Pearl Tutor

I am a professionally qualified teacher living in north Essex with over 20 years’ experience in school and home education environments. I graduated from University College London in 1995 with a BSc in Biology and completed my Science PGCE in 1996. I have taught dozens of students for 11+, GCSE and A Level exams both one-to-one and in small tutor groups, and have achieved success with a wide range of talents.

All four of my children were home educated to age 11 and two to aged 16. All four gained entry to our local grammar school and three have now graduated from Russell Group universities in the UK, and my youngest will be embarking on her Medical degree. My experience with them has taught me what is required of both teacher and pupil and nowadays, newcomers to the world of home education regularly ask me to help them get started with resources and advice.

My focus is on trying to make learning as much fun as possible. I don’t burn out my pupils, and I don’t just choose bright candidates in order to protect my track record. However, I do insist on a positive attitude from everyone I teach and will sincerely advise parents if I feel that my services are not appropriate for their children.

I aim to help children fulfil their potential whether that is amazing grades, or having the child do the best they can do. I have a good track record of pupils with A*s, and 9s, but my proudest moment was when a student got a 5 in her biology exam. This was because she has autism and learning difficulties which makes retaining knowledge hard for her. She was happy she achieved what she needed to progress to the next stage in her educational career, and I saw her blossom during those lessons, from a child who was sure she was not good enough and going to fail, to someone who knew she could accomplish her goals with a little effort.

Younger students can rely on my wide experience with the 11+ examination. I have many learning resources and past papers available to help them through the exam preparation process. One-to-one tuition is the best way to proceed as I can assess the child’s needs and cater to them individually. An hour a week is the minimum amount of tutored time (I recommend to start in year 4) alongside regular weekly homework. If you live locally to me but don’t want the expense of one-to-one lessons, then I run occasional group sessions, and if you’re too far for that then I can host private sessions over the internet.

For mathematics, students should know their times tables extremely well before embarking upon 11+ preparations. The exam will test the entire KS2 curriculum, despite being taken at the start of year 6. It is important that a student is able to cope with the extra work load and confident in their ability in mathematics. The CSSE English exam paper uses difficult texts from authors such as Dickens, Greene, Hardy and Munro. It is therefore imperative that your child has an excellent command of vocabulary. This is enhanced by reading widely, especially the classics. Part of the English exam now involves a creative/descriptive and instructional writing section. This requires perfection in punctuation, as well as the use of good vocabulary and writing techniques.

At GCSE level I teach Biology, Chemistry and Physics in group sessions and one-to-one. I have a wide knowledge of the major examination board specifications and their various nuances.

In Biology IGCSE, more than 50% of my students have gained grades A or A* or 9s, and none have achieved less than a C or 5 grade. In Physics and Chemistry, none have achieved less than a C or a 6 grade. If a student has the motivation to do well and is therefore prepared to work, I can help them achieve their potential.

I teach both the Edexcel and CIE exams for home educators. I tutor school children for all GCSE boards.

I teach Biology A Level from the AQA, Edexcel and OCR exam boards. These are in one-to-one sessions only, in person or on-line. I use various exam board endorsed texts and the respected reference book Advanced Biology for You. I can assist on an occasional basis for difficult topics or under a planned course over several months with home schooled students or those seeking extra support outside of their school environment.