Has anyone any experience with stepmaths.co.uk ?

[Starleia]

I know this is really niche. My son is considering Maths at Cambridge and upon researching STEP maths courses, I came across this company on the web called stepmaths.co.uk - or Oxbridge Formula.

There is lots of info except for how much it costs. They will only give you the price on application which is a video consultation with parent and child. It really irked me and gives me the feeling they will charge whatever they want depending on how rich they perceive you to be and/or give you the hard sell and make you feel like a bad parent if you don't 'invest' in your child - especially as the consultation is with your child present.

So I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them and if so - how much it really costs and if it is any good.

Thank you!

You don't really need this, Cambridge have their own STEP preparation programme maths.org/step/welcome which is free.
Not quite what you asked but I can't imagine what they would offer that you could not get directly from the Cambridge website.
DS took himself through MAT prep by working through the STEP and MAT free online resources starting in Y12. There is also a lot of help with interviews freely available on YouTube. There is no magic formula - just to be really good at your subject to be in with a shot.

I'd agree with @beeswain. DD (bog standard state comp) did the same for the MAT, and also went through some STEP papers just for the fun of it (!). I don't know anything about this company, so perhaps it's a bit unfair to dismiss it out of hand, but honestly, applicants need to be able to get there under their own steam, or they risk floundering if they get a place.

I have just been perusing their website. Here are some salient facts, in no particular order, followed by a suggestion.

1. The 2021 one day Oxbridge Interview Preparation Course cost £499 per pupil. That is the only fee I found. (The course seems to be offered to a group or multiple groups of 10.)

1. There is no info whatsoever about the ID or qualifications of the founder. Staff are said to be a mix of teachers, PhD students and 1st Class Oxbridge graduates. That sounds fine in theory, but no training for the unique features of STEP prep are discussed. A potentially sensible pedagogy is minimally outlined, but it is far too brief too assess.

1. I tried to download some of their free resources (emphasis theirs). I was required to categorise myself and supply an email. As a student, they gently encouraged me to provide a parent’s email but when I did not this field was marked ‘Required’. As a parent they required my child’s email.

All of this was for the Siklos STEP resources freely available from Cambridge. You can infer my view of the firm.

But…..I think STEP tuition can be a useful and appropriate thing. Its patchy availability is an equity issue in this country.

Some tuition may be available through the FM class of your DS or (if it still exists) the Further Maths Support Network. But minimally. If your DS needs more than this, he is no different to many pupils. He will ultimately need to stand on his own two feet and over-tutoring leads to problems. But people learn at different rates and there is a middle ground which only some schools offer their pupils.

Do you live reasonably close to a Russell Group or equivalent university? If your DS were mine I would be looking for a Maths PhD student or top advanced undergraduate who comes well recommended as a tutor or teacher. I would pay them to work with DS in a more organised way than usual, either by paying directly for planning and marking time or by paying a very handsome premium on the hourly rate to account for the effort of what I am proposing.

Then I would ask them to work with DS using the Cambridge STEP materials, aiming for deep understanding of the maths and emphasis on what constitutes a full but not overly detailed solution.

Someone with teaching experience should be able to extract themes, analyse his mistakes, help him with timings, etc. I would expect them to do some marking of his work and a reasonable amount of planning between meetings, hence the premium.

I think you would get the essence of what this company provides at a fraction of the cost. I admit the plan hinges on finding someone your DS makes a good coonection with.

The Cambridge site is the one linked to by @beeswain.

Sorry, that is wrong! C have their own materials. Super rushed today and no time to search.

Thank you so much for all your wise comments. I think I will steer clear and check out other resources. I think DS is very capable of working it out with self-learning resources, but I think a tutor will be a good idea later on.