ONLINE CHRISTMAS COURSE
Three focused mornings of difficult topics, careful practice and prelim preparation for S5 and S6 pupils.
Places are limited to six so that pupils can ask questions and receive proper attention.
A PURPOSEFUL CHRISTMAS BREAK
The Christmas holiday offers an opportunity to consolidate first-term work, identify gaps and practise applying methods under time pressure.
This course is designed for pupils who have already begun the Higher Mathematics course and want a more structured period of preparation before their prelims. The emphasis is on secure methods, clear mathematical working and choosing an effective approach when a question is unfamiliar.
Schools set their own prelims, and the topics assessed vary. We will revise a shared core of material, with selected topics and practice questions reflecting what participating pupils have studied and what their schools expect for prelims. This is a focused intensive, not complete coverage of the qualification.
THE THREE MORNINGS
MORNING 1
MORNING 2
Depending on school coverage, clinics may include recurrence relations, circles, integration, more advanced trigonometry, logarithms and exponentials, or vectors.
MORNING 3
Before the course, pupils complete a short topic checklist and diagnostic. Michael uses these to set the balance of topics and prepare practice questions that reflect the material pupils are revising for their school prelims.
A small group cannot accommodate six entirely different school syllabuses. Michael will select topics shared by the group. If a pupil’s prelim coverage differs substantially, he will discuss suitability with the parent before confirming the place.
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER
MAXIMUM SIX PUPILS
With no more than six pupils, there is time to examine mistakes, answer questions and adapt explanations to the group. Pupils will be expected to attempt questions, explain their thinking and take an active part; this is not a sequence of recorded lectures.
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
This course is for Higher Mathematics, not Higher Applications of Mathematics. It is not a complete revision of the Higher course, nor is it designed to teach the first term’s content from the beginning.
The booking questionnaire asks what the pupil has covered and what their school expects to assess. Michael uses this information and the pre-course diagnostic to select shared topics. If the pupil’s experience or prelim coverage differs substantially from the group’s, he will discuss suitability with the parent before confirming the place.
YOUR TEACHER
Michael Rothwell
DBS certified · PVG certified
Michael has six years of private tuition experience across the Scottish and English curricula. His work spans Mathematics, related sciences and the humanities, supporting families in the UK and internationally.
His teaching emphasises careful explanation, confidence and examination technique, with attention to how pupils approach a problem and set out their working.
THE ARRANGEMENTS
A FEW COMMON QUESTIONS
No. It is a focused three-morning intensive built around shared core topics, common difficulties and prelim technique. Timed practice uses topics the group has studied; it is not a paper sampling the whole Higher specification.
Schools set their own prelims, so topic coverage varies. Before the course, pupils complete a short topic checklist and diagnostic. Michael uses these, together with any school-issued topic lists, to select topics shared by the group and prepare relevant practice questions. The selected topic clinics are possibilities, not a promise to cover every topic listed.
A small group cannot accommodate six entirely different school syllabuses. Michael will select topics shared by the group. If a pupil’s experience or prelim coverage differs substantially, he will discuss suitability with the parent before confirming the place. Please share what is known in the booking questionnaire; “Not sure” is a valid answer.
No. This course is for Scottish Higher Mathematics. Higher Applications of Mathematics is a different qualification.
Pupils will receive a focused practice task taking approximately 20–25 minutes after the first and second mornings.
The course is intended for pupils working at a range of levels within Higher Mathematics who have studied the shared core topics and want to revise for a forthcoming school prelim. Pupils should be willing to participate actively. The course does not guarantee a particular grade or prelim result.
Each pupil will receive the course workbook, worked solutions and an individual Prelim Preparation Plan identifying priorities for further revision.
A stable internet connection, paper, writing materials and the calculator normally used for Higher Mathematics.
Please read the existing Terms of Service for general payment and cancellation terms. Course-specific arrangements will be provided before a booking is confirmed.
THE NEXT STEP
£245 per pupil · 28–30 December 2026
Send a short booking request. Michael will confirm availability and suitability, explain the next steps and confirm your place following submission. No payment is taken through this form.
HIGHER MATHEMATICS · WINTER PRELIMS
Three live online mornings, with no more than six pupils.
28–30 December 2026 · 10.00 am–12.30 pm GMT · £245