Sally has a natural talent for working with kids and brings creativity into the class, making lessons engaging and fun. Thanks to her supportive and patient approach. If we weren’t moving house, we would definitely continue lessons with Sally as her positive impact on my son’s learning has been invaluable.
Thank you, Sally!
Ineed Cary, I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and learning with your son, watching him grow and develop into a confident and enthusiastic learner. Story writing through pictures and, reading together indeed was enormously rewarding, as he has a natural talent in creative writing. Thank you again for your parental support which helped to have great lessons !
From Rosalyn
I appreciate Sally’s help to my daughter with her literature analysis and academic writing. She is open to share her knowledge about English, pvevious experiences and how to study. Many thanks Sally.
Thank you very much for your kind feedback. I’m glad that your daughter found the knowledge sharing useful. I try to always focus on context, culture and context as well as written content in the production of the essays in writing, as it’s important for their subject learning. I have promised to continue to give feedback when needed on her writing, so that she can keep improving. Very best of luck
From Alister
Sally replied quickly to our request, joined a call the next day with our daughter to discuss approach & provided specific & relevant material for her to consider that would help better prep her for her upcoming English A Level. We decided not to proceed as we had a tutor with easier local availability, but thank you again Sally for your help with the initial discussions.
I wish your daughter the best of luck in her A levels. It was a pleasure to share my love of Literature. Of course, I really hope she watches the Lear performance by Ian McKellen being an actor herself, as it is so much better than reading it. Keep going you’re doing really well. Next step university ! Thank you again
From Ying
“My daughter liked the lesson today: the way you talked to her, the way how the lesson approached and how future lessons —the structure, the contents, the difficulties— look like, she feels confident and also is reassured, and she is very much looking forward to it.”
We are now 4 weeks into the English programme for your daughter and she has learnt so much already. She is really enjoying the debates, grasping the discursive process and we are starting creative writing with the Hobbit settings. It is often challenging for 12 year olds to understand the argumentative structure but she arrived at 85% by improving each iteration. Moving towards the future assessments is so much easier with a good head start at 12! Very well done.
From Olivia
Sally has been really helpful in guiding my daughter's English study. Her approachability, constructive feedback, and meticulous lesson planning played a vital role in my daughter's English learning. I am grateful for her invaluable support and effective teaching, which has significantly contributed to my daughter's academic growth. Thank you Sally.
Your lovely daughter came to me with reservations about her learning, which is normal for a young student adapting in a new environment. I now believe by reading the books together, writing collaborative tasks and having worked out a detailed plan, we are on the right track to her success in her 13+ and her future exams. I am certain we will realise her ambitious aspirations and dream of going to Oxford University!
From Soo
Sally is very organised and friendly tutor. My son really enjoyed his trial lesson - he did comprehension/ VR work, creative writing planning, and learning new vocabularies. Sally explained well. However we decided not to continue as it is quite far to travel for us.
Thank you so much for making the journey, much appreciated. It was a pleasure to tutor your son as he is an intuitive learner, who engaged fully in the lesson with me. He loved talking about Great Expectations, which will stand him in good stead for the classics that often appear in the exams. I am absolutely certain he will do well in his English Entrance exams for Latymer and the other top schools in the Richmond area of equal ranking. The best of luck for his future…
From Anzhela
Sally is professional and very knowledgeable. She answered all my questions in detail and gave useful recommendations. My son enjoyed the session with her.
I am so pleased your son enjoyed the session, that you found the materials useful and I am sure will go onto to find a great school to nurture his creative talents. The very best of luck in finding the right school and what you need for your son !
From SYLVAIN
Sally was an excellent tutor for our year 7 student. She needed prep work for entrance exams, she was available, she never looked at the clock, she made our daughter feel comfortable and was great at online learning. Would absolutely recommend Sally.
