Our red bird alumni
We are incredibly proud of all our students and wanted to share some stories from some of our recent Red Bird graduates and catch up on what they’ve gone on to do next.
Oli Suckling
Who are you?
I’m Oli! My family live in Cambridgeshire and I went to school and sixth form here. I worked with Red Bird Tutoring a few years ago when I needed A-level support in Chemistry, Biology and studying techniques.
What have you been up to?
Having worked wiith Red Bird through A-levels, I ended up getting the grades I needed to get into my first choice Uni, which was a massive big tick in the box and a celebration!
I liked Plymouth, and I’ve enjoyed Uni more knowing that it’s where I wanted to be, and that’s really helped in terms of motivating me.
Where are you now?
I just finished my second year of my Zoology degree down in Plymouth. I’m back to go on my placement year in South Africa, which is very exciting. I’m looking forward to it. And, yeah, I hope to end up post Uni working in the conservation field or ecotourism.
How did we impact you?
Working with you guys, it got me the grades. I needed it. The school had a very handy graph that tracked. your effort grades and your academic grades. It showed how they fluctuated over the years, and it was trickling along quite badly down the bottom end, and then just arched straight up at the time I worked with you! Certainly for Chemistry – it was the case of two grade boundaries up by the time I sat my A-levels.
Did we impact you in any other ways?
Every time I knew I had a topic test, knowing that I’d spent the session earlier in the week studying for that specifically, getting that extra help on it and answering questions about it, was massively helpful in terms of confidence going into it. I’ve never been someone that’s tested well, but the extra confidence it gave me, knowing that I’d have that support, focussed on that specific topic, allowed me to go into tests with more confidence.
Haris Althsine
Who are you?
This is Haris. He worked on his English and Maths GCSEs with us at the Dunstable Centre. Haris wisely started his journey with us in Y10, as soon as our Year 11s had finished, and so had a full year of extra study before his exams. Haris is an excellent hockey player and has his sights set on becoming a professional player. In the meantime, he is keeping all doors open by studying hard!
WHat have you been up to?
I spent the summer reflecting and recharging! I spent a lot of time training during the summer to get my fitness to its best level ready to go to college. I’ve made sure that I am doing as much ice hockey as possible to fit around my studies, so am back to two nights a week practice and weekend matches.
Where are you now?
I have started at Oaklands College in St Albans. Originally I had joined the plumbing course, but I quickly realised it wasn’t the right path for me, so I changed courses to the Uniform Protective Services BTECH course and I love it! It’s great for my fitness and it means that I could go to Uni in a few years time. I also play on the Oaklands hockey team which supports my fitness.
How did we impact you?
I did really well in my GCSEs, getting a 5 in both Maths and English Language and was a few marks off an 8 in English Literature! I used to think that I was stupid and inferior due to my dyslexia, but I began to relax in myself during my time with you and was much happier in myself. I’m so proud of what I achieved. I used to think if I got high grades it was just lucky, but working with you made me see it wasn’t luck at all!
Did we impact you in any other ways?
Red Bird helped me to see that I wasn’t stupid at all and I started to believe in myself. It’s helped me in my personal life too. I’m really happy with who I am and confident in my relationships with others. I’m really loving my new course and the possibility that it could lead to leadership roles in the future.
Jess Moore
Who are you?
This is Jess who joined us in Year 10 to support her Maths and Science. She worked online with our specialist tutors right through to her GCSE exams. She is Bedfordshire-based and has her sights set on University.
What have you been up to?
Firstly, I got the grades I needed to get into the Sixth Form college that I wanted to. We spent the summer travelling after all the hard work preparing for GCSEs. My brothers also had their GCSEs, s my parents wanted us to recharge and enjoy the summer!
Where are you now?
After getting the GCSE grades I needed, I went to Kimberley Sixth Form College to study Literature, History and Psychology. I’m loving college and feel like it is preparing me for the step to University.
How did we impact you?
When I opened my results, I thought that my Maths result was a mistake and I’d been given the wrong results – I couldn’t believe it! It was a massive confidence boost for me and showed that I could achieve great things even in subjects that aren’t my strongest.
Did we impact you in any other ways?
I think the biggest thing for me is that I struck up a great relationship with my tutors and this meant that I got the very best out of my time. I learned to ask questions and to talk online which was great for my confidence in talking to people. It helped me prepare for Kimberley and I am able to take that confidence with me into the future.
Keira Brown
Who are you?
Keira is a former Saturday group student. She joined us at the end of Year 9 to support her English and Maths, and later Science, partly funded by her school.
She passed her GCSE’s and went on to smash her A-levels and is now at Reading University.
What have you been up to?
Firstly, I got the grades I needed to get into the Sixth Form at school, which was really great for me as I knew the staff and the school.
I studied A-Level English, Law and Psychology, leaving with A, B, B which I was super pleased with. And I also worked at the cafe at Ashridge which was great to do alongside my studying.
Where are you now?
The A-level results allowed me to get into my first choice university, Reading, which is not too far from home, but a great step to live more independently.
I’m in my first years doing Speech and Language Therapy and I’m loving it!
How did we impact you?
Working in the small groups in Dunstable for the year I was with Red Bird meant that I gained confidence talking to, and in front of, other people. It was so friendly, I was happy to speak out as I’m quite shy and that’s still impacting me meeting new people now.
Did we impact you in any other ways?
My GCSE results were a brilliant way to get to my next step. Academically it was great to be part of Red Bird and get all the grades that I needed as well as support when I was making choices about my A-levels.
“
“I am proud of every single grade I have achieved and I’m genuinely so grateful for what you have helped me to achieve.”
GCSE Learner
“
“Huge, huge recommendation. What a special team and approach Red Bird Tutoring have!”
Parent of a Year 8 learner
“
“You’ll be pleased to know that he passed his exams with a 6 in Maths and two 4s in English and is off to study for his A Levels!”
Parent of GCSE learner
At Red Bird Tutoring we want to offer ways to support our learners even when they are outside of their tutoring sessions.
We have created some short, simple to follow video courses which you can purchase and access here:
