SPECIALIST TUITION
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British
Curriculum
One of the most respected and widely taught education systems in the world
At Witherow Brooke, we support students across every stage of the British curriculum, from Early Years to university and beyond. Our services include identifying and recruiting elite tutors for full-time homeschooling, academic support and travelling tuition roles, as well as online homeschooling with a bespoke timetable of subject specialist tutors, and flexible hourly tuition. For all full-time and intensive tuition roles Witherow Brooke also provides a unique level of oversight and support to both tutors and families, including quarterly reports where progress is tracked against academic goals as well as strategy for future educational ambitions.
The British system is distinguished by progressive specialisation. A child studies broadly until sixteen, narrows to three or four subjects at A Level, and then traditionally reads a single discipline at university. The system is structured around external assessment, with entrance examinations, most notably the 11+, GCSEs and A Levels marking clear points at which a student's standing is established and their options either widen or narrow.
It is taught not only throughout the United Kingdom but in British international schools across every continent, which makes it a natural choice for internationally mobile families seeking continuity of education. Our tutors work with students following the British curriculum wherever they are in the world, including those educated at home, and with families moving into the system from elsewhere.
The British educational pathway
The pathway below sets out the stages a student passes through, and the assessments that punctuate them. Not every student takes every route: entrance examinations apply to those seeking places at selective independent and grammar schools, and the timing of some assessments varies between schools.
Early Years and Key Stage 1
Reception to Year 2, ages 4–7
Children begin in Reception, and formal Key Stage 1 study runs across Years 1 and 2. The aims are core literacy and numeracy, alongside the habits of concentration, curiosity and persistence that everything later depends upon. The statutory Phonics Screening Check falls in Year 1, and end-of-key-stage assessments have been optional for schools since 2023.
The 7+ and 8+
Entry to Years 3 and 4
Selective preparatory and junior schools assess candidates for entry at seven and eight. Papers cover English and mathematics, often with reasoning, an interview or an observed group activity. Places at 8+ are frequently fewer than at 7+, since schools may be filling gaps in an existing year group.
Key Stage 2
Years 3 to 6, ages 7–11
The longest key stage, and the one in which the gap between children of similar ability tends to open most widely. From Year 3 a child stops learning to read and begins reading to learn. The Multiplication Tables Check falls in Year 4, and statutory Key Stage 2 tests in reading, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling fall at the end of Year 6.
The 11+
Entry to Year 7
Grammar schools and selective independent senior schools assess candidates in the autumn of Year 6, typically in English, mathematics and verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Papers test material a school will often not have finished teaching, so candidates are working roughly a year ahead of their class.
The 13+ and Common Entrance
Entry to Year 9
For students entering senior school at thirteen, the ISEB Common Pre-Test is generally sat in Year 6 or early Year 7, with Common Entrance or a school's own papers in Year 8. Academic scholarship examinations require work well beyond the standard syllabus. The selection decision is therefore effectively taken in Year 6, which families often do not anticipate.
13+ and Common Entrance Tuition →
Key Stage 3
Years 7 to 9, ages 11–14
The transition to secondary school where subject specialisation begins. Algebra becomes the language of mathematics, the sciences separate, and languages move into grammar proper. It is the only key stage without statutory external assessment, which makes drift easy to miss. GCSE subjects are usually chosen in Year 9.
GCSEs & iGCSEs
Years 10 and 11, ages 14–16
Students typically take between eight and eleven subjects, graded from 9 to 1, with examinations at the end of Year 11. Results determine A Level options, are seen by universities alongside a student's application, and in mathematics and English are required by many courses regardless of later qualifications.
A Levels
Years 12 and 13, ages 16–18
Students narrow to three or four subjects studied in depth over two years, or follow the International Baccalaureate where a school offers it. Subject choice at this point determines which university courses are open, and predicted grades form the basis of university offers.
A Level Tuition → | IB Tuition →
University admissions & Beyond
Applications are made through UCAS to a maximum of five courses, with an October deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, and a later deadline for other courses. Admissions tests and interviews apply to the most competitive courses, and UK admissions are almost entirely academic and subject-specific.
UK university admissions → | University and adult learning →
The services we offer
We invest time and care into finding the right tutor, both in terms of teaching expertise and the right personality fit to form a strong rapport with the student. Through a rigorous recruitment process and in-depth consultation, we identify educators who are not only academically outstanding but also a natural fit for your family's values, rhythm, and aspirations. We believe a tutor should educate, inspire and mentor their students.
Elite Homeschooling places a full-time, in-person educator who delivers the curriculum in its entirety, whether for a family educating outside a school system by choice, one living somewhere without a suitable British school, or one whose circumstances make conventional schooling impractical. At primary level a single tutor can teach the whole curriculum; at GCSE and A Level a primary tutor can be supported by subject specialists. We provide a comprehensive educational recruitment service to find the best educator for your family, and provide support and consultancy to both tutor and family over the entire engagement.
