London NW11
To Whom it may concern;
Lawrence Ball tutored my children in maths and physics for 6 years. He was primarily assisting with exam preparation and, in this respect, the results were highly satisfactory.
He had a very distinctive approach to tutoring. His first concern was to help the student to feel relaxed and confident with the subject, using humour and imaginative associations to break down anxieties. He had an impressive ability to identify what was proving to be the obstacle to progress and to empower the student through its overcoming.
The greatest gift Mr Ball gave to my children was to help them to share his own delight in knowledge and his excitement with the wonder of the world. I am very grateful to him for the special role he played in their lives.
yours sincerely
Roisin Prasad
London NW5
To Whom it may concern
I have known Lawrence Ball for four years while he has taught mathematics to my three children. He has coached two of my children for their GCSE exams and given extra tuition to my primary age son. Lawrence was strongly recommended to me by two other parents in the local area, both of whom had children who were experiencing difficulty with maths. As a result of his work, my sons’ ability to handle maths problems improved immediately and dramatically, and I understand that other children have had the same success after working with Lawrence.
My observation of lessons with Lawrence has been that he is a flexible and receptive teacher of children and someone who is committed to creating a relaxed as well as a productive and ambitious learning environment. My children have engaged with Lawrence in different ways, but all have been unequivocal in their judgement that he is an excellent teacher of maths and able to give help at the level and in the register needed and expected. All have grown tremendously in confidence as a result of their lessons.
Finally, in general, I have found Lawrence a pleasant and efficient person. He is absolutely reliable at all levels, and a very positive presence. I have no hesitation in recommending him to your attention.
Dr J.M.Floyd
Lecturer, School of Humanities
King’s College
London
London NW3
To Whom it may concern
Lawrence Ball has taught my two daughters Maths privately over the last 5 years. Throughout that time he has been reliable, punctual and well-prepared for each lesson. He has been very fortunate not to have been absent through illness on any occasion. He is even-tempered and always optimistic and cheerful. We trust him fully.
Mr Ball is a talented, creative and sensitive teacher who treats each student with respect and as an individual. He takes pains to establish a rapport, often through humour and accurately gauges the strengths and weaknesses of each child. My children quickly felt at ease with him and saw him as someone with whom they could risk failure. As a result they were both sufficiently at ease to be open to the intellectual challenges he set them. Having been previously frightened by maths lessons, they soon came to enjoy them and to appreciate the excitement of mastering difficult concepts.
We definitely noticed a knock-on effect in their capacity to study in other subjects. We were delighted with the exam results achieved; the eldest, for example, almost gaining an A* when we had been told by the school that her severe dyslexia would prohibit her from ever sitting exams in academic subjects!
I feel confident to recommend highly Mr Ball both as an inspired teacher and as a kindly and principled person.
Charlotte Lane
The Rt Hon Baroness Hayman
House Of Lords
To Whom it may concern
Lawrence Ball gave maths coaching to four of my sons over a period of about three years. He was always totally reliable, adaptable to the needs of the boys at the time, and very good at building self-confidence.
He has a happy knack of being able to teach in a way that uses humour and is innovative, whilst still keeping a very firm grasp on the need for a pupil to understand the fundamentals and have a solid basis for their learning.
I would be very happy to recommend him to others looking for Maths teaching.
Helene Hayman
London W8
To Whom it may concern
Lawrence Ball has patience, an exceptional understanding of young people and a deep knowledge of mathematics and physics (as well as many other subjects).
At the age of eleven, I was a demoralised student struggling in many subjects. Lawrence Ball’s tuition helped me greatly and produced a huge improvement in my maths. Furthermore, his teaching style inspired me to have a more positive attitude towards studying. Lawrence continued to tutor me in both maths and physics up to A-level. I have no hesitation in recommending Lawrence Ball as a superb private tutor.
your faithfully,
James Larsson MBA
London NW3
To Whom it may concern
This is to acknowledge that My Lawrence Ball has worked with our two daughters over the last 2 1/2 years in private maths tuition. Mr Ball combines his considerable teaching experience with his understanding of child psychology extremely well. He also goes out of his way to make the lessons upbeat and his use of humour keeps the lessons buoyant.
During this time our two girls have both improved in their maths ability level relative to their class, and Mr Ball has also helped with confidence and calmness, which we feel has helped them in other ways with their studies generally.
yours faithfully
Dr. and Mrs Press
London NW6
3 May 2004
Ref: Reference for Mr Lawrence Ball
To Whom it may concern
Mr Ball taught my son Alexander through his GCSE tuition from November 2002 until June 2003. During that period Mr Ball managed to completely turn around my son’s attitude and commitment to the subject and the progress was remarkable, culminating in an A grade at GCSE. Mr Ball is now helping Alexander to prepare his AS level maths.
I could only strongly recommend him as a tutor for any other student needing coaching.
Mr Ball’s approach is rather unique inasmuch as he seems to have the ability to not only motivate his students, but help them build their own self-confidence in the subject allowing them to reach their intellectual potential and obtain results they themselves doubted were within their grasp. In his lessons Mr Ball knows how to create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere very conducive to learning; his sense of humour certainly contributes greatly to it.
In the time I have known Mr Ball I have always found him reliable and committed as a tutor and I am very grateful to him for the help he has given and the real inspiration he has been to my son. I am sure he has an exceptional ability as a tutor and a great deal to offer to any teaching situation in his subject.
Patricia Touton-Victor
London NW3
To Whom it may concern
Lawrence Ball has worked with my son Sam, now aged almost 13, for over three years. I first asked Lawrence to tutor Sam to try and build his confidence in maths. Sam and Lawrence have worked together very effectively. Sam was quite reluctant to engage with maths but somehow, Lawrence through his humour, has managed to bring this subject to life.
At various points over the last few years, we have needed strategies to keep Sam’s enthusiasm about the subject. Lawrence, with his many years of experience in tutoring and indeed, in working with children who would rather be off playing or watching television, has succeeded in coming up with with strategies to overcome Sam’s difficulties. It is mainly through his good understanding of pSam’s particular needs, that he has been able to tailor the lessons to suit Sam and accomplish his learning objectives. Lawrence’s use of humour is particularly useful, as it has helped to relax Sam and enliven the lessons.
We continue to use Lawrence even though Sam is now tackling Maths with greater confidence. Sam enjoys his weekly lessons and feels secure knowing that he can discuss difficulties as and when they arise. When Sam has worked particularly well, Lawrence indulges him in a discussion about science, which is Sam’s favourite subject.
yours sincerely
Karen Lubner