About A* Tutoring

Hi, my name's Abdul. My passion is motivating our future generation to become academic achievers. What's more, I believe in offering the best value for you and your child. How can I say this?

Because I struggled in education, pulled through and succeeded. As I have children I also understand your child's concerns, as a pupil, trying to balance school and home life also I understand your concerns as a parent looking to do the best for your loved ones.

So read my life story and rest assured that both you and your child will always be my main concern as you embark on a journey with AStar towards success.

Abdul's Story

In my case, I found school tough going. I lacked confidence and was told I would not get good marks.

School was a daily battle. I struggled with algebra and comprehension and wanted someone to explain to me why chemicals reacted in the way they did! The teachers were so busy with marking and other work, they hardly got the chance to sit and explain on an individual basis.

I had always wanted to go into accountancy but realised I could do more as a teacher. The more problems I faced as a student, the more I wanted to become a teacher! But no ordinary one! I thought to myself, "I'll be a teacher who makes a difference or I'll not be a teacher at all, accountancy will do!"

When I did qualify to teach, I realised how tough it was. "Anyone could be a teacher" I thought but it takes someone special to be an exceptional teacher! And I was not going to settle for anything less than the best!

With this motivation, I held my own in some of the toughest schools in inner London and Birmingham. These schools had it all: bullying, racism, graffiti, drugs, teenage pregnancies, the lot!

With every day, I grew stronger. The things that affected me six months ago, would sound like a compliment now! And so I marched on...! And as if school wasn't enough, I would personally visit my students' houses to make sure they were doing the work required. Some parents suggested I teach them at home and so I did, working around the clock.

There was time I went door to door with just a black bag and a tattered umbrella. In the run down streets of Birmingham, I would battle the winter weather to teach kids to improve their marks. I would motivate them. I would tell them my own stories of tough times with my teachers and the schooling I had to go through.

It was a hard time but a successful time. The flowers have long withered away, but I still have the cards in my house and the memories of smiling faces etched in my mind...

But then I had to return to Stoke because of my parents' ill health. With my experience, I easily found a job at a local school.

The teaching I did here was a doddle compared to the schools further south! I would silence a class of 30 rowdy children with the click of a finger. They knew they would have to focus and work hard with me. The trouble makers dreaded me but the kids who wanted to do well loved me and from this I gained real satisfaction. This is what I had struggled for so long for!

I soon realised that I was the missing link between a child achieving a higher grade and the school's prediction. So much so that in a short space of time, I was getting children to the highest grade possible.

A Star is Born

Whenever I would ask a child "What grades do you want to get?" they would say "A Star!"

And this is what I would work with them to get. Even for a child who was on a D towards a C would think they got an A Star when they got the C they were looking for!

As had happened in Birmingham, I knew I had to give more time to children outside of school. Parents were asking me, pleading with me to help their child. I could not refuse their pleas for help and started going door to door but found that I lacked the resources in houses of clients. I also realised some parents would get chatting and time would fly and the child was not getting maximum support.

It was then that I thought of an environment where a child could focus, have all resources to hand, be with other children whose aim was the same - to get top marks. I had to have a class of my own! This is exactly what I got at Liverpool Road, the first ever premises of A Star.

However, it was one small room, dark and run down. There were cobwebs everywhere. For a moment, I wanted to give up! However, I realised this was far too important and I had come such a long way now, to turn back would be cowardly. So I got to paint it with my own hands, cleaned it out (pigeon droppings et al!) and got a second hand desk from a friend of mine. I borrowed the first few chairs, thinking I may not need them for long! How wrong I was!

I was on my own, teaching and managing part time. With popularity, I found it impossible to teach at school and in this room as well. The work was too much to cope, so I left my teaching job to focus on this. Soon, it was obvious I needed another person to help me out. So I approached a teacher who was highly skilled...

There was so much demand that I wanted to move to bigger premises. However, I learned from my landlord that adjacent rooms in the same building were being vacated! I jumped on the chance and we moved in, now we had three rooms instead of one and there was even a small office! We could put our till in that!

So with the help of great staff, we have remained consistent and have exceeded expectations year in year out.

