Frequently Asked Questions

I am a traditional Catholic who studied Classics and English Literature at Cambridge University (Selwyn College) in the 70s. I am keen to assist home-schooling families and have been tutoring in such a vocational manner since 2006, having previously spent several years as an IT manager.

"Thank you so much for a fantastic term. The children and I have all really enjoyed your lessons. It is fantastic for me to have found someone who I can trust my children to. Your teaching is so clear and patient that even the younger ones are feeling very at home with the whole idea. I really do admire your patience!" (parent)

"In short you have been our lifesaver. I never thought I would or could take GCSEs, and you helped make it possible. Now I am able to move on in my life, go on to college and maybe onto university! I have also gained courage." (student)

"Just to say that we and our daughter are very happy with the excellent tuition you are giving her in Latin. We are very pleased with her progress." (parent)

"I just wanted to thank you so much for the wonderful French lessons you have been providing for our daughter. She has really been enjoying them and seems to be progressing very well. In fact her knowledge is at least equal to some of her peers who have been studying French for much longer." (parent)

"It is such a relief to have a genuinely Catholic education without the cost being a major deciding factor." (parent)

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for a fantastic term of lessons. You certainly remain our godsend." (parent)

Pupils use a PC with broadband access and a webcam to join our online classes at stated times throughout the week. They share their 45-50 minute lessons with pupils from other families whom they will be able to see and talk to online. The tutor's computer screen functions like a classroom whiteboard, making lessons very dynamic. We use a variety of applications within our classes, including Microsoft PowerPoint and calculator emulators.

Certain activities will be far easier for the children to accomplish if they can type. Get your children to touch-type early before bad habits set in, e.g. looking at the keyboard and using the wrong fingers. There are a lot free programs available, e.g. TypingClub.

Devotion to any aspect of Our Lord's Sacred Humanity is always praiseworthy, but devotion to Our Lord's Sacred Head must surely rank above any other, including that to the Most Sacred Heart Itself. Such at least was the revelation granted to a humble British schoolteacher named Teresa Helena Higginson (1844-1905). Here is her biography by Lady Anne Cecil Kerr.

In a time of global apostasy, when children are systematically diseducated by Our Lord's enemies, it seems appropriate to dedicate a Catholic educational apostolate to Our Lord's Most Sacred Head. For we are told that this is the Hearth of Eternal Clarities, the Sanctuary of Infinite Intelligence, and our Providence against Error. According to the twelve promises made to Teresa Higginson, blessed indeed are those who take this devotion to heart.

Few schools or colleges can be trusted with children nowadays. Modern 'education' is informed by the humanist conspiracy to remove God from society by brainwashing the young from their earliest years and subverting their intellect and morals. This subversion will be done subtly but remorselessly, enticing children to join a cultural proletariat of atheists, evolutionists, socialists, feminists, sexual deviants, etc, all itching to overthrow traditional Christian civilisation and assert their 'liberal' cultist values. Collaborating parents may see their children obtain academic qualifications, even degrees and doctorates, but (absent the grace of God) all of them will end up as politically-correct pseudo-intellectuals indoctrinated in moral relativism, in a word, useful idiots of the soft judeo-communism (aka globalism) pushed by the Bank of Satan, whose wickedness surpasses even that of the Synagogue of Satan.

Hence the absolute necessity for parents to keep their children away from these dysfunctional institutions and to home-educate. This is certainly a challenge, but the burden is considerably lighter when families network with one other and make use of online apostolates (such as this) which are unswervingly loyal to the teaching of Holy Church and refuse to countenance heresy, including that of pseudo-traditionalists who proclaim the novus ordo heresy that souls can be saved outside the Church.

All true Catholics are traditional. Those who describe themselves as liberal, progressive, ecumenical or free-thinking are simply not Catholic at all. However, the term traditional Catholic is claimed by three distinct groups, each adopting a widely different view of the powers occupying the Vatican since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958. These groups respectively regard the powers currently occupying the Vatican as:

Clearly these three positions are mutually contradictory. It follows, therefore, that only one of them can properly be termed traditional, the other two being pseudo-traditional. Now the true Catholic position ― that which genuinely holds to the Church's indefectibility, rejecting both heresy and schismatic disobedience ― is the third one. The first two positions not only violate established Catholic theological principles, they also aid and abet the apostasy by conferring credibility on the covert powers of freemasonry, the Harlot of the Apocalypse who impersonates Christ's Immaculate Bride in the Last Times.

Today, given the transparently heretical character of the Vatican II Sect under Antipope Francis, our school no longer views the fake traditionalists in groups (i) and (ii) as Catholic at all. For to accept Christ's heretical enemies as fellow Christians (no matter how begrudgingly) is effectively to condone their apostasy and to lend them all the credibility they need in the eyes of the world to undermine God's Church. No one is authorized to recognize as a fellow Catholic (let alone as pope) him who systematically preaches a false gospel and is therefore anathema (Ga 1.8-9). To do so constitutes a grave sin against the faith.

