Upper Primary
Speaking and Listening in the English Language

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 achieving a degree in BA Combined Arts (Psychology and Sociology) at the University of Leicester in 2006, I completed my PGCE at the University of Northampton and accomplished a life long ambition, gaining QTS in 2007. Teaching has been a dream of mine ever since I used to line up my toys and take the register! Having always wanted to be a Primary school teacher, my passion and enthusiasm for the role has continued and is something I’m excited to bring to Wolsey Hall.

Throughout my career, I have taught from Years 2 – 6, which has given me a great feeling for the whole Primary learning journey. I have a particular interest in Maths and Science. Experiencing those ‘light bulb’ moments of clarity in Maths, as well as the awe and wonder of scientific discovery were the memories that I cherish the most about my own learning. Seeing similar reactions in the children I teach brings me such joy!

I have taught in two Primary schools in Buckinghamshire, been a Subject Leader for Science, and have run After School Science clubs in order to extend children’s knowledge and curiosity for the subject. Teaching Maths is a strength and I’ve always enjoyed helping children learn and apply different problem-solving techniques.

Writing stories and humorous poems has always been a passion, along with a great love of baking, cooking, and making things for family and friends. The rest of my out-of-school time is dedicated to entertaining and being with my two children.

With my BSc in Geography and before gaining my QTS in Primary Education on a Graduate Teacher programme in 2003, I worked with children with physical and learning difficulties. This was in a residential and day school in Kent, and I found it very rewarding. I had known from an early age that I wanted a career in Primary Education.

I have been teaching for 17 years in a mix of EYFS and Years 1 – 6 classes. The two things that remain constant in my career are my love of teaching and the importance of health, nutrition and fitness. Buddha said, “To keep the body in good health is a duty otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.” This perfectly sums up what I believe most about teaching and the importance of keeping children fit and healthy so as to become great learners.

I’m excited by the new challenges I face. I love teaching in school, online and one to one. I thrive on figuring out a child’s strengths and weaknesses, modifying my teaching style to suit them, and then seeing them inspired. I look forward to doing so with your child! As your child’s Tutor I’m here to support you and answer any questions you may have.

Following a move to Penzance in West Cornwall, I am in a county surrounded by beautiful beaches and views of St. Michaels Mount. I enjoy spending time as a mum with my three-year-old boy who loves being outdoors, and spending time walking with my friends along the coastline.

I enjoy playing tennis, cycling, baking gluten free bread and cakes and gardening.

I gained my first degree from Sheffield Hallam University, and straight after that, I moved abroad to Spain, where I taught English in a Pre-Preparatory School for several years. It was here that I discovered that children teach you just as much as you teach them because I came away fluent in Spanish, having not taken one lesson and not knowing a word before working there!

Fast forward a few years and living back in England, I married and started working for the Open University as an IT Project Manager. I took advantage of being able to study for free with them and gained a BSc (Hons) in Psychology. I am therefore fully aware of the challenges presented when you are learning from home, the pressures associated with submitting assignments and the wait for that precious feedback. It is why I always try to return assignments promptly!

Becoming a foster carer was a turning point in my life and pointed me back to my passion for teaching children. Supporting children who have had trauma in their lives to regain the joys that learning can give makes everything worthwhile. I, therefore, gained my PGCE and have now taught in a variety of Primary School settings. I particularly love how technology can bring lessons to life, and it is here again that I frequently learn just as much as I teach. I love being amazed by the combinations that a child’s imagination mixed with technology can bring; a geographical biome being created and described in Minecraft being my favourite!

I am also the literacy lead in my current school and enjoy using different texts to promote the joy of reading, and I love encouraging those budding young authors amongst us. Science is also a passion of mine; I thrive on encouraging children to ask questions on how the world works and find joy in watching them discover the answers.

As well as being a Primary School teacher and foster carer, I also keep myself busy through learning new languages; endeavouring to make my morning shuffles more into a morning jog, and writing fiction stories.

I was born and grew up in Kenya, and qualified as a Key Stage 2 teacher with the London School of Modern Montessori. My children were also born in Kenya and as we lived too far from any town, it became necessary for me to homeschool them. We had no electricity, so entertainment took the form of reading, resulting in a love of books for the whole family.

Homeschooling the children was a wonderful experience. Teaching them to read and write gave way later on to more structured lessons in English, Mathematics and Science. Our classroom was frequently on the beach, in the forest or in a more formal, classroom type environment in the house. By the time the children went to an English National Curriculum school in Nairobi, at the ages of 10 and 7, they were well prepared and able to adapt to normal school life very quickly. The reading ages of both were well above their chronological age by the time they went into formal schooling.

I also became a teacher in Kenton College Preparatory School in Nairobi – a member of the IAPS group of British schools around the world. I stayed there for almost 20 years, teaching a variety of Key Stage 2 classes. I left Kenya to live in England where I became a private Tutor to children who felt the need to supplement their school lessons. My students all achieved an improvement in their SATs results. I also help students working towards their 11+ exams.

My most rewarding experiences have usually been as a result of teaching. Whether in a formal, classroom setting, when a child suddenly understands something he/she found complicated, or just sharing a small piece of information with someone whose response was, “Wow, I didn’t know that. Thanks for telling me.”