In the past we found that parents who came to the learning centre for the first time were anxious about sending their child to a completely new environment. Now, new parents are not as nervous because it gives them great peace of mind. Here are the reasons why:

Externally Monitored by Independent Organisation
Strict Health and Safety Regulations in place
Educational Quality has to remain consistent
Exam Preparation Resources always updated
Friendly CRB Checked Tutors

From Humble Beginnings...

The new premises on the A34 is a far cry from Liverpool Road in Stoke. But no mansion can take the place of that small building. That was where the dream became a reality. It was where we laid the foundations of a big future. A future of improvement and innovation; a future of always moving forward; a future in which every child of every parent matters.

Now we can help more parents, provide the latest technology for their children to succeed. But it remains a very hands-on approach and we still know parents on a personal basis and this is something that we pride ourselves in.

That compact and cosy building has made us what we are. Just to think that a child I taught myself in that same building is now teaching children in our new learning centre! Success is going from one generation to another!

A parent of the child I taught not just became my friend but a business partner as well. Mohammed's son (who I personally taught) tells me he could never have gone to uni if he had not got the grades he got!

Some of the tutors who are still with us made their mark in those premises and are still with us. Their ideas and input are indispensible, just as the feedback and help of parents and children has been indispensible.

The colours on the walls, the copiers, desktops, laptops, in fact the whole environment would not have been looking as good as it is if it wasn't for the helpful feedback of parents, children and the tutors. So thank you, each and every one!

Together, we have grown and together we have succeeded. We owe so much to so many and would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one past and present who has attended A Star and helped to make us what we are!

Values

We all have values and these are based on our belief systems and the upbringing we have had since childhood. These are also dependent on our personal life experiences.

Both of us have been lucky enough to have had great cohesive families to rely on for good guidance and upbringing.

We hope to use these experiences and family upbringing to the best use.

We promise we will treat your child as if that child is one of our own children. We promise not to discriminate between any children, regardless of colour, race, religion or background. We also promise not to discriminate between males and females.

Education is Life, Life is Education

We believe education is a holistic process. You will surely have heard the phrase "well rounded education". What this in effect means is that a child who is lucky enough to have this is more than a graduate with a degree.

If you've seen the film 'The Wizard of Oz', you'll know exactly what we mean. The scarecrow without a brain, the tin-man without a heart, the lion lacking in courage; there is no magic formula!

It's all about confidence and motivation. Lot of children these days lack this confidence because they are under pressure to perform. We have to help them to think that everyone can achieve. What's stopping us?

Being well rounded in education means a child will have some or all of the following skill sets and be able to:

communicate politely and effectively
be good mannered and well spoken
take part in games and sport
have an awareness of issues on a national as well as an international level
have a good understanding of the current social situation around him/her
have a good understanding of the current social situation around him/her
have a sense of belonging to her/his area of residence
have respect for other people
be able to engage in debate
be aware of environmental change
be willing to participate in activities to make a change
not be a defeatist but a 'battler'
have morals, scruples, honesty and integrity
be brave when seeing something wrong and challenge that wrong in an honourable way

There is no 'perfect' child

Some people have perceptions of perfection, for example thinking only the highest grade will do!

Some children actually feel that because they are going to a tuition centre, other people might think there is something wrong with their learning!

Our tutors take every care to dispel these notions early and nip them in the bud before the child develops an inferiority complex mentality.

Everyone is an A Star!

As you know A Star is a grade given by examiners that is the highest possible. When we thought of a name, we thought of this. But our intention was not to make children think that anything less is unacceptable.

On the contrary, every child, just like every adult, does her or his best. That is all we can do. As the Americans say "If the best 'aint good enough...!"

What matters is that every child does what it takes to be the best. In doing so, they can't miss out on the precious moments with family and friends and enjoy life as well!

Academic education is one part of their whole learning process. We at A Star feel that we have this well and truly covered.

What remains for you as parents is to make sure you take care of their remaining education.

Because it's no use qualifying to be a doctor and not respecting people. And your child will never be great at their profession if s/he feels it a chore rather than a passion.

A Star is the best that one can achieve. Every child is unique. So if one child is on a D and achieves a B then that achievement is their A Star! It is their best performance. That child has every right to feel that they have achieved an A Star!

This is what A Star as a company is all about. Getting the best out of young minds is what A Star is all about and this is how A Star was born.