Greene's Tutorial College

Greene's Tutorial College

Motto	Non Sine Numine (Aeneid Book II, line 777: "As to naught without providence") (Alternative Translation: "Not without God's will")
Established	1967[1]
Type	Independent school[2]
Religion	Church of England
Master	Christopher Upton
Principal	Carmen Prozzillo[3]
Founder	Edward Greene[4]
Location	Oxford Oxfordshire OX1 1BT United Kingdom
Staff	~15[5] administration members and approximately 150[6] tutors
Students	~300-400[7][8]
Gender	Co-educational[2]
Ages	13–18+ (no age restriction)[9][2]
Colours	Oxford Blue
Former Pupils	Old Greenites
Website	www.greenes.org.uk

Greene's Tutorial College - Oxford

Greene's Tutorial College (informally referred to as Greene's) is an independent^[2] (i.e. private) British international day school and tutorial college (an educational institution which combines characteristics of a tuition centre and a college) and is the oldest^[10][2] of its type in Oxford, England which specialises in providing bespoke and customized one-to-one tuition for students of any age,^[9] though particularly 16- to 18-year-olds.^[2]

Established in 1967 by Edward Greene,^[4] an Oxford-educated tutor who had studied Classics and History at Wadham College, Oxford,^[4] Greene's Tutorial College was originally named Edward Greene's Tutorial Establishment,^[11] and is the oldest^[2] tutorial college operating in Oxford.^[4]

The school is situated near Pembroke College and Christ Church - two constituent colleges of the University of Oxford.^[2] Many of the other tutorial colleges were in fact founded by former Greene's employees.^[11][12] Unlike some other tutorial colleges, however, Greene's has an "overlay of pedagogic principle or style".^[12] Because of its strong focus on exam preparation, the school is often called a cram school and has been described in publications as "the Rolls-Royce of Oxford crammers".^[12]

History

The history of Greene’s Tutorial College goes back to 1967^[4] when Oxford graduate Edward Greene founded a small tutorial college known as Edward Greene’s Tutorial Establishment^[11] in the 17th^[2] century buildings of 45, Pembroke Street in Oxford.^[13] Since then, over 15,000^[4] students have been taught at Greene’s at various stages of their education. Most of Greene’s academic staff have learnt through individual tuition at Oxford or Cambridge University^[14] and combine substantial knowledge of education with an understanding of how a programme of tuition can best support each student’s learning.

Traditionally an Oxbridge feeder school which provided private tutoring for Oxford and Cambridge entrance,^[15] Greene's today prepares students for admission to universities in general.^[2] The college's core teaching principle is therefore traditional and bespoke Oxbridge University face-to-face individual tuition.^[16][2] Nevertheless, to reflect the school's global and international character, Greene's increasingly also uses modern technology teaching methods based on E-learning via the Greene's Online System.^[17][2] Students are free to choose either face-to-face tuition or e-learning or a mixture of both.^[2] However, all exams must be completed and are invigilated at the exam halls within the Testing Centre of Greene's Tutorial College in Oxford, England.^[18]

The college takes on a variety of students, from students doing A-Level resits, those preparing for university, particularly at Oxbridge and younger students preparing for public-school entry, to intellectually gifted children unable to find appropriate education within the mainstream system, and "the oddball or dropout who finds it hard to adjust to the restrictions of ordinary schooling".^[12] After the retirement of Edward Greene, the college was taken over by Christopher Upton and Matthew Uffindell, both Oxford-educated tutors who had studied Agricultural science and English Literature respectively at the University of Oxford.

The school has educated 15,000^[4] students since 1967^[19] and a number of high-profile students, which also includes the Math child prodigy March Tian Boedihardjo.^[20] March was taught by about seven tutors during his two years of study and finished his A-Level exams at the age of nine years; gaining As in Mathematics and Further Mathematics and a B in Statistics.^[20][21] Jonathan Christie, at the time the Academic Registrar at Greene's, said that March was one of the youngest students the college had ever had: "It is not normal [to have such a young student taking A-Levels]. But we don't judge students by age or ability."^[21][22]

The majority of the students are from Great Britain, with others from nations and continents including China, Russia, United States, Africa and Europe.^[23] Greene's has the "Highly Trusted" status rating from the Parliament of the United Kingdom for student visas.^[24]

Offices and study centres

Greene's Tutorial College has offices and study centres consisting of four buildings in three different countries:

Oxford, England:

Head Office: Greene's administration building and head office is based in the historical 17th^[2] century premises of 45, Pembroke Street in Oxford, England.^[25]

Study Centre and Exam Halls: Tuition and examinations for Greene's students take place at the college's study and testing centre at 97 St Aldate's Street in Oxford, England.^[26]

The Head Office and the Study Centre, although technically two separate buildings, are connected via a doorway and essentially form one building. The Head Office is a three-storey house and includes a reception, a waiting room, a conference room as well as the offices of the principal, the bursar and other administration members. The Study Centre is a four-storey building and includes a lobby, a study room, a staff room, seminar rooms and exam halls. The school's premises are in central Oxford; close to libraries, museums, shops, cafés and parks.^[27][28][18]

China:

Greene's office in China is located in the city of Tianjin.^[29]

Portugal:

Greene's office in Portugal is situated in the city of Lisbon.^[30]

Curriculum

In the Greene's system, tutors set homework after every tutorial, go through it at the next tutorial, and write reports about performance, effort in class, and homework after every class.^[21][2] Greene's Tutorial College teaches primarily on a one-to-one basis, the same method of instruction applied at the University of Oxford.^[2] However, there are also group seminars for holiday revision courses and exam prep classes.^[31] The school offers preparation for British and International pre-university school-leaving qualifications and US-American SAT and ACT tests.^[32][33][34]