For further evidence of the sedes vacans position, visit the VaticanCatholic website and its associated Youtube channel. True Catholics will study these arguments prayerfully, undeterred by the toxic advice of pseudo-traditional clerics who made up their minds long ago that they would never accept the sedes vacans position, no matter how good the evidence was. For those interested in learning more, I would be very pleased to discuss such matters further with you. True Catholics discuss matters of religon openly and fearlessly, spurred on as they are by charity for souls, not by fear or human respect.

Between one and three per subject. Much depends (i) on the subject studied and (ii) the gap to be covered to attain your goals.

We have run GCSE Physics courses in the past, but due to time constraints that has not been possible recently. If your children are aiming to take this exam, be aware of the following unbiblical and unscientic errors that are systematically taught in modern Science text books:

No. So much of what passes for modern history today is nothing but Fake History, a propaganda narrative contrived to conceal the activities of a hidden moneyed cabal fanatically bent since the late 18th century on dismantling Christendom and imposing a worldwide antichristic, totalitarian government. Long-term exposure to this kind of academic propaganda is very difficult to unlearn, particularly for the uncourageous who dread ridicule. And ridicule there will be! For such is the punishment meted out to genuine historians who refuse to genuflect before historical myths so little evidence-based that they require to be be propped up by money and persecutory legislation.

Anne Carroll's Christ the King, Lord of History avoids many of these errors, but by no means all. Nonetheless, I know of no better general history textbook for children at this time.

For parents and older students Mike King's The Bad War (predictably banned on Amazon) and Planet Rothschild are useful introductions to understanding the hidden mainsprings of modern history.

A Christian classical education has at its heart the study of Latin and Ancient Greek, the two main subjects that Grammar Schools were historically founded to teach. Families who truly love Holy Church will wish to have their children educated in both subjects. Indeed, as regards Latin, the Church teaches that "ignorance of Latin in any layperson versed in literature indicates a certain feebleness in his love toward the Church." (Apostolic Letter Officiorum Omnium, 1922) But learning Latin is not enough, one needs also study Ancient Greek. This study of both classical languages is what the ancients called the doctrina duplex (twofold teaching). Just as birds cannot soar to the heavens on one wing alone, neither can we achieve the educational heights to which Heaven invites us by mastering Latin alone. Ancient Greek, the language of the greatest breakthroughs in rational thought prior to the time Christ and the language of the Sacred Scriptures themselves, is indispensable to a truly classical education.

Up to the 20th century, students would generally reach the equivalent of GCSE standard around 14 and seek to enter university around 16. This suggests that modern British education has inserted two fallow years into the syllabus. So aim to have your children take their GCSE exams at 14 or 15 if possible. However, don't be unduly concerned if children with learning difficulties or weak schooling aren't ready till 18 or 19.

I suggest pupils seek to to excel in a few GCSEs rather than to perform with mediocrity in many. By minimising the number of GCSEs taken, children should have time for more important studies like Christian doctrine, the Sacred Scriptures, and Church history. Strictly speaking, universities only require two 'good' GCSEs: Maths and English Language.

Latin and Greek are offered by the OCR board alone, so candidates must GCSE exams in these subjects. As for Maths, students may opt to sit either the GCSE or the IGCSE exams; there is little difference now in their level of challenge.

I recommend that home-schooled pupils not attempt the Foundation-tier exams, as these will limit their maximum grade to 5. Furthermore, attaining Foundation GCSEs as opposed to Higher GCSEs can work against the interests of students by positively advertising their academic shortcomings.

You will need to find an exam centre ― usually a local school ― for your children to sit their exams as private candidates. For OCR exams, consult the OCR webpage for private candidates. For Edexcel exams, click on the map to the left to find an exam centre if you live in the UK. But if you live in the Republic of Ireland, click on the map on the right instead.

For further information contact your Local Education Authority. They should be able to send you a list of accommodating schools. Remember that schools accept private exam candidates at their discretion. You will need to contact schools directly and give them precise details of the exam: subject, exam board, exam code, season (winter/summer), and whether your child requires "special arrangements", e.g. extra time for dyslexia. They may well levy an administration fee for their services. If you still cannot find a school to accommodate your children, consider a private exam centre.

Essays may be set for our classes in Latin and Greek. Ocasionally I review these within the class, but I do not mark essays outside of class. Essay-marking is a very time-consuming business, so I have to rely on the student's home-school to cover the basic requirements of writing English clearly and expressively. Students are strongly encouraged to read their essays back to themselves and to court active criticism from their family and friends.

I operate a specially discounted scheme based on the number of students on each course.

