Private maths lessons in secondary school
From 1st year to the final year, a maths coach who rebuilds the missing basics and prepares for exams, the CE1D or a resit, at home across Belgium or online.
Why do students fall behind in maths at secondary school?
Because every chapter builds on the one before. A student who struggles with algebraic expressions cannot see where they go wrong in a 3rd-year equation, and will not see it any better in a 5th-year derivative.
They work hard, redo the exercises from class, and the marks do not follow: the mistake lies two chapters earlier.
That is why a good private maths tutor does not start with this week’s topic. Once the needs have been assessed with your educational advisor, the coach pinpoints where things broke down, works on it, then moves forward with the year’s programme.
Sessions alternate between explanation and exercises done alone, under the coach’s eye: that is where you see whether a method is understood or merely followed. If dyscalculia has been diagnosed, we choose a coach experienced with this profile.
See also our private maths lessons at every level, primary school maths and all our private lessons in secondary school.
What your teenager works on in maths, stage by stage
The difficulties are not the same in 1st year and in the final year. The coach is chosen according to the stage and, in the third stage, the option taken.
First stage: 1st and 2nd year
The shift from arithmetic to algebra: negative numbers, powers, algebraic expressions, first equations, geometry and measurement. All of it is assessed in the CE1D at the end of 2nd year.
Second stage: 3rd and 4th year
Functions, systems of equations, trigonometry. This is often where results drop: the subject becomes abstract and rests entirely on the algebra of the first stage.
Third stage: 5th and 6th year
Analysis (limits, derivatives, integrals) and probability, in a depth that depends on the chosen option. A solid foundation here also prepares students for higher education in the sciences.
CE1D, exams, resits: preparing for the deadline
- The CE1D takes place at the end of the 2nd year of secondary school and includes a maths test covering both years of the first stage. It is prepared over time: first the 1st-year topics that are still shaky, then practice on past papers, so that the format holds no surprises on the day.
- The December and June exams call for more than class tests: revising a whole subject, across several chapters, while managing your time. The coach helps plan the revision period and works on exercises that mix chapters, just like in the exam.
- The resit is all about focus. We start from the material the school announces for the resit and from the mistakes in the June paper, and tackle only what led to the fail: catch-up lessons concentrated over a few weeks.
How does it work?
Analysis of the situation and goals
A My Sherpa educational advisor gets in touch and analyses the pupil's needs.
Designing the coaching programme
Your educational advisor proposes a suitable programme.
Coach selection
Your educational advisor selects the coach who suits your needs and your schedule.
Coaching follow-up
Throughout the programme of lessons, your educational advisor follows up and remains available.
Other subjects in secondary school
Maths at other levels
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satisfaction
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Success rate
Students who reach the goals set with their educational advisor.
A private maths tutor, chosen for your teenager
Private tutor, home maths teacher, coach: at My Sherpa, it is the same job, with one big difference: you are not searching alone. Your educational advisor assesses the student’s situation, sets the programme, then selects the matching coach from a team met in individual interviews. They then remain your point of contact throughout the support.
Lessons take place at home across Belgium, or online, any day of the week, weekends included. The coach is chosen to fit the programme and your actual availability, not the other way round.
Maths lessons in secondary school: your questions
Private lessons start at €35/hour in secondary school. We recommend 2-hour sessions at this level: time to set up a line of reasoning, then apply it alone in exercises. The first three sessions are a trial period: if things do not click with the coach, you continue with another one at no extra cost.
The test covers the whole first stage, not only 2nd year: numbers (negative numbers, fractions, powers), algebraic expressions and equations, geometry and measurement, data handling. Preparation starts with the 1st-year topics that are still shaky, then moves on to practice with past papers published by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
Yes, provided the work is targeted. Between the June results and the late-August exam, revising everything is not realistic: the work starts from the material announced by the school and the mistakes in the June paper, and focuses on what actually caused the failure. It is better to start as soon as the results are out than in the last week of August.
Yes. Lessons are always given in the student’s language of instruction: for a student at a Dutch-speaking school or in immersion, the maths lesson is given in Dutch, with a Dutch-speaking coach. The difficulty then often lies less in the maths than in the subject vocabulary in the other language.
It depends on the goal set with your educational advisor. A gap going back several chapters calls for regular support, because it is filled while moving forward with the year’s material. A specific exam (the CE1D, a June session, a resit) is prepared with a shorter, targeted programme.
