GCSE Retake Private Tuition
We see many students each year who join us to retake their GCSEs for a variety of reasons;
- Needing to improve their grade for a certain college/university course,
- Not having passed the required number of GCSEs to move on to college,
- Mature students who have decided to change their career path and need a particular GCSE that they did not take the first-time round,
- Students who have transferred from the IB system in Europe to the GCSE system in the UK
- Students who need to catch up due to a period of absence
Supervision
When joining Barts, a student is assigned a personal supervisor who meets with them weekly to discuss their academic progress, and any pastoral issues which may arise in their time here. This is a good space for the students to express any difficulties they are having with their courses, so that their supervisor can work alongside them to resolve them. Both of our Directors of Studies have training in counselling skills. Supervisors are also available for study skills sessions, which aids in a student’s examination preparation.
Learning at Barts
Our tutors have a wealth of experience in assessing a student’s academic ability, which enables them to hone in on and target any gaps in their knowledge. The 1:1 nature of the college creates the perfect environment to retake GCSEs. Our tutors can tailor the lessons exactly to the student’s needs, going at their pace and focusing on the exact topics that need to be covered. Examination preparation is key with GCSE retakes, as we meet many students who had the knowledge but did not have the technique to answer the questions. Many of our tutors are examiners for exam boards such as AQA, Pearson and OCR. This gives them the edge on enabling our students to succeed in their examinations.
Exam boards
With regards to exam boards, we are a registered exam centre for AQA, Pearson (GCSEs and iGCSEs), OCR and Eduqas. Our tutors teach all of these exam boards, so if a student were to retake their exams here, they would not have the additional worry or pressure of learning a whole new syllabus.
Exam Access Arrangements
Whether students have had access arrangements at previous schools or feel you are eligible for them, we can accommodate this at Barts. Each registered exam centre must have their own formal assessment, and we can arrange a date/time that fits around your schedule with our affiliated specialist assessor.
Social life and student interaction at Barts
As Barts is a 1:1 tutorial college, we are small in numbers and therefore there is no formal ‘year’ system like in most schools. This may come as a relief to students who are looking to join for GCSE retakes, as past students have expressed concerns that they will be older than their classmates or feel like they have fallen behind – which is certainly not the case. The 1:1 tutorials enable students to focus purely on their studies in the classroom with no distractions, something which is important for a dedicated GCSE retake student.
Despite being small, students do socialise at Barts. We have a common room where students spend their breaks, and we hold termly activities to encourage students to get to know each other better. Some of the social events we have held in the past are ice skating, bowling, picnics, games, laser tag and going out for meals. We have one or two Head Students each year whose role it is to help students integrate and become friends. We find that, as each student comes to Barts for varied reasons, there is a non-judgemental and accepting atmosphere amongst the students.
What to do next..
If you would like to set up a meeting with our Directors of Studies to discuss the possibility of joining Barts, please do email us at enquiry@bartscollege.co.uk, or phone the office on 01273205965 and we can schedule a time for you and your child to visit us.