BeanPhD
PhD in Computer Science
Queen Mary University of London. Research in Bayesian networks and organisational risk; supervised students online during the PhD.
About your tutor
I am a Computer Science teacher based in Jersey with fourteen years in secondary classrooms, a PhD in Computer Science from Queen Mary University of London, and since 2019 an examiner for OCR GCSE Computer Science (J277). Before teaching I spent several years in IT consultancy. I teach in Spanish, French and English.
OCR
GCSE examiner
Marking OCR J277 Computer Science papers every summer since 2019. I know how the mark schemes are applied, and I teach students to write for them.
14+
Years in the classroom
Teaching KS3, GCSE and A-level Computer Science across several schools, and KS3 and GCSE Maths. Currently teaching in Jersey secondary schools.
How I teach
Find the gap first
Every new student starts with a short diagnostic. Most struggles trace back to two or three missing ideas, not to the whole subject.
One idea at a time
Visual models, worked examples and small steps. I build interactive explainers for exactly this, and we use them in sessions.
Real understanding, not memorising
Students should be able to explain why, and apply the idea to a question they have never seen. That is what the exams reward.
Write code, don't just read it
Computer Science is practical. We write and debug real Python together, in the browser, from the first session.
Exam technique from an examiner
Command words, mark allocation, how to show working, and what loses marks needlessly.
Inclusive by default
Calm layouts, read-aloud, easy-read and one-step-at-a-time options are built into my resources, and I adapt sessions for neurodivergent learners.
What we can cover
Computer Science
- Systems architecture, memory and storage
- Data representation: binary, hex, characters, images, sound
- Networks, protocols and security
- Systems software and ethical, legal and environmental issues
- Algorithms: searching, sorting, trace tables, Big O
- Python programming, pseudocode and exam reference language
- Boolean logic, databases and SQL
- A-level: OOP, data structures, computational methods, the NEA project
Maths
- Number: fractions, percentages, ratio, standard form, bounds
- Algebra: expressions, equations, sequences, graphs, quadratics
- Geometry: angles, Pythagoras, trigonometry, circle theorems
- Probability and statistics
- Problem-solving and multi-step questions
- Route to a 4: securing the Foundation core before pushing higher
- KS3 foundations for students who have fallen behind
Ready to get started?
Book a free 15-minute call, or ask a question first.