Historia magistra vitae
McKerrow History
Private History Tuition · Established 2000

Bringing history to life

Accurate, exciting and relentlessly exam-focused tuition from a PhD historian and working Edexcel examiner. Your child deserves better than bland teaching and sterile textbooks.

A limited number of private students each year · GCSE · A-Level · Oxbridge

Royal Irish Rifles · The Somme, 1916

  • Are you a home-schooling parent struggling to teach your child?
  • Unsatisfied with the quality of your child's education?
  • Is your son or daughter anxious about their GCSEs or A-Levels?
  • I can help you get the grades you need — for pennies a day.
Why accuracy matters

Stalin died in 1953.

This is where I can help. Your child deserves better.

Have you ever read a textbook and realised something was simply wrong? It happens — even in the good ones. One reads: “When the Federal Republic of Germany was allowed to join NATO in May 1955, Stalin's fears increased.” It sounds plausible. The problem is that Stalin died in 1953.

Publishers rush books into print and leave grievous errors for teachers, parents and children to stumble over. And teachers do stumble: many read little after university and lean on textbooks as a crutch — repeating the same mistakes. How can children get it right when their teachers can't?

Dr John McKerrow, standing before a wall of history books
Dr John McKerrow
Head of History · PhD · Examiner
I'm John McKerrow

Nine years at university. Three history degrees. A quarter-century in the classroom.

I have been teaching history since 2000 and spent nine years at university earning three history degrees, including my PhD from McMaster University. I love history, and I believe students deserve more than boring, bland teaching.

But it isn't enough for children to know their history — they need to know what the examiners are looking for. I teach the exam techniques to ace GCSE and A-Level questions. I should know how: I've been an examiner since 2010.

PhD
McMaster University, 2008
Since 2010
Pearson Edexcel examiner
25 yrs
Teaching history
Published
Author, 2013
Read John's story →
McKERROW HISTORYHistoria magistra vitaeMEST · MM
History should be exciting, harrowing, riveting — because it was. Your child deserves more than bland teaching and sterile textbooks.
John McKerrow

Dr John McKerrow · Founder

My Courses

Expertly researched audio & video lessons

I teach the Edexcel International GCSE and the Cambridge (CAIE) International A-Levels. The topics are exciting, harrowing, riveting — they shaped our world. Each lesson pairs audio and video screencasts with recommended reading and my own materials.

GCSE

4 topics
  • Russia and the Soviet Union, 1905–24
  • Dictatorship and conflict in the USSR, 1924–53 (Stalin's Russia)
  • The Cold War, 1943–72
  • Modern China

A-Level

3 topics
  • The Holocaust
  • Stalin's Russia, 1924–41
  • Hitler's Germany, 1929–41

New courses are released through the year and are included free for members during their term. See all courses

The McKerrow method

A modern way to master history

Not a video library to wade through — a structured way of learning that mirrors how a tutor would take your child through the material.

01

Learn at your own pace

Every lesson is delivered as audio and video screencasts. Pause, rewind and rewatch whenever you need to.

02

À la carte or membership

Buy individual lessons, or subscribe for a year and unlock every course — including each new one released during your term.

03

Ask me anything, live

Elite members join my weekly live online lessons — bring your questions and get them answered in person.

04

Beyond the syllabus

I recommend additional materials — most of them free — to turn your child into a genuinely better scholar.

Membership

Choose how your child learns

Buy a single course outright, or join for a year and unlock everything — including each new course released during your term.

À la carte

A single, complete course to buy outright and keep.

£49per course
  • One full audio & video course
  • Recommended readings
  • Lifetime access to that course
Buy a Course

Foundation Membership

Everything I teach, for a year.

£99one year
  • All audio & video of every course
  • All new courses during your term
  • Recommended readings & schemes of work
  • Exemplar exam answers
Become a Member

Elite Membership

Most popular

The full library, plus live access to me.

£199one year
  • Everything in Foundation
  • Weekly live “ask me anything” lessons
  • Priority guidance for your child
  • First access to new material
Go Elite

Every plan carries a money-back guarantee — love it or your money back.

In their own words
John taught me throughout my A-Levels, laying a solid foundation for a degree in History and War Studies at King's College London. His teaching was thorough and effective — and seriously good fun. He allowed me to achieve an A* and stoked my passion for the subject.
I
Isambard Barten
A-Level History · A* · KCL
Dr McKerrow not only helped me achieve top grades but developed a genuine fascination and passion in me for the subject. He enriches students with encyclopaedic knowledge while directing them to maximise their scores against the mark scheme.
Thomas Smaldon
A-Level History · A*
I found John's teaching fantastically useful and to the point, while still letting me explore the areas I found most interesting. History was the highest A-Level grade I achieved, and the skills transferred straight to my degree.
Jack Chapman
A-Level History · Ancient History at university
I was honoured to be taught by Dr McKerrow from the start of my GCSEs through to the end of my A-Levels. He maximised my potential throughout — his style is excellent, adapting to each student's needs.
Josh Payne
GCSE & A-Level History

A genuine money-back guarantee

I guarantee you'll love what McKerrow History has waiting for your son or daughter — or your money back. For tutoring, if you aren't satisfied with your child's first online session, I'll give you a full refund. No questions asked.

Join risk-free today
McKerrow History

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