Pontefract Tutors & Pontefract Tuition

Personal Description:
I am a fully-qualified professional teacher with more than 30 years of teaching and tutoring experience, both in the UK and abroad. I regard myself as a friendly and approachable tutor, as well as honest and conscientious, and I pride myself on being able to communicate with students of all ages, from pre-teen to pensioner.

I am the father of two boys, and we live in the Sutton area. My wife and I successfully tutored our sons for Sutton's grammar schools (WCGS), and they have since both graduated from top Russell Group universities. My hobbies are limited to reading these days, and I am particularly fond of English Literature. Dickens and Hardy are two of my favourites, but I am also keen on modern and less serious writers, such as Tom Sharpe and the two Rankins - Robert and Ian.

Teaching Experience:
After obtaining my first degree in Spanish with Politics and Economics, I started teaching abroad; first in Spain, then in Turkey, and later in Central Asia and the Middle East. Since retraining as a teacher of English, I have taught for more than 15 years in the UK and almost 15 years abroad, where I was Head of Department at an Institute of Higher Education for three years.

Most recently I have taught English at an independent school in Sutton, and previous to that I taught Academic Writing for East Anglia University for several years. Nowadays my tutoring is split between English for the 11+ and Common Entrance (13+) exams, English for KS2 and KS3 SATs, and English, Spanish, Economics and Politics & Government for the GCSE and A-level exams (all boards).

11+ and 13+ (Common Entrance)
I am very happy to report that all but one of my twelve Eleven Plus tutees passed the SET (Selective Eligibility Test) for Sutton's grammar schools last September. Of these, 100% of them passed the second stage exam and obtained their first choice of grammar or independent school. I use a selection of published materials and those of my own creation, and insist on a high standard of weekly homework in reading, writing and language knowledge. For 11+ pupils I start tutoring in Year 4 or 5, whereas 13+ pupils begin in Year 7 or 8.

KS2 and KS3 SATs
I usually start tutoring for the KS2 SATS in Year 5, and in Year 8 for the KS3 SATs. I tend to use a mixture of focused texts and past papers.

GCSE and A-level
I am equally happy to report that all of my most recent GCSE and A-level students have passed well, with top grades from B to A* (A-level) and 6-9 (GCSE). The majority of those have gone on to their first choice of further and higher education institutes, and in most cases this has been achieved by my insisting on regular homework done to a high standard. For GCSE pupils I prefer to start tutoring at some time in Year 10, whereas A-level students typically begin around Year 12.

I also provide individual tutoring in ESSAY WRITING and STUDY SKILLS, as my experience has taught me that many students at GCSE, A-level and undergraduate level face real problems in these areas. By working together on your essays, substantial improvements can be made in style, organisation, argument, presentation, and much more. This way, I can teach you how produce more effective and mature essays, and thus help you to obtain better grades and increase your confidence in producing written work.

Tutoring Approach:
With every tutee I carry out an initial assessment of his/her needs and abilities, and my teaching begins from there. Typically I work on improving their weaknesses and consolidating their strengths, and this essentially involves them producing high-quality homework on a regular basis. I use both established published materials and those that I have created myself over the years. This approach appears to be successful, and I can provide references.

Over the past twelve years I have successfully tutored students for the following schools and universities:

Schools: Sutton Grammar, Wilsons, Wallington County, Wallington High, Nonsuch, Whitgift, Trinity, Wimbledon High, Kings School, City of London, Reigate Grammar, Caterham School, St John's, Westminster, Epsom College, Ewell Castle, and many others.

Universities: Manchester, Warwick, City, East Anglia, St Martins, Lincoln, Kings, LSE, UCL, Nottingham, Reading, Birmingham, Bournemouth, and several others.

Please note that my fees are very affordable, bearing in mind that I travel to your house and offer a personalised tutoring programme.

I currently charge between £45 and £50 per hour, depending on subject and level.

NB: Any tutoring that involves more than 6 miles travel (round trip) usually incurs a small extra charge.

