Jo

I have first-rate qualifications and over ten years teaching experience.

I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge, where I also did my Master’s, achieving a score two full classmarks above a 1st for my thesis. I was awarded the William Berkely Squire prize for my essay writing and graduated with the highest marks in my year at Cambridge. I am also a qualified English Language Teacher (Trinity TESOL) and the editor of several volumes of poetry.

During the decade I have been teaching I have worked both in schools and privately with children aged 7-18 and ranging in ability from severe SEN to ‘gifted and talented’. I have very high levels of measurable success and extremely positive feedback from tutees and their families. I have worked successfully with children towards a range of goals including Common Entrance preparation, 11 Plus, scholarship papers, SATs, GCSE and ‘A’ Level as well as several others.

I’ve helped students successfully gain places and scholarships at high-profile schools such as St Paul’s Girls’ School, City of London, North London Collegiate, Godolphin & Latymer, and grammar schools such as Henrietta Barnett, Latymer Schoo, Woodford County, Essex County, Kent County and Bexley Grammar.

I have a particular interest in supporting literacy skills, grammar and creative writing and won an award from UnLtd for my Lick The Pencil programme, set up to support these subjects.

I have also successfully helped children to overcome issues with their working styles such as anxiety, inability to complete work, perfectionism and self-discipline. Many of my tutees’ families have commented on huge improvements not only in school achievement but also in their child’s confidence, enthusiasm for their subject, focus, determination and willingness to take on difficult challenges while working with me.

I see these qualities as intrinsically linked to improved achievement at school. They are fundamental techniques for learning and one of my great joys in working one-to-one with students is seeing the exponential leap that can be made in school achievement when learning habits are improved. My approach therefore combines carefully prepared, highly individualised lessons tailored to tutees goals with a focus on teaching the skills and attitudes that are necessary for optimal learning.

I have a patient, friendly personality and an intense enthusiasm for my subject, which translates into lessons that my tutees enjoy – even when literacy at school is their least favourite subject.

Availability: Places are currently close to capacity but I do have some flexibility so please get in touch to see if I can accommodate.

Willing to travel: 30 miles

Experience: I have been teaching for over a decade. I particularly specialise in English and have worked extensively with children in the 7-10 age range although I have also worked with students up to the age of 18 and with university students. My past students have secured places at prestigious schools such as St Paul’s Girls’ School and City of London as well as many grammar schools.

REFERENCES FROM MY TUTEES AND THEIR FAMILIES

* Thank you so much Jo for all your help. It`s so lovely to work with someone who uses so much initiative. You are so logical and so intelligent . It`s just so wonderful! You take a great weight off my shoulders when it comes to C and her education and I am extremely grateful to you for that.

* Jo has been teaching my daughter now for just over a year and during this time I`ve seen my nine year old grow more and more confident in her writing abilities. She is extremely thorough in her teachings and will do various activities and exercises to check and reinforce complete understanding, especially of new vocabulary learnt.

Rather than tell my daughter how she can improve her writing, Jo often gets her to edit her own work and merely steers her in the correct direction so that she can learn from her own mistakes.

I find Jo to be a very kind, gentle, approachable and trustworthy person. I am extremely pleased at the progress my daughter has made and have no hesitation in recommending Jo as tutor.

* Jo has been my tutor for over a year and has really helped me improve my English. Before I wasn`t very confident with writing although I have a wild imagination. Jo always listens to all my questions and explains things clearly using diagrams and pictures if I don`t understand. When we write stories she steps back and lets me work things out on my own until I get really stuck. No child really likes homework, but the homework Jo sets me is appropriate and helps me discover new words that I have never come across before. Every lesson is fun and Jo is always very kind. – From C, age 9.

* My son (8 years old) has thoroughly enjoyed working with Jo for the last 2 months. Literacy is not A’s favourite subject, although he loves reading. I have noticed a significant change in my son, both in his writing books at school and in his confidence in the subject.

Jo has helped my son to work on his strengths, his ideas and imagination, to produce planning to help him structure his thinking. She is organised and encourages my son to use the correct grammar, spelling and punctuation and tense. Editing is done with a redraft of the original piece of writing.

I read a paragraph they are working on about a mongoose a mouse and laughed out loud very humorous with great adjectives, adverbs. I have recommended Jo to friends and acquaintances.

* We are really grateful for such a positive message from you and appreciate all you have done with H so far. His English school work has improved incredibly and his teacher has noted this.

* I really appreciate all the work you have done for me. You have honestly been my favourite tutor so far, and I will miss our sessions.

* My daughter really enjoyed the lesson. She said she must have learnt 50 new words today just through talking to you. She said you gave her a better understanding of how to do things and that you (her exact words) stretched her!

* Thank you heaps for all your hard work with my son, he seems to be blossoming everywhere.

* He has made loads of progress and grown in confidence working with you. I think your style is wonderful, you have helped my son to enjoy writing and to use his imagination.