G Cagliesi, SW19

"Tom was tasked with the goal of helping James secure a 6 and work towards a 7 for Higher Level Maths and Physics in the International Baccalaureate. James achieved a 6 for Physics and a 7 for Advanced Maths which was a fantastic result. James much enjoyed working with Tom and found that Tom’s ability to very clearly and coherently explain solutions to all the problems they worked on really helped him to understand the subject matter better. We are all very grateful for Tom’s hard work in achieving the goals that were set!"

The King family

"Dear Tom, thank you for all your hard work with Nicole over the last year. She has gone from being a mid range student to gaining a perfect 100% in her recent mock SATS Exam [Year 6]."

Charles Turner, Surrey

"Tom was recommended to us by a friend to help our daughter specifically with her A level Mechanics module. He quickly assessed her needs and was methodical and thorough in his teaching. He was always on hand to support and give further help when needed. He left no stone unturned and provided much practise through questions and exams papers to consolidate her knowledge. As a result our daughter achieved an A grade in her Mechanics module. Tom is a dedicated, committed tutor whom I would gladly recommend."

Mr Dhillon, SW19

"Tom was a tremendous help with our 10 year-old boy and girl twins, who were preparing for their 11+ exams. He was able to spot their areas of weakness and work with them both to improve their maths skills and confidence. They both got offers for all four very competitive schools. We will use Tom again in the future and cannot recommend him highly enough."

Dr and Mrs Sacks

"Thomas has proved to be an excellent and reliable tutor. My daughter has just achieved an A* and A in her Physics and Maths A levels. She says Tom is patient and explains things well and that he has really helped her with her A Levels. Tom has really helped her in her understanding of the complicated and advanced aspects of the syllabus and advising her on the best ways to revise for the exams."

Georgina Benton, SW19

"Thomas tutored my son for an very intensive further maths A level course which my son decided to do in a few months. Thomas took considerable time to familiarise himself with the syllabus, which was not a traditional one. He mastered the intricacies of each topic in advance of each lesson, which he had to do because the set text was often vague. My son really enjoyed his lessons with Thomas; when he mastered a topic easily, they went at pace, but when my son found it more difficult, Thomas was patient and took time to go through it more slowly. Thank you Thomas."

R. H.

"I thoroughly recommend Tom as a tutor who is knowledgeable, kind and patient. After receiving an A in A-level physics I give a lot of credit to Tom’s tutoring throughout year 13 which got me into my first choice university."

Archie S - SW19

"Tom helped our son achieve excellent results in maths in his 13+ full scholarship exam at Kings College School. Maths was the subject he needed to put in the most effort and fortunately we found Tom who built up his problem-solving skills and gave him a deeper understanding of all the topics. The lessons have always been very enjoyable for our son and gave him much more confidence."

Tina, SW20

"In late February this year I asked Tom to help my 16 year old daughter, Bea, with physics coaching for her GCSEs. This was after Bea had got a C in her mocks and had admitted she was struggling with physics. With only a few months available Tom gave Bea the individual support she had always needed to understand in her terms many of the complex physics topics she was confused by (especially electricity!). The coaching was carried out on about 8 Saturdays working in 90 minute sessions. Bea got on very well with Tom ,who adopts a very professional, patient but quietly challenging teaching style. In addition to explaining the troublesome areas of the syllabus he also clarified the marking systems and how to tackle the papers. When Bea took the papers she said they went well and that she felt Tom had been at her side through the exams and that she felt able to attempt answers to all the questions. We were, however, more than pleasantly surprised to find out today that Bea got an A* in her physics GCSE, which was an enormous improvement from the C she got in her mocks four months previously!! This achievement would not have been possible without Tom, who we are very indebted to."

Simon Kilgour, NW1

"Tom provided support with Maths tutoring to my daughter throughout her GCSE year. He came to the house once or twice a week and not only explained parts of the curriculum to her with which she was struggling, but more importantly, gave her the tools and confidence to look at problems and work them out. By these means he helped her convert a C/B grade in to an A grade. Tom has a cheerful and relaxed way of working and we are very grateful indeed for his efforts with our daughter. I am happy to speak with any prospective clients who are considering engaging him to help their children through the exam process"

Nancy Cogswell, SW19

"Tom has been an inspirational tutor to my son who was lacking in confidence in his abilities at the end of Year 10. Through Tom's encouragement and dedication his confidence grew and he moved from a C grade to an A* in Physics and a low B grade to a solid A in Maths (in a year of controversy with a difficult 2015 IGCSE paper!). Thank you."

JI, SW19

"Thomas is a great teacher, he has been great help for my son in achieving A* in his year end exam! Thank you!"

H.W.

"My son has been exceptionally lucky to be inspired by you at Tiffin and then in turn supported by your tutoring. You are one of the few tutors I have found capable of working with top students aiming for high grades. It's great to find someone who knows the fine-grain detail of the markschemes and understands that every single mark matters for students aiming for top universities and A* grades. I hope you are still available when my daughter sits her maths and physics A-levels"

Julie Davidson, Surrey

"The big success for us as parents is not only that our son did pass his 7+ exams [for King's College School] but the fact that he enjoys maths. He is always looking forward to his lesson with Tom, eager to learn new things. Tom taught him how to think strategically which is applicable, really, to any subject at school!"

