In this episode of Wisdom Whispers, we explore how tailored online tutoring is transforming student success. Host Aston Abie from Gateway 97.8 FM is joined by Kevin Ramchurn, Mathematics Tutor and Managing Director at Suited Tutor, and Sidra Mansoor, a student with big dreams of studying medicine.

Together, they discuss the power of one-to-one tutoring, how it combats the challenges of large class sizes, and why personalised learning support leads to better academic outcomes. Sidra shares her inspiring journey—from struggling with science topics to becoming confident and exam-ready—with the help of expert tutors.

Kevin also sheds light on how Suited Tutor supports students with mental health issues, ADHD, and those living in remote or disadvantaged areas. Learn how flexible online tutoring can break down complex concepts, reduce stress, and help students thrive—no matter their background.

Tune in for real results, real stories, and proven strategies that redefine modern education.

Host: Daytime with Aston Abie. As education adapts to the needs of today's students, one-to-one tutoring is becoming an essential solution. Larger class sizes and rising mental health concerns, this flexible approach offers personalized supports that help students manage academic pressures. Now, studies show that students receiving one-to-one tutoring see significant improvements in performance, including a big boost in attainment compared to traditional classroom settings. And joining me right now to discuss about one-to-one tutoring, I'm joined by a mathematics tutor and managing director at Suited Tutor, Kevin Ramchun, and also Sidra Mansoor, a student who has a personal tutor for some of the subjects there. So, Sidra, Kevin, welcome you both to Gateway today.

Sidra: Hello, thanks so much.

Host: Great to have you on, Kevin. Great to have you on, Sidra, of course, there. Kevin, I'm going to come to you first here. This research from yourselves at Suited Tutor has found that large class sizes here as well, but how do large class sizes affect student learning and how can one-to-one tutoring actually help those here?

Kevin: Well, that's a good question, Aston. Regarding the class sizes, we had recent research, actually part of last year, about how the effect of school size and class size on school properties affects the students' outcomes. So having smaller classes actually allow the teachers to tailor the classes a bit more and also increase the level of engagement between the students and the teacher themselves. And it has helped with a bit of managing discipline as well, by trying to put different students in different groups and making sure that they're positioned in the right way to actually be able to engage more with the content. Also, this research is not just based on one school, it's based over 21,000 schools across 80 countries. So having from 30 students just to 26 has reduced the workload of the teachers and tried to give more effective feedback towards the students themselves. And then we looked at how one-to-one tutoring does help outside the school and it showed that 2.5, it shows that the grades boost about 2.5 more times than regular students that do traditional classroom settings. So it does show that you will improve your results when you do tutoring and it does boost your confidence in terms of what you already know and recapture knowledge.

Host: So Sidra, coming over to you here now, how do you think one-to-one tutoring helps you learn better here as well?

Sidra: Thank you. So I truly believe that one-to-one tutoring with Suited Tutor has completely changed the way I learn. I believe that the personalised support that I receive means everything is tailored to how I understand things best, which makes even the most complex topics feel manageable. And this is a very amazing skill for me to have because I am wanting to study medicine, hopefully in the future, and I really appreciate how the tutors focus on building a strong foundation and pushing me to think deeper. It's a lot more focused than classroom learning, I do believe, as I'm able to ask as many questions as I need without feeling rushed. And I believe that that's very helpful in terms of understanding the concepts and the content that we have during year levels, because I am studying biology and chemistry and my tutors from Suited Tutor have helped me massively with these subjects. And I believe that me, how I'm learning right now, that's because of how I'm being tutored. And I think that's the best way forward.

Host: So, Kevin, coming back to you here, can you explain about what makes online tutoring an effective solution even for flexible learning here?

Kevin: This one, online tutoring is very effective in terms of two things, time management and having tailored lessons. With time management, we can have the parents choose a certain time that works for them best and making sure that they're not rushed into the next lesson and the next lesson. Because I know for a fact that there's some parents who do more than just one subject in tutoring, they do multiple. And if they have to travel to different locations for each subject, it does waste time in terms of travel. and it does waste time in terms of what else they can do using that time. Because remember, they're coming from school and then they're just starting to do tutoring straight away and they just need a little bit more time to cool down everything. Also, regarding online tutoring, it does help with not being restricted by what tutors are available to you. So, for example, because I'm in London, I can easily teach any students across the UK in areas like Bradford or areas in Birmingham or Manchester or Oxford and it has made a significant improvement and also having the online tutoring it does make sure that I can have multiple subjects in different times and try to do more things than I usually could.

