peter teaches
learning support for children and teens
Full References (2014-2024)
‘Peter started to teach our son at the beginning of the first lockdown. Our son’s English at that time was significantly behind his peers, he had a poor reading level and had a strong dislike for it. His writing was just getting started. We don’t speak English at home and we wanted our son to have exposure to English during the lockdown period and to improve his English in general with a focus on reading and vocabulary. Peter worked with him three times per week during the lockdown and continued to teach him once weekly thereafter.
Peter’s biggest achievement was to instil the love for reading in a very reading resistant child. He managed to find a way and to find literature that resonated with him. Our son discovered reading and is a keen reader now.
In September 2020 our son decided to sit the 7+ exam for Westminster Under School. Peter successfully prepared him for the exam while systematically broadening his language base.
We are enormously grateful to Peter for all the work he did with our son. Our son not only passed the Westminster entrance exam but also developed confidence, motivation and the love of reading. He enjoys the lessons with Peter and always looks forward to them. Peter makes them playful and fun but is demanding at the same time. We could not recommend him more.’ - Elena L.
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‘My son was sitting for the 13+ Common Entrance Examinations for entry to Westminster School and to attain top marks across subjects. In just three months, under Peter's guidance, my son was attaining the high standard required. Peter was so effective that we ceased other tutoring so that Peter could help my son with the other core subjects.
Peter has a unique way of tutoring. He made the lessons engaging and interesting, tailored to my son's interests while equipping him with the necessary knowledge and examination techniques to excel. Most of all, he gave my son the confidence and self-belief to tackle the examinations. My son looked forward to all his lessons with Peter and looked up to him as a role model.
I have since recommended Peter to my friends whose children are also aiming for top schools. Already, their feedback on Peter has been glowing. No surprise that under Peter's guidance, my son has now received a confirmed offer to attend Westminster School.’ - Karolyn G.
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‘When the first lockdown happened and my Y5 son was languishing at home, I immediately contacted Peter. Homeschooling is challenging enough; throw in a full time job and a reluctant child and it really is a disaster! … From the first lesson, the transformation in my son was incredible. He went from being bored and disinterested to engaged and enthusiastic. I used to joke that it wasn’t the same child that logged in to Peter’s lesson.
Peter is strict, fun and an excellent teacher. He was very quick to point out when my son wasn’t putting in the required amount of effort but he was also really understanding and reassuring when my son was having doubts about his own ability. He makes learning interesting; my son really looks forward to his lessons with him.
I feel like he’s really grown up with Peter and I am still so grateful that he was able to pick up with him during the first lockdown when his school decided that homeschooling was best left to the parents!!! He genuinely would have floundered without their weekly sessions together; most weeks it really felt like the only proper work he did! I almost don’t recognise the little boy who started the 10+ prep with Peter back in 2019. - Amanda F.
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‘Peter came recommended to us by a close and trusted friend. Peter had helped her son get into Westminster in a very short time. We immediately recognised that Peter had a strong rapport with our son, then aged ten, and from occasionally meeting in the week we quickly decided to book Peter for a regular two-hour weekend slot. We have now kept this arrangement for six years and we are extremely happy indeed with the progress our son has made with Peter’s help.
When he and Peter began meeting, our son was struggling to maintain focus in school and often spoke very negatively about his studies and learning in general. His restlessness and attitude were presenting huge obstacles to his education. At times we were even worried that he might not achieve passes in his Common Entrance exams.
Our son’s teachers began to notice a remarkable improvement in his focus and interest. After working with Peter for two years, our son not only passed his Common Entrance, but passed with flying colours. His teachers wrote to us to praise his ‘superb grades’, and called him a ‘remarkable candidate’. He now shows commitment and even passion for subjects that were previously a struggle for him. There is a positive atmosphere in Peter’s lessons that our son enjoys and the two of them have a strong bond. We believe Peter to have been indispensable to our son’s success. Moreover, and fundamental, we believe, to the above, is that we consider that Peter takes a genuine interest in our son’s welfare.
Our son is now fifteen and we think Peter has been of crucial importance for his English and Maths work in particular. Our son has come up very strongly from what was a low start point; a really impressive trajectory. We are very grateful to Peter and would have no hesitation in recommending him.’ - Charles S. (Wetherby)
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‘I have been working with Mr. Coldham for approaching a year now, and throughout I have found him to be an exceptional tutor. He possesses the kind of rare passion for both his subjects and his teachings that inspire and motivate his students. This allows him to turn what may seem mundane, boring subjects into lively, exciting and memorable sessions.