Your lovely daughter was a pleasure to work with, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a delight to support Charlotte, as she was enthusiastically engaged and worked hard. I sincerely hope we get to study together again for the next challenge - the 13+ if needed, of which I am certain by her creative talent, she will succeed in. Thank you
From Millie
So glad we found Sally , she is a great teacher and has worked out quickly what was needed for our last minute A level English revision… lots of gaps that needed filling she identified what kind of learner Tom was and he enjoys his sessions with her , highly recommended.
So pleased Tom is learning what he needs to fill those dreaded gaps. Not an easy task for A levels but we are getting there fast and furious! Glad to be of help. Learning can also be fun as we have discovered along the way! I’m positive for a great result. Good luck to Tom in his tennis and studying.
From Natasha
It was so unfortunate we were unable to realise the first lesson, as sometimes happens. Sadly, the parent cancelled their free trial last minute due to a medical issue.
From Bei
We decided not to go ahead with the tutoring as their son needed specialist support from a dyslexia trained SEN tutor. Although I am a member of the Dyslexia Association by experience, I am not a specialist in SEN per se. So we only had a couple of lessons both online - as I agreed with the parent that dyslexic students respond much better face-to-face. I tutored a dyslexic student for 3 1/2 years to 2020, when she passed English at level 6 and A-level literature at grade C with two A’s in theatre, drama and photography. So therefore she can go onto a Group University - so it does take time to learn the skills for cognitive support, brain organisation and understanding. The very best of luck with your endeavours Sally
From Eleanor
I found Gaye on here whilst looking for a tutor for my son who has ADHD was was struggling with his English whilst preparing for the 11+.
Sally tutored him over the Sumer holidays and worked on his creative writing skills and handwriting. I found Sally to be an excellent tutor who was experienced in dealing with children with SEN. She was creative, prepared and generous with the time in our sessions and in planning and supporting in between.
I am very pleased that your son managed to get into the school of his choice, through his own continued efforts and independent learning, which I’m sure will stand him in good stead for the future. Even though to start he wasn’t keen on homework, he obviously managed to overcome that to pass his exam, which I’m sure gave him a great sense of achievement. It was a pleasure to tutor your son who was engaging, lively and creative with lots of fantastic ideas. Good luck both!
From Yara
We got lessons at short notice for the English language and literature GCSEs, as we are a second language family, hence couldn’t help him with his revision. We were delighted that he went up from a low-grade at school and gained nine in both. Sally has excellent teaching approach, tailored to needs, focused at academic skills reading, interpretation and writing. Sally was able to teach him very quickly, gaining top grades. Thank you again
Thank you so much. I was so thrilled when you told me about your son’s top grades - level 9’s in both GCSEs in English language and literature! He worked really hard to make sure that he did the reading, editing and wrote the essays from my instructions every week. I am so pleased he had gone on to study his A-levels, to enable him to choose the career he wants for his future. Well done Lukas.
From Martin
Speaking English as a second language we contacted Sally to help our son prepare for the 11+ exam. I am very impressed with Sally knowledge and teaching style. Our son has improved significantly in his writing and reading comprehension since he started working with Sally. I am now more confident that he can face the 11+ exam with better chances.
Sally is straight forward with how much is required to reach the goals we set out. This gave us realistic expectations of how much work was required and how much my son still has left to learn in order to master English for the 11+ exam.
I would gladly recommend Sally to anyone who needs help developing their English skills.
Thankyou for your kind remarks. It is always a pleasure to see a student steadily develop their confidence and skills over time. We have made great progress together. Hence, lessons are mutually enjoyable because of your son’s pleasant manner and engagement in the tasks. We shall now look forward to a successful result in the 11+.
From Fazal
Sally quickly responded to my messages, unfortunately, I really needed to speak to her before my meeting on the weekend, I think it is imperative that I at least I speak to her before taking our son to meet her.