If you are looking for a fully-qualified, highly-experienced and versatile tutor, you need look no further. Here are a few messages from some of my most recent successful tutees:

Hello Jeff, I just got my IELTS results and I FINALLY passed it! Listening 8, Reading 7.5, Writing 7, Speaking 7.5 and it's 7.5 overall. I would like to THANK you sooooo MUCH for your help and all advice you have given me! It would not be possible otherwise. (Vanja)

Sam got into Wilsons and we are pretty sure that his English performance carried him through. Sam said we ought to say 'thanks' to you as you made a massive difference to his standard of English in a very short period of time. Not sure how, but you made something click in his brain where his school teachers had failed! (Cathy)

Hi Jeff, hope you are well. I am extremely delighted to tell you that Rick has a place at Westminster, and we are going ahead with that. He has also had offers from HABS, KCS and RGS Guildford. Thank you so much for all your support. (Animesh)

Hi Jeff, just to let you know that Dillon got a place at Sutton Grammar on Monday. He also received places at Whitgift, Trinity and Epsom. We have decided to accept Sutton Grammar, and thank you for all your help and time.
Thanks - Paulomi and Dillon.

Dear Jeff! Thanks you so much for tutoring me last year. You have helped my English greatly and without your advice and guidance I would have had a nervous breakdown when I was given the task of an essay. You taught me about causal connectives, signpost words, paragraph structure and much more vital strategies of writing an amazing essay.
Finally, I am happy that I got a place at Wilsons and know I would have failed the English language test without what you taught me. I am very grateful that you gave up your time to help me pass.
Yours Sincerely, Makar

Hi Jeff, I hope you're well. I just wanted to let you know that Andriy got offered a place at Whitgift and we have accepted it. Thank you very much for helping and recommending this great school to us. Andriy is really excited about it and cannot wait to start.
(Oksana)

Dear Jeff, sorry for the delayed reply as we are in India. Rishi has done well, has received English Language 9 and English Literature 7, and scored 8 in six other subjects. He could achieve good results only because of your support. Thanking you.
(Chandra)

Hi Jeff, I am pleased to inform you that Mahati cleared the 2nd round. Her cut-off score is 354. We hope she gets into either of the two schools. Thanks a lot for your support throughout.
(Sassi)

Hi Jeff, Tamana's results have come in for the Sutton Stage 2 test. She has passed with a relatively good score of 315, and based on last year's stats, she should get in comfortably to Nonsuch or Wallington. Thanks for all your lessons that significantly helped her in the preparations.
(Vedant)

Hi Jeff, hope you're doing good. We have got the exam outcome, and Samrudha is able to apply for Nonsuch. Her score is 309, and the highest total score is 389. Secondly she has cleared Tiffin's Stage 1 test and has been invited for Stage 2 on November 11, and we would like to take your help whenever possible.
(Kirthi)

Hi Jeff, I just wanted to let you know that Ed passed the entrance exams for all three schools. Thank you so much for all your support! (Emma)

Hello Jeff, I hope you are well. Vivaan passed the exams for Wilson's, Wallington and Sutton. He also got through Tiffins Stage 1. Thanks very much for your help and support! His English improved massively under your guidance.
Kind regards
Jyothi

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Personal Description:
I am a Classicist with degrees from Cambridge (BA) and Durham (MA, PhD) universities and have been tutoring for over 10 years. My current work focuses heavily on Latin literature, as I am preparing to publish a commentary on Martial's twelfth book of epigrams, although I am equally able to offer assistance to students of classical Greek literature.

I am passionate about Classics and communicate this enthusiasm with my students, whilst helping them to achieve their goals - whether that be passing examinations or securing a place at the school or university of their choice. I hold an excellent track record for successful admissions and exam results.

Teaching Experience:
I have extensive experience in tutoring Latin and Greek at all levels: ranging from complete beginners to advanced university level students. I am very familiar with assisting students prepare effectively for GCSE and A-level examinations in Latin, Greek, and Classical Civilisation. I develop a set of papers targeted at the exam texts every year.

I also have a wide-ranging experience in providing tuition for the entrance and scholarship examinations for many major English Public schools. I have previously worked as a Head of Classics at a local public school and have a track record of students securing scholarships at leading schools, such as Eton, Westminster, etc.

For tertiary education, I have helped students prepare for their undergraduate examinations or university entry exams (both BA and MPhil). I have already had several students achieve their goals of getting to Oxbridge colleges. Beyond Classics, I have prior experience helping students with medical Latin, Mediaeval Latin and Koine Greek religious texts.

