Tristan

Experience

I have been tutoring since April 2012 and have worked with dozens of students aged 6 - 18.

At 11+ and 13+, I have excellent knowledge and experience with current ISEB curricula and have helped students get into such schools as:

-Godolphin & Latymer

- St Pauls

- St. Pauls Girls

- Winchester

- Wellington

- Rugby

- Oakham

- Merchant Taylors'

- St Mary's Calne

- Cheltenham College

Alongside teaching English and Modern Languages at these levels, I have also tutored Maths, Sciences and Humanities up 13+.

AT GSCE and A Levels, I have taught all of AQA, OCR, WJEC and Pearson EdExcel curricula. I have particular knowledge of Shakespeare and poetry, and have experience in teaching numerous GCSE and A Level set texts including:

- Wuthering Heights

- Animal Farm

- Of Mice & Men

- Macbeth

- Romeo and Juliet

- DNA

- Lord Of The Flies

- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

- Frankenstein

- The War Of The Worlds

- Great Expectations

- Jane Eyre

- An Inspector Calls

- Pride & Prejudice

- A Christmas Carol

- Our Country's Good

- The Recruiting Officer

- A View From A Bridge

- Silas Marner

- The Merchant of Venice

- Crime and Punishment

- Journey's End

and many more.

As a professional writer, I have a particular knowledge and passion for creative writing, and have helped numerous students with creative writing for their exams.

I have particular experience working with students outside of the school system, homeschooling students who have been excluded or have physical and behavioral problems, including ME and ADHD, and I have worked hard and successfully to engage them in their studies.

Biography

I attended Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, where I received an A grade in English, Spanish and Theatre Studies at A2 Levels, and an A in French at AS Levels.

After graduating from the University of Bristol, where I studied Drama & English and received a High 2.1 degree, I trained as an actor at LAMDA.

Following my studies I worked for several years in theatre production with such companies as Shared Experience and Soho Theatre. Since 2011, I have been working full time as a professional writer, specialising in theatre.

Personal Approach

My first aim with my lessons is to create a relaxed and informal atmosphere where my student and I can work.

Many of my past students have felt enormous pressure from teachers, exams and league tables, and I aim to create a safe environment for them to practice, experiment and make mistakes - for I honestly believe that it is only by making mistakes that we can learn from them and improve.

I bring my own genuine love of learning to each lesson (in particular English and Modern Languages), and I aim to imbue my students with my passion and enthusiasm.

I aim to discover each student's passions and loves; what makes them tick; and how they learn, so that I can tailor my lessons to their individual skills and needs.

What I do when I am not tutoring

WRITING

I work as a professional writer, specialising in theatre. I have had work performed at Soho Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, Bush Theatre, National Theatre Studio and Roundhouse.

In Sep 2017, my play BOUDICA premiered at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre; in 2018, my musical TEDDY will tour the UK before returning to London, and I most recently had my New York premiere adapting FRANKENSTEIN for the stage in Jan 2020.

TRAVELING

I have traveled through Cuba, Mexico and Spain developing and improving my Spanish, likewise France developing and improving my French.

Testimonials

"We were delighted by how Tris worked with our son in helping him prepare for the Winchester exam. Tris had a highly engaging, dynamic style that our son responded very well to. He came up with clever ways to help our son remember key facts, but at the same time gave him good techniques for revising on his own. Our son enjoyed every lesson and looked forward to the next one. While we've always had good experiences with Keystone's tutors, Tris really stood out as a gem." (Parent of Year 8 Winchester candidate)

I'm delighted to say that with Tristan's encouragement, enthusiasm and excellent tuition over the past few months, my daughter has achieved her goal of winning a place at her chosen school, Oakham, for 13+. We're immensely grateful for his cheerful, patient and consistently professional coaching sessions with our daughter. Many thanks to him and to Keystone for offering such a positive and supportive service. (Mother of Y8 student)

Tristan was very helpful, kind and dedicated. He had great insight into my son and what he needed and adjusted his lessons accordingly. We were very happy with his tutoring and would recommend him highly. (Mother of 13+ student)

'Tristan was outstanding in every way – a very good tutor, but more importantly, was great fun and managed to engage a very unwilling GCSE English student!'

'Tristan was beyond wonderful and proved to be the perfect fit. Tristan did good work with our son and he liked him a lot and ended up by looking forward to his visits.' (Mother of GCSE English student)

"Tristan has been excellent and I would have no hesitation recommending him. Tristan is a very up-beat character and he has shown great empathy and ability to engage with my son who is going through a difficult time. He has helped him not only with his English but also generally in lifting his spirits." (Mother of iGCSE English student)

"Tristan came to our home this morning to meet my daughter and give her an introductory lesson. I wanted to take this opportunity to say how incredibly impressed I was with his infectious enthusiasm, manor, tone and knowledge of the subject. An inspiring teacher and role model for any student. We feel very lucky." (Mother of 13+ student)

'I can't recommend Tristan highly enough. He completely won over my son (who had been off school for a number of months and was far from willing to be tutored) with a truly impressive mix of sensitivity, humour, enthusiasm and empathy. He managed to make the sessions fun, but effective - a fine mix.'

Sophie Ziegler, mother of 11+ student

'Tristan has extraordinary people skills and is very talented in motivating his students. He is so upbeat, enthusiastic and positive. He and Stella were a great team, and Tristan deserves a big compliment for how hard he has worked with her. He managed to make her laugh first thing in the morning and as Stella's mother I can guarantee you that that is a real achievement! Tristan is really passionate about literature and it was great how he could engage and motivate Stella. Stella's French has also improved a lot and I know that was a real struggle.'

Charlotte Vinken, mother of homeschooled GCSE student

''Tristan is a truly inspiring English tutor and good person to have in your child’s life. He was always well prepared for lessons and had a great work ethic, which he then in turn expected from his student. He was accepting and adaptable which we appreciated. My son was out of school when we employed him so this wasn’t additional tutoring but whole subject teaching. Tristan managed to bring a great sense of fun to the texts that my son was resisting getting to grips with my son achieved top grades in his exams. There is nothing dry or dull about Tristan's sessions and happily recommend him .''

Hannah Mayall, mother of homeschooled GCSE student

'Tristan tutored my son in Spanish earlier this year and we were delighted with his professional, engaging and inspirational teaching, to which my son looked forward to each week.'

Fraha Idress, mother of GCSE student

'Tristan is a seasoned and dynamic tutor, whose positive energy, approachable and lighthearted personality and creative teaching method keep my son engaged and he enjoys the lessons very much.'

Pawana Srinivasan, mother of 11+ student