FAQ

Pupils at St. Lawrence College do not require additional private lessons. There are sound educational reasons why parents should resist any temptation to provide additional tuition for subject lessons that pupils are taking at school.

a)    When pupils receive support at home in a lesson they may choose to make less effort in the class at school – as they know that they can cover the subject matter at home with their private teacher.
b)    There may be a conflict between how a school teacher covers a topic within the syllabus and how a private teacher explains it. This can create uncertainty for the pupil as to which method to use.
c)    Some private teachers will use the opportunity they have to generate a need for further work and secure future income. This can be done through denigrating the style or competence of the school teacher and so by contrast appearing more capable themselves. This is called the exploitation of asymmetric knowledge. Unscrupulous private teachers manipulate their position of superiority to create a scenario where the pupil is dependent on the teacher.
d)    British education is designed to engender skills of independent study and problem-solving in pupils. This is a key role of homework. As pupils progress through years of British education the ability to work alone and grapple with problems until answers to problems are found becomes more and more important. In this way pupils develop the skills of self-discipline, planning and stamina and are better equipped to tackle public examinations; fully prepared and with confidence. Likewise free periods, for independent study are built into the A-Level programme and then at British universities, degree courses rely on a student’s ability to work alone. However, a private teacher prevents these skills of personal study from developing because the lessons deprive pupils of appropriate time alone to work and also remove from the pupil a need to work by themselves to find answers and solutions. It is integral to the development of a pupil that they struggle towards and attempt think out their own notes and answers to work set. Only by going through such a process, over and over again, do pupils learn how to work alone. Private teachers, sitting with pupils after school, by definition get in the way of this process.
Parents should also be aware that not all private teachers have a secure knowledge of the demands of UK examination boards’ syllabuses at IGCSE and A-Level standard – whatever such teachers claim. Also not all private teachers remain up-to-date with changes to subjects and exam assessment criteria as teachers in school do. Likewise, private teachers marking work are never in a position to see the work in the context of a wider body of work from a range of pupils and are therefore in a weaker position to assess the work and how it ranks against other pupils’ work.

Of course there are exceptions. Pupils joining a course late, pupils who have been absent due to extended illness etc. might benefit from lessons. But the exceptions are rare. Parents should know that the concept of extra tuition is effectively unheard of in the UK and so is clearly not necessary.

If parents feel their child needs extra help, or if the child has requested extra help, or if parents have been advised from outside school they should make use of extra tuition they should first make an appointment with the class teacher or Head of Department to discuss the matter. They can also make an appointment with the Director of Studies or Headmaster to discuss the matter.
Parents must not believe that they are automatically helping their children by spending more money on them. Parents can have a far greater impact and deliver far more support by being involved with their children’s education. This can take the form of discussing how lessons at school are going, asking what their children enjoy and what is the most challenging aspect of their subjects, what tests they have coming up, how tests went etc. More practically parents can ensure their child has a good working environment at home, a desk to work at and a well-lit room where distractions (TV, computer, mobile etc.) can be temporarily removed. Parents should establish a routine for children where evenings are divided into clearly identified times for work and recreation. Parents should beware of, in effect, delegating these responsibilities to a private tutor.

Pupils who mistakenly believe that hiring a tutor is the answer to their difficulties need to remember that their teacher at school will almost certainly give them the occasional 5 or 10 minutes at break or lunch to help them with a problem. The pupil must appreciate that subject matter is supposed to be challenging and that IGCSEs and A-Levels have been designed to require thought and time. If they are finding work difficult, well that is to be expected and is not in itself a problem! Pupils need to attempt to answer; ask their teacher questions; identify the weaknesses of their work and seek a strategy from their school teacher as to how progress can be made. That is the environment in which learning – real and lasting learning – takes place.

The School is served by a network of school buses which collect children from most parts of the Greater Athens area. Transport arrangements should be made at the time of registration. 

Visits/excursions/outings to places of local, regional and national interest are ongoing throughout the academic year, be they to the zoo, museums, observatories, farms, theatres, workshops, woodlands, university departments, book exhibitions, factories, airports, art galleries, street markets etc. We probably average 50-60 such visits annually.

• In the case of any absence, a letter of explanation must be provided by parents upon the return of the child to school. 
• The school reserves the right to ask for the withdrawal of a child after an extended absence for reasons other than illness. 
• It also reserves the right to keep a child in the same class for more than one year if for any reason too much work has been missed and the child is not up to the standard of the rest of the form.

Don’t worry! Our school has built up extensive experience in the teaching of English as a second language and is highly experienced at welcoming children with limited English and of all ages. The school operates an intensive English programme for such children. There is an E.A.L. class (they are very small, between 1 – 5 pupils) at every level.

We encourage and maintain close contact with the parents. 

• Regular “Parent – Teacher Afternoons” are held at which parents meet teachers and discuss their children’s progress. 
• Each teacher is available for ½ hour every week to see a parent anxious to speak to the teacher over a serious matter requiring attention. Indeed teachers frequently take the initiative by contacting parents first.
• The majority of parent-teacher communication is now conducted by email. All teachers have their own school email addresses, but in the first instance, parents wishing to write to teachers should address their emails to either seniorschool@slc.gr or juniorschool@slc.gr as appropriate, making it clear to which teacher the email is directed.

Apart from English, there are classes in Modern Greek, French,  Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.