Clear answers for families considering Stephanie Coaching.

Stephanie Coaching is an independent tutoring centre established in 2008, serving Year 3–6 primary school students in Sydney, Australia. We teach English, Thinking Skills and Maths, with classes tailored for the Opportunity Class (OC) placement test, the Selective High School placement test, Scholarship, NAPLAN and everyday school enrichment. English is our specialty. Our motto is "Believe to Achieve".

We teach primary school students in Years 3 to 6. Stage 2 — Acceleration supports Years 3 and 4 and builds towards the OC placement test, while Stage 3 — Extension supports Years 5 and 6 with a focus on Selective High School and scholarship preparation.

Our core subject is English, with explicit teaching in writing, comprehension, vocabulary and grammar. Students also learn Maths and practise Thinking Skills designed for OC and Selective preparation.

A strong foundation in English also strengthens the reasoning students use in Thinking Skills and Maths, particularly logical thinking and problem solving.

Our online learning model includes both regular weekly classes and full OC and Selective Mock Trials. The mock-trial platform recreates the look, timing and pressure of the actual exams.

Yes. Stephanie, our founder and principal, personally teaches the classes. She is a qualified teacher with a Bachelor of Education (Honours), awarded with High Distinction by The University of Sydney. She was among the first 15 teachers in Australia to receive the Accreditation of Professional Competence from the Australian Minister for Education. Stephanie specialises in Gifted and Talented Education and EALD and is known for her expertise in writing and comprehension.

English is the foundation for every area of learning. By strengthening writing, comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, students also develop the reasoning they need for Thinking Skills and Maths, particularly logical thinking and problem solving. Grammar shapes the quality of their writing, while vocabulary is learned in context, applied in writing and reinforced through online activities. A strong vocabulary also transforms comprehension: children can read for meaning, follow a passage’s argument and move beyond simply decoding words.

Homework is an essential part of the program because regular practice underpins our teaching method. Each week, students complete a structured mix of writing, sentence construction and vocabulary work, comprehension, grammar and usage, cloze, and Thinking Skills practice, with spelling, idiom and visual-reasoning activities included where relevant. Writing and sentences submissions are individually marked and returned with a detailed report explaining what your child did well and exactly what to improve next.

Homework is set above the student’s current school year by design. The work is challenging because the goal is growth, supported by a clear partnership between hardworking students, their parents and Stephanie.

The NSW Department of Education administers the OC placement test for Year 4 students applying to enter an opportunity class in Years 5 and 6. Opportunity classes cater for high-potential and gifted students, and the test assesses reading, mathematical reasoning and thinking skills.

The Selective High School Placement Test is for Year 6 students seeking entry to a NSW selective high school in Year 7. Students are assessed in reading, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and writing.

Years 3 and 4 prepare through our Stage 2 — Acceleration course. English remains central, with weekly vocabulary and a progression from modelled to guided and independent writing. Students also study reading comprehension—including Extract and GAP formats—cloze, grammar and usage, OC-style Thinking Skills, visual reasoning, spelling and idioms. Year 4 students can then apply these skills in our online OC mock trials.

Years 5 and 6 students prepare through our Stage 3 — Extension course, an advanced English program supporting Selective High School and scholarship preparation while building readiness for high school. Students study challenging weekly vocabulary; persuasive, imaginative and informative writing; complex grammar and literary devices; poetry and poem comprehension; comprehension strategies; Extract, GAP and broader reading-comprehension activities; cloze; Selective-style Thinking Skills and visual reasoning; spelling; and idioms. Year 6 students can then apply these skills in our online Selective trial tests.

Yes. Students sit our original, full-length OC and Selective papers online through a platform designed to reproduce the actual test experience. OC trials are available to Year 4 students, while Year 6 Selective trials cover Reading, Maths, Thinking Skills and Writing.

Stephanie Coaching holds a high reputation amongst many families, with students consistently achieving high academic standards — receiving offers from various selective high schools as well as scholarship offers from private schools. Around 99% of our families enrol through word of mouth, and that satisfaction rate is the clearest proof of our results. You can read their letters on our testimonials page.

Start by sending us an enquiry through the form on our home page. Stephanie reads each one personally and responds with the relevant term details, fees and next steps. Before your child’s first class, you will watch our information-session replay and attend a live parent induction.

Tuition fees differ depending on the program and term. For current details, email us or complete the enquiry form on our home page. We will reply personally with the relevant fees and explain what happens next.

Our programs are custom designed and aligned with the Australian national curriculum and the Cambridge curriculum. We track every student's progress through standardised tests, weekly tests, anecdotal notes and checklists, and parents receive constructive feedback about their child's progress on a regular basis. Individual families receive weekly progress reports and an end-of-term report, each showing their child's strengths and the areas to improve on. Our program is designed to fill the gaps and build a solid foundation before a child accelerates — much like building a house, where the foundation has to be right before anything is built on top of it. Without it, knowledge collapses under pressure. We have specialised expertise in Opportunity Class, Selective, Scholarship and NAPLAN preparations.