Lower Secondary
Skills for Life

My parents were teachers and, from an early age, I can remember them striving to give their students the best opportunities they had. Despite my own struggles with school and education, they inspired me to become a teacher and showed me the kind of educator I wanted to be.

I realised early on in my educational studies that I wanted to work with Lower Secondary students. The years between Primary and IGCSE can be a very difficult period for these young people, both emotionally and academically, and I wanted to help them develop through those challenging times. I spent many an hour at my school sat on the side of a cold playground so that the boys who struggled interacting with others could have a safe space to play the games they wanted to play.

As well as a specialism in The Arts, I became Head of History, an Advanced Skills Teacher developing Teaching and Learning throughout my Home County, and an English Consultant. In my experiences, Lower Secondary has always been about being able to reach each student with a range of subjects challenging enough for them, whilst acknowledging the huge changes that are upon them. I am absolutely passionate about the student as a person as well as a scholar and feel that my Skills for Life work will allow me to support them as they enter adolescence.

My teaching took a different path when I began homeschooling my two children from the age of 11. My eldest was struggling with school and therefore it was imperative to make the changes that he needed. My youngest decided that he wanted to follow suit and we never looked back. Since then, both my children thrived and with my support and dedication to their needs, they have both gone on to be successful in their respective fields. Both my children have shown me new wonders and I continue to learn from them as they make their own path into adulthood.

Homeschooling my own children has led me to Tutor other young people at Lower Secondary and IGCSE Level and I love the challenges of working with all these unique individuals. Even now, there can be days when the student doesn’t need English, they need the space to talk and express their concerns and that can be as valuable to their learning.

When not tutoring, I get enormous pleasure from open water swimming, touring the countryside with my husband and dog in our beloved motorhome, and curling up in front of a warm fire with my knitting or a good book.

I am really looking forward to working with you.

Geography and Environmental Management are such awesome subjects. Almost everything you can think of can be linked back to Geography, whether it is the production of a mobile phone or people moaning about their commute to work! It allows us to study and understand the processes of the natural world, how we live in it and interact with it. The great thing about Geography is that it is constantly changing so there is always something new and exciting to explore and study. Environmental Management is intrinsically linked to Geography and is such an important subject to learn about in our ever-changing world.

I have always loved Geography. This probably came from a childhood of running around the countryside and playing on a friend’s farm. I thrive on being outdoors, and Geography has given me the opportunity to study and learn from the world around me. I thoroughly enjoyed learning Geography at school, going on to study it at A level and then at university. I particularly enjoyed the Bio-Geography modules when I went to the University of Wales in Swansea, choosing a number of Environmental Biology modules to compliment my Geography studies.

After completing my degree, I travelled the world. I went to Japan, Australia and New Zealand for six months. It was an amazing experience that allowed me to see all sorts of landscapes, including active volcanoes, glaciers and waterfalls.

On my return, I studied for a PGCE at the College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth and secured a position in a local secondary school where I taught for 11 years in a variety of roles including Head of Department. I took great pleasure in teaching Geography to 11 to 18-year-olds as well as mentoring students on a one-to-one basis to improve their grades.

Since leaving the classroom, I have tutored A Level students and been a GCSE examiner. I delight in helping people to reach their full potential, and I am always happy to help. I am approachable and friendly, and I look forward to helping you to learn.

In my spare time, my hobbies include reading, gardening and (when it’s warm enough) swimming in the sea! My favourite pastime is walking our dog Lola with my husband and two children.

I have been teaching since 2003 and previously worked as a Stage Manager in various theatres across the UK. I am now able to combine my love of Drama with my love of literature by working as an English and Drama specialist.

I have taught in various educational settings, including specialist environments for children with visual impairments. I regularly directed and staged full-stage productions, some of which included The Bacchae, Guys & Dolls and Beauty & the Beast.

