Grace

Academic History

About Me

Having grown up and been educated in England and later having lived and worked as a teacher and tutor across the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, I feel that I am uniquely placed to support varied student backgrounds and meet their precise learning needs across History, English and Art.

Building a rapport with my students is always my first priority so that they can trust me to help them and feel at ease in my classes. My teaching style is responsive and intuitive; from SEN to accelerated learning, I know each student requires a tailored approach. For some students that might mean interactive learning with lessons broken down into their smallest components and a lot of switching between tasks. For others it has meant highly focused and intellectually challenging assignments.

I pride myself on delivering targeted, results-driven tuition for students preparing for 11+/13+ entry into some of the UK’s most competitive schools.  These have included the likes of Eton, Harrow, Westminster, Winchester, Kings Wimbledon, Downe House and the London Consortium (specifically Godolphin and Latymer and Francis Holland).

My strength is my creativity as well as my breadth of knowledge, both of which allow me to be extremely flexible and pivot around the changing needs of my students moment to moment. Beyond that my cultural fluency is tremendously helpful; by understanding their educational and cultural background I can see how that might impact how they access learning and adapt accordingly.

Recent tuition

Year 2 Maths and English

This student had recently moved to the UK from Russia and when speaking would mix English and Russian. He was behind in both Maths and English, testing at Year 1 level initially with particular issues in handwriting and spelling in English and measuring and geometry in Maths. With a mixture of educational play and traditional learning we were able to make great progress together in both subjects and he is now testing at the top of his year group. By switching between the two I was able to maintain his concentration and by emphasising play he was able to enjoy his classes.

Year 4 ESL and English Language and Literature

I tutored a student while he attended an international school in St Petersburg, Russia. He had mild dyslexia and when reading aloud would guess and use words that he knew already to avoid reading the text. To help with this I assigned him books with ‘nonsense’ words in so that he would need to sound the letters out. This greatly improved both his reading skills and his confidence.

Year 1 Maths

I tutored these twins after a school move within the UK. One found time telling and weeks and months challenging while the other really struggled with multiplication and division. I taught them together so initially it was difficult to keep them both occupied and maintain their confidence in spite of their different abilities. By turning topics into games and capitalising on their competitive spirit I was able to motivate both of them. They both made great improvements and were able to help one other.

11+ English

I’ve been teaching this student for the last year and a half, preparing him for his 11+ exam (English) and entrance to High school. He found comprehension particularly challenging especially when having to make informed guesses rather than invent or pick directly from the text. He is very creative and has an excellent vocabulary so we have used storytelling exercises as a way to encourage him. Having worked very hard and done really well on his 11+ he got into a highly competitive state school (Haggerston).

Year 5 English Language and Literature

I’ve been working with a student (Ecole Francaise Jacques Prevert) for the last term helping him with his English (year 5, year 4 level). Since moving to London from France, he has been struggling to adapt to British English conventions. Handwriting is especially challenging for him as he has mild SEN needs and some behavioural issues. I’ve learnt that a calm, patient approach slows him down and allows him to engage at his own pace. We move between small tasks and make sure to include things he is good at to build confidence and engagement. He has already improved and I will continue to work with him in year 6.

Year 9 English Language and Literature with SEN

I homeschooled this student (formerly Halcyon) in English Language and Literature with SEN (ADHD and ASD). He was technically in year 9 but was very behind and I helped him catch up from year 2 level in some areas to year 9 over the period of two terms. The biggest challenge was getting him to pay attention, having really lost interest at his last school. We went very slowly and built his confidence by starting him with work in areas that he is good at before challenging him further once we’d built a rapport. He went from almost non-verbal to chatty and engaged and made great academic strides both in his attention span and his knowledge and skills. He is now back in mainstream school studying at his age level with some SEN assistance.

GCSE Classics

J is a current Classics student of mine who I have been online homeschooling in Classics at GCSE. J had difficulty in a traditional school setting with his SEN impacting his confidence. He was initially unsure about working with a new teacher but we have built a great rapport together and he has gone from managing about 30 minutes together with a parent in the room to asking for a second hour of tuition a week. He has really enjoyed our time working together on the Warfare unit, deepening his understanding of Spartan, Roman and Athenian history and is looking forward to working on his writing skills and stamina as we move onto the Homer unit.

GCSE Fine Art

I tutored a student (Francis Holland) in GCSE Fine Art (OCR) for the last year of her GCSEs. Her main challenge was keeping on top of the workload having been quite far behind and not particularly enjoying the subject. I helped her to identify artists whose work she really appreciates and encouraged her to make work that centres her strengths; sense of colour, composition and photography. It was great to see her engage more with the subject as a result of this. She achieved a 7 in her mock and was predicted a 9 for her final exam. I’ll be continuing to work with her next year as she starts A level Fine Art having previously been disinterested in continuing with the subject.

IGCSE English Language and Literature

I tutored a student at Francis Holland for her Cambridge IGCSEs in English Language and Literature. Although her understanding of non-fiction texts was strong, she struggled with inferring information in fiction texts and especially poetry. We worked on how to analyse literary techniques to find meaning in fiction texts, and how to structure responses to longer questions. I included lots of exam practice and would switch between questions she found easier and those she struggled with in order to keep her confidence up. In the end, she secured a grade 8 having been predicted a 6.

GCSE English Language and Literature

This student was at Haggerston School, taking GCSE English Language and Literature. He was very imaginative and really enjoyed the creative aspect of the subject. However, it was hard to keep his interpretations grounded in the text and he struggled with a tendency to make his answers too speculative. I first worked with him on analysing non-fiction texts to make sure his analysis was really tight before transferring those skills over to fiction. Having been predicted a 6, he achieved a 7 in his final exams.

