I have been tutoring since 2008 with 4000+ hours of one-to-one tutoring in that period.

I have taught English and Maths for the 7+, 11+, GCSE, A-Level and IB. I have had significant experience tutoring SEN pupils with neurodivergences including dyslexia, dyspraxia, cerebral palsy, ADHD, and autism. I have also worked as a mock examiner for an Oxbridge-specialised agency, where I have conducted over 100 mock interviews. I also spent 2 years tutoring for the Escape Charity where I lead GCSE English classes at Gladesmore Community College in Seven Sisters through the pupil premium scheme.

I've taught students of all different ages and many of my students have won places at top grammar schools and independent private schools such as City of London and South Hampstead.

Experience:

• 11+ English and Maths
• 11+ VR and NVR
• (I)GCSE English (Cambridge, AQA, OCR)?
• GCSE Maths (Edexcel, AQA)
• A-level English Literature and Language (Edexcel, OCR, and AQA)
• GCSE Spanish
• IB English Language and Literature (SL and HL)
• SAT Prep
• Oxbridge preparation

My students have gained places at top independent day schools including:

• City of London School for Girls (and) Boys
• South Hampstead School for Girls
• Forest School
• Royal Grammar School (Buckinghamshire)
• Bancroft School
• Highgate School
• University College School
• Chigwell
• St. Margaret's School
• St. Mary Magdalene Academy (highly competitive local school in North London with 20 governor's places)

One of my biggest strengths as a private tutor is student retention. Often, parents hire me for one exam (the 11+) and then decide to keep me on until they're 18. I currently have multiple regular students who I've taught for 5+ years, since the 11+, who are now doing their A Levels.

I was born in West Hampstead in North-West London, where I attended HABS and gained 10 A* and 1A grade at GCSE, AAAA at AS, and A*AA in A2 (English, Spanish, Maths and Physics).
Afterwards, I attended the University of Oxford to study English Language and Literature, where I specialised in sociolinguistics and Medieval Literature achieving a first in my dissertation and a high 2:1 overall. Initially after graduating I worked in the film industry (2015-2018), and since 2018 I have worked full-time as a private tutor.

From the first lesson, I try to always establish what the goals of our sessions are (exam, coursework, etc). I try to lay out as clearly as possible what the process of achieving that goal looks like.

I try to build an atmosphere of communal activity, treating all children as equals. I generally use ''we'' when speaking, because I see the tutor and the child as a team, with a common, shared goal.

The philosophy of my lessons is skills-based and practice-led. I believe that all academic skills — whether it be arithmetic, essay-writing, or creative writing - can be learned through deliberate practice, much like learning to play an instrument or a sport.

Rather than speaking at a student passively, I want them to be doing. The core of this teaching style is therefore discrete exercises - simple, chunked, fun puzzles that help the practical application of the subject.

I also encourage web-based learning, for example using gamification to memorise large chunks of information and developing quizzes to aid vocabulary learning.

Ultimately, the end goal will be a student who can think, write, and solve academic problems independently, rather than one who has simply memorised the right essay or formula.

Sometimes this approach has unexpected results. One of my students inadvertently used my creative writing techniques to write a novel, which went on to receive a publishing offer!

Exams, of course, are a different beast. Closer to an exam, I will start using past papers and work on timed practice, to slowly bring skills learned over the year into practice. I'll work on localised areas of weakness — timing, nerves, essay structure - and iron these out one by one.

Despite this rigour of preparation, I have a very relaxed, calming attitude during class. There is a large body of scientific research indicating that improving at any skill requires two things: (a) focused, discrete improvement on targeted weaknesses and (b) honest, clear feedback from an external source. My tutoring is informed by these two principles — and through hard work I genuinely believe I can teach children the skills to succeed not just in their exams but in later life.

I have been tutoring full-time for the past 8 years and I am fully committed to tutoring as a profession. For me, it is a fulfilling vocation -- not a side hobby. I teach Monday-Saturdays. I am also a writer and I'm working on a screenplay, although this does not interrupt my tutoring schedule as I generally tutor after-school.