I have taught online for about two years, and I love that this allows me to connect with students worldwide and gives me the freedom to walk in my local countryside between lessons. I enjoy working one-on-one with students and have been delighted to be part of the UK National Tutoring Programme, which supports children who cannot be in school for a variety of reasons.

I love to be outside in nature, whether walking, growing vegetables or swimming in my local lido. I recently learned to swim and think it’s vital that we keep learning skills throughout life. I am also a writer in my spare time and contribute to Drama and Theatre magazine for teachers, textbooks and my own personal blog.

I received my formal education from the University of Queensland in Australia. As part of my Arts Degree, I studied Economics, which I found to be both dynamic and challenging. Due to my outstanding achievement in the subject, I was offered a position as a tutor in The School of Economics which I gladly accepted, I truly have an enduring love for the subject.

I am attracted by the fact that everything is Economics, and nothing stays the same. You only need to go into the supermarket lately to experience ‘Shrinkflation’ first hand. As the name suggests, the size of the bar has shrunk, but the price has remained the same. It is important that we understand some level of Economics, so that the judgements we make are informed ones.

I subsequently went on to become a Head of Special Educational Services for Education Queensland, where I established the first two Special Educational Units for the semi-rural area, I was working in. I was also instrumental in developing effective and successful community-based programs, which resulted in work placements and apprenticeships for students with Special Educational Needs.

During my time at Education Queensland, I was offered the exciting opportunity to develop a ‘Skills for Life’ program. I found this to be a very challenging but rewarding project. The program sought to positively impact the lives of the students involved and the lives of those around them. I firmly believe that students need to be educated holistically. None of us can function if we do not possess the skills to interact positively in the world in which we live.

More recently, I held the dual roles of Special Educational Needs Coordinator and Head of Learning Support in an Independent School in Buckingham and was a senior leadership team member.

I have spent over 20 years teaching Lower Secondary, GCSE and A level English and have over 18 years of experience as an examiner for English. I am currently a Senior Examiner. I enjoy this role, as it is enlightening and rewarding to see the ways in which students approach the texts. This experience informs how I guide students to success.

I have a wide range of knowledge and experience in the fields of Specialist and Mainstream Education. I offer a wealth of sound practical advice and information to students seeking to organise and motivate themselves to achieve successful outcomes in their studies.
On a personal level, I love live theatre, listening to music, gardening, and reading, but most of all, I seek to enjoy every moment and spend my free time with special friends and family, and I must not forget my beautiful little Toffee, a lovable Maltese terrier, who constantly reminds me just how much joy can be packed into life.

I came to teaching quite late after working for several years in banking and retail. In my early 30s, I made a career change and worked as a classroom assistant in a Secondary School. At the same time, I started to study for a degree in English and History with the Open University. This was hard work while working and bringing up a young family, but it taught me the value of education and the opportunities that a good education can offer to an individual. The school in which I worked recognised my academic ambition and offered me an opportunity to train as a teacher via the Graduate Teaching Programme. And that, as they say, is that! I was able to train to do what I consider to be one of the best and most privileged jobs in the world; a teacher.

I taught in mainstream education and then as Head of Department for three years in a school which specialised in teaching students who were on the autism spectrum. It is without a doubt that those three years were some of my best and most interesting times in the classroom. I like to think I taught my students a lot, but I also think they taught me so much about how to be a creative and innovative teacher, and how to understand and appreciate the perspectives and experiences of all learners. I left that post to develop my private tutoring and examination work.

Every year, I read hundreds of examination scripts written by students from across the world. Reading the thoughts and ideas of such a wide range of students is such an amazing experience; one which has helped me to develop a much better understanding and appreciation of different cultures. This knowledge is advantageous when working with international students.

My hobbies include yoga, fitness classes, reading and walking. I have also recently taken up skiing in an attempt to keep up with my five year old grandson. I can safely say that I am not a natural at this sport but I like the idea of sharing a hobby with my grandson – even if he is so much better at it that I will ever be!

I am really looking forward to getting to know and work with you.