Improving the way I support my students: a new phase

It’s now May! The examinations are just around the corner and the student excitement is figuratively palpable. For Years 11 and 13, this is a critical time in their revision cycle. Now is when building on their well-established good revision habits starts to show real progress. It’s likely Years 9, 10, and 12 will have end of year examinations coming up too.

For sixteen years I’ve been teaching and seeing students get stressed over examination preparation. Some leave revision too late. Others do not know how to actively revise and need guidance. Others know what to do and have all the tools to do it but lack the sense of accountability.

For sixteen years of parents’ evenings I was often asked by parents how to get students to actually do the work. It occurred to me that some students needed to develop a greater sense of accountability. The students were receiving the information, but many required the accountability of having an expert ‘over their shoulder’ as they work. They don’t just need to see the physics; they need to be coached through the application of it.

I started Physics With Keith six years ago this Saturday, 2nd May 2020. When I started, I chose to offer active tuition sessions for free to help as many people as I could.

A few years later, I started charging a nominal amount to encourage that sense of accountability, and it worked! Attendee numbers grew steadily.

So the dilemma is this: how do I support an unlimited number of people whilst still giving meaningful feedback to them all? Something had to change. To protect the quality of my feedback under the weight of increasing attendance figures, I am capping the number of tutees who can participate each session.

A transition to a new phase

Physics With Keith is entering an exciting new phase. Some of the changes have already been implemented. Some will come in over the next few months ready for the September start.

Note: if you have a legacy monthly enrolment, your enrolment will continue until the end of the academic year. If you have a legacy yearly enrolment, I have already emailed you.

Smaller groups of participants

I can realistically monitor and provide immediate and effective feedback to up to ten students’ work in real time. To make this work, I’m putting a limit on the number of active participants who can use the whiteboard and the chat in real time. I’ve set up two tiers for each course; a Viewer tier and a Participant tier.

The number of students on the Viewer tier will be unlimited. This tier is perfect for students who are self-motivated and want access to the full live curriculum and the examiner-led resource library. The Viewer tier helps me to keep high-quality physics education accessible to everyone.

The Participant tier will be limited to just ten students per course. This allowed for high-intensity, direct examiner-led coaching. I monitor your work in real time and use my red pen to catch misconceptions the moment they happen. It provides the focused results of 1-to-1 tuition, at a fraction of the cost! Students on the Participant tier also get access to everything the Viewer tier gets too

This method of delivering small group tuition online has proven to be extremely popular with my students, who have reported real improvements in their understanding and examination scores. I expect the ten spaces to sell out very quickly.

What if there are still spaces in the Participant tier?

Occasionally, I will open up ‘guest participant’ posts for tutees on the Viewer tier if space allows. These would be on a first-come-first-served basis. However, to guarantee your child has the interactive tools and my direct feedback each week, the Participant tier is the only way to secure a permanent place. As a Viewer, if you see a discount code below the embedded YouTube Live window on the tuition day, it can be used by a limited number of students to join the Participant tier for 24 hours at no extra cost. Only enrolled Viewers will see the discount code.

To secure your Participant space and get the most out of the sessions, upgrading to the Participant tier is the best option, because spaces are extremely limited.

Looking to September

On 15th May I will be opening the September waiting list. Anyone signed up to the waiting list will get a 48 hour head start enrolling on the Participant tier before the enrolment goes public.

I anticipate that the spaces will fill up pretty quickly. If you or your child is in Years 9-12 now it will be an excellent idea to join the waiting list. Physics and Astronomy examinations are won or lost on the fine details of examination technique. Join the waiting list on 15th May to ensure your child has access to the place where those details are mastered.

In September, when the ten Participant spaces are filled, that’s it. Only Viewer enrolment will be possible.

So put the date in your calendars, 15th May 2026, the September waiting list will be opening.

To join the Viewer or Participant tier for the rest of this year, go to the enrolment page and select your course.