I was reluctant to ask her again for a quick call just in case I annoyed her as she clearly stated she was busy and that we could meet on Saturday for a trial lesson which I understand,
This does not in any way reflect her ability to teach, I am sure she is good at her job but as a parent, I really need that first engagement and with all my other meetings with tutors, we usually speak after 24hrs. Sadly I will not be seeing her which is a great shame because I was looking forward to it, most probably our loss, but I have to feel comfortable before a meeting.
Indeed, for that reason, we had arranged a full 1 hour free consultation and assessment with the family as soon as we exchanged details. The First Meeting is also face to face to ensure safeguarding and check documentation at no cost to the parent to discuss all the details in full. This meeting was arranged for the Saturday as I had apologetically relayed that I am not available during the daytimes due to other commitments, then tutor in the evenings so can’t answer my mobile. Unfortunately, because I am a researcher at university I was unable to respond to the calls due to being indispensable at the time. I respond to sms as soon as I can. Mutual understanding is appreciated. With sincere wishes, Sally
From Rachel
Gaye recently tutored my son for yr 7 entrance exams in English and creative writing . Over challenging timescales Gaye effectively taught him face to face and over Skype ( due to a move of country half way through by us !). My son really enjoyed his work for Gaye, she challenged him a lot and he Now has a full kit bag of writing and reasoning skills he can use in all situations . My son passed his entrance exams and with such confidence. Thank you Gaye from us all ! I highly recommend Gaye to anyone looking for extra learning and support for entrance exams .
I am so pleased that finally we got your son into the school of his choice. James rose to the challenge, after some initial doubts in his own competence in English. His final pieces of creative writing were original and thoughtfully crafted. To consistently encourage and support a child to question and analyse their reasoning processes, is the key to their achieving success in the 11+ entrance exams. I am therefore delighted that he developed his confidence in his critical thinking, beyond the demands of the secondary school exams. He will do well !
From sarah
Thank you Gaye for your professionalism creativity warmth and genuine interest in helping my daughter develop her confidence and skills and knowledge in preparation for her GCSE Englush literature and language
Your daughter is a keen learner, who is eager to do her best in the exams. I am very pleased she has responded so well to the teaching methods and structured content, which are entirely suited to her individual style. Therefore, I am sure she will do extremely well in the GCSEs, like many of my other students who have different ways of learning and processing, quite complex texts, to be able to write under pressure in a short space of time.
From Senay
Sally is a wonderful teacher.My daughter really loves her.When it comes to children, the most important thing for learning is that loving something or somebody.
Asya is a delightful student. She comes ready to learn, with her notebook and homework all done. She smiles and willingly follows all the instructions. I am sure she will do very well. Thankyou so much for such kind feedback.
From Sapna
We were quite impressed with Sally’s qualifications and work experience as well. But it didn’t work as we didn’t want our son to travel that far.
Dear Sapna I wish you the best of luck finding a tutor. As we did not meet then the rating is a bit ina curate as it is supposed to be for my tuition as a tutor. I always get 5/5 so it is important for me to maintain my credibility as a top school tutor. I am sorry the post code address did not appear before you accepted. It is a pity you could not travel to Sheen. I do understand, Kind regards Gaye
From Hannah
Gaye is absolutely Wonderful, she has been tutoring my son for the last two months, we are extremely happy to have found her, as he has changed from a reluctant learner to a enthused and motivated young boy.
She has definitely managed to hook him into Reading new adventurous texts, as well as creatively illustrating his ideas which he just finds brilliantly helpful. She seems to have been able to magically tap into a part of him and really seems to understand how he operates and therefore adjust her way of teaching to suit him.
He now has a new interest in nature, animals, history and geography and he adores going to his lessons with her.
We are extremely pleased, he was struggling in class based teaching at school. His writing and understanding has definitely improved significantly over the past few weeks! He looks forward to his lessons, as she is kind and patient with him. We were lucky to have found her, an could not recommend her enough.
It is always a pleasure to have a student who is enthusiastic bright and motivated.
Indeed, I thoroughly enjoy my time with your little boy. I’m thrilled that he has come along so well with the methodology of creative writing and inter-active reading.
