Patrick Dawkins
Computer Science Tutor
Computer Science Tutor
Patrick Dawkins is a confident and enthusiastic Computer Science tutor who has worked with Osborne Cawkwell Tuition since 2017. He has excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as a professional and active approach to private tuition and learning.
Patrick studied Computer Science and Mathematics beyond undergraduate level before becoming a qualified secondary school teacher in 2006. As a Computer Science tutor, he understands algorithms and how to implement these linguistically and mechanically.
He is currently the Head of Computing in an outstanding secondary school. He plans, delivers and evaluates Computer Science at Key stages 3, 4 and 5. This includes teaching GCSE and A level examination years. Subsequently Patrick has an enormous amount of experience being a highly effective GCSE Computer Science tutor and an A level Computer Science tutor. He has also provided IB tuition to many students.
Patrick’s GCSE Computer Science tuition focuses on students becoming competent Computer Scientists in both the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject. As an examiner and GCSE tutor, he is acutely aware of the key principles of the subject. This includes abstraction, algorithms, decomposing problems, and pattern recognition. As a GCSE Computer Science tutor, Patrick incorporates these ideas into his private tuition. He uses relevant exam type questions as examples, explaining how marks are allocated.
Patrick really enjoys tutoring A level Computer Science because he gets to guide students in understanding the core principles of the subject. Students learn how to express them using algorithms and eventually develop fully-fledged working software. A level tuition “zeros in” on understanding the properties, linguistic and mechanical realisations of an algorithm. The majority of the students he provides with A level tuition go on to study Computer Science at Russell Group Universities, Universities in America and Oxbridge.
For IB Computer Science students, Patrick focuses on developing a good understanding of the content, as well as developing student’s answers. This includes enhancing their knowledge of keywords to communicate their ideas clearly to move to the higher mark band. As an IB tutor, Patrick has worked with international students who he has helped progress from grades 4/5 to grade 7 (grade 7 is the highest grade in this qualification). He offers online tuition as well as in-person tuition.
Patrick’s qualification along with his experience of planning, delivering and evaluating various Computer Science courses allows him to appreciate theoretical Computer Science. In particular, the role that it plays in training confident Computer Scientists.
“Patrick Dawkins is an excellent Computer Science tutor. He combines great thoroughness and commitment with a warm manner. Patrick clearly has a passion for the subjects he tutors, which is infectious and makes the sessions much more enjoyable. He is punctual, polite and organised. He also has an excellent study area prepared for tutoring. If you follow his advice and guidance, you should raise your exam achievement by a couple of grades.”
A, A level Computer Science student
