Sarah

My name is Sarah and I was a Year 6 teacher for 11 years, a Deputy Headteacher in Rochdale for 7 years, and have now been a Headteacher in Manchester for 5 years. I have a great passion for teaching and have worked in paid and voluntary roles as a teacher, teaching assistant, tutor and occasional university lecturer over the last 10 years.
My academic track record if very strong: I achieved an 'outstanding' judgement during my PGCE training and NQT years, and a 'distinction' in my Masters.
In my role as a manager, I took responsibility for pupil and teacher management, teaching, learning and assessment, with a particular focus on English and mathematics. I also assisted in designing the current school curriculum, which takes a creative approach to learning and has had a huge impact on progress. Now, as a headteacher, I hold full responsibility for all teaching and learning outcomes.

Tutoring Experience

I am about to commence my 5th year as a Headteacher, after 7 years as a Deputy Headteacher and 11 as a Year 6 teacher, and spending my NQT year as a Year 2 teacher. As a result, I have had experience of both key stage 1 and key stage 2 SATs, understanding the range of skills that must be taught and mastered by pupils. The children in my year groups have made consistently excellent progress - primarily through a range of interesting and interactive teaching approaches. My cohorts have achieved a 91% pass rate in reading and mathematics, 87% in writing and 100% in grammar. These results are significantly above local and national standards.
In addition to my role as a classroom practitioner, for the past 10 years I have worked as a school-based and private 1:1 tutor. Until recently I have worked under the government 1:1 scheme, tutoring 20 Year 5 and 6 pupils in preparation for key stage 2 tests; government funding has now stopped, therefore I am looking for other opportunities to utilise my tutoring skills. I have also successfully tutored Year 6 and Year 2 pupils through first tutors over a number of years, with a huge level of success.
I have also worked as a private tutor, with both a Year 2 child (in preparation for KS1 SATs) and a Year 11 student (underachieving in GCSE maths). Both children made excellent progress. Therefore, whilst my speciality is in KS2 tutoring, I am experienced and available to support both younger and older children.

Tutoring Approach

As previously mentioned, my approach to tutoring is similar to my approach in teaching - making sessions interactive and engaging. I would begin with an initial assessment and identify areas of specific need. Sessions would then be tailored to suit the needs of the individual.
In a 1-11/2 hour session, I would begin with a warm up, focus on a specific area of knowledge, incorporate games and challenges and apply new skills (through SAT style questions if appropriate). Success stems from repetition, application and enjoyment.
My intricate knowledge of the new curriculum is vital in my approach and success.