As well as helping students on specific courses, I have also had the pleasure of teaching Latin and Greek for individuals pursuing these subjects as a private interest.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach to tuition will of course largely be dependent upon the needs and ability of the respective tutee. For GCSE or A-level students, however, I believe that it would always be best to begin each lesson with a quick test on a point of grammar and vocabulary, and a literary stylistic feature (e.g. identifying a chiasmus etc.), since these formal aspects essentially underlie the series of unseen exams from GCSE - A-level. After this test, each lesson should focus on a text, ideally alternating each lesson with a text that is prescribed as one of the set texts for the respective exams with an unseen passage. This approach tends to produce the best results since the unseen passages give a true indication of the student's strengths and weaknesses and help the tutor to understand more easily what aspects need to be prioritised.

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Personal Description:
I am patient, calm and relaxed to enable the student to feel comfortable to engage in their learning quickly.

Lessons are dynamic and interactive with a multimodal approach to learning using electronic and interactive materials.
Student say that they enjoy the lessons as they are dynamic and active, packed with great content. Parents appreciate the open communications and updates about their child's progress. They agree their focus improves as they start to take control of their studying, planning their time as well as developing their own independent approach to their learning.
Each Student improves and achieves when they apply themselves to the process of step by step learning.

Teaching Experience:
Solid 25 years experience of teaching English language and Literature to all levels since qualification from Cambridge University in 2007.
Over 12 years tutoring 11+ entrance exams and the AQA, EdExcel and Oxford GCSE, Cambridge IGCSE and A level
English Literature and Language. Essay writing and Academic skills for all exams and extra support with nuero divergent methodologies in understanding process and creative writing, reading comprehension, and verbal reading study skills.

Addiditionally, I am a fully qualified English language teacher with over 20 years experience of training for the academic English at university, the entrance IELTS examination in all four skills, listening, reading writing and speaking. I also lecture and teach Academic English at university.

I also have a post graduate diploma in people and employment law management, adult learning, psychology and development. I have trainer skills delivery experience of over 25 years as well as teaching junior staff in writing skills and effective communications. I have professional Membership of the chartered institute of personnel and development.

I am currently researching creativity and movement in neurology and the positive effects on learning.

I volunteer as a English tutor for disadavantaged children, support creative arts and movement sessions with learning and physically disabled people in theatre and dance.
I have a protective behaviours certificate, safeguarding and A wide experience of working across diverse groups.
I am a qualified facilitator in conflict resolution for international ONGs.
I speak Portuguese and Spanish having lived in both Brazil and Colombia for several years working with the communities through the arts And English in esucation to initiate social change.

Tutoring Approach:
My students success is due to the interactive process I deliver with them.

Depending on need and level the lessons are always personalized with materials to suit the individual as it is student centred.
We plan homework together with taksks broken down into manageable chunks whether that be crafting fun stories with year 5-6's to develop narrative and creative writing techniques to formal essays for exams.

I offer bespoke support in English for academic synthesis and analysis depending on level and need. A little or more practice daily.

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Personal Description:
I have been tutoring GCSE English for many years in a college. I keep up to date with current changes in the syllabus and regularly attend training with my organisation. My last observation resulted in an outstanding grade. I am used to working with groups of students and giving 1 to 1 tuition. I believe that constructive feedback is the key to progress and would expect my student to complete homework so that I can monitor understanding.
I have a vast range of resources and also use IT.

Teaching Experience:
As well as tutoring I am an assistant principal examiner for one of the large examination boards. This gives me invaluable insight into how the exam is marked and I have many past papers to use as a resource. I also examine for other exam boards so I am aware of the different mark schemes.
I currently teach GCSE English language papers 1 and 2 and English Literature.

I am pleased to confirm that the students I have tutored achieved the higher grades that they needed!

Tutoring Approach:
My focus is on the learner.

I will identify areas of weakness and focus on these aiming to raise the level of responses. I think learning should be interactive and will encourage self assessment to improve work. I have lots of examples of past questions for practise. I would expect my student to attend sessions regularly and on time and stick to deadlines for completing homework.

