Kate

Academic History

MA in Leadership in Education, Institute of Education at UCL, London: Pass

PGCE and QTS, Teach First and Canterbury Christ Church University: Good

B.A. Philosophy and English Literature, Trinity College, Dublin: 2:1 and Exhibition Scholarship

A-Levels: 3 As (English, History, Religious Studies), 1 B (French)

GCSEs: 4 A*s (English Language, French, Italian, Geography), 5 As (English Literature, Drama, Maths, Religious Studies, History), 1 B (Biology)

About Me

Having worked as a classroom teacher, curriculum leader, and now as a private and residential tutor, I love how one-to-one tuition makes it possible to shape learning around a student as an individual. I enjoy understanding how a student thinks, what motivates them, and where their interests and strengths lie, so I can tailor the curriculum and lead with their curiosity, whatever the subject.

I build collaborative relationships with students and families. Together we set goals, review progress, and celebrate success. I explain subjects in ways that feel engaging and closely aligned to a child’s understanding, while being clear about what success looks like – helping students experience progress, enjoy learning, and feel motivated.

My approach combines evidence-informed practice with emotional intelligence. I care about supporting children to develop important life skills – such as resilience, organisation, time management, and communication – alongside their academic learning, so they are better equipped to learn independently and with confidence.

My work is informed by research in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. As Deputy Head of English, I led initiatives to implement findings from cognitive science across my school, embedding evidence-based strategies for memory and retention into teaching practice. My Cambridge MPhil research focused on family-educator collaboration to support children’s holistic development, and this shapes how I work with students and their families.

I have extensive training in Nonviolent Communication, which I embed into all my teaching to help students articulate themselves confidently, build respectful relationships, and navigate challenges with resilience and emotional regulation.

Ultimately, my aim is to support students to thrive academically while carrying a genuine love of learning with them into later life.

I specialise in:

• Residential and homeschooling placements within family settings
• Building sustainable study habits and independent learning skills
• Supporting students with diverse learning needs (ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism)
• Making learning interest-led, creative, and purposeful
• Preparing students for school exams, public exams and UK entrance assessments
• Creating calm, structured environments that support academic progress and emotional wellbeing

Recent tuition

Residential Homeschooling Role, Spain – Year 5 and Year 3

I am currently working in a residential-style homeschooling role in Spain, supporting a Year 5 student with ASD, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia, alongside his Year 3 sister with ASD/PDA traits and significant school-based anxiety.

The role combines Key Stage 2 curriculum teaching, project-based learning, executive-function coaching, social coaching, an OT programme, emotional regulation support and close communication with parents, school staff and external specialists, including OT, SALT, therapist, class teachers and the school SENCO.

I design tailored lessons across English, maths, science, geography, history and PSHE, using structured routines, visual supports, movement breaks, sensory circuits, co-regulation strategies and gradually extended learning chunks to build attention, independence and confidence. Recent projects have included local river fieldwork, pollution and wildlife documentary work, plant biology through growing experiments, and David Attenborough-inspired biography and nature writing.

Since beginning tuition, the Year 5 student has made strong academic and personal progress: he has moved up a set for reading and spelling, achieved a school award, developed greater pride in his work and become ready to attend school for an additional day each week after a period of significant difficulty with school.

With his younger sister, I use a low-demand, autonomy-supportive approach to reduce anxiety and gently reintroduce learning through co-designed visual timetables, sensory strategies, and interest-led learning activities. This has supported her transition from school avoidance into a more stable homeschooling arrangement, focused on rebuilding confidence, regulation and engagement with learning.

The role requires flexibility, discretion and professionalism within a private family setting, as well as the ability to align home learning with school expectations and specialist guidance.

 Selective School Readiness – Maths, Year 7

I provided intensive summer maths tuition for a Year 7 student whose family were considering University College School Hampstead and wanted him brought up to the level required for selective school assessment. Maths was his area of greatest difficulty, and his family were concerned about possible underlying learning needs.

As the family could not access UCS entrance papers, I took the initiative to contact the Head of Maths at UCS, who shared the school’s Key Stage 3 curriculum. This allowed me to design tuition that was informed by the content, sequencing and level of challenge expected at the school.

Initial assessment showed that the student had significant gaps in Key Stage Two maths, so I advised the family that we needed to secure foundational understanding before accelerating into more advanced entrance-style material. I then designed a targeted programme covering fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, algebra, sequences, graphs, area, perimeter, volume and transformations, alongside pacing, accuracy and confidence under timed conditions.

