Dora

I am a fully qualified, experienced and highly-skilled teacher. I specialise in tutoring both English and Maths to students aged 11 to undergraduate. I have substantial experience supporting children with SEN ( including dyslexia, ASD, communication/ memory/ reading difficulties), as well as essay and academic writing. Developing a meaningful, trusting relationship with my students is very important; I am very nurturing and positive, and always ensure that my students feel relaxed and comfortable when we are working together. I tailor-make all of my sessions to match the specific needs of the students.

Alongside supporting children to advance academically, I ensure my 1:1 personalised sessions help to develop a student’s sense of worth, and that they are left feeling successful and accomplished.
I have a very thorough understanding of how to utilise successful strategies and techniques to enhance and improve students’ short-term and long-term memory. These include creating creative mnemonics, acronyms, abbreviations, peg words (words that rhyme with numbers and are used to build associations with information to be remembered), chunking, graphic organisers and flow-charts. These can be integrated into any tutoring session, as necessary.

One strategy I use with students to boost their confidence is to encourage them to self-reflect. This empowers them as individuals, which subsequently improves their self-esteem alongside independence. It empowers them to become the best versions of themselves. I believe in the growth-mindset principal, and throughout my sessions I will often ask them to reflect on their own achievements, using questions such as

– What areas are you most confident in?
– How did you get to be so confident in this area?
– How can the ways your confidence grew in another area help you grow more confident in other areas?
– How can you help other people grow more confident?

In addition, I have a CELTA Cambridge and very able to support children who speak English as a second or additional language. I recently supported a student to gain a distinction in her academic essay about The Internet of Things at London South Bank University. I provide a full essay and writing package to include: – the structure of writing and assignments;– writing for a given purpose (e.g. to argue / persuade / describe, etc.);– sentence length variation and complexity;– use of diverse punctuation;– choice of topic-specific vocabulary and literary techniques;– developing confidence in writing. I am also able to provide complete 11+ preparation including maths, numerical reasoning, English (comprehension and composition), verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

My recent 11+ tutoring success (2017 – 2018 preparation) has been my student’s admission to Woodford County High School for Girls. I am currently preparing two students for the Godolphin and Latymer and Wycombe Abbey.

“Ms. prepared my son for his 11 + exams to Ilford County Grammar School for Boys. I am most satisfied with her ongoing support as my son is currently in the highest set in maths and English (Master Level). Ms has managed to develop such a unique and positive working relationship with my children that they cannot imagine any other tutoring scenario. They truly look forward to their sessions and consider them genuine fun.” – the mum of a very happy student, London.

My specific Special Educational Needs (SEN) teaching experience is outlined below:


• May 2019 – July 2020 (1-to-1/online)
Male pupil (19 years old)
Complex health and disability needs (including global developmental delay)
Subjects taught: English and Maths (KS2 – KS3); Following Riverston School Maths and English individual learning plan specification available on Maths Workout and Seneca Learning online platforms
• March – July 2020 (online)
Male pupil (17 years old)
3 h per week (1.5 h English / 1.5 h Maths)
S had complex health and disability needs, which impact on his ability to attend to learning in a meaningful way.
Condition: ADHD, Autism, Anxiety Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Sebastian also has a medical condition, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, chromosome 15q25.2 duplication and emerging bipolar mood disorder.
Subjects taught: Functional Skills English and Maths (Entry 3 – Level 1) / GCSE English preparation
• January – March 2020
Female pupil (Year 6)
1.5h per week (45 English / 45 min Maths)
Condition: auditory processing disorder
Challenges: Visio-spatial reasoning; non-verbal reasoning; reading comprehension; working memory
Subjects taught: 11+ Prep (English / Maths)
• January – April 2020
Male pupil (Year 8)
Condition: autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia and maybe additionally, defiance disorder, processing issues, attachment disorder
Subjects taught: Maths (KS2 – KS3)
• May 2019 – July 2020
Age/year: girl in year 7 (then 8) and boy in year 10 (then 11)
Challenges (girl): Both English and Maths; working memory, processing speed, multi-step directions, dyslexia-type challenges, comprehension
Subjects taught: Year 7 and 8 English and Maths
Challenges (boy): Both English and Maths; very short-term memory, writing and maths, confidence, organisational skills
Subjects taught: GCSE Maths and English preparation
• October 2019 – March 2020
Male pupil (Year 7)
1.5 h per week
Condition: sensory or auditory processing disorder
Subjects taught: Year 7 English and Maths; homework help
• January – March 2020
Male pupil (Year 7/8)
Subjects taught: Maths; organisational skills
• February – July 2019
1.5 h per week; 1-to-1 tuition
Female pupil (Year 6)
Diagnosis:
- ADD
- Mild dyslexia / dyscalculia
Subjects/ skills taught: Maths, conceptual awareness, problem solving skills, organisational skills, ways to approach a problem
• September 2018 – April 2019
15 h per week; 1-to-1 tuition
Female pupil (10 years old)
Diagnosis:
- Smith – Magenis syndrome
- ADHD
- Microcephaly
- Intellectual / learning disability
- Significant speech and language delay or speech difficulties
- Behavioural difficulties (including self-injurious behaviour and aggression towards others)

