I am an English tutor with twenty years of experience who is passionate about English language and literature and is dedicated to helping students reach their potential and achieve exam success. I have a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London and a TEFL qualification as well as QTS in secondary English. While I have high expectations of my students, I also understand the pressures young people face and the challenges of the school environment that can sometimes impede developing confidence in English. My aim is to help students develop confidence in themselves, their ability to understand complex texts and develop the skills needed to excel.

I have taught both primary and secondary students as well as adults. Having taught my own daughter successfully for 11+ entrance exams and gain entry into a highly academic independent school, I understand how this sector works. I have prepared students for independent and grammar school exams. I also worked for over 10 years as an English specialist in a primary school and know how to support students for whom English is an additional language. I have successfully prepared students for SATs, GCSEs (AQA, Edexcel and WJEC) and A Levels (AQA and Edexcel).

I believe most students who seek help struggle with keeping up with the way English is taught in the classroom which does not cater to their individual needs. This makes students lose their confidence in the subject and my aim as a tutor is to instil confidence in the student that they have the ability to understand, analyse and write confidently in English. Before I start tutoring, I usually ask students to complete an assessment in reading comprehension and writing and I plan my approach based on this. I try to work as closely as possible with what the students are doing at school so they can be prepared for internal assessments as well as teaching them the skills required for passing national exams. The lessons are focused on discussion to develop independent thinking skills, modelling good writing and independent practice. This is further consolidated with homework on which students will receive feedback. I keep parents informed of progress as I believe this partnership is important for student motivation and engagement. I use zoom for my online lessons and am happy to have students come to me or travel to students who live within a 3 mile radius.