Our Teaching Approach
Methodical Excellence in SATs Preparation
At PM Education, our sessions are designed to do more than prepare children for a test. We believe meaningful progress comes from securing the fundamental knowledge, skills and understanding that children need to succeed both in SATs and in the wider curriculum.
Before beginning tuition, students complete an assessment process which helps identify strengths, gaps in knowledge, and areas requiring further development. This allows teaching to be carefully structured around the needs of the group while ensuring every child receives targeted support.
Rather than relying on repetition or memorisation alone, our sessions focus on helping children develop secure understanding, make meaningful connections between concepts, and build knowledge that can be retained and applied independently.
Why Small Groups?
Our sessions are intentionally designed as small-group learning experiences rather than one-to-one tuition.
Small groups create opportunities for pupils to explain their thinking, discuss ideas, justify answers, and learn from the reasoning of others. These interactions help children develop confidence while deepening their understanding of key concepts.
Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) highlights the positive impact of structured oral language approaches, showing an average of six months' additional progress when pupils engage in purposeful discussion and curriculum-focused dialogue.
Through carefully structured discussion, children are encouraged not only to arrive at answers, but to understand why those answers are correct.
The Importance of Oracy and Verbal Reasoning
Strong learning depends on more than completing questions correctly.
Children need opportunities to articulate ideas, explain their thinking, use subject-specific vocabulary, and respond to the ideas of others.
EEF evidence shows that oral language approaches can significantly improve learning outcomes, particularly when discussion is closely linked to curriculum content and reading comprehension.
Within PM Education sessions, discussion is used as a tool for learning. Pupils are encouraged to think aloud, explain strategies, justify reasoning, and develop confidence in communicating their understanding.
These skills support success not only in SATs, but across the wider curriculum.
Building Secure Long-Term Understanding
Effective learning is not about memorising procedures for a single test.
Our approach focuses on helping pupils build secure knowledge that can be retained, recalled, and applied in different contexts.
Through carefully sequenced teaching, retrieval practice, discussion, modelling, and guided practice, pupils develop stronger foundations that support long-term progress.
The goal is not simply short-term SATs preparation, but lasting understanding and increased confidence as learners.
Our Classes
Key Stage 2 SATs
Designed for pupils currently in Year 6, these lessons focus on developing the reasoning, problem-solving and comprehension skills needed for success in the Key Stage 2 SATs. Lessons combine expert teaching, discussion and carefully selected SATs-style questions to build both confidence and attainment.
Securing the Fundamentals
Designed for pupils currently in Year 4 and 5, these lessons focus on strengthening the core mathematical and reading skills needed for a successful transition into Year 6. By securing key concepts early, pupils develop confidence, fluency and a deeper understanding before beginning formal SATs preparation.
Evidence-Based Research
Our teaching approach is informed by leading educational research.
EEF: Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3Â
EEF: Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2
EEF: Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1
EEF: Oral Language InterventionsÂ
EEF: What does the evidence base tell us about effective oral language practice?
Chartered College: The developmental importance of oracy in closing the gap