Outstanding Teacher, Tutor and Academic Coach
Hello
Thanks for taking some time to learn more about me. I’m an experienced teacher, tutor and learning mentor and my approach goes much further than simply helping a young person complete homework or improve a test score.
I have over 16 years' experience in education and have worked with hundreds of children and families across primary and secondary education.
My experience includes classroom teaching, one-to-one tutoring, academic intervention, mentoring, SEND support, learning consultancy and working closely with parents to identify what will make the greatest difference for their child.
I have worked with children who are:
aiming for high academic attainment and entrance examinations needing targeted support to close gaps in English or Maths capable academically but struggling to translate that ability into consistent performance finding organisation, focus or independent study difficult preparing for examinations and needing more effective revision strategies lacking confidence or beginning to believe they are “not good” at a subject disengaged from school or struggling to see the purpose of learning neurodivergent or have additional learning needs needing mentoring, direction or greater independence alongside academic tuition
A recurring theme in feedback from parents has been my ability to unlock learning for children for whom conventional tutoring or classroom approaches have not quite worked.
Rather than immediately adding more academic targets, I look carefully at the whole learner: their current attainment, strengths, interests, motivation, confidence, study habits, attention, organisation and the conditions in which they learn most effectively.
From there, I create a highly personalised approach.
My work draws on educational neuroscience and evidence from the science of learning, particularly research around memory, attention, executive functions, metacognition and motivation. I have also developed educational programmes that teach young people explicitly about their brains and how to optimise their own learning.
With older students, I place particular emphasis on study skills, revision, planning and independent learning. Rather than simply telling students to “revise more”, I teach them practical strategies for retrieval, memory, organisation, prioritisation and self-management so that they understand how to study effectively when I am not there.
I also have considerable experience helping young people reconnect with their own strengths and interests. For some students, the barrier is not ability at all – it is confidence, motivation, executive function or simply not being able to see where school fits into the bigger picture.
Where appropriate, I therefore incorporate careers, real-world problems, industry experiences and purposeful projects into my work. I believe learning becomes much more powerful when a young person can see where knowledge lives in the real world and what it might enable them to do.
Parents can expect me to be warm and encouraging, but also purposeful and ambitious. I build strong relationships with young people while maintaining high expectations, setting clear goals and helping them recognise their own progress.
My goal is not simply to help a child perform better in the next lesson or assessment.
It is to help them become a more confident, motivated, strategic and independent learner – and to give them the tools to understand how they learn for themselves.
At the heart of my work is outstanding teaching combined with a deep understanding of how children and young people learn, think, develop confidence and become motivated.
Alongside extensive classroom and tutoring experience, I have a strong academic background in psychology and educational neuroscience. I use research from the learning sciences to help young people understand not only what they need to learn, but how their brain learns best.
This means that tutoring with me might include English, Maths or wider academic support, but it can also involve developing:
I want young people to gradually become less dependent on a tutor, not more dependent on one.
I work collaboratively with each student to understand their strengths, interests, barriers and ambitions, and we set meaningful goals together. Where a child has lost confidence or become disengaged, I spend time understanding what may be sitting underneath the surface rather than assuming that more worksheets or more academic pressure are the answer.
I am particularly experienced in working with SEND and neurodivergent learners and believe strongly in understanding the individual rather than defining them by a diagnosis or label.
Another important part of my approach is helping young people answer the question: “Why am I learning this?”
Where appropriate, I connect academic learning to a young person’s interests, future aspirations, careers and the real world. This can include projects, exposure to industries and professionals, and opportunities to see how subjects such as Maths, English, Science, technology or psychology are actually used beyond school.
Ultimately, I want every young person I work with to develop three things:
Capability – Confidence – Independence
Academic progress matters enormously, but my aim is also to help young people understand themselves as learners, overcome barriers and develop skills that will continue to serve them long after our tutoring sessions have finished.
