Rachel

I am a first class Warwick University graduate and a qualified English teacher, having completed my PGCE at Pembroke College, Cambridge, in 2012. Consistently rated as an Outstanding classroom practitioner, I am rigorous and committed when it comes to student progress.

Needless to say, I am passionate about literature and theatre. Alongside my work in education, I am also a playwright; my work has been performed in both Cambridge and London theatres. My most recent script received readings from Juliet Stevenson CBE, Miranda Richardson and Joanna Scanlan and is moving toward production. I was shortlisted for the Goodison Award at the British Library and I have been longlisted for the PapaTango Award (a national playwriting competition) several times.

I love people and very much enjoy the one-to-one relationships that can be established and nurtured through tuition. I also enjoy running, travel and walking.

Tutoring Experience

I have privately tutored since becoming a qualified teacher in 2012. During my time as a classroom practitioner, I taught at two outstanding secondary schools in Cambridge. I was promoted to Third in Department and given responsibility for stretching Gifted and Talented students. I was also the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities representative for the English Department.

I am presently employed as Programme Director for First Star Scholars (FSS) at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University. FSS offers educational intervention to children in care with a view to supporting them into Higher Education.

I have also recently completed a CELTA (teaching English as an additional language) course at Anglia Ruskin University. This qualification, combined with my previous experience as a secondary English teacher, means that I am an excellent tutor for students who are multi-lingual and studying in mainstream education. I have recently begun working at the Bell School in Cambridge, a prestigious, flagship language school of international repute.

I have tutored students from seven years old through to undergraduate. I am also experienced in tutoring students toward the 11+. I am fully insured as a tutor under Alan Boswell.

Tutoring Approach

I believe that all good teaching stems from positive, genuine relationship between tutor and tutee and pride myself on innovative, bespoke teaching approaches. I am creative, flexible and seek to know a student well in order that I can tailor my resources and technique to suit them. I always teach from a text, believing that grammar and language skills will progress when a student is engaged and imaginatively stimulated. I take time to understand my tutees and their motivations in order that I can select texts which intrigue and excite them. I am also creative in my use of online resources, encouraging students to use Padlet, Google Docs and other forums to express themselves during virtual lessons.

I feel strongly that excellent education is about holistic nurturing - it is not simply a case of teaching exam technique. I encourage students to engage deeply and intuitively with texts, considering how they reflect what is happening in the world around them and probing them to consider how they feel about this as young adults. In turn, this elicits excellent results.