Davina

Experience

• 11+ English, Science, Maths: ISEB and public school entrance exams (including pre-tests)

• 13+ English, Science, Maths: ISEB and public school entrance exams

• (I)GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Physics: Edexcel, CIE, OCR and AQA

• (I)GCSE English: English Lit and English Language for Edexcel and AQA

• A-level English: English Lit for Edexcel

Schools that I have tutored for (entry to these schools and/or support for students already at these schools) include: Benenden, Cheltenham Ladies College, City of London, Downe House, Eton, Harrow, Latymer, Marlborough, Radley, Rugby, Sevenoaks, St Edward's, St Mary's Ascot, St Paul's, Tonbridge, Wellington, Westminster, Winchester, Wycombe Abbey

Biography

After studying Biology, Chemistry and English at A level at Benenden, I went on to study Zoology at Bristol University where I gained a BSc 2:1. I have always had a particular interest in apes, and worked with chimpanzees and other primates during my school holidays. Upon completing my degree, I studied fine art in Italy, followed by nine months in Zambia working with chimpanzees. Since then, I have worked as both a journalist and a financial PR consultant in the life sciences sector. I turned to tutoring ten years ago when I decided to leave full-time work to write a novel. My debut novel, ''The Brittle Star'' was published by Sceptre in 2017. I am in the process of completing my second novel. Tutoring has proved to be both stimulating and rewarding, and a good balance to the solitary profession of writing. I plan to continue to divide my time between writing and tutoring for the foreseeable future. I am not currently based in the UK and so I only tutor online.

Personal Approach

Having tutored a great number of students over the last fourteen years, in both long-term and concentrated exam revision situations, I have found that each of them learns and makes sense of their subjects in particular ways. As such, I always try to match my teaching style with the learning style of my student. I consider myself patient yet energetic, and am not averse to using games and memory techniques to enhance learning.

At school, I was fortunate to be taught by excellent Science teachers who developed my interest in the Sciences and the natural world. Sadly, the most common complaint that I receive from Science students today is that they cannot connect with their Science teachers, or that they fail to see the relevance of the Sciences to their lives. My approach to Science tutoring is to break down these barriers. Science can be both fun and interesting; the common confusions that I come across are so easily unravelled. My time as a journalist and life sciences PR consultant have helped me to develop my ability to summarize large amounts of complex information into simple, easily digestible facts, which is key to success in Science examinations. One of the main reasons that so many students struggle with the Sciences is that they are not taught exam technique or lateral thinking. I make it a priority to focus on these key tools, and I know that this approach works: every Science student that I have tutored has raised their standard by at least a grade. I get as much pleasure from helping an A grade student achieve the A* grade that they need to study medicine as I do from helping the D grade student achieve what once seemed an impossible B.

My approach to tutoring English is spirited and systematic. My first priority is to ensure that the foundations of the language are well established: I take a rigorous approach to grammar and sentence construction. Far from finding this traditional approach tedious, my pupils report how satisfying it is to master the rudiments of the English language, and therefore to be able to express themselves. Once the foundations have been laid, I encourage a comprehensive reading and writing programme. Further to this, I encourage my students to develop their own individual feel for language, and assist them in exploring their own ideas, without stifling their natural creativity. I choose as texts the masters of the English language, using them as models for my students’ own creative writing. By so doing, and in conjunction with a wide range of past examination questions, I also prepare my pupils for entrance and national examinations at 11+, 13+ and GCSE.

In terms of pre-tests, I recommend building up a thorough knowledge of the 11+ Maths and English syllabus and focussing as much as possible on comprehension, grammar and cloze procedure and mental arithmetic and word problems. I use a variety of activities to target the time pressured nature of the tests and problem solving.

Schools that I have tutored for (entry to these schools and/or support for students already at these schools) include: Benenden, Cheltenham Ladies College, City of London, Downe House, Eton, Harrow, Latymer, Marlborough, Radley, Rugby, Sevenoaks, St Edward's, St Mary's Ascot, St Paul's, Tonbridge, Wellington, Westminster, Winchester, Wycombe Abbey

What I do when I am not tutoring

I am a published author and freelance writer. I am currently in the process of writing my second novel. Despite seeing many mediocre plays, I have never lost the sense of wonder at the theatre, and try to go as often as I can. I take every opportunity to speak the enthusiastic but grammatically incorrect Italian that I learnt when I was at art school in Florence. Sadly, the great apes are no longer a part of my life; these days, I content myself with walking dogs and riding horses whenever I can.