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Personal Description:
I offer drawing and painting Art lessons for children 10+ and adults (no age limit )
Preparation for entrance examinations for the Fine Art universities in Cyprus _ Greece _ and abroad.
Portfolio preparation for College _ Universities in Cyprus and abroad.
I teach all kind of drawing and painting techniques: academic drawing, oil/acrylic/tempera and water color, for beginner to advance level.
Student Rate for online Art lesson 30€£/h
Please send me a message for more information

Teaching Experience:
I have more than 12 years of Art teaching experience in Private and Public Schools.
As mentioned above for more than 12 years I have been participating in various sectors and positions as an Art teacher.
My experience in public and private workshops and schools, includes among others Foundation courses for the National School of Fine Arts and taking over a variety of State Art educational programs targeting the children and the elderly.
Furthermore one of my projects as an Art teacher that I take pride in is the one I prepared, in collaboration with 350 students,and I presented on behalf of Greece in the framework of the 3rd Comenius meeting in 2013, and of the ERASMUS educational programmer in 2019.

Tutoring Approach:
One of my greatest strengths as an Art Educator is meeting each student's unique needs by developing their inter-personal apprehension for the art and explore more their visual and sensory capabilities while expressing themselves. By treating students as individuals I maintain a class environment where all students are given the opportunity to learn the basic art practices and develop critical skills such as composition, colouring, texturing, symmetry and reality replication. My goal is to increase student's confidence to develop their judging skills, their innate creativity, personal awareness, and appreciations for the arts in a variety of forms such as 2D ,Academic Drawing and 3D, by using either traditional, or digital art mediums.

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Personal Description:
Hello my name is Dorian and I am applying for uk-tutor to be a pesonnal tutor. I teach mathematics(up to gcse Level), physics(up to gcse level) and french(up to A-Level).My method of teaching is based on the exercise. Indeed I ask the pupil to show me the lesson that he did with his teacher at school and then I put hi; in front of an exercise and after he has finished I correct him and tell him the mistake he needs to avoid in s tests day.

Teaching Experience:
I used to teach in a youth center when I was in France

Tutoring Approach:
Tutoring is a good experience with people. This job allow to have an acknowledge in speaking to others. It allows us to share experience about our educations with pupils and ect..

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Personal Description:
Hi, my name is Imi, and I am newly qualified Dentist from the University of Bristol. I am looking to tutor in Chemistry and Biology up to A-level and below, having taken Chemistry, Biology and Economics at A-level myself and achieved 3 A*'s. In addition to this, I also completed my Extended Project Qualification based on dentistry, drawing on my scientific background, in which I achieved an A*. At GCSE level, I achieved all 9's and took all 3 sciences, Maths, English, German, Geography, Religious Studies and Latin.

Teaching Experience:
At secondary school, I was a Peer Mentor for 2 GCSE students in Biology and Chemistry. We met weekly in the build up to their exams and went over topics they struggled with and I brought some of my own materials along to test their knowledge after we had discussed their mistakes. I learnt a great deal about different teaching styles from both students and how to be adaptable when the topic of discussion changed quickly. Additionally, for 2 years every week, I volunteered to teach disabled children how to swim at my local pool. This was a wonderful experience and developed my communication skills immensely as I had to cater to a wide range of disabilities. Therefore, I believe I am very patient and flexible with my approach to teaching.
I have been tutoring now for over 3 years and have had wonderful feedback from my tutees.

Tutoring Approach:
I feel passionately about making all of my tutoring sessions interactive, enjoyable and targeted to the individual student. I endeavour to make all of my tutees feel relaxed with me from the start, so that there's a comfortable environment, where they know that all their questions are valid and can be asked without judgement. I believe it is important to frequently recap content in order to identify areas of weakness in my tutee's knowledge and I plan to do this with recap quizzes/discussions at the beginning of each session. Personally, I also greatly benefitted from making up mnemonics and sketching diagrams when covering challenging content and so I would aim to do this with my tutee too. However, I would see what mix of methods work best for each student.

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Personal Description:
I was born in Glasgow, and attended The Glasgow Academy. I have travelled to over 50 countries, and explored new cultures and languages. I have a degree in Chemical engineering, holding a PGCE in secondary Maths. I played cricket for 2 years with Scotland.

Teaching Experience:
I explore critical thinking with my students, and encourage them to be logical and systematic in their approach to answering questions. I am also an experienced GCSE external examiner. I have worked in Africa and the Gulf countries for 10 years, teaching the equivalent to GCSE mathematics.

Tutoring Approach:
I like students to take the lead and set their own targets. My job would be to guide and modify any planning laid out. Furthermore, I will integrate English into solving higher level context based questions pertaining to real life situations. Master the basic skills with practice and slowly develop the art of solving problems. This will allow students to use the same method to all subjects.