I combined explicit instruction, guided practice and regular retrieval. Drawing on the student’s enjoyment of writing, I introduced a personalised maths “recipe book”, in which he wrote step-by-step methods as if teaching others. This helped him consolidate procedures, explain his reasoning and approach maths with greater independence.

By the end of the programme, he had developed stronger conceptual understanding, improved confidence and a more positive approach to maths. His mother reported that the tuition was extremely effective in identifying and closing knowledge gaps and helping him move towards the demands of a selective Key Stage Three curriculum.

 GCSE English Language and English Literature – Long-term Tuition

I tutored a student over a seven-year period, from Year 7 through to Year 13, initially supporting her with English Language and Literature and later with Health and Social Care BTEC Level 3.

When tuition began at the end of primary school, she was in the bottom 10% nationally and predicted a Grade 2 in English. I focused on rebuilding confidence and securing Key Stage Two foundations in reading comprehension, sentence structure, vocabulary and written expression.

I used evidence-informed vocabulary programmes, including Mrs Wordsmith, alongside carefully selected texts linked to her interests, including animals and psychology. I also used creative and practical approaches – such as acting out scenes using the student’s home and reading texts connected to real-world goals such as dog training – to build engagement and help her develop a more positive relationship with language.

By the end of Year 7, she won her school’s prize for most progress in English. Across Key Stage Three and GCSE, she made four grades of progress, achieving Grade 6 in both English Language and English Literature. She entered the sixth form of her choice and was accepted onto her preferred post-16 courses.

In sixth form, I went on to tutor her in Health and Social Care BTEC Level 3, focusing on assessment criteria, exam technique, independent study, coursework planning and mark-scheme interpretation. She progressed from pass-level work to an overall distinction in Health and Social Care, and is now studying a BSc in Counselling at her chosen university.

GCSE Residential Tuition – Generalist Support

I tutored a dyslexic GCSE student across mathematics, combined science (biology, chemistry, physics), English Language, English Literature, geography, and religious studies during an intensive three-month residential placement. I collaborated closely with her parents, school teachers, learning support staff, and the tutoring agency to design a bespoke programme tailored to her learning profile.

I identified and rebuilt significant knowledge gaps extending to Key Stage Two content, using movement-based learning, creative approaches (role-play, physical theatre, song-writing for recall), and structured routines to support concentration. Within three months, she progressed from Grade 2s to passing grades across five subjects. Her school teachers reported marked improvement in engagement and written work; her parents noted significantly increased confidence and determination that continued throughout her A-Levels. She is now studying her chosen subject at university.

GCSE Residential Tuition – Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English Language and English Literature

I tutored a GCSE student across maths, physics, chemistry, English Language and English Literature. She was verbally confident and strong in English, but lacked confidence in maths and science and had gaps in foundational understanding.

I designed a creative, cross-curricular programme that built on her strengths and interests. I used storytelling as a memory strategy and grounded science learning in real-world examples. For instance, I introduced physics concepts through nature-based examples, such as bees’ ability to detect ultraviolet light, drawing on her interest in conservation. I also used hands-on resources, including slinkies to demonstrate wave motion.

In maths, I carefully sequenced learning to rebuild core understanding, helping her recognise overarching patterns, such as how fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios are different ways of describing parts of a whole. Where needed, I revisited Key Stage Two content to strengthen foundations before moving back into GCSE-level work.

Within two months, she made two grades of progress in maths and achieved her highest score to date in a winter mock exam. She also reported increased confidence and understanding across both maths and science at school.

GCSE Maths, Chemistry and Biology – ADHD and Engagement

I provided intensive summer tuition in maths and science for a Year 10 student with ADHD who experienced significant hyperactivity and inattentiveness, particularly in classroom settings. The main aims were to make learning enjoyable, increase engagement, build confidence and support progress in subjects she had previously found difficult to access.

I designed lessons around short, structured bursts, alternating explanation, activity and retrieval to maintain attention and reduce cognitive load. I regularly used games, drama, role-play and physical movement to reinforce learning. For example, we revised biology topics such as cell biology and microscopy through charades and role-play.

To further support regulation and focus, I frequently taught outdoors, including in Hyde Park, using a standing whiteboard and movement-based activities. I also encouraged the student to “teach back” concepts, strengthening understanding, recall and confidence.