We have been able to start more challenging texts, that he will meet in the 11+ exams, which I am also pleased with. Particularly, as he will be able to feel independently confident, that we have addressed some of his challenges, especially with the complex language and sentence structures, that they expect in the Independent and grammar schools.
We have come along way already! I can see exactly where he needs support, which we can improve quickly and effectively with the reading and creative writing, that we work on together in lessons.
From Mamatha
Gaye has been helping my son with English specially focusing on his weak areas such as analysis, critical writing etc. for almost over 5 months regularly. I (being non-native English speaker) did approach Gaye to help my son (year7)who had been on downhill with grades and getting serious comments from his teacher & school. As a concerned mother I wanted a best teacher to help him. I found her on first tutors . Initially I thought she may be bit expensive for my current affordability and also felt it may not go too far as she is somewhat different to other tutors with her style of teaching . But now I am very happy with my decision as I consider her as above par . Gaye has come across as an excellent teacher who goes extra mile to help her students reach the goals. She is a thinker who believes in real education for youngsters. I am very thankful for all her efforts without which my son wouldn’t have shown so much improvement( as noticed by his school teacher) and enthusiasm for the subject. His command over the language is so much better and I am sure it will be reflecting in his grades too. Her lessons are always engaging, my son looks forward to her weekly lessons. I can easily recommend her to any aspiring students looking for help with English ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dear Mamatha I was also concerned at the beginning, that your lovely son would not engage with some of the very academically dense topics pupils have to cover in English at school. However he has truly developed his own opinion and style, bringing topics to the lessons to discuss with enthusiasm. I am impressed at his willingness to debate current affairs in depth, global politics, crime, ethics and the law, medicine, new inventions with compassion and empathy. He has come along so well, that I can see that whatever profession he chooses in the future, he will excel and be ready to apply himself as an exemplar student.
From Samantha
Gaye is an enthusiastic and engaged tutor who goes the extra mile to help. She is very knowledgeable and clearly loves her subject. We had 4 sessions ahead of A-Level exams and Gaye taught my daughter to re-examine her writing style which transformed her approach to the study of her texts. This gave her the tools to overcome her writing obstacle and confidence that she can raise her grade.
Thankyou Samantha and Briony. I am thrilled that Briony could grasp highly complex concepts and the Academic style in time to reach her goal of a higher grade for the required university entrance. I will keep my fingers crossed for her! The very best of kuck for the coming exams! Well done on a Grade B and going onto University!
From Nellwyn
Gaye had a family emergency, so was unable to commit to any tuition and cancelled our booking. I then found another tutor elsewhere. That is why I am now seeking a refund on the introduction fee.
Kind regards
Penny
I unfortunately had to attend my elderly parent in hospital, who had pneumonia; 5 hours from London, so never met or delivered any lessons. The rating is therefore not a reflection of my teaching. I ensured First Tutors gave the student a refund to choose another Tutor.
I requested that the parent please remove the rating of 3/5 - as it affects my tutoring delivery profile. As it was not related to myself or my service. But the First Tutors is a big company so don’t do it.
Sadly, as the only offspring to my parents, I had to deal with a sudden family health emergency, five hours away from where I live. Which is unavoidable.
We never actually had a lesson or spoke. As it sadly happened before we arranged the first lesson, which would normally have been complementary.
Therefore, I the rating is not relevant as I didn’t complete a lesson with the student.
I also sent free advice and English content with my documents free of charge, which took me over 3 hours as a courtesy.
I advised the parent to re-apply for a refund, so that they could be re-imbursed their money back. But obviously I didn’t charge them any fees myself at all.
I think there should be a better refund procedure, for parents that apply for a lesson, when cancellation is due to an emergency or mitigating circumstances.
As at the moment the only way is through a tutor’s profile which then affects their ratings; which seems a little unfair, as it is a simple procedure of applying direct for a refund.
I also pay first tutors £50 every three months to list my details, so I as the tutor make no gain from the fee.
