Shine Tutoring Blog

Shine Tutoring Blog

Teenage girl sitting at a desk with MacBook, holding her head in her hands, looking stressed.

Hardest GCSEs Ranked: A Parent’s Guide to Choices

GCSEs are naturally challenging for young teens, and the initial challenge stems from making an informed decision on which subjects to choose. It m...

Front view of Alleyn’s School in London, historic private school building.

Is Private School Worth It? A Clear Guide for Parents Weighing the Costs and Benefits

Few choices shape your child’s future more than where they go to school. With rising fees and high expectations, many parents ask: Is private sch...

Three teenage girls enjoying a friendly outdoor football game.

Helping Your Child Succeed in Extracurricular Activities (Without the Stress)

Did you know that only half of secondary school children take part in after-school clubs or weekend activities? Getting involved outside the classr...

Female student at desk with notebook and pencil receiving online tutoring on computer

What Is Online Learning? A Simple Guide for Busy Mums in the UK

Back when we parents were students, online learning didn't exist. We did everything with pen and paper, copied from the whiteboard, and carried sta...

Brunette teenage girl with glasses studying on sofa, writing in workbook with pen, computer beside her and desk with books in front.

How to Help Your Teen Ace Edexcel IGCSE Spanish: A Parent’s Guide

Exam time can feel just as unnerving for us parents as it is for our kids. If you're looking for ways to help and encourage your teen with their Ed...

A female teenage student with brunette hair and glasses studying at a desk in a library with an open book in front of her.

How to Help Your Teen Ace AQA A-level Spanish: A Parent’s Guide

A-levels can be a pretty big step up from GCSEs, especially when it comes to Languages. The days of simple sentences and subject pronouns are well ...

Teenage girl looking disappointed while checking her A-level exam results at desk, holding head with left hand.

Bad A-level Grades? What to Do Next (Without Panicking)

Results day can feel overwhelming, especially if the envelope doesn’t hold what you expected. Many students worry that poor A-level grades mean ...

Teenage student in blue polo studying with laptop at desk.

How to Help Your Teen Ace GCSE Spanish: A Parent’s Guide

Guiding your teen through their GCSE Spanish exams doesn't have to end in a meltdown about verb conjugations or negative constructions. Spanish is ...

Two teenage girls studying together at a desk with an open book and pens.

Hardest A-levels Ranked: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Teen Choose Wisely

The new school year is just around the corner, and your teen is staring at a list of possible A-level subjects. They (and likely you, too) can’t ...

Teenage brunette girl studying at a desk with open books, holding a pen, and looking thoughtful.

Do GCSEs Matter? Learn the Truth

What if I told you the answer to “Do GCSEs matter?” is yes? The grades you get can impact your life for years to come. “Who cares?“ you mig...

Teenage girl studying late at a library desk reading an open book.

Are GCSEs Hard? What to Expect and How to Prepare for Success

GCSEs or General Certificates of Secondary Education. You’ve heard those four letters bandying around for almost your whole life, but as you cree...

Teenage girl with long curly hair in a white dress holding books and backpack, looking worried while waiting for GCSE results.

Worried About Your GCSE Grades? Here’s How to Stay Calm and Plan Ahead

Sleepless nights? Moments of wild panic and breaking out in a sweat when you think of that fateful August day when you’ll receive your GCSE resul...

Teenage girl looking disappointed with hand on face, holding exam results and open exam results folder.

Got Bad GCSE Grades? Here’s What to Do Next (Without Panicking)

You and your mates are taking the long walk to the front of the school hall to get those all-important GCSE results. You want good grades to get t...

Teenage girl in a pink shirt studying at a library desk, reading a book with two other open books stacked underneath.

How to Ace AQA English Language GCSE: Tips and Tricks for Success

One of the two biggies of GCSE success. English Language. (The other is Maths in case you were wondering). Your whole school career has been leadin...

Parents helping teenage daughter with homework on laptop at home, smiling together at desk.

How To Support Your Child Before the New School Year

When the last day of the academic year arrives, you’ll fall into one of two very different categories of parents: 1. The ones who are relieved th...

Smiling father and child sitting together at a desk at home. The child is holding a pen and has a school workbook open in front of them, appearing engaged in learning.

What Makes A Good Parent When It Comes To Supporting Your Child’s Learning?

We’ve all been there. Your child is struggling with primary school homework, or their GCSE Maths revision, or God forbid, their A-level revision....

A teenage female student studying on her laptop.

How to Ace AQA English Literature A-level: Tips and Tricks for Success

Double, double, toil and trouble… The witches from Macbeth? It’s also A-level English Literature compared to GCSE: double the work and maybe ...

