01
Placement chat
We talk through the year group, the subject, what school has flagged and what your child says is hard. If a different day or subject would suit better, we say so before anything is booked.
Maths · English · Science · Years 5 to 11
Taught in groups of six, at the pace the work actually needs.
Apricot Swell runs term-length teaching blocks rather than one-off sessions. Every learner starts with a written baseline, sits with the same tutor each week, and goes home with work that matches what was covered that evening.
- Group size
- Six learners, one tutor
- Session length
- 90 minutes, same slot weekly
- Reporting
- Written note home each half term
How a term runs
Four steps from enquiry to report
Nothing here is a surprise. This is the sequence every family moves through, in order, from the first message to the end-of-block write-up.
02
Baseline paper
A short written paper sets the starting point for the block. It is marked with comments rather than a grade, and the notes decide which topics open the term and which are revisited later.
03
Weekly teaching
Each session runs as taught explanation, worked examples on the board, then independent practice while the tutor moves round the table. Set work follows the same topic, so nothing goes home unexplained.
04
Written report
You receive a page covering topics taught, what the practice showed, what to keep an eye on at home, and a recommendation on whether to continue, change subject or pause.
Year bands
Three teaching bands
Groups are built by band rather than by age alone, so a learner sits with others working on the same material. Use the detail below to decide which band to ask about.
Foundation · Years 5–6
Confidence and fluency
Number facts, written methods, reading for meaning and getting an idea onto paper in full sentences. Sessions keep a brisk, spoken pace with plenty of turn-taking.
- Subjects
- Maths, English
- Group
- Up to 6
- Session
- 90 minutes
- Set work
- 2 short tasks weekly
Middle · Years 7–9
Method and independence
Algebraic thinking, structured paragraphs and the science vocabulary that secondary work assumes. The aim of this band is a learner who can start a question without being asked twice.
- Subjects
- Maths, English, Science
- Group
- Up to 6
- Session
- 90 minutes
- Set work
- 1 task + retrieval quiz
Exam · Years 10–11
Papers and timing
Topic teaching paired with past-paper technique: reading the command word, showing working that earns method marks, and finishing sections inside the time allowed.
- Subjects
- Maths, English, Combined science
- Group
- Up to 6
- Session
- 90 or 120 minutes
- Set work
- Timed section weekly
Weekly timetable
Autumn block sessions
Slots stay the same for the whole six-week block, so the week is predictable. Ask about any slot below and we will confirm whether the group has a seat left.
Monday
- 15:45MathsFoundation · Years 5–6
- 17:30MathsMiddle · Years 7–9
- 19:15Maths paper practiceExam · Year 11
Tuesday
- 15:45English readingFoundation · Years 5–6
- 17:30English writingMiddle · Years 7–9
- 19:15English literatureExam · Years 10–11
Wednesday
- 16:00Science foundationsMiddle · Years 7–8
- 17:45Combined scienceExam · Year 10
- 19:30Quiet study roomAll bands · supervised
Thursday
- 15:45MathsFoundation · Year 6
- 17:30ScienceMiddle · Year 9
- 19:15MathsExam · Year 10
Friday
- 16:00Writing workshopMiddle · Years 7–9
- 17:45Combined scienceExam · Year 11
Saturday
- 09:00MathsMiddle · Years 7–9
- 10:45Exam intensive: maths & scienceExam · Year 11 · 120 minutes
- 12:45Catch-up clinicBy arrangement
Arrival is from ten minutes before the hour, and the centre closes fifteen minutes after the last session. The Wednesday study room is free to anyone attending a block that week; there is no teaching in it, only a supervised quiet table.
Inside the centre
Four small rooms, one board each
Rooms are set up for six seats around one table, not rows facing a screen. Tutors teach from a board, learners write on paper, and phones sit in a tray by the door until the session ends.
- Materials provided. Booklets, past papers and lined paper are supplied each week; learners only bring a pencil case and their school exercise book.
- Marking turnaround. Set work handed in at the start of a session is returned marked at the next one, with comments rather than ticks.
- Same tutor, whole block. Cover is arranged only for illness, and you are told by message before the session if it happens.
- Waiting area. A small seated area by reception for anyone waiting; parents are welcome to stay for the first session of a new block.
Fees
What a block costs
Fees are quoted per six-week block and include every booklet, paper and marked piece of set work. Nothing is charged online; the placement chat confirms the figure in writing first.
Single subjectOne 90-minute session weekly
One subject, one slot, for the full block. Includes the baseline paper, weekly set work with marking, and the end-of-block written report.
£186per block
Two subjectsTwo sessions weekly
Two subjects on separate evenings, taught by the tutor who holds each group. Reports are combined into one page so you read a single summary.
£344per block
Exam intensiveSaturday 120-minute session
For Years 10 and 11 in the run-up to papers: topic teaching plus a timed section every week, marked against the mark scheme with a short written comment.
£228per block
A second child from the same household joins any block at a reduced rate, applied automatically when both places are confirmed. If a block is joined after week two, the fee is adjusted for the sessions remaining.
Questions parents ask
Before you enquire
How do you decide which group my child joins?
The placement chat covers year group, current school work and what feels hard, and the baseline paper in the first session confirms it. If the group turns out to be a poor fit, we move the place within the first two weeks at no extra cost.
What happens if we miss a session?
Tell us before the session and the set work and booklet are held for collection, with a place in the Saturday catch-up clinic if one is free. Missed sessions are not refunded, because the seat stays reserved for the whole block.
How much work is set each week?
Enough to rehearse the topic, not enough to compete with school homework: roughly twenty to thirty minutes for Foundation, thirty to forty-five for Middle, and one timed section for Exam bands.
Who teaches the sessions?
Subject specialists with classroom teaching experience in the relevant key stage. Each tutor holds their own groups for the full block and marks their own set work, so the person teaching is the person reading your child's writing.
How will I know whether it is working?
You get a written note at each half term and a report at the end of the block, both naming the topics covered and what the practice showed. If something is going wrong, you hear about it during the block rather than in the report.
Can we switch subject partway through?
Yes, if the new group has a seat. Switching is confirmed for the following week so the tutor can set a short baseline for the new subject; the fee difference is adjusted on the next block.
What happens if a group is full?
The slot goes on a waiting list in enquiry order and we contact you the moment a place opens. Where several families are waiting on the same band, we open an additional slot in the next block.
Is the quiet study room open to everyone?
It is open on Wednesday evenings to any learner attending a block that week, at no extra charge. It is supervised but not taught, so it suits revision, reading or finishing set work.
Enquire
Ask about a place
Send the details below and we reply with the slots that fit, the fee in writing, and a time for the placement chat.
If the band you want is full, we will say so plainly and offer the nearest alternative rather than adding a seat to a group that is already at six.
- Reply within one working day
- Placement chat before any booking
- No payment taken on this page