Upper Primary
Art and Design

My desire to work in children’s education began during my role as Art Teacher at a Summer Camp in New York. These children didn’t have much, but what they did have was an enthusiasm for learning! It was an honour to watch them grow and develop new skills.

Since then, I have taught a variety of ages and subjects in several schools. I believe a teacher can ignite a love for learning and a passion for a subject. My passion lies in the creative areas of the curriculum: I love art, design and music. I follow these passions in my spare time, creating elaborate cakes, transforming windows with snow spray art and frequently enjoy playing the piano.

Whilst I teach all areas of the curriculum day to day, I love to run extra-curricular clubs to encourage children’s interests in many creative areas. Over the years, my clubs have included, potion making, nature crafts, fashion design, silk screen printing and CSI (forensics) club to name a few. 

During the pandemic, I embraced online teaching, discovering ways to overcome any challenges presented by learning remotely. I was amazed at how children’s education could continue seamlessly with the guidance of online support. 

I am excited to be tutoring with Wolsey Hall Oxford and to continue to ignite creative passions in all of my students, whilst offering care and support throughout their educational journey. 

I have been working with children now for around 25 years – starting off as a voluntary leader with Girlguiding UK, progressing to a Specialist Learning Support Assistant and then training as a Primary teacher specialising in History. Over the past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to teach a whole range of ages, from three year-olds up to adults, in both state and private schools. During that time, I have also specialised in working with learners with SEN, particularly dyslexia, ADHD and ASD, including training as an Irlen Visual Stress Screener.

I absolutely love learning and am particularly drawn to History and English – so much so that I continued to study Humanities, Art History and English whilst doing my teacher training. I like to visit museums and historic towns and villages around the UK with my husband and two daughters.

When I was a student, I had the opportunity to volunteer in a museum, interviewing local people for their oral history archives. A few years ago, I also teamed up with a film-maker to record a local history walk. I am fascinated by knowing about the lives people used to lead and how this relates to us now! It is also interesting how our language has evolved and this helps tremendously when teaching English.

When I’m not teaching or visiting interesting places, I like to keep fit. I was always very active as a child and this continued through playing various sports over the years including ladies’ and mixed rugby. I am now running again. I used to run 100m/200m for a club but, this time, longer distances from 5k to training for a marathon.

I have used my expertise to teach PE and the Sports Leaders programme at both Primary and Secondary Level, and most recently qualifying as an England Athletics Run Leader. I think it’s incredibly important to balance studying and working with wellbeing and health. I am qualified as a Mental Health and Mindfulness Coach, something that I have found is essential for all learners in any educational setting.

I am excited to be sharing my skills and experience with the students at Wolsey Hall Oxford.

After 17 years of teaching Art and Design in a Primary school, I still get excited by a blank page and sharpened colouring pencils. It has been a privilege to introduce new techniques and materials to children and watch them experiment, develop their own ideas and have a lot of fun doing it.

I studied in Bristol and achieved a 1st class honors degree in Fashion and Textile Design. Maths is another subject that I have enjoyed teaching. What I have enjoyed about this subject is the link between method and creativity. I can appreciate that we see and learn new things in different ways and I often found that my visual approach was more effective when children couldn’t ‘see’ a way to work out a problem, it is a wonderful moment when it all becomes clear.

Currently I host foreign students aged 12 and upwards, they stay with my family in our home and I tutor them English. I also organise cultural visits and activities that interest them, I have particularly enjoyed kayaking and tennis matches played with the students this summer.

I love being outdoors and I take most of my inspiration from nature, so it’s not surprising that I enjoy tennis, skiing, swimming, walking and a gentle jog now and then.

I am looking forward to supporting parents and their children in Art and Maths and to encourage a fun, learning experience here at Wolsey Hall Oxford.

I am an enthusiastic, fully qualified primary school teacher, with over 15 years’ teaching experience. I am passionate about every child achieving their best. I qualified as a primary teacher in 2007 and have since worked in a variety of schools, across both the private and state sectors. I have taught children from ages 5 to 11 in all primary subjects and have an excellent working knowledge of the Key Stage 1 and 2 curriculum. Additional roles have included: Literacy Lead, Art and Design Coordinator and Eco-Schools Coordinator.

For the last few years, I have really enjoyed tutoring children aged between 5 and 11 years in Maths and English on a 1:1 basis. As a tutor, I take time to get to know every child as an individual, working together to build confidence, independence and self-esteem. This personalised approach ensures they are equipped to make rapid progress. I feel one of my key strengths is to form strong relationships with families, in order to ensure every child achieves their full potential. I am committed to providing outstanding teaching and feedback, to enable all children to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

In my spare time, I like to explore our local beaches, paint, meditate, read and swim. Painting and the seaside have always been my passions. From a young age, I was happiest with a paintbrush in my hand, or splashing about in the sea! I am now lucky enough to live by the coast and sell my large, vibrant paintings of the area in local galleries.

I look forward to sharing my love of teaching and learning with your family.

My career as an educator spans 29 years, and has enabled me to teach in an extensive range of schools and cultural environments. I began my career as a Secondary Specialist Teacher of Art and Design and transitioned into becoming a Primary Teacher, Online Tutor and Course Writer. I left the UK in 2001 and have lived in seven countries since then, including France, Italy and Malaysia.

As a child, I had a huge passion towards anything creative. Scraps of fabric, cardboard boxes or other found materials, anything that was discarded in my home was never safe. Cardboard, fabrics, beads, paper, anything that I could create with. I was always excited by these simple things and as a Primary teacher I recognise the thrill that children experience when they make and create their own inventions.

I am an avid reader of children’s literature, especially authors such as Philip Pullman and Michael Morpurgo, and have collected many traditional stories and tales on my travels and enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for reading with my pupils. I enjoy teaching all of the Primary subjects, especially now that there is so much information and resourcing available online to enhance the learning.

Today, children can explore space in three dimensions, research ancient cultures, view microscopic images and read any source of information instantly! My teaching career has allowed me to work with children and young people from very diverse cultures and environments.

I continue to be inspired by these children, and I hope I have helped to show them that the world is a wonderful place that needs young curious minds and innovators. I endeavour to make each learning interaction exciting and interesting for children, and often bring many of my own experiences into that learning environment. For example, my time in Borneo gave me a great insight into living in a tropical climate, and experiencing Jungles and Mangroves first hand.

As an online Tutor, it is possible to focus the learning towards individual needs and interests of the pupil. I really enjoy my ‘one to one’ contact with children and they continue to be my greatest source of inspiration to be a better and more relevant educator.

I live in a small town in Catalonia, Spain, called La Garriga, just 40 minutes from Barcelona, with my husband and our 16 year daughter. My husband, Spencer Byles, is a Wild Forest Artist and works on artistic residencies in various parts of the world.