Our story
The Tutor Bunker was founded by Vanessa, a Maths graduate, former teacher, and mother, who knows firsthand the struggles students can face, especially if they don’t enjoy a subject.
‘I’m Vanessa and I love the challenge of working with children who have a dislike for a particular subject and believe they don’t have a natural ability. Watching them realise they can do it, whether that’s Maths, English or Science, is so rewarding, especially when they go on to perform to their absolute potential in their exams.’
When her own daughter was struggling with Maths towards the end of primary school, Vanessa was determined to help. As a Maths graduate and single mum at the time, she knew the importance of good learning at an early stage and, with the support of her parents, engaged a tutor for her daughter in Year 6.
This then led her to train as a teacher and sparked her passion for working with children who were either scared or disinterested in learning.
Following her training and subsequent experience in secondary school teaching, Vanessa uncovered why the education system simply can’t support every child. The starting point of a broad primary curriculum, designed to get students through their SATs, followed by the need to study at a more in-depth level in secondary school isn’t a smooth learning journey. Students can easily become overwhelmed before their SATs, which introduces doubts around ability and when they then feel challenged by new learning at Key Stage 3, this becomes a barrier.
Tutoring is the perfect solution to help children regain confidence and find their feet with their core subjects which sets them up for success in their exams.
In the years since she started The Tutor Bunker, Vanessa has repeatedly experienced students going through the same journey as her daughter.
They emerge no longer afraid of the core subjects and can go on to flourish to their maximum potential.
It was this transformation that made Vanessa realise there was no need to wait for the final GCSE year before starting to tutor students that were struggling. Her teaching experience showed her how much firefighting was happening in Year 11 despite there being plenty of time for children to be coached and overcome challenges.
The Tutor Bunker is designed to focus on early intervention, supporting students from Year 1 onwards to build confidence, tackle learning blocks, and set the stage for long-term success.
Who we are and what we do
The Tutor Bunker is made up of a team of tutors, located all over the UK. Sessions take place online using Zoom and last one hour.
Students receive a personalised programme but, typically, there will be one small group session per week, per subject, or individual sessions tailored to the needs of the student. Time spent with a tutor is proven to be more focused than classroom learning and students learn at a faster rate.
We work hard to ensure that every learner works within a group that is tailored to their pace and needs, while any students who need extra support can make use of the one-to-one learning also available.