Unlike our Homeschooling service, which provides a full-time, in-home educator for comprehensive homeschooling, our Academic Support service is designed to complement your child’s school education with personalised, one-on-one tutoring tailored to their specific academic needs. We conduct a global search to identify top-tier educators, involving headhunting, tapping into our vast network, and advertising on specialised educational platforms. Each educator undergoes a thorough recruitment process, including interviews with our directors, Roland and William, sample lessons, academic background checks, reference collection, and extensive background screenings.
Travelling Tuition places a tutor who accompanies a family, maintaining continuity of education through relocation, extended travel or a competitive sporting or performing schedule. For families following the British curriculum abroad, this ensures a child stays on track wherever they are.
Online Homeschooling offers a complete timetable of online subject specialist tutors, with Witherow Brooke coordinating the programme, tracking progress across subjects, and ensuring the curriculum remains coherent and on schedule.
Hourly Tuition offers targeted support without a long-term commitment, whether that is regular weekly sessions in a single subject, concentrated preparation before an entrance assessment or examination series, or support with a specific area of difficulty. It is available online worldwide and in person in London and Dubai.
SEN Tuition is available at every stage of the curriculum. We identify tutors who combine specialist subject expertise with experience of supporting neurodivergent students and those with specific learning difficulties, working alongside whatever provision a school already has in place.
Alongside every engagement, founders Roland and William provide educational consultancy, including advice on school choice, entrance examination strategy, subject selection at GCSE and A Level, and university admissions.
Our immersive process
For full time positions, how we facilitate and oversee the highest-quality tutoring for your child.
Our goal is to ensure each child transitions confidently, whether into a higher level of education,
a new school, an alternative curriculum, or more advanced tuition.
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Directors Roland & William provide an overview of our Elite Homeschooling service
International families and the British curriculum
The British curriculum is taught in British international schools worldwide, and is among the most portable systems available to families who relocate. It is also widely chosen by families outside the UK who intend their children to apply to British universities, or who value the depth that early specialisation allows.
We work with families in over thirty countries, supporting students following the British curriculum abroad, students moving into it from another system, and students preparing to enter a UK school from overseas. Our tutors bridge the differences between systems, identify and address gaps created by a change of curriculum, and prepare students for entrance assessments and interviews conducted to British conventions. Where a family travels or relocates frequently, a travelling tutor can maintain continuity of education throughout.
Contact us today to discuss support for your child wherever you are in the world.
K, (THE MOTHER)
“We were delighted to find your service, enabling us to travel to the places we want to whilst keeping up with B’s [the student] education. He really looked forward to his lessons with H [the tutor], and even today they are in touch.”
MEET ONE OF OUR TUTORS
Rachel Kitts
Tutor of English
Rachel studied English Language and Literature at Cambridge University, and specialises in teaching English literary classics, including novels, plays, poetry and children’s literature. Rachel is particularly adept at discussing themes in literature and relating them to her students’ individual contexts, encouraging them to become invested in their set texts and fostering a love of literature in general. A meticulous planner, Rachel uses extensive resources in her teaching, which she combines with a kind and relatable teaching personality, setting her students at ease from the very beginning.
FAQs
How does the British curriculum compare with the American system? The essential difference is specialisation. British students study broadly to sixteen, then narrow sharply to three or four A Level subjects and a single-subject degree. American students maintain breadth into college through general education requirements, and often declare a major only in their second year. Neither is superior, but they suit different students, and the choice has consequences: a student who knows what they want to study benefits from British depth, while one whose interests are still forming may be better served by American breadth. We advise families on this, and work with students in both systems.
Can our child follow the British curriculum while living abroad? Yes, and many families do. British international schools operate worldwide, and students can also be taught the curriculum at home, sitting GCSEs and A Levels as private candidates at approved centres. A full-time or travelling tutor allows a family to maintain continuity of British education regardless of where they are living or how often they move.
When are the key decision points? Four matter most. Entrance assessments at 7+, 8+, 11+ or 13+ determine which schools are open. GCSE subject choices, made in Year 9, shape A Level options. A Level subject choices, made in Year 11, determine which university courses are available. And the UCAS application, submitted in Year 13, rests on everything preceding it. Each of these is best approached from a position of strength across the board, which is a matter of consistent teaching rather than late deliberation.
Is the British curriculum recognised by universities outside the UK? Widely, yes. A Levels are accepted by universities across the world, including in the United States, where they are frequently awarded advanced standing or credit in the same manner as Advanced Placement examinations. Students applying to American universities from a British curriculum will generally also need SAT or ACT scores, and we advise on how a British record is likely to be read by American admissions committees.
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