Led by PhD Scientists | Sterling Study Led by PhD Scientists | Sterling StudyLed by PhD Scientists | Sterling Study
A Teaching Team No Other UK Provider Has

The learning formula for success. Built by 2 PhD scientists.

Our PhD co-founders personally oversee and plan all teaching content, exams and revision materials - fully aligned to the National Curriculum, tried, tested and designed to give every student a genuine academic advantage.

Dr Parth Patel
Dr Parth Patel
Co-Founder and Lead Tutor
MSc ImperialPhD UCL
Dr Igors Pupko
Dr Igors Pupko
Co-Founder and Lead Tutor
MSc ImperialPhD Surrey
Imperial College London
UCL
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PhD-holding co-foundersOne from Imperial and UCL. One a research scientist. Both building every resource your child uses.
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In-house curriculum, National Curriculum alignedNo bought-in worksheets. No third-party exams. Everything written from scratch by the founders, mapped to the National Curriculum.
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Students already benefitingFrom East London to Edinburgh, all learning from a curriculum built at PhD level.
Why It Matters

No other UK tuition provider is built like this. Not one.

The tuition industry runs on marketplaces. A company at the top, freelance tutors at the bottom, and bought-in materials in between. Sterling Study is structurally different. The people who founded it are the same people who design what every student learns.

01
Most tutors teach from bought-in materials

Generic worksheet packs and past papers produced by third parties. Your child gets what everyone else gets.

02
Our founders planned everything from scratch - aligned to the National Curriculum

Every assessment, worksheet and marking scheme is planned by two PhD scientists and built around the National Curriculum, so students are always working towards the right goals for their year group.

03
They also lead and teach

Dr Igors teaches weekly. Dr Parth runs special masterclasses and regular parent seminars. Students and families are led directly by the people who built the programme.

Book Free Assessment
The Structural Difference

When the designers are also the teachers, the feedback loop closes completely.

Test data informs lesson planning. Lesson planning informs assessment design. Every resource improves every month. This is structurally impossible when tutors and materials are sourced from different places.

Co-Founder and Lead Tutor
"We built Sterling Study because we knew what world-class teaching looks like. We had been on the receiving end of it. We wanted every student to have access to the same, regardless of where they grew up."
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Dr Parth Patel
Co-Founder and Lead Tutor
MSc ImperialPhD UCLFrancis CrickUCL Researcher

Dr Parth grew up in East London state schools and went on to Imperial, the Francis Crick Institute and a PhD and research role at UCL. That journey from local classrooms to world-class institutions is exactly what Sterling Study is designed to help students achieve.

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Special Masterclasses

Dr Parth runs exclusive sessions on advanced topics and exam strategy for Sterling Study students.

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Regular Parent Meetings and Seminars

Dr Parth holds regular sessions with parents, sharing what the data shows and exactly how they can support their child's progress at home.

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Dr Igors Pupko
Co-Founder and Lead Tutor
PhD Scientist Science Teaching LeadWeekly Live Classes

Dr Igors designs the science curriculum from first principles so students can work out unseen problems rather than recall answers. He personally teaches weekly live classes, meaning students benefit from his expertise directly every week.

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Weekly Live Classes

Students learn directly from Dr Igors every single week.

A Tutor Who Leads by Example

From East London to the World's Top Research Institutions

Dr Parth's journey, from East London state schools to Imperial, the Francis Crick Institute and a PhD at UCL, is one of the reasons Sterling Study is built the way it is.

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Start
East London State Schools
No private tutors
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Postgraduate
MSc at Imperial College
Top 10 worldwide
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Research
Francis Crick Institute
Europe's top research centre
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Doctorate
PhD and Researcher at UCL
Original research role
Now
Sterling Study
Built for the next generation
The PhD Difference

How Sterling Study Compares

Most UK tuition platforms connect students with freelance tutors using third-party materials and no academic leadership. Here is what the data shows when a PhD scientist leads from the front.

Typical UK tuition platform
Student confidence after 3 months
42%
Report feeling more confident · Industry survey 2024
Grade improvement over 6 months
0.6
Average grade boundaries gained
Tutor retention beyond 12 months
38%
Freelance tutors who remain on platforms
What tutors work with
PhD-designed curriculum8%
Monthly progress data shared with parents14%
Academic leader guiding lessons6%
Sterling Study
Student confidence after 3 months
89%
Report increased confidence ★
Grade improvement over 6 months
2
Average grade boundaries gained ★
Tutor retention beyond 12 months
94%
Led by PhD scientists who designed the materials ★
What tutors work with
PhD-designed curriculum100%
Monthly progress data shared with parents100%
Academic leader guiding lessons100%
~2%
Sterling Study is in a category of its ownFewer than 2% of UK tuition providers have a PhD scientist actively teaching and designing the curriculum. Most are marketplace platforms with no academic leadership. None has two PhD co-founders leading from the front.
★ Sterling Study internal study · 1,000+ students and parents surveyed · Cohort data 2020 to 2025 · Industry benchmarks from UK Tuition Market Report 2024
Our Courses

Explore What We Teach

Every course uses curriculum and assessments personally designed by Dr Parth and Dr Igors.