Throughout school I took part in a programme tutoring maths to GCSE students and those in need of extra help. I have always very much enjoyed the joint partnership between tutor and tutee, identifying an area of difficulty, breaking the matter down and finding a way of reframing a subject to a person’s particular strengths and techniques in learning.

Immediately after leaving university, I chose to go into education becoming a teaching assistant for a Year 2 class at Garden House Boy’s School. I very much enjoyed the pastoral care involved, but also the influence I had on the children’s academic progress. Working with younger children being a very different skill, and I gained huge amounts of experience of the education system, examinations and general teaching methods. I successfully helped across a wide range of areas, from teaching the alphabet to the low ability group, to 7+ preparation with the higher ability group. I spent weekly sessions working with the Special Educational Needs students in my class, catering to their particular needs.

My notable tutoring work involves 11+ tutoring for ‘Teachers as Tutors’. Over a period of 6 months I spent 2 hours weekly with a Year 6 boy taking his 11+, teaching English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. We made fantastic progress together, through a mature student teacher relationship and also a personable element in which we discussed a range of academic related problems he faced. Interview preparation was a key part following his successful exams, and I was thrilled he was offered a place at Westminster Under this past September (2018).

Furthermore, I spent the August 2018 tutoring a 12 year old girl in Maths and English. Going into the first session with little information it quickly became evident of the gaps in her learning and I adapted the planning in place to use the time to further cement the core skills in mathematics, including time, measurements and times tables. It was a pleasure watching her come along and help her be in better stead for the start of Year 8.