Maths
Number, algebra and reasoning rebuilt from first principles, with the methods the exam board actually rewards.
Cotham Hill, Bristol · Online across the UK
Every student,individually brilliant.
Brightmind has taught 1,900 Bristol students since 2014. Qualified teachers, groups of four, a written plan after the first session and the same progress report card every six weeks — so you always know what is improving and what is not.
94%of GCSE students improved a grade
1,900students taught since 2014
4.9 / 5from 610 parent reviews
87%of our 11+ students were offered their first-choice school in 2026
100%of tutors are qualified teachers with enhanced DBS checks
1:4maximum group size — the same as a very good classroom
6 weeksbetween written progress reports, every term, without asking
Subjects and year groups
Six subjects, Years 3 to 13, taught properly.
We only teach what we are good at. Every subject below is led by a teacher who has taught it in a Bristol school, to exam-board standard, within the last three years.
English
Reading comprehension, close analysis and essay craft. We teach structure first, then voice.
Sciences
Biology, chemistry and physics with real practical thinking — required practicals, graphs and units marks included.
11+ & Reasoning
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning, timed and untimed, plus interview practice for the Bristol and Bath schools.
Humanities
History, geography and RS essay skills — sources, case studies and how to argue in eight minutes.
Languages
French, Spanish and Mandarin to GCSE, with weekly speaking practice and a real conversation every session.
A written plan after session one, not after half a term.
How it works
Three steps, and none of them are a sales call.
Free 45-minute assessment
Your child sits a short paper with one of our teachers, in Cotham or online. You get the marked script and a plain-English summary of what is missing — whether or not you book anything.
Matched tutor and a written plan
We match on subject, year group and temperament, then write a 12-week plan with the topics in order and the marks we are targeting. You keep a copy.
Weekly sessions and a progress report
Fifty-minute sessions, groups of four, plus 20 minutes of homework marked each week. Every six weeks you get the same report card your tutor keeps — strengths, gaps, next steps.
Programmes
Pick a programme to see what we actually track.
Each programme below runs in 12-week blocks with a mock at week six and week twelve. The score card on the right is the same view every parent sees in the Brightmind portal.
Primary — Years 3 to 6
Weekly maths and English in groups of four, built around the National Curriculum but paced by the child rather than the calendar. We mark every piece of homework by hand and read aloud in every session, because comprehension improves fastest when it is spoken.
- 50-minute sessions
- Groups of up to 4
- £42 per session
- 4 sessions a month
Amelia R. — Year 5Week 12 report
88%Reading
81%Number
92%Speaking
- Times tables to 12×1296% · +18
- Inference in fiction74% · +21
- Paragraph structure68% · +12
11+ & entrance — Years 4 to 6
Verbal and non-verbal reasoning, timed comprehension and maths, plus interview practice for the Bristol, Bath and independent school rounds. We run a full mock every six weeks under exam conditions and go through every wrong answer individually — that session is the one that moves the score.
- 60-minute sessions
- Groups of up to 4
- £54 per session
- Six-weekly timed mocks
Dev P. — Year 6Week 12 report
84%Verbal
76%Non-verbal
80%Maths
- Accuracy under 30-second timing72% · +26
- Vocabulary in context85% · +14
- Codes and sequences79% · +9
GCSE — Years 10 and 11
Maths, English language, English literature and the sciences, worked to AQA and Edexcel mark schemes. We teach the papers as papers: question-by-question technique, timing plans and the difference between a grade 5 and a grade 7 answer, shown side by side.
- 60-minute sessions
- Groups of up to 4
- £62 per session
- Six-weekly full mocks
Jonah T. — Year 11Week 12 report
82%Maths
74%English
68%Science
- Algebra and graphs88% · +15
- Paper 2 essay technique71% · +19
- Required practicals64% · +23
A-Level — Years 12 and 13
Maths, further maths, chemistry and physics. Real A-Level content taught by teachers who have marked it, including the long-form proof and calculation questions that quietly cost students a grade. Year 13 students get a weekly timed paper from January.
