The tutoring market around Altrincham is notoriously crowded, with parents often struggling to find the right fit for their children among dozens of competing services.
This September there will be another new entrant - but Chloe Green believes her approach offers something genuinely different.
Chloe, who has been tutoring for five years while building her teaching credentials, is launching Green Tuition after two years working for established local firm Newell Tuition. Her decision to go independent stems from a desire to implement her own methods, developed through direct classroom experience and student feedback.
"I worked at a Timperley school for a year teaching Year 5," explains Chloe, who also holds a psychology degree and teaching qualification. "That classroom experience means I understand exactly where children are in the curriculum at any given time. I can support what they're learning in school rather than working against it."
While many tutors work from published materials, she has spent considerable time writing her own textbooks for the four 11-plus subjects, incorporating what she's learned about common problem areas.
"I've taken the bits of existing books that I really like and left out the parts that don't work," she explains.
She’s also happy to challenge some conventional tutoring wisdom. Where the sector often emphasises results and intensity, Chloe prioritises patience and relationship-building. Her students, she says, see her almost as a friend - though one who will push them academically.
"I tell them they can ask me a million questions," she says. "If I have to explain something 10 times in 10 different ways, that's what I'll do. There are no stupid questions."
This approach has built her a strong word-of-mouth reputation. Already half-booked for September, entirely through recommendations, Chloe says in her previous years tutoring she has regularly had to turn away enquiries due to being at maximum capacity.
Her relative youth has become an asset, she says. "I understand what they're talking about - the things they buy, the games they play. It helps me connect with them.”
Green will be offering one-to-one tuition in contrast to the group sessions favoured by many competitors, arguing that the more personalised approach is more effective.
"Some tuition companies pack 40 or 50 kids into a scout hut," she says. "Those children might as well be reading from a book at home. When I do workshops, I cap them at 10 children maximum."
Her sessions generally run for one hour weekly, although more and more parents are asking for two one-hour slots. Most start with Chloe in Year 5 and she has designed a year-long curriculum to ensure children get all the content and practice ready for the entrance exams at the start of Year 6. Many students are choosing to start in Year 4 however, to gain strong foundations for the 11+ content.
A notable aspect of Green's approach is her emphasis on parent education, an area she believes is underserved in the local market. Many parents, she says, struggle with both the academic content and the grammar school application process itself.
"I get calls at 11 o'clock at night from worried parents," she says. "I want to run information sessions so I'm not just answering one parent's question privately - everyone benefits from the same information."
With grammar school places so sought after in Trafford, Year 4 and 5 children can find themselves under considerable pressure.
But Chloe brings a relatively measured perspective to exam preparation, emphasising confidence-building alongside academic progress.
"I always tell parents that whatever school their child gets into will be the right one for them," she says. "We're lucky to have excellent schools, both grammar and non-grammar, in this area."
Her proudest moments come not just from grammar school passes, but from seeing former students thrive in their new schools' top sets or achieving excellent SATs results. "If I can watch them do exam papers and see them thinking 'I know that, I know how to do that,' then I've won. They're confident to go into the classroom and answer questions, and that makes their whole school life easier."
Green Tuition will operate from new premises on Stamford New Road in Altrincham town centre, with sessions starting the third week of September. The business has plans to introduce holiday workshops and mock exams as it grows.
For Timperley-born Chloe, who always wanted to work in education and "absolutely loves" her job, this represents the perfect next chapter. "I genuinely wake up every day loving what I do," she says. "I never think 'I don't want to go to work tomorrow.'"
For more information, visit greentuition.co.uk
