English Tuition

English tuition at Rowan & Reed Tuition is one-to-one teaching for pupils aged 7 to 18, delivered online or at home. Lessons start with accuracy and build outwards: a sentence that is grammatically sound, a paragraph with a point, an essay with an argument. Style comes later, and it comes more easily once the foundations are steady. If your child writes a lot and says little, or freezes at the sight of a comprehension paper, that is usually a sign of a gap in the basics rather than a shortage of ideas.

We are a small tutoring practice working across Edinburgh and the surrounding area, with DBS-checked tutors who teach English as a craft rather than a set of tricks. Parents receive progress reports, so you can see what has changed between one month and the next. The rest of this page explains who our English lessons suit, who they do not, how a typical block of lessons runs, and what we ask families to bring to the first session.

What English tuition actually covers

English as a school subject splits into distinct skills, and pupils rarely struggle with all of them at once. Our first job is to find out which one is holding the rest back. A pupil who loses marks on analysis may write beautifully but read too quickly. A pupil who writes with flair may lose easy marks on spelling, punctuation and grammar. We test those skills separately before planning anything.

Reading and comprehension

We work through unseen passages from 19th-century fiction, broadsheet comment pieces and poetry, depending on the level. The method is consistent: read the question first, mark the command word, locate the evidence, then write the answer in a shape that matches the mark scheme. Pupils learn to quote briefly rather than in blocks, and to explain what a quotation does rather than what it says. For 11+ preparation this means inference and vocabulary in timed conditions. At GCSE it means ao-level skills: reading for meaning, analysing language and structure, and comparing texts.

Writing: accuracy before style

Before we encourage ambitious vocabulary, we make sure the basics hold. That means sentence boundaries, subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, apostrophes and commas that do a job rather than decorate. We then move to paragraph structure and the different shapes a piece of writing can take: description, persuasion, a formal letter, a short story with a shift in mood. Creative writing is taught with the same rigour as transactional writing, because examiners reward control over decoration.

Spoken English and exam technique

Where a specification includes a spoken endorsement, we practise presenting and responding to questions. We also teach the quieter exam skills: how long to spend planning, how many points to make for a given number of marks, and how to leave two minutes for proofreading. These habits are worth more than another five impressive words.

Who these lessons suit

• Primary pupils in P4 to P7 who need stronger phonics, reading fluency or the confidence to write at length.
• Pupils sitting 11+ entrance papers at independent or grammar schools, where comprehension and timed writing decide places.
• GCSE students targeting a grade 6 or above in English Language and English Literature, including those who find poetry and unseen texts difficult.
• A-level students working on comparative essays, critical interpretation and the transition to university-level reading.
• Pupils who are doing well but plateaued, and who need sharper feedback than a class of thirty allows.

Who it does not suit

We are not the right fit for every family, and it saves time to say so early. One-to-one English tuition works when a pupil is willing to read aloud, write in front of someone and be corrected. A pupil who wants a quiet hour of being talked at will get less from it. If your child's difficulty is primarily a diagnosed specific learning difference requiring specialist assessment, we will say so and point you towards an appropriate professional rather than teach beyond our remit. And if you want a tutor to write model essays that your child then memorises, we will decline: exam boards treat that as malpractice, and it produces brittle writers.

We also ask that families commit to a regular slot. Fortnightly lessons with long gaps tend to undo the reading practice set in between.

How it works, step by step

Step one: an initial conversation. You tell us the year group, the school, the exam board where relevant, and what you have noticed at home. Ten minutes is usually enough.

Step two: a first lesson and a baseline. The tutor meets your child, works through a short piece of reading and a short piece of writing, and identifies the two or three weakest links. No test papers are used in this first session; we want to see how your child thinks, not how they perform under a clock.

Step three: a written plan. We set out the targets for the next half-term in plain language, for example: secure paragraph structure in persuasive writing, use embedded quotations in literature essays, cut down on comma splices.

Step four: weekly lessons with work in between. A typical hour has a warm-up on a known skill, a taught segment on something new, guided practice with the tutor watching, then independent work. Homework is short and specific, usually twenty to thirty minutes, and it is marked.

Step five: progress reports. Parents receive progress reports at agreed intervals, covering what has improved, what is still shaky, and what we plan next. We include the tutor's notes on the work itself, not just a grade.

Step six: review and adjust. Near exam season the balance shifts towards timed practice, mark schemes and feedback on full answers. For younger pupils it often stays on reading breadth and writing stamina.

What to prepare, and what affects cost and timing

Bring the useful paperwork: the latest school report, any exam board specification, marked scripts or mock papers, and a reading list if the school provides one. A pencil, a notebook and a quiet room with a stable connection are enough for online lessons. For home lessons we ask for a table, decent light and a parent nearby for the first session with younger children.

Fees depend on the year group and level, whether the lesson is online or at home, and the travel involved for home visits, so we quote on request once we know the arrangement. Frequency affects the total, naturally: weekly lessons over a full school year cost more than a short block before exams. Timing is set by availability and by your calendar. August and early September fill quickly as families look ahead to the new term, and the weeks before mock exams are the busiest of the year, so it is worth asking when booking. Opening hours are confirmed when you book.

To arrange a first lesson, call +44 131 4752394, email [email protected] or use the contact form on this site. Lessons run online or at home, and our address is 176 High Street.

Questions parents ask

How is one-to-one English tuition different from a group class?

In a group of twenty, a pupil might have one piece of writing read closely each half-term. In a one-to-one lesson, every paragraph your child writes is read, marked and discussed in the same hour. We can also stop and re-teach something the moment a misunderstanding appears, which is what a class teacher rarely has time to do.

Can you help if my child reads well but writes poorly?

Yes, and it is one of the most common patterns we see. Fluent readers often write the way they speak, in long strings of clauses joined by commas. We work on sentence construction directly, building from simple sentences up to controlled complex ones, then apply that to paragraphs.

Do you follow the school's scheme of work?

We follow the specification and, where possible, the texts being studied in class, so that lesson time supports the homework already being set. If the school is midway through a novel or a poetry cluster, tell us and we will align with it.

How long before we see a difference?

Most families notice a change in confidence within a month or two, usually first in how readily a child talks about a text. Measurable movement in written work takes longer, because accuracy and fluency are built by repetition. We will not promise a grade, and we will tell you honestly if progress has stalled.

Can lessons continue through the holidays?

They can, and many families use the summer for reading breadth and for drafting coursework-style pieces without the pressure of a school week. Tell us your dates when you enquire and we will confirm what is available.