Double First in English from Oxford - Top Tier Tuition at a Fair Price! QTS. PGCE. 33 years' teaching experience. Take the Fun Road to the Top! I don't just teach to the test. Great results come with boosted confidence, creativity and skills for the future - far beyond the exam hall.

The apostrophe to Shakespeare, and everything in between! I've worked full time as a secondary-school English teacher in schools ranging from London state schools to the top academic school, Lady Eleanor Holles. I've taught in Italy and Africa as well as the UK. I know how a school anywhere can affect teens. I've seen how a Year 9 can quietly lose confidence, and I know how to help them back on track. I give a gentle introduction to GCSE in the years leading up to it, building skills in imaginative and enriching ways. This is far more effective than the high-stress exercise in technique-spotting that English can become. It can be a far more enjoyable ride to the top than that!

Adults: I teach English Conversation and Writing to Intermediate/Improver/Advanced speakers. Women only. At my home. The focus is on how to help you express yourself better in the subject areas that you want to, with a strong focus on social life and the arts. I do not teach Business English.

I create my own teaching materials using my drawings and cartoons to explain ideas. My visuals are clear, fun and memorable. I share these materials on the TES Resources platform. I give clear, encouraging feedback, colour-coded: green for good, red for wrong, purple for next steps! For nine years I wrote for the TES as an educational journalist alongside teaching. Writing my own column was fantastic experience for teaching the non-fiction part of GCSE English.

I like to find out what is troubling a student about English and give them things to do to make progress in the first lesson. My teaching can be quirky and memorable, because language techniques are everywhere. There's a simile on a can of soup!

Please Note: Regular lessons take place at my home in Teddington, with all my amazing books and creative teaching materials to hand. Teddington has good transport links. Short-term online bookings are possible, subject to availbilty, e.g. in the final few months leading up to GCSE Exams. Longer-term, regular lessons are all face to face. Occasional online lessons may be booked in place of the usual face-to-face lessons - if a child has a sneezy cold but still wants the lesson, for instance!

I read a student's work to see what is already strong and doesn't need to change. This is why I mark with three pens: green for good, red for wrong and purple for advice and next steps. I draw cartoons to make ideas clear, memorable and fun. Meet the Essay Dinosaur, the Grammar Octopus and the Poetry Flower! Shakespeare comes alive when you see the Model Globe Theatre I made, complete with Playmobil knights, devils and ghosts. You'll see how Shakespeare's plays are scripts: words onstage, not words on a page!

I always aim to send students home knowing what to do next and confident that they can do it. My favourite comment from a student: 'I'm making my own discoveries now, instead of learning someone else's.' From a parent: 'When I drove my daughter to her lesson, she was so stressed she was in tears. When she got back in the car after her lesson, she was laughing.' Turning stress into laughter - that's what I like to hear!

Some Reviews from other platforms:

5 Stars: Hannah Dempsey: Catherine is an excellent tutor and I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is thorough in her teaching and uses creative techniques - indeed my son felt that he had learnt more in one hour with Catherine than he had all year! She is passionate and enthusiastic about her subject which comes across in her teaching and this definitely engages her students!

5 Stars: Alexis: Perfect! We asked for help with English language for our daughter, who did abysmally in her mock. Catherine helped her with the specifics of her GCSE course. She helped our daughter write speeches, stories and opinions. She was very patient and encouraged our daughter who thought she wasn't very good at English. Our daughter achieved 9s in both English Language and Literature- so we were very happy! We highly commended Catherine.

5 Stars: Toake: Catherine has been tutoring my sons in KS3 for six months now and I couldn't been happier with the result. One of my sons was recently complimented by his English teacher at school on how well he is doing in class, which came as a surprise for both my son and me, but boosted his confidence which is quite needed as he heads to the GCSE.

5 Stars: Urangua: Perfect! Catherine was very encouraging and helped my daughter feel more confident before the GCSEs! She really enjoyed discussing poetry with Catherine and helped her achieve a grade 9 in English Lit.

Recommendations (star rating option not available, e.g. on Facebook):

Caroline Shah: I would highly recommend Catherine as a tutor if - above all - you want your child to develop a love of English literature as an art form in all of its different manifestations. Catherine's ability to instil a passion for, and appreciation of, English is quite unique and will definitely help your child to perform at the highest level possible.

Chrissie Hammond: The results have been amazing, not just in English but in all the essay-based subjects my daughter Issey did for GCSE. Catherine did so much to help Issey improve her writing style, understand and interpret literature and proof read her work in an effective way. Issey has become a far more confident writer and has learnt skills that will carry her through school and beyond. There is no question that she would not have achieved as she did without Catherine's help. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Stephanie: I am delighted to be able to act as a reference for Catherine; she made a very positive impact on both my children. After sessions they returned home uplifted and inspired, confident to continue to study alone with an interested and positive attitude.