GCSE English Language, Literature, Fine Art

I worked with this student initially for English Language GCSE and later for Fine Art and English Literature. He wanted extra support for his writing so we worked on structure and comprehension. In English Literature he was enthusiastic but often held back by his vocabulary so we focused on writing skills and reinforcing point-evidence-explanation. By the end of the year he had greatly improved his writing skills and his recall of the exam texts. In Art we focused on making sure his sketchbook was completed as well as his bigger pieces and he improved his skill and confidence with various mediums and made some beautiful work. He has now achieved a place at a prestigious international boarding school.

IGCSE History

I assisted a student (Cheltenham College) with intensive History revision online, (IGCSE Edexcel) covering most of his subject matter together. He had good material retention but had missed some school and therefore needed to catch up in certain areas. In terms of skills he was able to improve his analysis of sources and use his knowledge to inform more complex arguments. I helped him by quizzing him on the material, putting the areas he found confusing in context and helping him plan and write practise exam answers. He is now predicted an 8.

A Level Mentoring (Autism and ADHD)

I have been acting as a mentor for an A level art student for the last year. She has Autism and ADHD and struggles to manage her workload and plan her studies. I have been working with her alongside her class teacher to develop strategies to keep on top of her work and complete it to a high standard. With my guidance, she has successfully completed her coursework essay and met all of her deadlines, including for art work and sketchbook annotation, which shows a significant and highly encouraging improvement.

A Level History

This student came to me having failed his A Level History mock and been advised by his school to drop down to AS Level. I worked with him intensively over the Easter period up until his final exams. He had difficulty processing and remembering information and didn’t have a clear structure to follow with essay writing. We worked on simplifying the course material so that he could follow and memorise it and on appropriate historical writing, especially with regard to sources. He was achieving much improved grades for practice essays at school, going from nearly failing to 50-60% and I expect him to pass the exam.

A Level History and English Literature

I worked with this student, initially to support her History and English A Level coursework and then with exam preparation. She came to me with very disorganised drafts for both subjects and we worked together to improve their content and structure, with her eventually achieving 85% for History and 92% for English. As we moved into exam preparation we worked on meeting the assessment objectives by deepening her knowledge of critics, interpretations and historians and grouping points by theme rather than chronology. She is predicted an A* for English and an A for History which I expect to be upheld on results day so that she can take her Philosophy place at UCL.

A Level English Language and Literature

I worked with this student for nearly two years, assisting her with her English Language and Literature A Levels after a school move that she found challenging. She was testing at B/C level when we began working together and ended up with two As. She found Shakespeare’s The Tempest particularly challenging to decipher so we worked on unpacking imagery and simplifying the core story before adding detail back in. With the language component, she struggled with comparing and contrasting texts, especially identifying themes and developing arguments. We worked on recognising language techniques, and using them to better her analysis and improve her writing.

Hobbies

When I’m not teaching I can be found at my art studio; I’m a practising artist with a background in textile and fashion design now making larger scale objects and installations. I’m currently working on a research project about Celtic crafts which I’m really enjoying as it lets me combine my love of art and history. My other interests include food, film, literature, dance and travel; I’ve lived and worked in Russia, Lebanon and Denmark. I really enjoy immersing myself in other cultures and learning from their different approaches to life and society. I’m also a new but enthusiastic gardener; I volunteer at a local garden where we build planters among other things from recycled wood and grow food for the community. I’m currently also improving my home garden with mixed success.

Testimonials

“We started working with Grace after we found out that my son would have to move schools after his school closed. He has ADHD and was having a hard time keeping up at school. He found it challenging to work with someone new at first and has had difficulty with teachers and tutors in the past but really liked working with Grace after he got to know her. She was extremely patient and used educational games and puzzles which he finds much easier to focus on.”

Parent of Year 8 English Student with SEN

“Grace homeschooled my son C– in English language and literature. We had taken him out of school following advice from them that he needed one-on-one tuition having fallen behind. We requested that C– not be made aware of his SEN diagnoses or learning level and Grace carefully and discreetly worked around this. When they began working together C– was completely disengaged and disheartened. With time and effort he relaxed and it was great to see him begin to enjoy lessons and be himself. Grace’s patience and kindness helped him to regain confidence and “come back” from a really difficult time in his life. With her support and teachings he made great academic improvement, moving up several year groups, and he has now rejoined mainstream school at his age level with some SEN support.”

Parent of Year 9 SEN English Language and Literature student

“It is a pleasure to write this recommendation for Grace. Grace tutored my daughter in Fine Art during her Art GCSE achieving an excellent mark at the end of it. Grace did an outstanding job in guiding my daughter across all her art course work and keeping her engaged and motivated. Grace’s gentle and knowledgeable approach, making suggestions and allowing for my daughter’s own creativity to come through and develop, was impressive. We look forward to carrying on working with her over A Level Art course.”

Parent of GCSE Fine Art student

“Grace worked with my daughter for her final year of A levels, helping her with English Literature. My daughter struggles with concentration and organisation but Grace really helped her slow down and stay focused. She ended up achieving a high grade in her coursework and is predicted an A overall which we were both delighted by! We hope to work with Grace again for our son’s GCSE English Literature next year.”

Parent of A Level English Literature Student

“Grace has been a really great teacher for me and managed to get me through my entire A level course in just a year. She helped me with anxiety and doubt which I struggled with a lot over the year, especially with my coursework. With her help I managed to get through it and am really pleased with my final coursework essay. She also gave me really helpful feedback and pushed me when I needed it. I would really recommend her as a teacher.”

A Level History (Adult student)