Over the course of the tuition, she made rapid progress in maths topics including algebra, order of operations, prime factors, ratios and proportion. She reported enjoying the lessons, and her parents observed improved motivation, confidence and engagement in both maths and science.

A-Level English, Humanities and University Preparation

I have also supported high-achieving sixth-form students in A-Level English Literature and Religious Studies. In English Literature, I tutored two AQA students over nine-month periods, helping them move from B/C-level work to A* outcomes through detailed essay feedback, guided redrafting, model-answer analysis, unseen poetry and prose practice, and tailored revision planning.

In Religious Studies, I supported an OCR student who was achieving B/C grades to improve by two grades, using Socratic questioning, structured essay planning and detailed feedback to develop deeper subject knowledge, concise expression and coherent argument.

As a sixth-form tutor for six years, I also guided students through university applications, including Oxbridge applications, the Oxford ELAT, personal statements and interview preparation. My focus was on helping students develop compelling academic narratives, refine their writing and prepare for interviews with confidence and clarity.

 Professional Experience

I have 13 years’ combined teaching and tutoring experience. I was Deputy Head of English and Key Stage Three Curriculum Lead at Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School (2020-2022), ranked 10th nationally for Progress 8. I have been an AQA GCSE Examiner for English Literature, giving me detailed knowledge of assessment standards and student progression.

My teaching was consistently recognised as ‘Outstanding’. When I was a teacher, I taught students at my school with special educational needs for extended periods, and developed bespoke curriculum materials focused on building confidence, foundational skills, and positive relationships with learning.

Hobbies & Interests

I am a published poet, writer and performer. My poetry has been published in Elemental: Water, an ecopoetry anthology by Worple Press, and I was Poet-in-Residence for the Visions: Alchemy conference at Broughton Sanctuary in 2025.

I have co-directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Dublin Shakespeare Festival, performed at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, appeared in the audio play The Hour of Fortune at the National Gallery of Ireland, and sung in several choirs, including The Homerton Singers at the University of Cambridge and Fire Choir.

Alongside my creative interests, I have completed 88 hours of training in Nonviolent Communication and developed mindfulness, communication and social-emotional learning curricula and training workshops for schools, including Francis Holland School. I also created a mindfulness and emotional intelligence curriculum for the Our Aim Foundation, now available to high schools across the United States.

Testimonials

“Over ten people have told me how healthy our son looks, how much stronger he looks, since you started working together. The academic progress is fantastic. That’s down to you.” Parent of Year 5 student with ASD and ADHD (Spain)

“We are so grateful you are here helping us and appreciate all your expertise.” Parent of Year 5 and Year 3 students with ASD and ADHD (Spain)

“Kate tutored my daughter for over 2 years to provide her with support on her GCSE journey. Kate was an outstanding tutor with a detailed and intimate knowledge of the curriculum. She was able to provide her invaluable experience of having taught in a state school setting to all abilities and this was crucial in supporting our daughter. I have no hesitation in recommending Kate for tutoring of any student regardless of ability. Kate’s experience of teaching on the front-line to all abilities, her depth of experience in marking exams, her outstanding knowledge of all the curriculum and her calm and unassuming nature make her a first-class tutor.”
Parent of one Key Stage 3 student and two GCSE students

“Kate has been the most major of assets to my learning, and the grades I have received have wholly been down to her engaging, inspiring and all-round fantastic sessions. She single-handedly prompted me to continue studying English Literature for A Level, and for that I’m truly grateful. I can only hope to get an English teacher as wonderful as her next year, though I doubt anyone will even come close.”
GCSE student

“Thank you so much – you were absolutely amazing and she passed because of your incredible help and hard work, kindness and patience.”
Parent of GCSE Residential Tuition Student

“Thank you so much for everything. I’m so happy you helped me so much, and I don’t think I could have done it without you.”
GCSE Residential Tuition Student

“Dear Kate, words seem inadequate to express my gratitude for all the encouragement, support and kindness you have shown E over these past few months. E and I both know that she could never have come this far without you.”
Parent of Oxford University Applicant (Interview Preparation and ELAT)

“I have loved having Kate as a tutor and getting to know her as a person. I am so grateful for her support over these last seven years. She has been an immense support system for me and given me coping strategies for stress. She has a very therapeutic approach, and is the only person that explains a mark scheme in a way I understand.”

Key Stage 3 and GCSE Student (7-year tutoring relationship)