Secondary

After University I spent ten years teaching in secondary schools, specialising in maths and ICT, including being in charge of computers across the curriculum and deputy head of maths. I chose to take a career break to look after my own children until they reached school age when I did a short Return to Teaching course before returning to full time teaching in a local secondary school for three years. Having taught GCSE and A level in school I realised that some pupils struggle and some need stretching and that this is difficult for a class teacher to achieve for every pupil so I decided to become a private tutor.

I have helped some KS3 pupils who were falling behind for various reasons and covered the relevant curriculum and given them a good grounding to continue. I have tutored several pupils who needed to get a particular grade at GCSE to go on with their studies, as well as helping others achieve the highest grade. I have helped A level students with the step up to further studies and given them the confidence to continue all the way through the course.  I use a mixture of explanation/demonstration, investigation and practise/application as required.

I am generally considered to be very patient and understanding and I enjoy helping children learn. I can explain things clearly and in different ways to help children and do not mind repeating things. I encourage and build confidence with appropriate praise and recognition of progress made regardless of whether the “right answer” is necessarily achieved. I enjoy being able to take the time with individuals and respond to their needs, using a variety of techniques to motivate and engage them. I always try and explain “why” methods work and introduce specific vocabulary with explanations, mnemonics, ‘hints’ or even puns for remembering the terms and the spellings.