Host: So Sidra, coming back to you here, is there anything you enjoy most about online tutoring here? If so, what do you enjoy most about online tutoring?

Sidra: Yes, definitely. So what I enjoy most about online tutoring with Suited Tutors is the convenience and the quality of teaching I receive. I can learn from the comfort of my own home, but still get top level guidance. And these sessions are really engaging. I make sure to make sure I stay on track with my goals. And I love that every lesson feels productive and that we can use interactive tools and resources to break things down. It's honestly made studying feel a lot more enjoyable and efficient, especially as I work towards a competitive course like medicine.

Host: Now, coming back to you here, Kevin, as well, how does personalised tutoring support students, especially with what I'm going to be discussing here now, mental health challenges or even ADHD, which are big topics, of course?

Kevin: It is quite a big topic. I mean in the last 12 months we have more than half the parents stating they have a child suffering from mental health. and also like a quarter of them are just missing from school because they're not feeling comfortable with themselves to go to school. And having online tutoring, it does support that a lot because they are in the comfort of their own home and they can actually reduce their stress level because they're not afraid of speaking their mind. Because as a one-to-one, we do try to do more engagement and try and find out what is it that they're missing in terms of knowledge and then try to adapt it based on their own mental health. So also we don't just look at mental health, we look at their special needs as well. So like one of the things is like ADHD and with ADHD we try to train our own tutors to make sure they can handle with the students who have those learning difficulties. So, we try to make the tutors aware of what they need to do to make sure they can get the students fully engaged with the lesson. So, for example, they need to have like really short activities, making sure they have a time to reflect on what they just learned and making sure that the questions are much easily accessible to that one person.

Host: So Sidra, coming back to you here, have you noticed any improvements in your own grades here since starting tutoring, especially online one?

Sidra: Yes, definitely. Since starting with suited tutors, both my grades and my confidence have improved massively. I used to second guess myself a lot, especially with tricky science questions, but now I actually feel prepared and in control. I've seen real progress in my test scores, and more importantly, I feel much more confident tackling exam-style questions. And the encouragement and clear feedback from my tutor have made a huge difference, and it's really motivating knowing I'm getting closer to my dream of studying medicine. And I really believe that with a tutor on hand, I can accomplish these goals.

Host:  So Kevin, coming back to you here, how can online tutoring help students in remote or even disadvantaged areas here?

Kevin: Yeah, like I said earlier, there are some students in really, really disadvantaged areas like Knowsley, Blackpool or Bradford, and we make sure that our services are available to them just by having just internet because as a tutor we do provide as much as we can so we try to get visualisers, we try to get a little software that could work for our clients to make sure they can get the best lessons they can get out of us and Because obviously we have different tutors across the UK, so in terms of we have some tutors in London, Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, these students who are in the disadvantaged area, they can always get the best tutors from these key areas. and these people that are in these key areas are specialised in their subject. So they should be getting the best out of our company or any tutoring.

Host: So Sidra, coming back to you here, how does tutoring actually help you with topics that you actually struggle with here as well?

Sidra: Yes, so before I'd feel quite overwhelmed by difficult topics, but now with the support of Suited Tutors, I approach them much more strategically. My tutor breaks down things into simpler steps and helps me tackle problems from different angles until it clicks. It's reassuring knowing I'm not on my own with challenging content, especially when I'm preparing for important exams. Having that one-to-one support has taught me how to stay calm, ask the right questions, and really understand the subject, not just memorie it. And I believe that really helps with enjoying the content and the subject whilst learning.

Host: So, Kevin, if our listeners want to find out more about Suited Tutor and want to find out more information about what we've been discussing today as regards to online tutoring here, is there anywhere our listeners can find out more?

Kevin: Yeah, you can go on our website called suitedtutor.com. You can get a lot of information regarding what type of tutors we have, what courses we offer. If you're not too sure about the information we already provide on the website, you can always message us or call us. We do have a number available on our website and if you have any questions, we are always responding as soon as possible and you will get the best content from us.

Host: So Kevin Ramchurn, Mathematics Tutor and Managing Director at Suited Tutor and student Sidra Mansoor, thank you both for joining me on Gateway 97.8 today to discuss about online tutoring but also one-to-one tutoring that could help us help people down the line in regards to their grades, etc.

Kevin + Sidra: Thank you so much.