ABOUT QUINK LAB
Chris Burrill is an experienced senior mathematics teacher and the founder of Quink Lab.
For more than 27 years, he has taught students across secondary mathematics, developing a deep understanding of how capable students learn, where their performance breaks down and what assessors expect to see in a strong mathematical response.
Today, Chris works one-on-one with a small number of senior students studying Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics. His coaching helps them think more clearly, communicate their reasoning precisely and perform with greater control under assessment pressure.
THE PERSON BEHIND THE PROGRAM
Quink Lab is not a tutoring agency and students are not passed between different tutors.
Every coaching session is delivered personally by Chris.
That allows him to develop a detailed understanding of each student’s mathematical thinking, recurring errors, communication habits and response to pressure. Over time, coaching can move beyond correcting individual questions and address the patterns that determine performance.
This continuity is one reason Quink Lab intentionally remains small.
THE STORY
Chris established Quink Lab more than a decade ago after recognising a recurring problem.
Many capable students understood the mathematics when working through familiar examples. Yet, in assessments, their results did not always reflect that understanding.
They might:
These students did not necessarily need more content delivered in the same way.
They needed to be coached in how to think, decide, communicate and perform.
That insight became the foundation of the Quink Lab Mathematical Performance Program.
THE DIFFERENCE
Chris’ classroom experience provides more than subject knowledge.
It gives him an informed understanding of:
Quink Lab still provides content clarification when it is needed. However, the coaching does not stop once a student understands the answer.
Chris examines how the student interpreted the question, selected a method, organised their working, checked the result and communicated the conclusion.
The aim is not merely to complete the next question.
It is to develop a process the student can use when Chris is no longer beside them.
CHRIS’ APPROACH
Chris’ approach is built around five connected areas.
Understanding what a question is asking before beginning the mathematics.
Strengthening the underlying knowledge required to make sound decisions.
Presenting reasoning through clear, complete and mark-worthy working.
Managing time, uncertainty and decision-making under assessment conditions.
Developing repeatable processes that students can trust under pressure.
Confidence is not treated as something students simply need to “feel”.
It develops when they know how to begin, what to do when they are stuck and how to assess whether a solution is reasonable.
SENIOR MATHEMATICS
Quink Lab’s primary focus is one-on-one coaching for capable Year 11 and 12 students studying:
The program is particularly suited to students who are already capable but want to improve their consistency, exam execution, problem-solving depth and solution communication.
It is not designed as general homework supervision or a last-minute rescue service.
The best-fit students are motivated, coachable and willing to examine how they currently work.
EXPERIENCE THAT MATTERS
Across his teaching and coaching career, Chris has supported students with a wide range of senior mathematics goals.
Past students have achieved ATARs above 97, including a verified 99.95. Others have developed the consistency and confidence required to pursue demanding university pathways.
These outcomes matter, but Chris does not treat a past result as a promise of what another student will achieve.
Results depend on the student’s starting point, engagement, school context, assessment conditions and willingness to apply feedback.
What Chris can provide is experienced coaching, clear expectations, honest feedback and a structured process designed to help students perform closer to their capabilities.
PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
WORKING WITH CHRIS
Families can expect Chris to be supportive, but also honest.
He will not give students an artificial sense of progress by completing difficult thinking for them. Instead, he asks questions, identifies patterns and helps students develop methods they can reproduce independently.
Students can expect:
Parents can expect:
LIMITED PLACES
Quink Lab works with a maximum of four active students at any one time.
This allows Chris to know each student’s course, current unit, assessment priorities and developing performance patterns in meaningful detail.
Places are therefore offered through an application and fit process rather than open enrolment.
The purpose is not to create artificial scarcity.
It is to protect the level of attention and continuity the coaching model requires.
THE NEXT STEP
If your child is studying Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics and would benefit from clearer structure, stronger exam strategy and more precise mathematical communication, the next step is to submit a short application.
Chris will review the student’s subject, current performance, goals and coaching readiness before deciding whether to offer a Coaching Fit Call.
