Kath

Oxford graduate - qualified lawyer - published author - qualified teacher - experienced tutor with 5000+ tutoring hours - specialising in Maths, English, 11+ and Entrance Exams from primary to GCSE level – available for holiday tutoring – term-time availability during the day on Sundays and early afternoons before 3.30pm on weekdays.

Tailored Support for Your Child

Do you want your child to receive extra English or Maths support?
Would your child benefit from online tutoring to help prepare for an 11+ test?
Would you find it easier to motivate your child to continue to engage in learning using one-to-one live English and Maths lessons during a period of isolation or as a result of school closures?
Could an intensive 11 plus course help boost your child's confidence in the run up to the Transfer Test?
Would you like interview practice by way of a mock interview to help your child prepare for a forthcoming school assessment day?
Is your child finding the prospect of English/Maths GCSE preparation and revision daunting?
You need look no further! I can provide your child with bespoke face-to-face online tuition via Zoom, delivered by a qualified, experienced primary school teacher for Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 (including GCSE).

• Sessions are usually one hour for individual children.
• All online tutoring is delivered live remotely via Zoom, enabling your child to share the tutor’s screen. This works in the same way as a classroom’s interactive whiteboard, to allow children to see and annotate documents which the tutor shares.

My services for primary and KS3/KS4 (GCSE) children include:
• English support
• Maths support
• Verbal Reasoning
• Non-Verbal Reasoning
• 11+ tutoring (including regular sessions and 11 plus intensive courses)
• Mock interviews to practise for a school entrance interview
• Reading support
• English and Maths GCSE revision and preparation

Tutoring Experience

I am a qualified, experienced teacher and have worked at both state and private schools. Oxford educated, I gained a BA (Hons) in Literae Humaniores (Classics) at Merton before training to be a solicitor at a Magic Circle law firm and working in the city for six years. I started teaching in a primary school in 2015 and have taught all Key Stage Two year groups, including in the role of Year Five Class Teacher in a grammar school area.

I am now a full-time tutor with my own tutoring business and deliver regular tuition (during both term-time and holidays) to help support or challenge children in Key Stages One, Two, Three and Four with their Maths and English or to prepare them for the 11+, Entrance Exams and GCSEs.

I have successfully tutored children from KS1 to GCSE level in Maths, English, 11+ and other entrance exams.

Tutoring Approach

All my lessons are delivered remotely via Zoom, enabling greater flexibility (no need for you to build in the time or cost of travel!). Zoom’s video function allows easy engagement with the children with whom I work. I regularly use the screen sharing function to share ideas and take written feedback from the children. Zoom sessions are scheduled in advance which means you can include the appointments in your online calendars.

Sessions are tailored to your child and as such, each session will differ. However, your child can expect to experience the following:

• English Support

English is a core subject which allows access to the rest of the curriculum. Whatever your child’s interests and talents, a solid basis in English skills can make all the difference to his or her progress in communication and academic life.

If your child would benefit from support with reading, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation, speaking or writing skills, then let me help him or her by way of bespoke tuition, tailored to your child's needs, age and ability.

• Maths Support

It is all too common for children to develop a fear of mathematics, which can follow them throughout their whole lives.

My maths sessions are designed to build up children’s confidence by way of tailored lessons to develop their skills in key areas, which could include mental arithmetic, formal written methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, proportion, algebra, measurement, geometry, and/or statistics, as well as problem solving.

• 11+

Depending on the area in which you live, the 11+ exam (also known as the ‘Transfer Test’) may determine whether or not your child is eligible for the secondary school of your choice. There are many different approaches to 11+ tutoring. I am happy to support your child by way of ad-hoc, intensive or regular sessions to suit your own approach to this important exam.

Individual regular weekly sessions in the term-time provide a solid basis for preparing for an 11+ exam. I also offer holiday sessions. Depending on the amount of time available before the 11+, regular sessions will usually begin by focusing on your child’s subject knowledge, before working up to tackling different types of exam questions and finally working on the speed of completion of these types of questions.

It is common for 11+ tutors to set around two hours’ of homework to be completed by children during the week in-between sessions. If you would like me to do this, I will recommend specific books which you will need to purchase on top of the costs of the tuition, and I will set homework based on these books. However, I appreciate that some children will have longer school days, more homework already set by their school, or clubs and sporting commitments which would make additional homework impossible. I am happy to work with you in your individual circumstances, and homework is therefore not a compulsory part of my 11+ sessions, although I will recommend vocabulary learning and regular reading to all pupils!

• Intensive 11+ Booster Course

Intensive booster courses will usually focus on exam technique. These are suitable both for children who are close to taking their 11+ and those who are earlier in their preparation and would like to experience what the 11+ will feel like and gauge their level of readiness.

Whether your child has received tuition or not, you may feel that he or she would benefit from an intensive 11+ booster course in the run-up to the exam.

Booster courses usually take place over the summer holidays immediately preceding the 11+ and during other holidays, however, please enquire if you would be interested in your child receiving this tuition at another time.

• Interview Practice

Is your child likely to need to attend an interview for their preferred secondary school? If you would like them to experience a mock interview over Zoom, I can do this in our sessions.

• Reading Support

There is no disputing the enjoyment children can derive from reading their favourite authors' works. However, a love of reading does not come naturally to everyone! Fluent reading is a key that can unlock a whole range of enjoyable activities - it could even mean that your child finds it easier to participate in board games! If you are struggling to fit in the daily reading necessary to enable your child to keep up with his or her peers, you may be interested in my regular reading courses. In these weekly or bi-weekly sessions, I will take your child through a classic children's book such as The Wizard of Oz or The Railway Children and use this as a springboard for practising age-appropriate reading skills, comprehension techniques, grammar and vocabulary.

I can also provide more basic sessions for children in Key Stages 2, 3 or 4 who find reading very difficult and could benefit from a new beginning. I will use a phonics-based approach to help them re-learn how to read simple sounds. Whilst this is similar to the approach used to teach children how to read in Key Stage 1 and Reception, it will be adapted to your child, with age-appropriate material.

• Maths/English GCSE Preparation and Revision

GCSEs do not need to be overwhelming: regular support for GCSE preparation and revision can be invaluable when approaching the exams. Whether it is simply guidance and support to complete homework or consolidating areas learned in school or helping a child to catch up on gaps in their school provision, I am happy to work with your child to help them approach English and Maths GCSEs more confidently, including last minute revision!