I have spent more than 40 years teaching and examining Chemistry.
Today, I bring that experience together through ACE Academy, FranklyChemistry and the extensive chemistry resources I have developed over many years.
My aim is increasingly to provide students with high-quality structured teaching that they can use independently
— clear explanations, original illustrations, worked examples, questioning, assessment and a developing audio teaching experience designed to bring more of the classroom into online learning.
Some students seek additional support not because they are struggling, but because they are already doing extremely well and want to make sure they fulfil their potential.
For students considering Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, Engineering, the Physical Sciences or other highly competitive courses, small improvements in understanding, precision and examination technique can matter.
ACE Academy is designed to provide that additional depth and challenge without replacing the teaching students already receive at school.
Students can revisit difficult ideas, tackle demanding questions, identify small weaknesses and develop the precision required for the highest examination grades.
Throughout my career I have worked with exceptionally able students, including students who achieved the highest GCE Chemistry marks in their examination cohort and others who went on to highly competitive university courses.
That experience continues to influence the level of challenge and examination insight built into ACE Academy.
ACE Academy is being developed to provide something closer to the experience of being taught by an experienced chemistry teacher, while allowing students to work independently and at their own pace.
The courses combine comprehensive lesson notes, original ACE illustrations, worked examples, questioning, self-assessment and mastery assessment.
A developing audio teaching layer goes considerably further than simply reading the notes aloud:
students are asked to think, predict, answer questions and recognise the details and misconceptions that matter in examinations.
This allows much of the regular teaching, explanation, practice and revision to take place independently, without requiring a weekly appointment with a tutor.
Where personal teaching would genuinely add value, active ACE Academy subscribers may also have access to selected live Zoom support, subject to availability.
The intention is not to recreate conventional weekly tuition online. It is to combine high-quality independent learning with occasional personal teaching when it is particularly useful.
ACE Academy brings together my chemistry teaching, resources and examining experience in a structured programme that students can use at their own pace.