Allow me to tell you a little about myself and my qualifications when it comes to private tuition.
I was educated at Inverkeithing High School and then spent 13 years working in various sales and purchasing jobs before entering primary teacher training at Moray House Institute of Education in Edinburgh. Graduating in 1998, I then spent 20 years as a class teacher in Fife primary schools; mostly in the middle to upper primary years.
In 2008, I started private, 1 to 1 tutoring, initially as a way to make a little extra money. I worked with the very successful Fife based tutoring organisation, Step Ahead Tutoring. It was obvious that the methods used in the classroom could and should be adapted for working with one child however, what became apparent was that methods and strategies used with one child could, very successfully, be taken back and used in the classroom. For 10 years, both of these aspects of my professional life worked well together to enhance each other; tutoring enhanced my teaching and teaching enhanced my tutoring. In 2018, I decided to ‘take the plunge’ and leave the classroom, becoming a full-time tutor.
Over the years, I have worked with children and young people from the age of 4 to 18, each with their own personality and unique set of skills. One of the greatest strengths of working 1 to 1 is that you can get to know the youngster so much better than a class teacher who is working with up to 33 children.
This relationship is crucial in supporting a young person to reach towards their potential and often to attain more and to do it more quickly than would otherwise be the case. Consider how much 1 to 1 time any child in school has with a teacher; it is limited. This is not a criticism, it is down to numbers so, in all likelihood, your child will experience more 1 to 1 attention in a weekly tutoring session than they will in a week or more in school.
As well as supporting children towards reaching their potential in language and maths, I specialise in supporting children towards independent school entry. Preparation for the entrance exams can be vital in giving a child an edge in what is a very competitive environment. Over the last 10 years I have worked with around 70 children who have been offered places in schools including George Heriots, George Watson’s, ESMS, Edinburgh Academy and Dollar Academy.
Although I enjoy reading and football, my main hobby is cricket. I am heavily involved in the administration of the game in Fife and the north east of Scotland, I am a qualified umpire and have been on the committee of Falkland Cricket Club for several years. I do still occasionally play, (but only really if there is no-one else as the knees aren’t really up to it).
