Parents guide
Where can my child get free revision help in Barking?
Quick answer
Barking & Dagenham's libraries are free to join and offer wi-fi and computers. Barking Learning Centre at 2 Town Square opens 9am to 7pm Monday to Thursday. Online, Oak National Academy and BBC Bitesize are free, and AQA and Pearson Edexcel publish past papers and mark schemes free of charge.
Good revision does not have to cost money. Many of the best resources for GCSE and KS3 students are free, and Barking & Dagenham has libraries where your child can study quietly with wi-fi. This guide lists what is available locally and online, and how to use it well.
Which libraries in Barking & Dagenham can my child study in?
The borough's libraries and community hubs are free to use, and joining is free. The two largest are in Barking and Dagenham town centres. The details below come from the council's community hubs page and library information pages.
| Library or hub | Address | Opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| Barking Learning Centre Community and Family Hub | 2 Town Square, Barking IG11 7NB | Mon–Thu 9am–7pm, Fri–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm |
| Dagenham Library and Family Hub | 1 Church Elm Lane, Dagenham RM10 9QS | Mon–Thu 9am–7pm, Fri–Sat 9am–5pm, closed Sun |
| Valence Community Hub | Becontree Avenue, Dagenham RM8 3HT | Mon 10am–5pm, Tue 10am–7pm, Wed–Thu 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–4pm, closed Fri |
| Thames Community Hub | Bastable Avenue, Barking IG11 0LG | Mon–Fri 9am–5pm |
| Marks Gate Community and Family Hub | Marks Gate Community Centre, Rose Lane, Romford RM6 5NJ | Mon–Fri 9am–5pm |
| Chadwell Heath and Whalebone Community Hub | Chadwell Heath Community Centre, High Road, Dagenham RM6 6AS | Mon–Wed 10am–5pm, Thu 10am–7pm |
Barking Learning Centre and Dagenham Library are closed on bank holidays. Opening times can change, so check the council website or call before a long study session.
What can my child use there?
Barking Learning Centre and Dagenham Library both list public computers and wi-fi, plus free access to online encyclopaedias and dictionaries. Printing is available but not free: the council's borough-wide services page lists 20p for an A4 black and white page. Under-16s can borrow up to 12 items at a time.
How do we join?
Joining is free. You need one proof of name and current address, and you can start the process online. A Barking & Dagenham card also gives access to libraries in other councils in the same library group.
Which free websites are best for GCSE and KS3 revision?
Oak National Academy and BBC Bitesize cover almost every topic your child will meet, for free. They work well together: Oak for full lessons, Bitesize for quick recaps and quizzes.
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy offers free lessons, slides, quizzes and worksheets linked to the national curriculum. It is a public body sponsored by the Department for Education. The pupil pages are sorted by year group up to Year 11, which makes it easy to find the lesson your child missed or did not understand.
BBC Bitesize
BBC Bitesize has free videos, step-by-step guides and quizzes from key stage 1 to GCSE. Students in Years 7 to 9 should use the KS3 section. Students in Years 10 and 11 should use the GCSE section and pick their exam board where they can.
Where can we find free GCSE past papers?
The exam boards publish past papers and mark schemes on their websites for free. Ask your child's teacher which board they take for each subject first, because papers differ between boards.
| Exam board | Where to find papers | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| AQA | Past papers and mark schemes | AQA says most papers stay on its website for three years. The newest papers are kept for schools to use as mocks. |
| Pearson Edexcel | Past papers | Free to teachers and students. Papers from the last nine months are locked so teachers can use them for mocks. |
| OCR | Past paper finder | Papers, mark schemes and examiner reports by subject. See OCR's past paper policy on the page. |
How should my child use past papers?
Past papers work best in the final months before exams, after the content has been taught. A good routine is:
- Do the paper in timed conditions, with no notes.
- Mark it honestly with the official mark scheme.
- List every question where marks were lost.
- Revise those topics on Oak or Bitesize, then try similar questions again.
Step 4 is the one most students skip, and it is where the improvement happens. Our Year 11 revision timetable guide shows how to fit this into a weekly plan.
What other free or low-cost help is there?
Your child's school is often the best free resource. Many schools run revision sessions after school or in the holidays, especially in Year 11. Ask the subject teacher directly which topics to focus on.
Other ideas:
- Revision guides. Ask the school whether it recommends a particular guide, and ask your library if a copy is available to borrow.
- Study with a friend. Testing each other with flashcards is free and works well.
- Homework clubs. Many secondary schools have a quiet space open after lessons.
When is free help not enough?
Free resources work best for students who know what they need to revise and can stay motivated alone. If your child keeps getting the same questions wrong, does not know where to start, or avoids revision altogether, they may need someone to guide them.
That does not always mean expensive one-to-one tuition. Small-group tutoring can cost less per lesson and still give personal attention. Our guide to what tutoring costs in East London compares the options.
How LCB can help
LCB Tutors is based at Roding House, Cambridge Road, Barking IG11 8NL. We teach KS3, GCSE and A-Level Maths, Science and English in groups of 3 to 5, in person or live online. Our tutors use past papers from your child's exam board and show them how to learn from every mistake.
GCSE and KS3 plans start at £52 a month for one lesson a week, which works out at £13 a lesson. There is no contract and you can cancel anytime. Families on Universal Credit can get up to 85% of registered childcare costs paid back for children until the 31 August after their 16th birthday. Message us to check whether this could apply to you.
Find out more about tutoring in Barking, or book a free assessment to see where your child stands.
Questions parents ask
- Can my child use the library computers without a library card?
- The council lists public computer access for library members or as a guest. Ask staff at the front desk how guest access works on the day.
- Is Barking Learning Centre open on Sundays?
- Yes. The council lists Sunday opening at Barking Learning Centre from 10am to 4pm. Dagenham Library is closed on Sundays.
- Why can't my child find last summer's exam paper online?
- Exam boards keep the most recent papers for schools to use as mock exams. They usually appear on the public website later, so ask the teacher if you need them sooner.
- Do libraries in Barking & Dagenham have books in other languages?
- Yes. The council lists books in languages including Arabic, Bangla, Gujarati, Polish, Punjabi, Tamil, Turkish and Urdu.
Sources
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Community Hubs
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Library opening times and information
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Dagenham Library and Family Hub
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Barking Learning Centre Community and Family Hub
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Borough-wide library services
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Join our library
- Oak National Academy
- GOV.UK – Oak National Academy
- BBC Bitesize
- AQA – Past papers and mark schemes
- AQA – Assessment materials: what's available when
- Pearson Edexcel – Past papers
- OCR – Past paper finder
- GOV.UK – Universal Credit childcare costs
Related guides
- Secondary schools in Barking & Dagenham by GCSE resultsSecondary schools in Barking & Dagenham ranked by 2025 GCSE Attainment 8 scores, with a plain-English guide to what the numbers mean for your child.
- Can I find a female tutor for my daughter in Barking?Looking for a female tutor in Barking? How to ask for one, what to check, and how LCB offers female tutors on request and respects prayer times.
- Is group tutoring as good as one-to-one tutoring?Group tutoring vs one-to-one: what the research says, the honest pros and cons of each, and how to decide which suits your child and your budget.