Private tuition in English, History, Philosophy, and Critical Thinking, with a focus on Public School scholarship success. Please be in touch to discuss your needs, and availability.
Specialist preparation for scholarship examinations at major British public schools, including Westminster, Winchester, Eton, and Harrow. This is my primary specialism, and my results speak for themselves.
Classes are held online and are booked through Apollo Education. They run during the school holidays, daily or near-daily, and during term time on Sundays, every week. To book a place, please contact Jing Chen: j.chen@apollo-education.com. Individual sessions are arranged with me directly.
£120 per hour · online, or in person in London Book
For students whose intellectual curiosity goes beyond the classroom, I offer ongoing one-to-one mentorship in the tradition of the private tutor: a sustained programme of reading, conversation, and guided inquiry across literature, history, philosophy, and theology.
The aim is not to prepare for any particular exam, but to cultivate the habits of serious thought – the kind of thing that was once considered essential for any able young mind, and that schools, however good, are rarely structured to provide.
Programmes are designed around the individual student, and typically run alongside their regular schooling.
By way of example, I am currently teaching a course of study to one exceptional, long-term pupil, presently in Year 9, in the history, literature, philosophy and theology of the British Isles (and its European and, sometimes, its global context). Her mother asked me to teach her all that I could about the cultural and intellectual history of these islands, that she might be prepared for her future.
We began with the first substantial written record – Caesar’s account of his invasion in the Commentarii de Bello Gallico – and have worked forward from there. After roughly a year of lessons we are about to embark upon the eighteenth century, having covered, among much else: post-Roman Anglo-Saxon poetry; the Viking invasions and the founding of England; the tradition of courtly verse in Mediaeval Scots; Chaucer; Arthurian legend; the Renaissance in its various forms; early-modern drama; the Reformation and the civil wars, from both political and theological perspectives; and Milton, Hobbes and the crisis of free speech.
Tuition for students applying to Oxford and Cambridge, covering subject knowledge, essay technique, personal statement writing, and interview preparation. I have successfully supported students into Christ Church, Oxford (where I was, myself, an undergraduate), and Keble College, Oxford, among others.
Preparing younger students for school interviews with focused practice in clear thinking, intelligent spoken responses, and intellectual confidence.
Support with personal statements for UK university applications, with particular expertise in Oxbridge. I also guide students preparing submissions for competitive essay prizes, including the John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Prize.
I am a published poet and I offer specialist tuition in creative writing, both for examinations and for students who want to develop their own creative abilities.
Sam Quill writes with rare elegance and grace.
— The Poetry Book Society
Sam Quill [has] 14 sonnets that are quite remarkable.
— Ian McMillan, BBC Radio 4’s The Verb
I am happy to design courses to suit individual needs and interests; please do be in touch and we can discuss your and your child’s best options.