Drs Yiannis & Maria Kyriazis

"Of all the tutors my son and daughter have had, Tom was the best: he really pushed them to think for themselves and work things out clearly"

Chioma Okoye, W1

"Due to having glandular fever, my daughter was unable to sit her A-Levels in her U6th year. She decided not to go back to school or college in the following year and wanted to study on her own with the help of tutors. Tom tutored her from November to May - twice a week. He was very thorough and made sure her understanding was on point. She got an A in her Maths A Level and was not far off an A*. Tom was an excellent tutor and we would recommend him highly."

Parry Ray, SW19

"I would thoroughly recommend Tom as a tutor; he worked with my daughter for a few months prior to her A Levels and was a great help in filling gaps in her knowledge and helping her tackle some of the more challenging questions that school simply didn’t have time to cover. She has just achieved an A in her Maths A level, and now goes on to study Physics at university feeling much more secure and confident in her mathematical abilities. Thank you Tom!"

Imogen, SW18

"Tom helped me to understand the principles behind mathematics and taught me strategies to break down even complicated mathematical problems into simple steps. With his help, I was able to get the grade I needed in my A2 Maths to get into Bristol University"

Humfrey Brandes, SW7

"Tom has been an excellent tutor to my son helping him to achieve an A* in his Maths A level. In my son's own words 'Tom is friendly, engaging and great at explaining topics.' From my perspective, Tom has been so supportive through a very difficult year impacted by Covid. His focus on lots of exam style practice prepared my son well for his exam and I have no doubt that his grades are due to Tom's help. I have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone needing maths/physics tuition."

Josephine D

"I really loved going to Tom. Besides helping me develop new skills and strategies. He made learning fun and exciting. He somehow manages to pour lots of knowledge into your brain without making it dull and boring. With his help, I succeeded in getting a place at Tiffin and a couple of scholarships to my local independent school. Without Tom's help I don't think it would have been possible. He's a brilliant tutor and I was very lucky to have him."

Ethan, age 10

"Tom really helped my son with his A level Maths. The lessons enabled him to progress from an E in his mock to an eventual A grade and therefore to go to his first choice university. He said that Tom was very clear in his explanations and made it easy to understand difficult concepts."

L.F.

"Tom provided maths tuition for our son over the course nine months. During that time, he played a crucial role in helping our son to become more methodical and rigorous in his exam technique, and to avoid silly mistakes. Whilst our son has always done well at maths, with Tom's help, he was able to fully structure and demonstrate his understanding, resulting in an excellent performance in the Eton Kings Scholarship exams, attaining a scholarship near the top of the group."

Jonathan Allenby

"Punctual, polite and always very well prepared, Tom is an excellent tutor"

David Bailey, SW1

"In five short months Tom added two grades to our son's mock exam result, taking him to an 8 at physics GCSE. What made our programme of physics tuition with Tom a resounding success was his deep understanding to the adjoining subjects of maths and chemistry. This played out in higher than expected grades in all three subjects. Tom was flexible and reliable and could always set high standards and a rigorous pace whatever the time of day he was tutoring. This professionalism meant our son always took his lessons on in good spirit, helping him to fantastic maths and physics GCSE results."

Chris Lofts, SW19

With COVID-19 now hopefully behind us, I am seeing students face-to-face. I also offer online tuition at all levels for students who are isolating or who wish to minimise the risk of contact. Contact me for more information.

I can still offer daytime sessions to help students during school closures.

I am a qualified teacher, physics tutor and maths tutor of over seventeen years' experience based in Wimbledon SW19.

  • I am a full-time tutor with availability during weekdays as well as evenings and weekends.
  • I offer year-round tuition during term-time and school holidays.
  • I offer online tutoring where travel is not practical.
  • I also allow students to contact me at any time in between lessons if they require help with homework or revision questions.
  • I offer one-to-one tuition at my home base in Wimbledon as well as home visits subject to availability.
  • I also teach students in small groups, where two or more students want tuition together.

 

My wife's company VLM Tutors provide tuition in other subjects. We can arrange tuition from qualified teachers and experienced graduate tutors with up to date DBS checks. Tutoring sessions can be arranged at our base in Wimbledon SW19 or at your home.

Levels covered include:

A-Level

including Further Maths (AS, A2: Edexcel, OCR, AQA, WJEC)

SAT and ACT

 

GCSE/IGCSE

Edexcel, OCR, AQA, WJEC

Common Entrance

13+, 11+ and pre-testing

Entrance and Scholarship Exams

Eton College/King's scholarship, Westminster/Westminster Challenge, Winchester, Whitgift, Trinity, KCS, Hampton, Tiffin

Primary School

7+, 8+, 9+, 10+, 11+, SATs and general support

Please contact me if you would like to discuss a programme of tutoring suitable for your child or if you have any questions regarding tutoring.

Latest Blog Post

Electricity Part 4: Resistivity

Resistivity is to resistance as density is to mass.

 

A long, thin copper wire and a short, thick wire made of the same grade of copper will have the same density but may have different…

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