A teenage boy studying at his desk.

How to Ace AQA English Literature GCSE: Tips and Tricks for Success

Love it or loathe it, GCSE English Literature is coming at you like an unstoppable Dickensian steam train. Poems, with their rhythms beating like ...

A teenage boy in a red shirt studying at his desk.

How to Ace A-level English Language: Tips and Tricks for Success

No doubt, you’re feeling a bit nervous as you get ready to start your A-level English Language course. After studying the subject at GCSE, you kn...

A female student using lab equipment while a teacher watches in a science classroom.

Why Study BTEC Applied Science?

Remember when you made a paper mâché exploding volcano in year two? That’s when you realised science could be fun, exciting, and maybe even a l...

Illustration of a brain with one half shaded grey and the other half colored in a rainbow gradient.

Is Psychology A-level Hard?

If you typed those words, “Is psychology hard?”, into Google, I want you to have a little word with yourself. Is any A-level (most likely the m...

Teenage South Asian girl in red using a calculator while taking a maths test.

How to Ace A-level Maths

During your twelve years of schooling, maths has felt like a breath of fresh air compared to many other subjects. Maths doesn’t ask you to write ...

Maths formulas on a blackboard.

Why Study A-level Further Maths?

Are you a maths geek? A maths wizard? A mathemagician? Then you’re probably considering an A-level in the subject already. If not, this article ...

A smiling girl holds a sign featuring the Spanish flag and the words “Learn Spanish”.

How Long Does It Take to Learn Spanish?

You're pretty impressed the day your darling child returns after their first Spanish lesson at secondary school. “Un, dos, tres,” they dutifull...

An open book on a table showing pages with the Spanish flag and the words “Learn Spanish enter”.

The Benefits of Hiring an A-level Spanish Tutor

Taking language learning seriously can be a fascinating and enriching experience for young people. With the potential to broaden students’ horizo...

Young female student holding a clock and a book, wearing a backpack.

How To Get Extra Time in Exams

When it comes to preparing for exams, we all find our own ways to handle the pressure of revision and test conditions. However, for some, this proc...

A teenage female student working as a waiter in a luxury restaurant.

The Benefits of Summer Jobs for Students

Summer can be the most anticipated and exciting part of the year for students. However, for an increasing majority, endless free time and lazy days...

Solihull School (Chatwin Building).

What to Consider When Deciding Which School to Choose

Choosing the right school is one of parents' and students' most important decisions. As well as shaping academic and developmental outcomes, the ri...

St George

What is the Difference Between Private and Public Schools?

In the last academic year (2023/24), just 593,000 students attended a Private school in the UK, accounting for 6.5% of pupils nationwide. However, ...

Young female teacher teaching young female student at home.

How to Homeschool Your Children

For most children, going to school has become the norm worldwide, making a marked change from before the introduction of mandatory student attendan...

Young female student studying at her desk.

What are A-levels?

Advanced Level Qualifications, commonly known as A-levels, are the highest level of certification offered by most secondary schools across the Unit...

3D view of map with location pin.

What is a School Catchment Area?

The school catchment area refers to the specific geographical area that surrounds a school and determines which students are eligible to attend. It...

A male and female student taking a test at their desks.

What are GCSEs?

GCSEs are a set of exams taken by students in the United Kingdom at the end of their secondary education. These exams are used as a qualification t...

Female tutor teaching maths to a teenager at a desk.

The Benefits of Hiring a Physics and Maths Tutor

Physics and Maths are like the superheroes of the academic world - they have the power to boggle our minds and send us running for cover. But fear ...

King’s College at Cambridge University.

How to Choose a University

The process of selecting the right university involves careful consideration of various factors that go beyond academic excellence. It requires an ...

An adult male tutor with glasses tutoring a young blonde female.

How to Become a Tutor

Throughout the many years of education in the UK, students need extra help for a variety of reasons. Those skilled, experienced, and educated adult...

A male Asian tutor tutoring a female Asian sixth form student at her desk.

How to Find a Tutor

As a parent, you know how important your child’s educational success is to their future. If they struggle with understanding subjects, completing...

A mother giving her young daughter pocket money.

Financial Literacy for Kids

As a parent, teaching financial literacy for kids to the next generation will help them toward a brighter future. The ability to understand and man...

A female primary school student taking an exam at her desk.

How to Pass the 11+ Exam

As primary school draws to an end, students all across the UK must sit the 11+ Exam to determine their eligibility for the more selective secondary...

A female teenage student with glasses and a white t-shirt holding a clock.

Time Management for Students

Students live in a technology filled world full of distractions. Constant notifications from social media, new games and an overactive social life ...