03 Feb 2026
Hi, I’m Harry. I’m an entrepreneur who cares fanatically about education and co-founder of The Degree Gap, an award-winning tutoring company specialising in the British curriculum. Over the past few years, we have grown into a team of more than 100 tutors. Each one is chosen not just for strong academic results, but for their ability to connect with students on a personal level.
We believe tutoring should never be one-size-fits-all. That’s why we focus on getting to know each student properly understanding how they learn, what they find challenging, and what they want to achieve. After this consultation call, take as many free trials you need to find the tutor that matches you or your child.
In this article, I wanted to reflect on how to support students in the GCSE journey from a parent’s perspective. We actually hosted a webinar on this topic this week, targeting parents in this tense period, with over 2,500 participants. Some of the readers might have attended, so hey! For those that did not, please contact us for the playback.
As owners of an award-winning tutoring company, we are used to hearing the worries from parents:
- My child will not talk to me about his grades. I have no clue how he is getting on.
- My friends say their child is revising all day and mine will not even do an hour.
- How am I meant to know if their revision is effective or surface-level?
The issue is that the problem often only comes to the surface at parents’ evening or after mocks. At this point, we have a few months until the exams, and regular coaching or tutoring is not going to have the impact it should.
The First Issue Is a Content Issue
The major issue that students face is that they cannot get through the content quickly enough. Classes are filled with 10 to 20, or even 30 students, and the teacher has to work at the pace of the average student. What we tend to find is that students who are extremely capable become bored and spend much of the one-hour session waiting for others to catch up. Students who are struggling are often left behind, especially in state schools, where there may not be enough additional support.
The issue with this is that by the time students reach Year 10 or Year 11, many gaps have built up over time, often from Year 8 or Year 9. These are what we call foundational issues. In Year 10 and Year 11, students are expected to build on these foundations, but if those foundations are shaky, everything becomes harder. As tutors, we often find ourselves untangling Year 8 and Year 9 content while trying to build forward. This is why getting tutoring as early as possible can be so valuable.
This is especially true for students who lack confidence or are shy in class. When students attend high-achieving schools but struggle quietly, they often become hesitant to put their hand up, particularly in large class settings.
Over time, these issues compound and cause anxiety. Students who were once confident may now look at a maths question and freeze, developing maths anxiety.
As a maths tutor myself, I teach students who fully understand a topic once I probe them, yet their automatic response is still, “I can’t do it.” This response often comes from a lack of confidence rather than a lack of ability.
It is our job as GCSE tutors to provide a safe space for students to attempt questions without fear. That is why at The Degree Gap we hyper-personalise the tutoring experience, matching students with tutors who suit their personality. Tutors often become role models, especially when they have graduated from a student’s dream university.
The Modern Issue We Are Facing
However, there is one important caveat to this article. I speak to students every week who have the content nailed down but struggle to organise themselves, plan effectively, or manage ASD coaching executive function.
Executive function is the ability to hold goals in mind, prioritise what matters, regulate attention and emotions, manage time, and adapt when things change. This is crucial when juggling multiple GCSE subjects.
Unfortunately, this is becoming increasingly common, with social media playing a role in reducing attention span. This is something I notice regularly in parent calls: the issue is not content knowledge but executive function or organisation.
This is not something a tutor is professionally trained to provide. That is why I set up Rikta Coaching. We specialise in ADHD, executive function, and ASD coaching. We work with neurodiverse students, as well as students who struggle with concentration more generally.
Coaching plans typically run over nine weeks, covering both content structure and practical strategies. One example is the two-minute rule. What we often find with students with ADHD is that once they begin a task, they can hyper-focus and complete it effectively. The hardest part is starting.
So how can parents help? The key is to reduce the friction required to begin. The two-minute rule (which can become ten minutes for teenagers) works like this: set a timer for two minutes and say, “Can you start writing your history essay now?” Once they begin, you can offer a small reward linked to something they enjoy.
The reward acts as positive reinforcement attached to the task. A helpful way to structure these conversations is using the “If… then” framework. Students with ADHD or executive function difficulties often struggle to break down tasks. This structure clearly links the action to the outcome in a simple way.
This highlights the important role parents play in the coaching process. At Rikta Coaching, we often work directly with parents to help them understand executive function and ADHD or ASD. By implementing these strategies, we reduce tension at home and help children feel understood.
Conclusion: A Mixed Strategy Is Often the Best
Tutors have been around for many years and remain the most effective way to learn content. If, as a parent, you recognise that your child is struggling with executive function, pairing tutoring with executive function or ADHD coaching can make a significant difference during the revision period.
The skills students learn through coaching can be applied for life, which is truly powerful.
Find out more at www.thedegreegap.com
