Charlie

Experience

- 11+ English/VR/NVR

- 13+ English

- 13+ History

- GCSE History

- GCSE English

- GCSE Classical Civilisation

- A Level History

- A Level English

- A Level Ancient History/Classical Civilisation

- IB English

- IB History

I have been teaching in some of the country's top prep schools for 20 years. In that time, I have been Head of History, Head of Humanities, English teacher, Activities Co-ordinator, Able Child Co-ordinator, Head of Boarding, Houseparent, tutor and a coach of various sports and teams.

Academically, I have taught children of a variety of ages (Years 3-8) and abilities (from those with SEND to potential scholars). I have taught 13+ English and History (including scholarship), helping hundreds of children gain a place at numerous independent senior schools such as: Eton, Radley, King's Bruton, Bryanston, Harrow, Sherborne Boys, Sherborne Girls, Marlborough, Canford, Clayesmore, Cheltenham, Wycombe Abbey, Taunton, King's Taunton, Monmouth School for Girls, St Mary's Ascot, Cheltenham Ladies' College.

I also have 5 years' experience of teaching 11+ English. In my last school, I ran an 11+ Club to tutor pupils through the English, VR and NVR sections of the 11+ exam.

Furthermore, I have coached numerous pupils through the interview process for both 11+ and 13+ entry to many independent schools.

Biography

I was brought up in London and attended Sherborne School in Dorset, eventually gaining 4 A-Levels (in Politics, Ancient History, English and French). I then read Ancient History at Newcastle University and was awarded a 2:1. I then went out to Australia to teach English and History at Sydney Grammar School and Newington College after which I returned to go to Sandhurst and then spent 4 years in the Royal Artillery.

I then relented and became the teacher everyone said I was going to be.

I have since been teaching in some of the country's top prep schools for 20 years. I started off as a Humanities teacher at Sandroyd and then have been Head of History for 15 years at Ludgrove, Hazlegrove and Forres Sandle Manor, where I also taught English. In addition, I have also been a Head of Boarding, Able Child Co-ordinator, Activities Co-ordinator, sports coach and tutor.

To further my expertise, I took a sabbatical in 2016-17 to study for a Masters in Education at Bristol University, specialising in contemporary teaching and learning theory and practice, and was awarded a distinction. This degree equipped me with a superior knowledge and understanding about how children learn and how to teach them so they develop the confidence and ability to be independent learners and effect their own progress.

Personal Approach

Informed by contemporary educational theory and research, I believe that each pupil should have agency and ownership of their own learning and I achieve this through giving them choice, challenge and differentiation.

I see myself not as a teacher but as a learning instructor. Just as the expert driving instructor sits in the passenger seat and informs, guides and challenges the learner in the driving seat, so too I put my pupils in the driving seat of their own learning, guiding, supporting and challenging them to make their own progress.

Initially, I conduct diagnostic assessments to see where my pupils' strengths, weaknesses and gaps lie, and then provide guidance and encouragement to help them develop both subject skills and personal confidence.

What I do when I am not tutoring

In addition to tutoring, I am also a consultant for an educational charity which aims to modernise our education system and a consultant for a consultancy which helps parents find the most suitable prep or senior school for their children.

I also enjoy living the rural life with my family, whether walking the dogs, managing our small-holding or just 'being' in the countryside. My favourite passions are sport, travelling and salmon fishing.

Testimonials

''Charlie has been tutoring my son in English for almost a year to prepare him for his English entrance exam into Westminster School. From the outset, Charlie brought lots of energy and enthusiasm to his lessons which kept my son engaged throughout. He had some very useful tips on how to tackle different types of questions on comprehension and creative writing exercises. He also helped build his confidence and, while some of his answers were good, he would often rewrite them with him to show how he could have done better. Ultimately, his teaching technique worked as my son did very well in his English exam and got a place at the school. We would highly recommend Charlie.'' (Parent of 13+ student)

''Charlie has been a fantastic English tutor for our 12-year-old who needed to be prepared for the 13+ entrance exam to a private school. Two main issues that had to be addressed were essay-writing technique and, particularly, confidence in creative writing. Charlie accomplished both goals very well. Furthermore, he addressed a broader issue of pre-exam stress. Charlie made his sessions real fun for our daughter. They were very well structured. Our daughter found small step-by-step goals that Charlie set each time they worked particularly useful. Based on his feedback, in a short period of time, she could see for herself the progress she was making. By the time of the entrance exam, our daughter no longer thought that she ‘just could not write’ and was confident that she would write her exam well. In his interaction with us (parents), he was very flexible and accommodating, which we greatly appreciated. All in all, I highly recommend Charlie as a private tutor.'' (Parent of 13+ student)