In addition, the college provides tuition and courses for a large variety of subjects which include core subjects such as English, Maths, Sciences & Foreign Languages.^[2] Greene's Tutorial College offers 93^[35] different subjects in total taught via approximately 130^[35] tutors, 65%^[35] of those who apply. Tutors need to pass a 10^[35] stage application process. The school has strong links to Oxbridge and almost 90% of the tutors are Oxford and Cambridge graduates: approximately half of Greene's tutors (45%)^[35] have a Bachelor's degree from either the University of Oxford or from the University of Cambridge^[35] and another 40% of the tutors either have a Master's degree or a Doctorate from Oxford.^[35]

To measure current as well as potential academic performance of students, Greene's has developed what it calls the "Greene's Index of Independence" (IOI) based on an individual student's independent learning as well as tuition reports.^[36]

The school follows the structure of a traditional academic year with the conventional British trimester terms (i.e. Michaelmas, Hilary & Trinity) but also provides students the possibility of enrolling at any point in the year due to the flexibility of their tailor-made courses of individual tuition.^[37][2]

Academic achievement

According to the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in England, "the college exceeds expectations".^[23] Academic results are above national average^[38] with examination grades being, for the most part, A* to B.^[38]

Academic achievement at Greene's is particularly high in sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), Economics, Geography, History and Modern Languages.^[38] However, the college's strongest subject is Mathematics, with exam grades being, in the main, A* to B.^[38]

The majority of the school's students are accepted at their first choice university.^[38] The college remains to have a strong bond to the University of Cambridge and, in particular, to the University of Oxford.^[35] Greene's students are eligible for membership at the Oxford Union.^[39][40]

Admission

Although the college declares "Greene’s is non-selective and accepts students of all ages and abilities"; admission remains competitive as the school also states "Admission to our sixth form is based on an assessment of each student’s aptitude".^[41][2][22] The college does not publish any statistics on admission rates.

Student life

The school has a Student Committee which organizes social events for Greene's students all year round. Extra-curricular activities include cultural events such as theatre and museum visits; sports events such as rowing as well as movie nights, Christmas Balls and Summer Parties.^[42]

Notable alumni

Greene's follows a principle of discretion about the school's alumni via a privacy policy and thus does not confirm or deny names of current or former students - with the exception of Math child prodigy March Tian Boedihardjo.^[20][21] The school merely states: "Some, like the tutors who taught them, have gone on to distinguished and prominent careers.".^[43][44]

Tuition

Annual tuition fees for students who come from the European Union and who wish to study at Greene's Tutorial College in Oxford, England, vary between £19,000^[45] and £22,000.^[45] For international students who come from outside the European mainland (e.g. US, Russia, China), annual tuition fees are roughly £29,000.^[45] For students who wish to study via Greene's Online System, annual tuition costs are approximately £17,000.^[45]

Benefits

One-to-one tuition

Students at Greene's are taught in one-to-one tutorials, the same teaching approach used by the University of Oxford, with the tutors being mostly Oxford or Cambridge graduates and experts in their field.^[46][35][2]

Flexibility

The fact that tuition at the school is based on individual and focused tutorials, rather than the traditional classroom teaching, allows for great flexibility.^[46][2] It is therefore not uncommon for students at the college to design and schedule their own timetable according to their personal convenience and preferences and to have only a couple of hours of tuition per week.^[46][2]

Variety

The college has a total of 93^[35] different subjects on offer for its students to choose from.^[35][2] This possibility of an à la carte selection from the school's subject catalogue enables Greene's students to develop customized study programmes.^[46][35][2]

Criticism

Excessive exam preparation

Because of its strong emphasis on exam preparation, Greene's is often labelled a cram school.^[12][2] The Good Schools Guide and the Country Life Magazine stated: "Tutorial colleges ‘crammers’ as they are unkindly dubbed are known for their intensive teaching and their high price tags. But they take in the good, the bad and the ugly, and can quickly bump up exam grades.".^[47]

Financial elitism

The school declares, on the one hand, that "Greene’s is non-selective and accepts students of all ages and abilities".^[41][22][2] However, on the other hand, the college charges annual tuition fees of more than £20,000^[45] which has been described as "astronomical".^[48] The Telegraph stated in an article: "The disadvantage of [re]sitting [exams] at a good tutorial college is the cost".^[49]

Solitude

The college has been repeatedly criticized that the focus on high academic achievement and, in particular, the school's tutorial method of one-to-one tuition may happen at the cost of students' social activities and relationships; supposedly causing pressure and loneliness among students. As a consequence, Greene's announced that it would increase its commitment in encouraging extra-curricular activities: "We try to do all we can to help students meet new people and to encourage participation in a range of activities both in and around Oxford. There are monthly socials and an active student committee whose purpose it is to assist the scheduling, planning, and advertising of a variety of social events for the college community to enjoy. Directors of Studies are very approachable and have an open door policy so that help is always at hand.".^[50]

Miscellaneous

A considerable number of Greene's students and tutors have engaged in the past or still engage at present in significant sports contests and tournaments such as the Olympics where they have won prizes and medals in various disciplines. One example includes a Greene's tutor and Harvard graduate who was a member of the Oxford rowing team in the world-famous Oxford versus Cambridge boat race.^[51]

References

External links

• Greene's Tutorial College

Coordinates: 51°45′03″N 1°15′26″W / 51.7507°N 1.2573°W / 51.7507; -1.2573