Admissions

Only three years ago, Greg Pallis was in charge of setting the Mathematics entrance examination for London’s most academically selective prep school. He was also entrusted with marking the English papers – a very unusual combination that has provided him with unique insight into what schools are looking for. Greg strives constantly to stay on top of the latest developments in the admissions process, tracking the spread of computerised testing and curating a personal library of more than two hundred past papers. Working with pupils at all levels of ability, he has a success rate second to none – his tutees have won admission to almost every good school in the South of England. Many have even won scholarships – to Eton, St Paul’s, Westminster, Wycombe Abbey and many more.

Mathematics

Teaching Mathematics is Greg’s passion. As a classroom teacher, Greg has written entrance examinations, set syllabi and, most importantly, helped hundreds of young mathematicians to share his love for the subject. The parent of a former pupil once remarked that if education were about starting a fire, he was dealing with a pyromaniac – no child deserves less!
As a one-to-one tutor, Greg Pallis has worked with young mathematicians aged from six to eighteen, covering everything from the five times table to Cambridge mock-interviews. He focuses on giving his students a firm understanding of the fundamentals – restoring confidence and giving his pupils the tools to master the subject. So many children miss out on a few key concepts early in their mathematical education, and thereafter believe themselves hopeless at the subject – once these gaps are filled in, they suddenly find that it all makes sense. There’s nothing better than to be part of these transformations – to see the light coming on, brighter and brighter every single week.

English

As a life-long lover of literature, with a first-class Oxford degree in the subject, Greg’s knowledge of literary history and technique enables him to teach this subject at the highest levels. Despite this academic grounding, however, Greg’s English lessons are thoroughly practical in nature, laser-focused on the examinations that his pupils will be sitting. For many students, the ‘rules’ of English remain mysterious – teachers often struggle to explain why one piece of writing is considered ‘childish’ while another is good, or why one comprehension answer scored full marks while another is only worth three out of five. Greg’s analytic approach, founded on his time in the marking-room, is focused on teaching pupils the answers to these crucial questions.

Special Educational Needs

No two pupils are the same, and not every pupil benefits from being taught in the same way. Greg worked for two years teaching at a Special Educational Needs boarding school; he has extensive experience and training relating to Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and related conditions. He firmly believes that S.E.N. pupils can, and should, attain the very highest grades.

Latin

Unfortunately rather a rare request, Greg offers Latin up to Common Entrance level. Rather like Mathematics, many students find themselves left behind in this subject, as teachers often press onwards with new material at a rapid rate. This can leave pupils adrift, lacking the basic skills that are required to understand these more advanced concepts. Rather like Mathematics, however, this means that pupils, once re-equipped with these fundamental tools of the language, tend to do rather well. Indeed, no pupil of Greg’s has ever achieved a C.E. grade lower than an ‘A’.