''Charlie's lessons are very useful for overseas students like my daughter, not only for English lessons but also for learning about British manners. He is able to give his students a lot to learn in a limited amount of time and is very good at instilling confidence in his students. Most importantly, my daughter really enjoys his lessons and feels that she is improving her English by applying what he teaches her. She happily tells me that her teachers at school have praised her progress and positive attitude. It is also thanks to his lessons that she received an offer from the school of her choice.'' (Parent of 11+ student)

''Charlie prepared my daughter for one of the top and most academic boarding schools in the UK. They were doing interview practice, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. All I can say is that Charlie is absolutely brilliant. He is not only highly knowledgeable in the subjects and professional but also fun to learn from. My daughter enjoyed his lessons a lot. I listened in on some of the sessions and must admit that the tips are even useful in the future for job interviews etc. Charlie comes across very friendly and easy to understand. His advice is always easy to follow and remember because he explains the logical connections between the questions and the outcomes that the examiners are looking for. All in all, I highly recommend Charlie's expertise, it almost certainly guarantees success.'' (Parent of 11+ student)

''Professional, caring and a passionate educator, Charlie has recently tutored my daughter towards successfully completing her 11+ exam. He is an outstanding English teacher and passionate historian. He rapidly established an excellent rapport and put her to work immediately, expertly coaching her on interview techniques, as well as verbal and non-verbal reasoning. He has similarly tutored my son towards his Common Entrance in English. My son is quite dyslexic and finds English difficult. Charlie has been consistently patient and understanding. My son's writing and confidence in English have improved significantly.'' (Parent of 11+ and 13+ students)

''Charlie has taught our son for the last three years and he has been his tutor for two years. Over that time Charlie has really developed our son’s learning style and exam technique, as well as providing a wide base of history knowledge, that culminated in the successful award of a scholarship to Sherborne. As a tutor, he has helped develop our son’s all-round approach to education, focussing on time-management and learning methodologies, resulting in a confident and organised young man who was ready for the challenges of taking a senior school scholarship. Charlie is approachable and dependable, meaning as parents you can trust him to provide the right solution for your child’s requirements.'' (Parent of History student)

''My son has been working with Charlie to prepare him for an academic scholarship at Canford. Charlie has tutored him for the History paper both in source work and essay questions. He also assisted him with preparation for two days of academic testing and several rounds of interviews. I am so grateful for the mental preparation, focus, and calming techniques that helped quash nerves and meant that he did not feel overwhelmed or intimidated on the day. The interview technique sessions and practice were invaluable, and they will benefit him for many years and interviews to come. X came home buzzing with confidence and compliments, grateful for Charlie’s many pearls of wisdom, giving him fantastic reviews. We both agree that Charlie is an inspiring coach and teacher.'' (Parent of student studying for an academic scholarship at Canford)

''Dear Charlie, Thank you so much for all of your hard work [with X]. He has remained focused and enthused and enjoyed the direction given. We are very impressed with your work ethos and your attention to detail. It is SO IMPORTANT!! Thank you for all you have done for him.'' (Parent of student)

''I just wanted to say thank you again for inspiring me so much at FSM. You are an amazing teacher and I am so grateful that I had a teacher who really made me want to push myself. Without your help I would definitely not be doing as well in school as I am today. If you want to know, you made a difference because you made us think in our lessons. Not only about our subject, but about things in a wider scale and our own individual skills. You challenged us. Now after every big piece of work I do, I reflect upon it in my revision notebook and since I have started doing this I have noticed that I have been improving in many of my lessons. Also, you were always so enthusiastic in lessons which kept us concentrating and made us want to listen to you... Some how in year seven, you even made me enthusiastic about English lessons (which is impressive as for every other year of my life English has been one of my least favourite subjects.) Thank you :)'' (Previous student)

''Dear Charlie, You may not remember me, but you taught our daughter in year 7 and 8 (I think it was 2015, when she left). In fact you did more than teach her, you inspired her, and instilled a love of history in her. I just wanted to drop you a line to say that she chose history for GCSE, and achieved a grade 8 this year, she was absolutely over the moon. She is now continuing her studies to A level. I just wanted to say thank you, as it was down to you that the seed was sown.'' (Parent of previous student)