It is slightly unclear as parents think it’s me who should be refunding the registration fee.
So I find it a little awkward to involve the tutor in the refund process, when it isn’t in their control. It creates an uncomfortable atmosphere between the tutor and the parent.
From Matt
Sally Gaye has provided some timely tuition [in English] for my son leading into his recent Year 7 entrance exams. Sally Gaye was contacted very late in the process but developed and delivered an intensive schedule which raised my son’s English and enabled him to perform confidently at a much improved level during exams. I am very happy with the work performed by Sally Gaye; her strong drive, high levels of engagement [with both parents and students] and a real desire to bring out the best in each student has greatly helped my son. I would have no hesitation in utilising Sally Gaye in the future.
Thankyou for your kind words. Your son was highly engaged in the lessons, even through his minor setback. His enthusiasm and sense of curiousity will stand him in good stead for the future. I wish him the best of luck in his new endeavours. Thankyou!
From Helena
Delighted to have found Gaye. I have no doubt my daughter will benefit from Gaye's creative approach. She has only had a handful of sessions so far and seems to be fully engaged and, most importantly, really enjoying her time with Gaye.
Eva is a delightful, lively and engaged little girl who really enjoys creating her own stories and illustrations. I am very pleased that she enjoys discussing her different ideas and themes enthusiastically. She will do well in her creative approach to learning as well as writing great tales!
From Mal
Did not quite work out as expected compared to other tutors.
The student unfortunately was expecting the essays and content to be written by me for him. Maybe other tutors are willing to offer essay writing service but as an examiner I was not able to do that.
From Katrina
Incredibly helpful, daughter enjoyed her time with Gaye and has a very creative approach to teaching.
Your little girl was engaged and enthusiastic. She certainly has a creative flair, which she should keep developing and pursuing, as it's a rare talent!
From Nicky
Max has only had a few sessions with Gaye but is already reaping the rewards. Gaye's enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. Max isn't spoon-fed but given the tools in order to make him think. The method of teaching that Gaye uses and the skills that Max is acquiring will, I've no doubt, result in a great GCSE mark and will also equip him well for university and beyond. My daughter had a couple of tutors over the years and when I told her about Gaye she said 'Oh, she sounds like a proper tutor'! How right she was! I feel very fortunate that we found Gaye. Nicky
Max is very willing to try new techniques and tools, which is going to stand him in good stead for his academic future. I am sure that he will attain a top grade in GCSE, as have my other students, who embraced the methodology, completed all the exercises and homework that I set. It is hard work but with persistence it pays off. Well done Max so far!
From Poornima
I have only had one lesson with her, so it is hard to say having not taught her before ,whether there will be sufficient time to get up to the required level. It always depends on how much the student has been reading the classical texts and engaging with English previously. We will try to see if she will have enough time before the exams in January.
I wish her the best of luck… A very competent student, who tries hard to understand the complexity of analytical thinking which is required of the grammar school examinations.
I hope that she goes on to study, that we can make the time to get her up to the required level.
From Emmanuel
Excellent tutoring which encompasses several areas across creative writing and comprehension.
Ingenious use of supporting materials from drawing to picture books.
A clear passion for the English language and for teaching it.
Your son Victor, is enthusiastic, diligent, and a pleasure to tutor. He is progressing well, and certain to gain entry to St.Paul's, with his astute awareness of current affairs and the natural environment.
From Aurelija
We have had tutoring for our 10 year old daughter for a year now. Gaye is patient, easy to get along with and follows student's needs.She is very knowledgeable about her subject and knows how to bring the best out of a child.The main focus during lessons is on imaginative writing through drawing and painting.This method is very suitable for my girl and she is always looking forward to her sessions with Gaye. During the year my daughter learned a lot, her English grades improved,her handwriting got so much neater and she has grown her confidence and independent thinking skills.I highly recommend Gaye's tutoring, she is the best!
