Nicola

In April 2020, I decided to take early retirement from the role of Head of English, after teaching for 19 years. I decided that the time was right to reduce my working hours and to relinquish the full time commitment of this very challenging role. However, I am now continuing my work in a different way through home tutoring individuals, or small groups of students, who need extra support to achieve their targets/goals in their English Language and Literature, culminating in achieving at least their target GCSE grades, from
years 7 to 11. I am also able to offer tutoring for students in KS2 with all aspects of their English.

Tutoring Experience

I have taught successfully and extensively in three different high schools, consecutively, since September 2001; however, the majority of my teaching life has been in one school, from January 2003, where I have achieved several promotions from KS3 lead to Assistant Head of English, culminating in my most recent role as Head of English, from September 2012 to April 2020. I have taught students of all ages and abilities from years 7 to 11, supporting them to achieve the results they deserved, whilst developing good relationships with them. I am fully conversant with the most recent English Language and Literature GCSE specifications .
At school, the most recent CPD was focused on developing the curriculum to ensure that students are taught a whole breadth of skills and knowledge, with a high investment in cultural capital, which involved greater immersion in the historical and cultural aspects of the texts on offer . I have lead many trips to theatres with large groups of students as I believe they often benefit from seeing a live production of a text and I have supported the training of trainee teachers/NQTs within the department.
I also have experience of online tutoring, if this is a preferred option.

Tutoring Approach

Through my teaching of English, I strive to nurture a love of literature, which encourages students to read widely and independently, developing skills of critical analysis. I aim to teach them to articulate their ideas appropriately and effectively through our rich and diverse English language, both orally and in writing so that pupils can clearly make the connection between knowledge, skills and ideas.
I strive to encourage pupils to read like writers and write like readers, increasing motivation by providing authentic, meaningful and relevant learning experiences, which, in turn, supports their ability to empathise with the many themes and ideas presented in the texts they read. I recognise the differing needs of individual students and I ensure my lessons are tailored to support those needs so that students' progress is clear and sustained. All my teaching is grounded in the National Curriculum and each of the skills can be clearly tracked throughout years 7 to 11, with clear evidence of development and progression.