• February – July 2018
5 h per week; 1-to-1 tuition
Male pupil (14 years old)
Diagnosis:
- ADHD
- Difficulties regulating his sensory system, requiring a need to touch and fiddle with objects
- Difficulties with fine motor skills which impacted on his handwriting
- Hypersensitivity to noises, affecting his ability to concentrate (con

Availability: Available week days and weekends; mornings, afternoons and evenings

Willing to travel: 5 miles

Experience: I am a skilled lecturer with 12+ years’ experience delivering instruction, evaluating students, developing and implementing schemes of work for English and Maths (KS3-KS4 / GCSE and Functional Skills). I also specialise in tutoring 8 + and 11+ (English and Maths), EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and also EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages): all levels.

While I taught at various secondary state schools and further education colleges in Hereford (Herefordshire College of Technology, The Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School) and London (Alperton Community School, Ealing Alternative Provision, South Thames College, etc.) between 2007 and 2015, since March 2016 I have been tutoring on a full-time basis throughout London. My extensive experience in this field ranges from delivering EAP (English for Academic Purposes) to undergraduate students (University of Westminster) to teaching English and Maths to SEN (Special Educational Needs) pupils - including gifted and talented (Asperger’s, autistic spectrum, etc.) - in alternative provision (Fleet Tutors and SENsational Tutors) throughout London.

Tutor Specialisms and Experience:
• Secondary
• KS3/KS4 Teacher
• Academic challenges – secondary general
• Maths
• English
• Spelling and reading
• Gifted and talented
• Educational Consultancy
• Memory and processing challenges
• Focus and attention
• Confidence and self-esteem
• Autism
• ADD/ ADHD
• Asperger`s Syndrome
• Dyslexia
• Dyscalculia
• Dyspraxia
• 7+, 8+, 11+, 13+ entrance examinations
• GCSEs, A-level, university
• Other
• SEN other

As far as my qualifications are concerned, these are as follows:
- LLM (Human Rights); Merit; Birkbeck, University of London (2018)
- Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA Cambridge); Pass; University of Cambridge (2008)
- PGCE / QTS (Information Technology; 11 – 14); The University of Gloucestershire (2007)
- BSc (Hons) (Computing); 2.1; University of Worcester (2006)
- BSc (Hons) (Open); Politics and Sociolinguistics; 2.1; The Open University (2004)
- Diploma in English Language Studies; Pass; The Open University (2002)
- Higher National Diploma (Computing); Distinction; Herefordshire College of Technology (2005)
- Advanced Diploma in Computer Applications; Distinction; Coleg Powys (2003)

As far as my professional enrichment is concerned, in 2015 I completed English GCSE Enhancement Programme and Maths GCSE Enhancement Programme (authorised, inter alia, by National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) that qualify me to teach both subjects to GCSE levels.