I’m Richard, an experienced science teacher and private tutor with a genuine enthusiasm for helping young people become confident, curious and successful learners. After more than 15 years working in education, including pastoral leadership and Head of Science roles, I now combine teaching part time in a grammar school with private tuition for British and international students. This balance allows me to continue doing what I love professionally while also giving me the flexibility to enjoy family life as a father of three.

Outside education, I have always been passionate about sport and the outdoors. I have played hockey to National League standard, enjoyed success racing road bikes and now particularly enjoy padel, recreational hockey and outdoor adventures with my family. These days, one of my greatest sporting pleasures is planning adventures that we can all enjoy together – this summer, for example, we cycled 50km around Lake Annecy, stopping for plenty of ice creams along the way!

I bring that same sense of enthusiasm, curiosity and enjoyment into my lessons. I want students not simply to learn science, but to become fascinated by it. I also love discovering what makes each student tick and encouraging them to develop their own natural interests, confidence and ambitions.

I have taught science for more than 15 years, from KS2 through to A Level, with particular expertise in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. My career has included teaching all sciences from Year 7 to Year 11, Biology through A Level, and senior roles including Deputy Head of Science and Lead Science Teacher. As Lead Science Teacher at a private London day school, I led the Science department, overhauled the KS4 schemes of work, trained teachers and helped students achieve target grades up to Grade 9 in Biology and PE iGCSE.

I have also held significant pastoral and leadership responsibilities, including being a Head of Year for 170 boys and leadership of a team of 14 tutors. This experience has given me a strong understanding of the wider challenges young people face and the importance of building confidence, motivation and resilience alongside academic ability.

For the past three years I have worked extensively as a private tutor, teaching British and international students from the UK, China, Hong Kong and Singapore, both individually and in online classes. More recently, I have had particular success helping students achieve top grades, as well as supporting a student through a successful science scholarship application to Eton College.

As a result, I offer more than subject tuition alone. I provide focused preparation for school entrance examinations and selective independent-school applications, helping students build both the depth of knowledge and exam confidence required to perform at their very best.

My approach is centred on three things: understanding, confidence and curiosity.

I believe the best tutoring begins with understanding the individual student. Every learner has different strengths, weaknesses and ambitions, so I adapt my teaching accordingly. I identify the areas that need attention, build secure foundations and then progressively challenge students to think more deeply and independently.

I have a particular passion for making science memorable. Rather than simply working through a textbook, I like to connect ideas to the real world, use practical examples and introduce interesting questions that encourage students to think like scientists. My experience developing science curricula and enrichment programmes has taught me how powerful this approach can be.

For students preparing for entrance examinations or scholarships, I combine this broader understanding with a highly focused approach to exam technique. We work on applying knowledge, interpreting unfamiliar questions, identifying what an examiner is really asking for and developing the confidence to tackle challenging problems under pressure.

Ultimately, I want students to leave a lesson feeling that they have achieved something, understood something that previously seemed difficult and, ideally, become a little more fascinated by the subject than they were when they arrived. My aim is not simply to help students get better grades, but to help them become more confident, capable and enthusiastic learners.