Year 13 Excellence Programme
Weekly Masterclasses for A-Level Religious Studies & Philosophy Students Aiming for A and A*
Tuesdays, 7pm, Starts October 2026 - Max 6 places
By the time students reach Year 13, most have covered the content of the specification. The challenge is no longer remembering what philosophers and scholars believed—it is demonstrating the depth of understanding, critical analysis and evaluative judgement needed to secure the highest marks.
A-Level Religious Studies is one of the most intellectually demanding subjects available. Success requires more than knowledge—it requires the ability to analyse, evaluate and think independently.
The Year 13 Excellence Programme is designed to develop exactly those skills, giving ambitious students the confidence and academic depth needed to achieve the highest grades and take their next steps towards university and beyond.
Why Join the Weekly Masterclasses?
Every session is designed to help you:
Fill the gaps left by fast-paced school lessons.
Understand and practice difficult concepts in the run up to mocks and finals.
Develop the depth of knowledge needed for A and A* answers.
Learn how examiners award the highest marks.
Build knowledge, critical skills and confidence.
Tackle the trickiest subjects, in depth.
Master the deepest content rather than simply memorising the specification.
Get monthly marking, on a relevant exam question.
20 subjects taught in-depth over 30 weeks
If you're aiming not just to pass but to excel, these weekly masterclasses will give you the deeper understanding, sharper analytical skills and greater confidence needed to achieve the highest grades at A-level.
Clear explanations and a great opportunity to check understanding throughout.”
Louise W.
The information was well explained, relevant, and easy to digest.”
Akua G.
A really helpful overview of a large and intimidating topic in the RS specification.”
Coco.
A key way of gaining a holistic insight.”
Riley H.
Gideon Burrows is an expert religious studies and philosophy tutor, committed to helping A-Level students and others think deeper and achieve higher.
He is a graduate in Theology and Philosophy from Oxford University, a PGCE trained teacher from University of East London, and a published author.
What you will gain from this masterclass
Week after week, we'll dig deeper than your classroom can go
The Nature of God
Can the attributes of God even hold together? You'll go beyond textbook definitions of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence and into the paradoxes that examiners love to test — the stone paradox, Boethius vs. Swinburne on timelessness, classical theism vs. process theology. You'll leave able to argue, not just describe.
Religious Experience
Evidence for God, or evidence of human psychology? From James's mystical markers to Otto's numinous, through Swinburne's principles of credulity and testimony, and the reductionist challenges that try to explain it all away — this module trains you to weigh testimony like a philosopher, not just summarise it.
Meta-ethics
The topic you fear most — made to make sense. Naturalism, non-naturalism, intuitionism, emotivism, prescriptivism, Hume's is/ought gap — meta-ethics consistently tops the "hardest topic" list. Our small-group classes exist to demystify it for you, one clear distinction at a time, until you can move fluently between abstract theory and its real ethical consequences.
Free will and Determinism
Are you ever really free? Hard determinism, libertarianism, and the counterintuitive claims of compatibilism — you'll learn to hold competing definitions of "freedom" in tension and see exactly how this debate reshapes moral responsibility itself.
Death and the Afterlife
Resurrection, reincarnation, dualism, or nothing at all? We unpack the philosophical machinery behind each model of the afterlife — the replica problem, the interaction problem, and the question of personal identity underneath it all — so you can evaluate, not just list, competing views.
Applied ethics
Where theory meets the real world. Business ethics, environmental ethics and beyond — you'll learn to synthesise normative theory and meta-ethics into sharp, example-driven arguments that examiners reward at the top band, rather than staying stuck in abstraction.
Secularisation and the Challenge from Science
Is faith really in decline — and does science explain it away? This are bridges sociology and philosophy, giving you the tools to assess secularisation theory alongside science-and-religion models, and to build nuanced, evidence-based arguments instead of reaching for easy conclusions.
Systemisation
Turning isolated topics into one connected map. The highest-scoring students see the whole specification as a web, not a list. Our capstone sessions help you build a live "philosopher map" across the course — tracing Hume, Aquinas, Sartre and more through every topic they touch — so you walk into the exam able to draw connections instantly.
Revisiting YOUR most challenging subjects
You've studied religious education and philosophy for nearly two years. But you still have weaknesses, doubts, misunderstandings and challenges.
While all sessions in this course will adapt to your needs, we'll finish off tackling your group's particular challenges, revisiting, digging deeper, and perfecting your knowledge and skills.
We'll ensure every single member gets what they need to pursue their very best in this amazing subject.
Achieving A and A* in Your Exams
Essay architecture that leads with a clear judgement and defends it from your first paragraph.
AO1/AO2 balance — precise, concise knowledge paired with genuine analytical depth.
Real evaluation, not "some say / others say" — you'll learn to trace why an argument succeeds or fails.
Scholar fluency — using named thinkers in dialogue with each other, not as name-drops.
Timed practice — every module includes exam-condition writing, so pacing becomes second nature.
Structure — when to follow the rules, and when to break them with your individual approach.
Pay Complete Course
£750
one time payment & guarantee
Join 28 live classes over the year, tackling 20 key subjects in
A-Level Religious Studies across all exam boards, with a focus on achieving in your exams.
Maximum 6 students per class.
Get 1 essay marked per month.
Google Classroom for your class, for discussion, peer review and submitting essays.
Recordings of all classes.
Free access for parents to The RE & Philosophy Parent Hub.
Discounts on all other booklets, resources and live Super Sunday seminars offered throughout the year.
Guarantee. If after four classes you've not gained from your Masterclass, I'll charge just the one time monthly fee and refund the rest.
Pay Monthly
£110
/month
Join 28 live classes over the year, tackling 20 key subjects in
A-Level Religious Studies across all exam boards, with a focus on achieving in your exams.
Maximum 6 students per class.
Get 1 essay marked per month.
Recording of all attended classes.
Free access for parents to The RE & Philosophy Parent Hub.
Just £25 non-returnable deposit to secure your place.
ABOUT ME
Hey, I'm Gideon
I became passionate about Religious Studies at A-level. My teachers were so energetic and empowering that I threw myself into the subject, achieved high grades, and went to the University of Oxford to study Theology and Philosophy.
That passion has never left me.
After a rich career as a journalist, author of 14 books, and two decades training professionals in communication, I returned to education as a mature student. I completed my PGCE with distinction at the University of East London and now teach RE across all secondary key stages in London.
I know from working in schools that too many bright, curious students are let down by chaotic classrooms, non-specialist teachers, and a system that treats Religious Studies and Philosophy as low-priority subjects.
That's why I tutor — to give you the depth, expertise, and individual attention your school can't.
My approach is grounded in evidence-based pedagogy — cognitive load theory, scaffolding, dual coding, and deep questioning. I don't just prepare you for exams. I help you become a genuinely better thinker, which means better grades come naturally.
Not ready to book?
I understand you and your parents may not be sure this course is right for you.
I offer a money back guarantee after a month, you want to leave the masterclass.
But if you're still not sure, take a £25 consultation with me, so we can explore your weaknesses, needs, and whether my Year 12 Excellence Programme is a good fit.
If you decide to proceed - and if I'm sure you'll gain from joining - you'll get that consultation fee taken off the monthly or annual cost of the course.
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