Steve Newcombe

STOP PRESS: Feedback from results day:

"A grade A in physics. I got in to my first choice so I'm happy!"

"Hi Steve. Thought I'd let you know I got a B in my Physics which I'm so happy about (considering my projection was a D) and got into the course I wanted. Thank you so much for the support, it really helped me out."

[From student's mum] "She got an A in physics - we're all in shock! Thanks so much for all your help tutoring, we're convinced it made all the difference."

"Thank you very much for all of your time and support...I got a C in physics :). It was a pleasure to work with you and can't thank you enough!" [Student re-took physics A level having first received a U. The C grade secured a higher level apprenticeship with Rolls Royce].

"Hellooo, B in physics, I'm really happy. Thankyou so much!" [Student initially contacted me after receiving a grade E in physics A level mock exam].

"Thankyou for all the help and support you have given me in Physics. I appreciate it so much! I wouldn't be where I am today without you!"
Hi Steve. He did particularly well in physics and got a 9!!! Thank you so much for all your help and support. It is very much appreciated. [IGCSE student]

Hi Steve, mixed bag of results today. Really happy with Physics getting an A!!!!! Maths was disappointing though. Thanks for all your help it’s fair to say my physics teacher was really surprised haha

I am a physics teacher with a wealth of experience in teaching both A level and GCSE to the very best students as well as those who struggle for the past 18 years. Outside of teaching I love to cycle and clocked up nearly 6000 miles last year. I'm crazy enough to go wild camping even when it's snowing and I'm just getting into photography which goes well with adventures in the mountains. I have a daughter and two sons of my own so I understand the family dynamics that go with preparing for exams, though at 25, 23 and 21, mine have now moved on from school (phew!). I also enjoy playing guitar which often seems to go hand-in-hand with physics: I'm told that Einstein was a pretty good on the violin!

I have been teaching physics for almost twenty years and I have held the roles of Head of Physics, Head of Science as well as Assistant Principal with responsibility for whole school progress and school ethos. I'm now 52 and I have the privilege of being able to invest my experience to benefit students through my work as a full time physics tutor, a role which I am thoroughly enjoying. I work with the student to rapidly identify areas of misconception and difficulty then support their understanding to both correct misunderstanding as well as build confidence in answering examination questions. I set challenging questions and assignments and provide the support and encouragement necessary to reach success. This gives the student a clear and thorough understanding. In order to improve a student's exam performance I work through the aspects of the course material with which the student is struggling as well as focusing on exam technique in a way that builds confidence as ability grows. There isn't a wasted moment in my tutorials, but that doesn't mean they aren't fun and inspirational. Engaging the student in the work ensures that motivation is maintained and study is effective. I have consistently inspired and engaged students to gain impressive success and take physics on to higher levels - indeed I can count seven of my past students who are now physics teachers themselves! My 2019 physics A level class gained the best set of physics results that my school has ever seen. Having taught all exam boards (as well as International A level and IGCSE) I have excellent experience in securing the best possible outcomes for students of all abilities thorough effectively teaching the subject material together with developing good examination technique.

In addition I have held the SENCO and Examinations Officer roles so I have a thorough understanding of all aspects of school life.

I work with the student to rapidly identify areas of misconception and difficulty then support their understanding to both correct misunderstanding as well as build confidence in answering examination questions. I set challenging questions and assignments and provide the support and encouragement necessary to reach success. This gives the student a clear and thorough understanding. In order to improve a student's exam performance I work through the aspects of the course material with which the student is struggling as well as focusing on exam technique in a way that builds confidence as ability grows. There isn't a wasted moment in my tutorials, but that doesn't mean they aren't fun and inspirational. Engaging the student in the work ensures that motivation is maintained and study is effective.

Alongside teaching I have been tutoring Physics for four years now and I really enjoy supporting tutees to achieve more than they thought possible. I have now moved into full-time tutoring so that I can fit in more tutoring.

The tutorials are priced at £48 for an hour. You'll be able to find less expensive tutors (and more expensive ones too), but they may well lack direct teaching experience or a complete grasp of the whole A level course. In addition I have motivated hundreds of students through A level exam courses and have an intimate knowledge of exam technique and preparation skills. Please get in touch to arrange a first tutorial or just to ask a few questions.


Why I love tutoring:

Everybody knows that you have to work hard to succeed.  But working hard without understanding is desperately frustrating and time wasting.  Through tutoring I see students gain a clear understanding of the subject material and then I really enjoy seeing them flying to build further understanding and confidence.  I always set additional tasks and it’s great to #k#see students come back to the next tutorial, not only able to answer questions that previously confused them, but now enthusiastically expressing their understanding.  When students can see their hard work paying off (because they actually understand properly) then the motivation to put in the practice flows easily.

Tutoring online provides the same engaging tutorial and has the benefit of generating a set of shared notes that the student can refer to at any time.  The online tutorials always start bang on time as there is no travelling for either the student or myself.  Online tutorials have also proved helpful when the student is struggling.  Just get in touch and iron out a difficulty even when it's not the time for a tutorial - it's great the way a quick 5 minute call can get the student back on the right lines and save wasting time and getting frustrated.

?I also find myself eagerly looking forward to results day.  Often the students I’ve tutored have found me when their results were in need of rescuing and together we’ve worked hard.  Understanding was gained, confidence was built and positive experience with exam questions resulted in consistently strong results.


How does an online tutorial work?

?Students (okay, so it’s mostly parents) are sometimes a little apprehensive about online tutorials, wondering how it can be as effective as meeting face to face.  Yet everyone that I’ve tutored agrees that it’s actually better!  For a start there’s no waiting around since there’s no travelling involved, I’ll call on Skype so that we see and hear each other constantly and we both write simultaneously on BitPaper (free, easy to use and online).

I can drop resources such as past questions, explanations, diagrams, animations etc. onto the BitPaper so that we share them and the student has access the document at any time.  Writing with a mouse or touch pad is clumsy so I’ll lend you an interactive drawing tablet which is fun and easy to use. 

I’ll pop round if you're local, to make sure you’re all set up. If you live further away then we can sort everything out over the phone or with a Skype call. Then we can quickly get stuck into quality, interactive tutorials.  Another huge advantage of tutoring online is that, if you’re struggling with the work set, then I’m happy to jump online and spend a quick five minutes pointing you in the right direction as I don’t you wasting time getting frustrated between tutorials!