Judith

My name is Judith. I was born in Bradford and, although I've lived and worked away in other parts of the UK and Europe, I've been back in Bradford now for a long time. I am a voracious reader - my favourite pastime which I don't get enough time for. I love maths too, especially primary school maths because I think it's the maths we use for the rest of our lives, so I think it's important for children and adults alike. I started working in schools quite late, only after I had my son: I wish I'd done it earlier because, it might sound a little corny, but it really is a joy (most of the time!) and an absolute privilege to be around children as they learn and grow. I've had a varied career, and taken a great deal of pleasure from it, but never more so than when helping a child to succeed and feel great about themselves - that's the best job in the world.

I have one son who attended Heckmondwike Grammar School and who is now at Bristol University studying for a degre in Psychology.

I'm interested in lots of things, and have many hobbies. We have a dog who takes up a lot of my free time. I play a little piano and guitar (strictly for my own amusement!). I LOVE crafting and make lots of things which I'm lucky enough to be able to sell on Etsy. I'm the youngest of three sisters and see a lot of my family, who are an important part of my life.

Tutoring Experience

I worked in Upper Key Stage 2 in primary schools for several years and, until April 2017, worked as an HLTA in primary school teaching French, RE, PSHE and Computing, as well as devising and delivering interventions in Maths and English across years 5 and 6, including coaching higher ability children in Maths.

I have experience and a good understanding of the level of ability required to pass grammar school entrance exams, and am a good judge of a child's potential success. I make sure parents are always fully aware of the likely results of their child being tutored for a particular exam, and support them in making the best choice for their child, which is not always to continue with tutoring. Children I have tutored over the past five years have been successful in gaining places at Heckmondwike Grammar School, Crossley Heath and Skipton Girls High School.

Tutoring Approach

I've always believed that when teaching anything, you have to make it as relevant as possible for the child - explain why they need to know it, what benefits knowing this stuff will have, and make it as entertaining as possible. Not always easy to do with some subjects and topics, but I always try to vary my methods of teaching, testing knowledge and setting targets. Alongside individual teaching programmes which include games and digital content, for some subjects I DO use text books, tests and achievable targets, because I believe many children enjoy a sense of progression and achievement, when this is designed to be attainable for them individually.

Starting early and gradually with tutoring is always better than cramming lessons in, too close to the deadline. If your child is hoping to sit an entrance exam for one of the selective grammars at the beginning of Year 6, I recommend that you start tutoring no later than the beginning of Year 4 with a once-weekly session. In the second half of Year 5, you might want to increase that to two a week or three a fortnight.

I do not set homework as standard, but this can be provided by arrangement. Or, I'm happy to advise on other books or activities which children can use to support their tutoring.