From invading pigeons to marauding Potters handing out lollies, and putting in an appearance on the Sunday Times Bestseller list, Better Tuition has had a busy year!  Here is a quick summary of our highlights.

1.  In January 2013 we knew we were in for a busy year.  With higher student numbers than ever before, we decided to take on extra staff.  Finding the right people is not always easy; our teachers MUST be qualified and expert and they need a real enthusiasm for the transformative power of education.  Nevertheless, we are happy to say we have assembled a team of qualified teachers that is second-to-none.

2.  In February, Better Tuition’s Co-Director of Teaching and Learning Paul Syrett, was asked to appear on ITV1’s Tonight programme, which was looking at how working routines have changed over the past 50 years.

Better Tuition’s Paul Syrett was asked to appear on ITV1’s Tonight programme.

3. In March we helped set up a new support group for young people with Asperger’s Syndrome/ High-functioning Autism.  The group eventually became High Functioning Trafford and is set to become a beacon of hope for the many parents, carers and young people affected by autism.

4. In April we celebrated five fantastic years of tuition right here on the corner of Crofts Bank Road and a certain young man went pottering around Urmston  to thank our local community with lollies and balloons.

Celebrating five years of fantastic tuition.

5. In May our Co-Director of Teaching and Learning, Christine McLaughlin, launched Urmston Independents, a free website which promotes Urmston’s independent traders.  Our local community has been so supportive of our little business and we wanted to give something back.  You will find Urmston Independents here.

6 In June we slogged away at an avalanche of practice entrance exam papers and welcomed a mysterious feline visitor to the office:

Everyone is welcome at Better Tuition.

7. July signalled the start of a summer of internationalism, with students enrolling from as far afield as Saudi Arabia and China, thanks to the mighty powers of Google.  It was a hot summer and we soon attracted another visitor from the animal kingdom – this pigeon set up camp for a few hours on Better Tuition’s staircase, sheltering from the heat, we think.

This pigeon set up camp on our staircase for a few hours.

8.  In August local autism campaigner Jayne Dillon launched her book: Jessi-cat: the Cat That Unlocked a Boy’s Heart. The book tells of how Jayne’s spectacular cat helped her son Lorcan overcome selective mutism.  Better Tuition received a few mentions in the book, which quickly entered the Sunday Times’ Bestsellers Top Ten.  The book has since been translated into several foreign languages and has attracted international acclaim.

Jayne Dillon’s best-selling book has attracted international acclaim.

9.  After a busy month of summer school, Better Tuition started the autumn term with a bang: on the first day of term we had 18 free assessments booked in, starting at 8:15am.

10.  October carried on in the same vein as September.  While the ‘public’ side of Better Tuition is all about tutoring, free assessments and educating others about education, we also spend a lot of time researching, writing and developing our own top-notch resources.  We have news about these but will leave that for another time!  October was also the month our Better Tuition bird joined Twitter.

Follow the Better Tuition bird on Twitter.

11. By November, entrance exams were out of the way for another year.  We receive some lovely feedback from parents and we do feel privileged to be given the opportunity to contribute to a positive future for so many children.  We rarely advertise (we probably place less than one advertisement per year) because our kind customers spread the word so efficiently. 

Feedback from parents is really important to us.

12.  December saw our team of qualified teachers busily working away at the Better Tuition Winter Activity Advent Calendar.  This rounded off the year nicely with a host of fun-but-educational activities especially for Key Stage 2 children (years 3-6).  Our website had a good year, with close to half a million hits in 2013 (492,358 to be precise).

Our advent calendar was a great success.

2013 was a fabulous year for Better Tuition, but the best is yet to come.  We aim to live up to our name and develop our service so that, year on year, we are better than ever before.  We couldn’t do what we do without the wonderful support of our customers and the wider community and we feel so grateful for that.

Does your child need extra help? Better Tuition is Urmston’s independent tuition centre for maths, English, science and entrance exam preparation. We tutor young people aged 5-16. Call us today on 0161 748 3912 to book your FREE assessment.