Maria is a pleasure to tutor. She brings a fun, energetic and enthusiastic attitude to lessons. She loves reading, using her imagination to create fantasy worlds and is open to new ways of learning through drawing, writing and painting. She will do well in her school life.
From Min
Gaye is really helpful, my son is very happy with her and I found that she gave him great inspiration.
Your son is an absolute pleasure to teach, as he is enthusiastic, lively and participative in the lessons. He has an innate quality of a thirst for creating stories, with characters embarking in colourful adventures.
He will do well in school with his peers!
From Sophie
Hi, we received Gaye contact but we have also contacted and other tutor we would like to meet both before taking a decision. Is it possible to get his contact without paying the full price again as we will choose only one? Thanks, sophie
If the other Tutor does t charge for the first half hour, then you recover the fee.
I offer the first half hour at no charge. So you only pay my time for 30 mins.
I hope that helps and answers your question.
Gaye
First Tutors are the company who make the registration charge not me.
From Sushiela
My daughter was preparing for the IELTS exam. She liked Gaye very much. She was critical and honest, especially when it comes to writing task corrections. She was also encouraging and optimistic, which gave my daughter courage, for the preparations of the exam.
Anna was a very diligent student who was a pleasure to teach. I am delighted that she has gone on to her medical profession to develop as a doctor. I wish her all the very best and hope that we keep in touch with her progress. It looks like we might even have a budding neuro scientist professional! Well done!
From Mira
Great tutor and very knowledgable. Her commitment to ensuring my son had covered all areas before his AS exam was second to none. Mira
It was a pleasure to help clarify structuring essays to ensure all points were covered, with relevant sections and in depth critical analysis. It helped enormously that your son Amadeo could grasp the concepts quickly. I await a great result.
From Emad
I was asked by this student if I could write an upgrade of an A level course work essay in 3 hours from a C to an A! It is not allowed in the examination rules. This is a serious offence for which I would lose my registration. Refusal often offends. I explained that it would not be achievable. My honest appraisal was that we needed to spend a further 8 hours of 1 to 1’study to improve his Academic English writing skills to meet the level of sophistication needed to get an A. He was unable to do that as his parents explained due to after school commitments. I need time to do my job well. I passionately, support, guide and tutor the skills and depth, A level critical thinking and analysis requires.
I have helped students develop from a U to an A in 30 hours.
I enjoy working hard with students as you will see from my other reviews.
I wish you all good luck with your studies.
From Aaron
Patient, Generous and honest. These are the three things that force me to become an avid student in her lessons. I have been a student of 's for five months now, and she has made me more confident for my summer exams. Her idea is to expose my academic writing and critical thinking skills through working on my weaknesses and divulging my potential to get an A* in English Literature & Language. She goes the extra mile with all her students and aims to deliver her promises; if that takes long hours of planning, researching and reviewing to get there she will do it. - Aaron
Aaron and I have a tutoring partnership which is develping his capabilities in a steady and consistent manner. Aaron realises it is a formative process that builds on active participation in lessons, academic research, writng, analysis and critical thinking.
I believe we will achieve the top grade he needs to study Law at university.
Aaron is a dediacted learner, is open to feedback and tries new ways of working to achieve his goals… A pleasure to guide him through his exams.
From Catarina
Albert Einstein said, "it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken the joy in creative expression and knowledge".
Gaye certainly does so.
Catarina is a joy
From Munro
Gaye is a wonderful tutor. She goes the extra mile to make the lessons engaging and fun. My son, a reluctant student at best, actually looks forward to his sessions with her. Gaye was able to quickly assess the areas where my son needed the most help. Despite only having a few sessions, his improvement is remarkable.
I believe every student has the capacity to learn. It is about awakening the intellect through curiosity, positive feedback, inspiring them to explore for themselves! The student has great ideas and such enthusiasm that the building blocks all there ready to be nurtured.
Albeit to say he got a B in AQA not the easiest of A levels. Well Done!!!
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