He is capable of breaking down complex theories into more comprehensible sections, without losing any of the quality or detail. This serves to greatly improve a student’s confidence in the subject matter, theories and in preparation for key exams. Moreover he can achieve this with a great range of subjects. Peter is always well prepared, professional and engaging.
His intelligence, and his calm and charming demeanor, make him an excellent role model for the students with whom he works, and these values rub off almost immediately. I would highly recommend using Mr. Coldham as a tutor and will be working with him for many more years.’ - Edward P.
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‘I cannot recommend Peter highly enough... diligent, highly competent in his subject and had a great teaching style... [He] has a good feel for teenagers and my son respected and enjoyed his teaching, manner, and sense of humour. From a parent’s point of view, Peter was a pleasure to work with and we all enjoyed having him in our home... William achieved a very good grade in a short period of time.’ - Penelope R. (Eton)
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‘My son loved the style and approach of Peter’s teaching skills... Peter also suggested new types of books that my son loved, instead of his usual teen novels... History was a drag for my son where he didn’t feel confident and didn’t enjoy it, but when Peter started teaching him his mind lit up and he started to become more knowledgeable and passionate about the subject... he always looked forward to his next lesson.
My son passed the Winchester exams... I would happily re-employ Peter as I consider him to be a valuable tutor and I recommend him any time (in fact I already did, and I know that he is achieving the same results).’ - Carolina B. (successful entry to Winchester)
‘I have really enjoyed the exhilarating lessons with Peter because he has given me confidence and positivity towards History, English and French at [13+]. He wasn’t just a teacher to me but he was also a friend.’ - Hector B.
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‘My son loved the style and approach of Peter’s teaching skills... Peter also suggested new useful apps that made my son interested and motivated to learn different subjects...he improved his attitude towards study and his result has been one of the best in his year. I am happily re-employing Peter next year. I consider him as a valuable tutor and I recommend him any time. He wasn’t just a teacher to my son but he was also a friend.’ - Elena G., Weybridge (Merchant Taylor’s)
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‘You guided Aryann when he needed your help the most. Within a short time you taught him language arts and its various techniques. You worked with him as a friend and that is why your way of teaching was loved by my son. He did really well in his UKiset even if he got just few sessions with you.’ - Ruchika G. (Abingdon School, achieved 90% in UKiset exams)
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‘Peter’s vitality made the subject alive for our son Stephan... He is not only passionate about teaching, but compassionate about his students... he treats every student as an individual and adjusts his method and content to suit their needs... Our son often told us how superior Peter was as a teacher and that he wished that Peter could teach him in other areas... We have known Peter for two years and we have found him to be sincere, with a sense of responsibility towards both subject and student which extends way beyond the expected norm.’ - Jonathan and Laura E., Wimbledon
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‘Peter immediately fit in and got on with the task at hand. All of the boys have a great relationship with Peter - he has the perfect balance of friendliness, wit and encouragement, to make homework a much more interesting task.
He has the patience of a saint and dealt with the boys with good spirits at all times, and the boys responded to this by getting their work done. When the iPad had had its first educational game downloaded, and was being played on the way to school, at the child’s instigation, I knew Peter had had a profound effect on our children!
Our youngest boy is often talking of Peter and his tales. He has found Peter to be the most fun and interesting tutor to work with. Peter will surely be missed and I would not hesitate to recommend him!’ - Damien H. (Harrodian School)
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‘Philippe has learning difficulties on the autistic spectrum... [but] Peter was very imaginative...expanding his knowledge in other areas like geography, literature, science and nature in a fun way... By the end of the course, on top of their student/tutor relationship, our son had gained a great friend, which made him happy and motivated him to perform even better.’ – Ekaterina T.
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‘I can attest to Peter’s excellence... John was very rusty and had done no revision... The result was an ‘A’ with merit... Peter couldn’t have done better.’ - Jeremy H.
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I remember the first day [Peter] came to meet us... noting attentively all the traits, strengths and weaknesses we had to mention for our kids... I can say with certainty he excels in organisation and efficiency, he would pre-prepare the content of every lesson beforehand and always leave us with a daily report of their progress. Peter helped immensely, especially our son, to mature. He worked in a manner fully understanding how the child thinks... reassured, gave ...he is fun to be around, always positive, and lifts everyone’s spirits. - Arianna F. (St. Thomas’s Battersea)