Having undertaken my Initial Teacher Training during the pandemic, I was awarded my Primary PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) in July 2021. Prior to this I had been a home educating mum to two boys, and a self-employed musician whilst studying for my BA(Hons) in History with the Open University, for which I received a first class Honours degree.
On achieving QTS I worked for a year in a lovely Island primary school, teaching Year 3 and learning a great deal from many talented and experienced colleagues.
However, there were many things about the education system as a whole that I found didn't fit around my ethos and my understanding of how children's natural curiosity and need for engagement and connection to the world around them is crucial to nurture and maintain their love of learning throughout their formative years and beyond.
It is my firm belief that children learn better in positive environments in which their interests, learning styles and strengths are made the focus of their experience. Effective learning is just this - an experience that empowers them, not a passive process concentrated on their areas of weakness, against a backdrop of arbitrary rules and intimidating institutional protocol.
Blessed, as I am, with a neurodiverse family, I understand that this is especially true for SEND and neurodivergent children, who sometimes sadly do not get the support that they need or deserve in mainstream school.
Knowing that the tailored support that should be provided for children with additional needs indeed works for all children, I incorporate everything I have learned about different learning styles and sensory needs in all areas of my teaching. Everybody is different. I tailor my teaching to the needs of your children and this is constantly reviewed and adjusted. *
*I must emphasise here that I do not subscribe to the Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) approach to correcting neurodivergent behaviours. If you are looking for a practitioner who applies these techniques, I am afraid I am not the right tutor for you.
These crucial childhood years shape their attitude to learning for the rest of their lives. It is my wish to keep that thirst for knowledge alive, keep them interested in the world around them and nurture a positive attitude of joy in learning. :)
I am fully DBS checked and tutoring will take place in the downstairs of my home, including my garden. In the event that another adult is home during your child's tutoring time (this will be either my partner or my mother), they will not be present, and they are both also fully DBS checked. DBS certificates can be seen on request.