After five students, the charge reduces by 10p for each extra child until, with 15 students, a minimum charge of £1.00 per lesson is reached. This pricing structure is designed to encourage the sharing of classes.

Lessons are 45-50 minutes in length. Try-out lessons are sometimes offered for free.

Yes. Two children from the same family may either share the same computer screen or use an entirely separate computer. The second child is charged at half price, although he/she does not increase the overall pupil count on which each family's charge is based. In practice, this works out as follows:

Where more than two children share a screen, there is no extra charge for the third child onwards, and they are excluded from the student count on which fees are based.

Yes. Click the Statement link on the home page. To access your details, you'll first need to obtain your username and password from me.

The easiest method is by online banking. Once you've set me up as a payee using details below, you will be able to make online payments with ease. If you haven't made online bank transfers before, you may need to obtain a card-reader from you bank so that you can set me up as a new payee.

If you're transferring money from outside the UK, you may also need the following details:

Yes, but please note the following very carefully, otherwise you could lose money:

Caution! Do NOT click on the deceptively named Pay for goods or services button. This option relates solely to good and services not yet received, a fee being levied for PayPal's buyer protection service. Choose instead Send money to friends and family (another of Paypal's misleading phrases).

If you ignore this advice (and alas some do!), Paypal will deduct a sales-tax, thus reducing the value of your payment. You could try claiming your money back, but it may not be worth the effort.

If your fees are less than £100 per term, a single payment at the end of each term suffices. Otherwise a minimum of two payments per term (e.g. at half-term and end of term) would be appreciated.

Please note that I don't issue invoices, as I rely upon you to check your online statement periodically.

If your children miss a shared class for any reason, then, providing there is still a quorum, the class will proceed as usual, the same tuition fees will be levied plus a £1.50 surcharge for the video recording made for your children to watch using our CatchUp link. This avoids other families having to pay more to cover the costs of your children's non-attendance.

If there is not a quorum and insufficient notice has been given to me of your children's non-attendance, a non-attendance fee will be levied (sharable with other non-attending families) equal to the full value of the cancelled class.

You will need a personal computer (i.e. Windows PC or Linux PC or Apple Mac), a broadband Internet connection, a webcam, microphone, and speakers. Many webcams have inbuilt microphones, so it may not be necessary to purchase a separate microphone.

If just one child in your family is attending the class, it's best for them to use a headset with its own inbuilt microphone. This will give the highest quality sound both for the child individually and for the whole class, since it will eliminate all background noise and audio echo.

Caution. WiFi routers (as well as cordless phone transmitters and 'smart' meters) can be extremely detrimental to one's health. Their non-stop microwave emissions can cause a variety of neurological and learning disorders in growing children. Some parents home-school primarily to protect their children from the dangers of WiFi-irradiated schools. See www.parentsforsafetechnology.org. So if you have a WiFi router, you are strongly advised to disable its WiFi function and use its hard-wired connection instead. If that is not possible, keep several metres away from the router and turn it off when not in use, especially at night when the body is far more sensitive to microwave radiation. Don't join the ranks of the intentionally ignorant in this matter simply because you believe you haven't noticed any harmful effects yet. For further information, see this short video and read this article in the Daily Telegraph.

On a related note, say No also to the extemely dangerous 'smart' meters currently being installed by energy companies. Any genuinely responsible government would ban these devices. They fire off intense bursts of microwave radiation every few seconds, disrupting the body's cellular electrochemistry. They are propagated in the name of climate change - a total scam if ever there were one. Be aware that Britain is considered an international laughing-stock when it comes to protecting the health of its citizens against the hazards of EMF radiation.

The first time you link to one of our online classes, you will automatically be prompted to install the free Skype for Business web app. If you are using Internet Explorer rather than Chrome or Firefox, make sure it is the standard Destkop version you are using, not the touch-friendly Mobile version. You should see a screen like the following:

You can enter any guest name you like. It's nothing more than the name by which your children wish to be known during class, and it can be changed any time you acccess the class. That said, it's inadvisable to keep changing your guest name, as everyone time you do so, you will lose any settings you made when previously running the application.

Make sure that both check boxes are ticked: Remember me and Install Skype for Business Web App plug-in. Then click on Join the meeting. You will now be prompted to install the plug-in. Give it all the permissions it needs, including access to your microphone and webcam. You should then be taken directly into the meeting room.

No. Despite the similarity of name and interface, that's a different application and doesn't support our class requirements.

Is there anything I can do to improve audio-visual performance during classes?

Pupils	Charge
1	£7.00
2	£4.00
3	£3.00
4	£2.50
5	£2.00
6	£1.90

Others in Class	2+Sharing
0	£7.00
1	£5.00
2	£4.50
3	£3.75
4	£3.00
5	£2.85
6	£2.70
7	£2.55
8	£2.40
9	£2.25
10	£2.10