Q: Do you set homework?

A: No. The focus at ARRENDELL Education is the individual learning experience and skill development arising from the engagement within the group setting either in the form of reading, discussion and writing or the interactive nature undertaking with mathematical tasks. 

 

Q: Why are the English groups 2 hours?

A: The session length is designed around age and purpose. For example, to cover the language skills, grammar, reading texts and writing genres, we need 2 hours with the upper primary and high school students. There is significant variation within the session to maintain concentration and motivation.

 

Q: Do you do individual tutoring?

A: Yes, but this is usually undertaken with senior students or in special circumstances. The format at ARRENDELL centres around the benefits of group work, and the interactive nature of the learning experience. Group experiences of discussion and engagement with peers are very important to skill development. This is one of the unique strengths of ARRENDELL Education.

 

Q: How do you meet the needs of all the students if they are working in groups for Maths?

A: Groups are small and tasks are often quite individual in nature. We cover the content areas across the term that each student requires to meet their needs.

 

Q: Why does ARRENDELL Education cost what it does?

A: We have a history now of 40 years of working with young people; employ experienced and specialist teachers, most of whom have post-graduate degrees; and provide a unique, high quality professional learning environment at Charlestown. Additionally, when the fees are calculated on an hourly basis, they are very competitive with the an hourly rate of $32phr for the two hour session or $49 for a one hour session. 

 

Q: Is tutoring necessary?

A: In a highly competitive world, tutoring is becoming the norm for students whose families seek to provide them with the best opportunities for advancement and high achievement especially with literacy and numeracy skill development. These skills are particularly important for entry into selective schools, opportunity classes, the HSC and entry into competitive university courses such as Medicine, Law and Business. ARRENDELL Education is designed specifically for this purpose.

 

Q: Is tuition just like school?

A: No, ARRENDELL Education has its own unique culture which has been developed over the past 40 years. Its focus remains with skill development, and higher levels of thinking in particular, rather than the content driven nature of school academic expectations. Skill development in areas of literacy and numeracy enable children to adapt and apply their skills and higher levels of thinking to the broad range of tasks required of them and positions them well to achieve at the highest level. 

 

Q: My child is very bright, is tutoring for them?

A: Tutoring will certainly benefit a high achieving child. Gifted children need to be challenged and extended particularly with higher order thinking and processing skills. At ARRENDELL this is made possible in a group session of high achieving peers, discussion and teacher engagement.

 

Q: I have a child who struggles in school, how can tutoring benefit them?

A: Fostering a love of learning within an affirming environment is the first step towards success. Importantly, we start with the basics in both English and Maths and gradually extend each student. Each student is then able to work at their own pace and level of understanding until they are confident to move to a higher level. 

 

Q: What happens if a group does not suit my child?

A: We encourage you to talk to the teacher or the Program Coordinator. We have many groups operating so it is very easy to find a group to suit either your child’s social or academic needs.

 

Q: What components of the Selective Schools Examination do you cover?

A: We cover all the key components critical to success with the Selective Schools entry exams. Specifically, the components include:  Reading Comprehension, Writing, General Aptitude and Maths components. For more details, please refer to the Selective School Entry Information on the website or at the Office. Feel free to discuss the Term 4 and Term 1 Preparation Program with the Program Coordinator.