Testimonials

"Davina had a very good session with my son on Saturday and he enjoyed it too. They covered a lot and he seems to benefit from the online format." (Mother of GCSE Physics student)

“I just had a lesson with my new science tutor, Davina, I think it went very well. I think she’s very good and this morning our lesson was very productive and helpful. I feel a lot happier and confident with my revision for science now and I think she’s going to help a lot. So all good news!” (GCSE science student)

“You are a very good Physics tutor. I think you’re the best one I’ve ever had.” (GCSE Physics student)

"It was awesome! She was really helpful." (Mother of GCSE Physics student)

Oscar really enjoyed the class and immediately asked to have more sessions! Hearing him describe English as ‘fun’ for the first time was super.(Mother of Year 5 English student)

"We used Davina to help our son with his GCSE revision. Davina's strength lies in her careful planning of her sessions to make sure everything needed is covered and made clear with lots of tips to help with revision, she really helped our son nail his science GCSEs with A* in all 3." (Mother of GCSE student)

I just want to add that the lessons have been very helpful and I'm very grateful for the time and effort you have put into teaching me, so thank you, again. (Student)

Thank you so much for all your patience this year tutoring my daughter. It has been tremendously helpful! (Parent)

I want to thank you so much for tutoring me this whole time, I feel my English has improved immensely since our first lesson almost three years ago. I don't think I could have achieved this without your help. (Student)

My daughter did really well. Thank you for all your help. She was delighted with her science results. (Parent of GCSE Science student)

''I just wanted to say thank you so much for introducing us to Davina. I am delighted to inform you that he got 9’s in all 3 sciences including Biology, which was the one he found most difficult.'' ~ Mother of IGCSE science student (tuition in all three sciences)

''It went very well with Davina. He came off the Zoom call and immediately said, ‘That was really fun!’. Davina was very knowledgeable, friendly, relaxed. She seems confident that she can take him through the work in the time we have. A great success!'' ~ Mother of Year 10 science student transitioning to the UK system from schooling abroad

''For sure Davina is the best Science teacher I have ever had!'' ~ GCSE student (tuition for Biology, Chemistry & Physics)

''Davina helped William enormously through online lessons in the six months prior to his IGCSEs. She focused on problem areas in both chemistry, physics and biology, and provided thorough notes after each lesson which were very useful for revision. His weekly sessions with Davina were a great confidence boost and helped him secure an A* for biology and As for both chemistry and physics - thank you Davina.'' ~ Mother

''Davina has been working with my clients for the last three years, and I would not hesitate to refer to her as one of my star tutors. She understands how to explain a subject to students, and helps them to develop excellent revision strategies. An excellent tutor, I would recommend her to anyone who wants their child to deepen their knowledge of a subject and develop good learning habits.'' ~ Director, Educational Consultancy and School Placement Service

''Davina tutored both my children through IGCSE Sciences and A level English and did a quite outstanding job. Without her, I have no doubt they would have been markedly less successful in their exams. She has become hugely in demand by many friends and has without exception produced significantly better results for their children at all levels.'' ~ Father

''Davina is an engaging, interesting and funny tutor who helped me through my IGCSEs and inspired me to study English for A-Level. She is very well organised and always has an interesting spin on the book I am studying. Her explanations are clear, her notes are easy to learn from and she is very patient. I would definitely recommend Davina.'' ~ A-Level student

''Davina tutored me for both GCSE and A-level English. I would recommend Davina to anyone and everyone of any standard or ability. I have no doubt that I would not be going to Bristol University this September if it was not for her help and tutelage.'' ~ A-Level student

''Davina is an outstanding tutor. After disappointing science mocks in which I got 30% I started weekly lessons with Davina. For my common entrance my marks had improved to 70% and above in all three sciences. I recommend her to anyone who is struggling with science.'' ~ 12-year-old student