Whetstone for Families


Expert academic support for every stage of your child’s journey.

Our Services

Whetstone for Families is designed for parents who want one trusted place to turn when they need academic guidance. Because we work with qualified teachers, you know your child is being taught by someone who understands the curriculum, exam board and how related progress is measured. As such, support is structured, safe and focused on the right next steps rather than quick fixes.

Please contact us for details and pricing.

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  • Private one-to-one tutoring is for families who want focused, reliable support built around one student rather than a whole class. A dedicated tutor can move at the right pace, revisit specific gaps, and choose explanations and examples that match how your child thinks and works.

    It also creates time for the parts of learning that are harder to address in a busy classroom: building confidence, improving study habits, and learning how to approach homework and revision sensibly rather than in a panic. For some students it is about catching up; for others it is about stretching beyond what school alone can offer. In every case there is one trusted adult keeping an eye on progress over time.

  • Applying to university is one of the most important journeys your child will make. It requires reflection, commitment, and timing. Although no two students take exactly the same path, most successful applicants have one thing in common: the right support, at the right moments, from someone who knows the process inside out.

    A strong application develops gradually. Quick reviews fix errors, but long-term mentoring builds understanding, confidence, and purpose. Working with a mentor from start to finish helps your child grow, reflect on their goals, and produce an application that truly represents them.

    Our mentors are qualified teachers who understand how school careers and university guidance departments work. They collaborate with your child’s school so that advice is consistent and time is never wasted. Each student has a named mentor who acts as their single point of contact throughout the process. This mentor gets to know your child properly, keeps their progress steady, and responds quickly when decisions need to be made.

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  • School Admission Support provides families with structured, expert help navigating the UK independent and boarding school system, rather than trying to work it out alone. Each family is paired with an experienced Academic Mentor (a fully qualified teacher from a leading UK school) who gets to know your child’s strengths, needs, and interests before recommending a shortlist of well‑matched schools.

    From there, we can support with application forms, assessments, and interviews, and arrange targeted tutoring where specific gaps need attention. Our service means that you always know what needs to happen next, which schools are a good fit, and how best to prepare, with one mentor overseeing the process from first conversation to final decisions.

  • We provide flexible pre‑arrival and post‑arrival EAL programmes to help your child settle quickly and confidently into a new school. Pre‑arrival support focuses on building core English skills, introducing academic vocabulary and classroom expectations, and preparing them for the demands of a UK‑style curriculum so that starting at a new school feels manageable rather than overwhelming.

    Once your child has arrived, we can continue with small‑group or one‑to‑one EAL lessons, subject‑specific language support, and ongoing development of academic reading, writing and communication. This helps them access lessons more effectively, take part in school life, and make steady progress, while giving you the reassurance that their language support is joined‑up rather than piecemeal.

  • Holiday courses and intensives give students focused time to make clear academic progress in a short window. Programmes are built around specific goals consolidating a tricky year, preparing for GCSEs or A levels, or sharpening performance before key exams with a clear sense of what will be covered and achieved.

    Sessions run in small groups so teachers can check understanding, answer questions properly, and adjust the pace while still creating the momentum that comes from working alongside others. It’s a way to use holidays effectively without losing structure, and to return to school feeling better prepared and more confident in core subjects.

  • Academic mentoring is for families who want someone to oversee the bigger picture, not just individual subjects. A mentor helps students think about how they are working across all their courses, how they are organising their time, and how their current choices connect to future options in sixth form and beyond.

    Sessions might cover planning, study routines, approaching homework and revision, or talking through upcoming decisions such as subject choices and applications. The focus is on helping students understand themselves as learners and make sensible, informed decisions, with one consistent adult keeping an eye on the whole journey rather than just one topic at a time.

Private lessons with qualified teachers from the UK’s leading schools.

Some of our teachers

Teacher/Tutor's Initial

Charlotte

Charlotte is an EAL specialist with over 15 years of experience supporting international students into UK independent schools.

CELTA-qualified with a Master's in Applied Linguistics, she prepares students for IELTS, Cambridge English exams and 11+/13+ entrance, with a particular strength in academic writing and oral confidence.

Teacher/Tutor's Initial

Daniel

Daniel teaches Economics and Business Studies at GCSE and A Level, with over a decade of experience across leading independent schools.

An LSE graduate with prior experience in corporate finance, he supports applicants to Economics, PPE and Management courses at top universities, and has examined for AQA.

Teacher/Tutor's Initial

Henry

Henry is a specialist SEN teacher with over 20 years' experience supporting pupils with dyslexia and related literacy difficulties.

Holding an OCR Level 7 Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties and full AMBDA accreditation, he combines structured multi-sensory teaching with exam-access expertise across GCSE and A Level subjects.