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Personal Description:
Hi, I'm Pedro. I was born in Portugal but have lived in England since I was 9. I'm currently studying BSc in Psychology at Bournemouth University and I really enjoy my degree. I am particularly interested in clinical psychology and as a result since April 2022 I've been volunteering at 'Hammersley Homes', a charity which focuses on helping adults with mental illness. A few hours a week I visit someone who finds himself adjusting back into society, he has autism and bipolar. We speak, go on walks, cycle or listen to music together. I have learnt a lot about how difficult certain people find life. This experience has really helped me to be more empathetic, caring and positive.
I also really enjoy surfing, jogging and cooking.

Teaching Experience:
I took up a role as 'PAL' leader at my university where I was given a classroom of 20 first year psychology students. Although the role involved me 'facilitating' instead of 'teaching'. I spoke to my 'students' every week on what content they were struggling with, since I had done the same content the year prior, I compiled and summarised content which I had been taught and created power point slides to give them direction and a better understanding on the content. I also emphasised taking care of mental health and getting involved with the community.

I was nervous at first, worried about speaking too fast or having awkward silences but after a few sessions I found myself loving it. I received really good feedback from students and supervisor who suggested I should be a teacher because I made the sessions really engaging.

Tutoring Approach:
I see tutoring as an amazing opportunity to help motivate students and help them engage in their learning, so that they gain confidence, a better understanding, and better results. I understand every student is different so finding the best way the student engages with the work, is vital so that they enjoy the process of learning and succeeding. I like spreading positivity and joy, since I believe it's the best learning environment.

I know a lot of hard work goes into studying each exam board to make sure I'm giving accurate support and working hard to find questions which fit the skill of student.

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Personal Description:
Hello! I am passionate in teaching, and helping people improve whilst feeling more confident in their studies. Having recently completed my higher exams I hope to help people get through the challenging material with the freshest strategies and tips possible. I'd like to label myself as patient, chillaxed, reliable and friendly. Equally, I love to learn and challenge myself, something I hope I can project to whoever I'm teaching.

First lesson will be 50% off, of course, so you can see whether I am the right tutor for you.

Teaching Experience:
I have tutored twice before, once in nat 5 maths bringing their prelim score of C to an A, and also in higher maths taking them from a fail in the prelim to a B.
I also help do paired reading with the younger students in my school as well as being the Maths Ambassador where I'm helping hold study supports for higher and national 5s as well as aiding students in classes.

Tutoring Approach:
Although I have strategies and methods to many different question types in either maths or chemistry, everybody has a specific way they like learning so I aim to be adaptable and inquisivitive to see how I can tailor the lessons for whoever I'm helping so they can learn best. There's no benefits in being overbearing or strict or expecting the world from someone, rather I prefer to be encouraging, patient and understanding to how hard some sub-sections are of each subject and working at a comfortable pace for the tutee. I'll also of course be happy to make regular reports or tell the tutee's guardian of their progress!

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Personal Description:
I hold a master's degree in Arabic language from Saudi Arabia,

Teaching Experience:
I have an excellent command of grammar, and have 10 years of experience in editing and writing in Arabic.
I also have 4 years of experience teaching Arabic.

Tutoring Approach:
I teach face-to-face and online.
I use PowerPoint presentations, a variety of books on teaching the language to non-native speakers, and videos of dialogues in a variety of ways. Engage students in each lesson through practice, in-class exercises, and homework assignments.

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Personal Description:
I am an experienced Chemistry teacher working in London. I am Head of Faculty of a large science department and teach Chemistry to A level, and Biology and Physics to GCSE. I hold a first class honours degree in chemistry and completed my teacher training (chemistry) and my MA in Science Education with King's College London. In addition I am an examiner for one of the larger exam boards.

Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching and tutoring for over a decade now.

Tutoring Approach:
I have an innate feature of make learning energetic and bringing about enthusiasm within students so that they continue to harness their learning naturally, without my presence. One main aim of my tutoring position is to employ students with key skills needed to efficiently revise, especially independently. Thus during crucial tuition periods, more time is spent approaching exam content, such as examination questions and reports and picking upon more complex revision content. However, all content is still taught from basic to the most highest of levels, to ensure full understanding of all topics as a whole. My students excel beyond teaching content in class and expected grades. I am a very efficient, yet calm and tutor and have a large amount of teaching experience which I would like to emanate.

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