- 60-minute sessions
- Groups of up to 3
- £72 per session
- Weekly timed papers from Jan
Sofia L. — Year 13Week 12 report
86%Maths
79%Chemistry
73%Physics
- Proof and calculus90% · +11
- Organic mechanisms76% · +18
- Practical and data questions69% · +14
The teaching team
Twelve teachers. All of them still teach in schools.
Every Brightmind tutor holds QTS, an enhanced DBS certificate and a subject degree. Most spend three days a week in a Bristol classroom alongside their tutoring, which is why their plans match what the exam boards actually set.
Priya Nair
Maths & 11+ reasoning
Head of maths at a Bristol primary for nine years. Has prepared over 200 students for the 11+, and still marks every mock herself.
- Maths
- Verbal reasoning
- Years 4–6
Helen Vaughn
English language & literature
GCSE English examiner for a major board for six years. Teaches the difference between a grade 5 answer and a grade 7 answer, sentence by sentence.
- English
- Humanities
- Years 7–13
Daniel Okonkwo
Chemistry & physics
Teaches A-Level chemistry three days a week and runs our Saturday practical clinic. Keeps a crate of real apparatus in the Cotham room.
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Years 10–13
Marta Kaczmarek
Languages & study skills
Teaches Spanish and French to GCSE and runs the Thursday study-skills hour for Year 11 — revision timetables, flashcards and how to stop re-reading.
- Languages
- Study skills
- Years 7–11
Prices
Monthly, termly or pay as you go.
No registration fee, no minimum contract. Sessions are billed monthly in advance and you can move or cancel any session up to 24 hours before it starts.
Small group
Four students, the same year group and the same paper.
£160/month
Four 50-minute sessions a month, £40 each. Our most popular option by a distance.
- Groups of up to four
- Weekly hand-marked homework
- Progress report every six weeks
- Portal access for parents
- Free 45-minute assessment
One to one
A single student and a teacher, in Cotham or online.
£236/month
Four 60-minute sessions a month, £59 each. Year 11 and Year 13 places fill by October.
- 60 minutes, one student
- Plan rebuilt after every mock
- Marked past papers between sessions
- Direct email line to your tutor
- Free 45-minute assessment
Holiday intensive
Five mornings in a school holiday, exam technique end to end.
£340/week
Five 90-minute sessions, capped at six students, plus a full mock on the Friday.
- Five 90-minute sessions
- Maximum of six students
- Full timed mock and review
- Revision pack to take home
- Open to non-members
Sibling discount is 10% on every subsequent place. Pupil premium and free school meal students pay 50% on group places — ask us, we do not advertise it because we would rather you asked.
Parents
What families in Bristol actually tell us.
★★★★★
"Helen found in one session what two years of school reports had not. Jonah went from a 5 to a 7 in English language and, more importantly, stopped saying he was bad at it."
★★★★★
"The six-week report is the reason we stayed. It says what improved, what did not and what happens next, in three paragraphs. Nobody else sends anything like it."
★★★★★
"Priya got Dev into Bristol Grammar after a Year 6 that had not gone well. She was honest from the assessment that it would be close, and she was right about everything else."
★★★★☆
"Online sessions in Year 13 worked far better than we expected — proof and mechanics are hard to explain on a screen but Daniel managed it. Parking on Cotham Hill is the only complaint."
Two taster sessions, £0
Try two sessions before you pay for anything.
Bring your child to two full sessions in their year group, with the tutor they would keep. If the fit is not right after those two, you owe us nothing and we will recommend someone who is.
- Two complete 50-minute sessions in a real group
- The same tutor they would continue with
- A written plan at the end, whether you stay or not
Free assessment
Book the assessment.
Forty-five minutes with one of our teachers, in the Cotham Hill room or online. You get the marked script and a plain-English summary — there is no obligation to book anything afterwards.
- Address
- 12 Cotham Hill
Bristol BS6 6LF - Telephone
- 0117 456 2210
- hello@brightmind.uk
- Opening hours
- Mon–Thu 15:30 – 20:30
Friday closed for planning
Saturday 09:00 – 17:00
Sunday 10:00 – 14:00 - Getting here
- Two minutes from Cotham Hill stop on the 8 and 9. Free 90-minute parking on Aberdeen Road after 16:30.