Robinson Tutoring

✨ TWO IS THE MAGIC NUMBER ✨

For me, the number two symbolises balance, partnership, and harmony — and over the years I’ve seen so many pairs of children work beautifully together.
Research shows that carefully structured pair work can combine the benefits of personalised tuition with the proven advantages of peer learning.
With only TWO students:
✅ Lessons stay highly personalised
✅ Every child receives plenty of attention
✅ A learning partner can boost motivation and accountability

If your child is currently in Year 4 and you are interested in 11+ Paired Tuition starting in September 2026, please message me for availability and pricing.

Inspired by More Maths for Mums and Dads: The Teenage Years by Rob Eastaway & Mike Askew

Let’s talk biscuits…
 The biscuit IS eaten: Positive
 The biscuit is NOT eaten: Negative
 The biscuit is NOT Uneaten (Two Negatives = Positive) Sorry, the last biscuit has gone!
The book also gives the example of taking away a good thing (positive) from your teenager’s life, a phone, for example – this can be seen as negative. But if you take away (or stop) doing this negative thing, they get to keep the phone!
In maths language:
• A negative changes direction.
• Another negative changes it back.

Children really benefit from turning the abstract (two negatives make a positive) into a real-life example that they can relate to. See if you can come up with some other examples with your child, for example, debt or going up and down in a lift.

If you had to pick a shape, which one are you?
🔵 Circle – caring, encouraging, enjoys helping others feel confident
🟦 Square – organised, likes routines, appreciates clear steps and structure
🔺 Triangle – goal-driven, enjoys challenges and working towards achievements
〰️ Wobbly line – creative, curious, enjoys exploring ideas in a playful way
Of course, this is just a fun icebreaker rather than a scientific personality test. The real point is that every child is different—and in tutoring, the challenge (and the magic ✨) is understanding what motivates each child and how best to support their learning. 💡
As for me, I’m definitely a circle 💙
Which one would you choose?

www.robinsontutoring.co.uk
📘 English (Years 3 to 6)
➕ Maths (Years 3 to 9)
🧠 11 Plus Preparation (GL, CEM, ISEB)

I’m Elaine, the founder of Robinson Tutoring, which I’ve run for the past four years. Most of my tutoring is online, and I work with pupils across a wide area including Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire.
My New Year’s Resolution is to tell funnier jokes to my students! I’ve just finished reading “Straight Outta Crawley” by Romesh Ranganathan and am currently dipping into “The Comic Toolbox” by John Vorhaus.
👩‍🔬 I have one daughter, aged 19, who is studying biochemistry at Edinburgh University, so feel like I have a strong link to Scotland at the moment! She loves the landscape and there’s lots to do in the city. All I can say is that she must have been very busy last term as very late starts seemed to be the norm over the Christmas holidays; I learnt not to practise my jokes on her on those rare mornings when she did manage to make it up at a sensible time!
Most of my work centres around preparation for 11 Plus tests, but I do also tutor younger students (English and Maths) from Year 3 onwards. I can also help with Maths up to GCSE Foundation level. If you’re looking for a useful book to understand Maths at secondary school, I can thoroughly recommend “More Maths for Mums and Dads” by Mike Askew & Rob Eastaway. Rather than being a textbook full of exam-style questions, the book is written for adults who may not have studied maths recently. It explains concepts in straightforward language and gives context to the topics teenagers are learning – the authors have done a laudable job of providing the bigger picture of how maths fits into education and everyday life.

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🎬 Maths & Movie Magic ✨
I enjoy talking with my students about how maths is used in the real world. And triangles are one of my favourite examples.
This week we’ve been learning about triangles, and here’s an interesting fact: animators and game designers often build characters, animals, and even whole scenes using lots of tiny triangles.
🔺💻 Computers can work with triangles really quickly and do these things:
• Build Shapes: Triangles are connected to make 3D models of characters, buildings, or objects.
• Move and Bend: Computers calculate how each triangle should move when characters walk, jump, or twist.
• Catch Light: They figure out how light and shadows hit each triangle so everything looks realistic.
• Texture Surfaces: Triangles get “painted” with colours, patterns, or textures like fur, skin, or snow.
It’s amazing to see children realise that the maths they’re learning is used in movies and games they love!

🌀 Fibonacci in Nature… or not? 🌿

Tonight, we were learning about the Fibonacci sequence (each number after the first two is the sum of the two preceding ones). This is a pattern that often shows up in nature. Think of sunflower spirals, pinecones, or even the number of petals on many flowers. It is thought that these arrangements help plants maximise their exposure to sunlight and water. 🌞💧 One classic example is the daisy, which often has a Fibonacci number of petals.
After my lesson, I went to investigate one of the plants in my house… and guess what? Mine didn’t follow the pattern at all! 😂
Now I’m curious:
👉 If you have any houseplants, take a minute and count the leaves.
Do any of yours match a Fibonacci number (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34…)?
Or are they rebels like mine?

www.robinsontutoring.co.uk
📘 English (Years 3 to 6)
➕ Maths (Years 3 to 9)
🧠 11 Plus Preparation (GL, CEM, ISEB)

Tell your child what they’re good at. It matters more than you might think. I’ve noticed that when you give a child genuine, thoughtful feedback — something specific and real — they glow. It doesn’t have to be a big moment. Even one sentence can make a difference.
Today, a friend commented on a simple plant arrangement in my living room — just lights and greenery — and said, “Your arrangement is really lovely.” It was a small comment, but I felt pleased that she’d noticed. You see, often, things aren’t noticed…or if they are noticed, they aren’t commented on.
So, take a moment today to notice something wonderful about your child. When you acknowledge a child’s strengths in a thoughtful way, you’re not only boosting their confidence but also helping them form a positive sense of identity. They begin to see themselves through the lens of your words and are more likely to repeat the behaviours you’ve noticed and appreciated! Once you’ve done this, you could carry on and give some positive feedback to your family and friends. And don’t forget your beloved pets!

When it comes to teaching spelling, two giraffes can teach us a surprising amount. Take the word EXAGGERATE — it starts with the prefix “ex” meaning “out” or “away from”. In a tuition session, we might first discuss the word “exhale” and take a few deep breaths! Then, we might discuss how exaggerating means “away from the truth”; perhaps one giraffe is telling the other that its neck can touch the clouds! Exploring the meaning and structure of words gives learners a logical foothold, turning spelling into detective work rather than guesswork. And combining meaning with a story or an image can also be very powerful…and fun too!

📚 “My child can read the words, but they just don’t seem to like reading…”
As a tutor, I hear this a lot—so trust me, you’re not alone!
According to Daniel Willingham’s insightful book “Raising Kids Who Read: What Parents and Teachers Can Do”, reading motivation doesn’t come from rewards, apps, or reading logs signed at 9:59 p.m. 😅
What does work? Building up background knowledge is essential (so children understand what they read), encouraging curiosity, and having meaningful conversations long before they even pick up a book. Willingham shows that reading starts way before phonics—it starts with talking, listening, and wondering together.
Here’s why that background knowledge is so important: when children read, they aren’t just decoding words—they’re trying to make sense of ideas. If they don’t know much about the topic, whether that’s space travel, or why leaves change colour, their brains have no framework to connect the words to. 🧠🚀
If you’re a parent looking for research-backed advice on how to help your child to love reading, I can thoroughly recommend Daniel’s book. Happy summertime reading!

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