Seona

Experience

• 11+ Science

• 13+ Science

• I/GCSE Chemistry (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC)

• I/GCSE Physics (Edexcel)

• I/GCSE Biology (Edexcel)

• A-level Chemistry (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC)

• IB Chemistry

* RSC Chemistry Olympiad

I have 12 years of teaching experience directly in the classroom. For the past 7 years I have taught students in an International school setting within the IGCSE and IB/A-Level framework. I am therefore used to working with students who have high aspirations. Part of my role that I enjoy most is being able to give them ideas about future jobs / career pathways as well as University courses as many of my students have received places to go to Oxford/Cambridge/Harvard etc. I am very proud of the results my IB and IGCSE students get from my classroom teaching but I get equal pleasure from helping students to engage and fall in love with Chemistry (as it’s really the best subject!).

I worked in Manchester schools for 6 years before moving abroad in 2015 with my husband to start an exciting adventure in Asia. During these years I have taught from year 7-13 across all three Sciences, but specialising in Chemistry from Year 10 upwards. I am most comfortable in the IGCSE Edexcel syllabus but have taught / tutored the other major exam groups and part of my skill as a teacher is making sure the content being taught is correct to the syllabus being examined.

Since 2015 I have taught IB Chemistry SL / HL with an average 60% achieveing a Level 7. I have taught A-Level for the past 2 years and this year am teaching the International A-Level. I take great pride that the resources I use for all my classes I make myself and are complementary to the syllabus and also taking into account the learning style of the student. In my experience I find students generally learn best from colourful, visual explanations with things they can refer back to later; because of this I like helping students to find their own learning styles and give suggestions on notes and help them select good revision materials that are not only relevant but which will work.

Overall I am a qualified teacher with 6 years pre teaching working for Pharmaceuticals, then recruitment within Pharmaceutical and Medicial Devices leading to Oil and Gas. Post PGCE qualification I have over 12 years of direct teaching working for some of the most internationally recognised international schools in Asia, teaching Chemistry to students from all nationalities and backgrounds and helping them achieve fantastic results. I really enjoying making a relationship with students and hearing their success stories post University; many of whom contact me to tell me about their amazing adventures.

Last year I put 33 applicants through the RSC Chemistry Olympiad and have access to all the past papers. I had 2 Year 12 students who achieved Gold and missed out by 1 mark on going through to the finals.

Biography

I was born in Reading and grew up just south of Winchester attending St Swithun’s School for my Secondary school experience. I took Chemistry, Biology and German for A-Levels. I attended University of Liverpool for my Chemistry and Pharmacology degree. After working for Novartis as a scientist, I transferred to scientific recruitment, where I successfully ran my own recruitment desk of 30 staff for Oil and Gas companies across the world.

I retrained in 2010 and became a Science teacher, specialising in Chemistry. After 5 years of working in Manchester I relocated to Shanghai. I have now taught in Shanghai, Jakarta and now Singapore. I have taught KS3, GCSE (AQA, OCR and Edexcel), A-Level (Edexcel, International A-Level (Edexcel) and IB (SL and HL). I am currently work for one of the top schools in Asia and they have enrolled me in the NPQSL for Leadership training for Assistant Head level. I have led staff for 5 years within teaching, as well as pre-teaching in my recruitment days.

Personal Approach

Due to my previous career I am a confident speaker and enjoy giving presentations. That be said I am a great believer that children can smell passion, just as much as fear! Therefore I try and steer away from PowerPoint presentations and prefer to use visual aids and a bit of drama to get pupils to understand difficult concepts in a more visual and kinaesthetic ways. I am focussed in my perseverance for pupil’s attainment.

I particularly enjoy working with pupils from Year 10 upwards, especially sharing the happiness of them achieving their dream of attending their University of choice. I can think of many times over the years that students have shared with me their joy of getting into their chosen University, feeling like I have helped in this goal is the reason I still do this job. My favourite moments are often helping students understand tricky concepts or things they find hard to learn; we all find these things challenging and I feel this resilience is a life skill, one that is a pleasure to teach others.

I am known to take great pride in creating my resources. They are my own, used and perfected from the classroom experience. I have a reputation for my hatred of worksheets! Students of mine get bespoke resources and lots of practice and explanation. When the time is right, I have lots of past papers to aid their understanding and to test their application of concepts: a challenge that is particularly needed at A-Level and IB level.

One of my students last year achieved the highest mark in the world for Chemistry IGCSE. I was incredibly proud of her and the small part I played for her to achieve this. I have a saying in my classroom that I am the icing and the student is the cake - sometimes the icing needs to be thicker in places than others! This student achieved her outcome due to hard work and diligence, something I hope I played a part in, during her IGCSE journey.

I have spent the last 8 years working for some of the best schools in Asia including my last school Tanglin Trust School. I enjoy finding out what makes a student tick and using those interests to help students find their interest in Science.

What I do when I am not tutoring

I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling across SE Asia. I am a keen photographer, sewer and plant parent- although mostly they have a habit of being by accidental experiments!

Testimonials

I had the privilege of being taught by Mrs. Platt as my IB HL Chemistry teacher during Sixth Form at Tanglin Trust School. Initially struggling with chemistry, I was on the verge of changing subjects. However, Mrs. Platt's exceptional teaching helped me find my footing, and excel. Thanks to her engaging and detailed approach, I not only achieved the highest grade possible but also excelled in the class.

Mrs. Platt's teaching style is engaging, combining theory, practical examples, and real-world applications into her lessons. Her use of analogies and attention to detail in explanations, made complex concepts accessible to all students. Furthermore, her resources, created with great care and effort, featured visually appealing diagrams and illustrations, enhancing our understanding of the subject. I still vividly remember her analogy of a tortoise riding a bicycle up a hill as an analogy for the activation energy required in a reaction.

What truly sets Mrs. Platt apart is her infectious enthusiasm. She exudes energy and makes every class enjoyable and engaging. Furthermore, her dedication to her students' success is very evident. I remember at the start of the course expressing my need for visual aids. Without hesitation, Mrs. Platt adapted her teaching style and resources to cater to my specific needs, and she continued this trend for the rest of the course ensuring all students were learning in the way they do best. Throughout the two years, she welcomed feedback and constantly adjusted her methods to best meet our needs. Her passion for science is so evident, making each class enjoyable and inspiring a genuine interest in the subject.

I wholeheartedly recommend Mrs. Platt as a chemistry tutor. Her engaging teaching style and meticulously created resources truly sets her apart. Mrs. Platt's passion for science is contagious, inspiring her students to achieve their full potential.