About Bruno van Bergen
Bruno van Bergen, private History tutor for KS3, GCSE and A-Level across Bristol, Bath and online.
History, taught as a way of thinking
I'm a PGCE-trained Secondary History tutor. I work one-to-one with KS3, GCSE and A-Level students who want History to make sense, not just to be memorised.
Most students I meet are perfectly capable. What they're missing is a method: a reliable way to connect causes, read evidence and build an argument on the page. My job is to give them that, and to make the subject feel learnable again.
I'm honest about what tutoring can and can't do. I won't promise grades I can't guarantee. What I will promise is a clear plan, steady feedback, and a calmer, sharper relationship with the subject.
The professional record
Stated plainly, without embellishment. Specifics such as DBS details can be confirmed directly when you enquire.
PGCE-trained in Secondary History
I trained formally in the pedagogy of History: how the subject is structured, sequenced and assessed, rather than picking tutoring up on the side. Throughout, the focus was on teaching History as a discipline, not a set of facts.
School placement experience
I have taught in real classrooms: planning lessons, managing mixed-ability groups, and marking work to exam-board standards. That experience shapes how I pace and pitch each session.
A deliberate, structured method
I build each course around a clear progression: secure the knowledge, then the technique, then the writing. Nothing is improvised, and your child always knows why we are doing what we are doing.
SEN-aware practice
I adapt pace, structure and materials for a range of additional needs. The ambition stays high, and the route to it is shaped around how your child learns best.
A clear method for reading, thinking and writing
Every student is different, but the method is consistent. I shape the pace, materials and examples around your child's stage and exam board, then follow the same six steps each time, so progress is visible and never improvised.
Diagnose the problem
We start by finding out exactly where things are going wrong, whether that is missing knowledge, shaky reading or weak exam technique, so we work on the right thing first.
Rebuild the topic clearly
I re-teach the topic in plain, well-ordered steps, so the content finally makes sense instead of sitting there as a list of facts to be memorised.
Practise the exact skill
Source analysis, cause and consequence, change over time: we drill the specific historical skill a question is testing, one at a time, until it feels familiar.
Turn knowledge into answers
We turn understanding into structured writing: a clear point, real evidence, honest explanation and a judgement that actually answers the question.
Give clear feedback
Every piece of work gets specific, usable feedback, with the single most important next step made obvious rather than buried under vague comments.
Review and repeat
We revisit earlier topics on a simple schedule, so progress sticks and confidence is built on skills that are genuinely secure, not on cramming.
If this approach sounds right for your child, let us talk.
Book a free intro callWhy History matters
History teaches the skills that outlast any exam: weighing evidence, spotting bias, holding two competing accounts in mind and reaching a reasoned judgement. These are the habits of a careful thinker.
A student who can argue clearly from evidence is better prepared for almost anything that comes next: further study, work, and a world full of confident, unreliable claims.
What parents and students can expect
Stated as a process, not a promise of outcomes.
An honest first conversation
A free 20-minute call to understand your child, the specification, and what success would look like.
A plan, not a guess
I map each plan to the school scheme of work and the exam board, with clear priorities from the start.
Visible progress
You get a short written summary after each session, so progress and next steps are always clear.
Realistic, unhyped feedback
I give specific, encouraging feedback that names what is improving and what to work on, without overpromising grades.
Have a question before you enquire?
If you'd like to know more about how I work before getting in touch, the tutoring and pricing pages go into detail, or simply send an enquiry and ask.