Preston Village Tutors and Preston Village Tuition

Personal Description:
With nearly 15 years of online and in-person tutoring French Common Entrance/13+, Westminster Challenge, Winchester entrance, GCSE, IGCSE, A-level, Pre-U, and SAT, I`m a 50-year old graduate of the excellent University of Sussex languages course with a First Class Honours degree in French and Russian. I lived for four years in Paris where I mastered the language and the accent!

I have also acted in plays in French, taking on the role of Alphonse in a production of The School for Wives, and touring to schools abroad to perform in front of students learning French elsewhere in Europe.

I like to stay abreast of French culture and society, read Le Figaro everyday, and regularly watch French TV news and discussion shows.

Teaching Experience:
I have tutored students at all levels, from 13+ entrance exams, including the Westminster Challenge, to most UK exam boards at GCSE, IGCSE and A-level, and I have also helped prepare students for their SAT in French and the DELF exam. I've taught adults who are complete beginners, or have some vague memories of what they learned at school, as well as helping several students gain entry to Westminster School via their Challenge exam

Since the switch to mostly online teaching, I have become an expert in making the most of the resources available, particularly the collaborative tools provided by Google, among others, which are particularly good for working on exercises and explaining grammar in a clear, helpful way.

Successes from the last (2019-20) academic year included: an two As at A-level, and two 9s at IGCSE, as well as entrance to Winchester College via their own exam.

For A-level students, I have already taught Camus's L'Etranger, Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse, Joseph Joffo's Un Sac de Billes, and Zola's Thérèse Raquin, and am very familiar with all the other set texts. Au Revoir Les Enfants, Intouchables, Entre Les Murs (The Class) and La Haine are the films I am best acquainted with from a teaching point of view.

Here are some comments from a few previous students - originals available on request.

'We could not have asked for a better result - A*s! He got full marks for the reading paper. Thanks so much for all your help, and patience.' - Margaret (parent of home-schooled GCSE student)

'Henry won a scholarship to Westminster. Exactly what he was aiming for." (Leslie, student's mother)

`Thank you so much for all your patient hard work - you taught her exactly the right stuff and there is no way she could have done it without you! I really didn`t think it was possible to teach the whole year 7 curriculum in a week but somehow you managed it. Tiffin Girls is one of the top state schools in the country and rather competitive. Chatting to the other parents outside the exam, most of the competitors went to good independents or had been tutored over a long period of time. You really knew not only what to teach but how to teach it, which shows you have exceptional skills.` - Anoushka (pupil`s mother)

`Just thought I should let you know I got an A! Thanks for all your help` - Helena (A-level student)

'I ended up with an "A"... thanks for all your help, both my spoken papers improved, over my previous efforts.' - Philip, mature student sitting AS and A2 French

Tutoring Approach:
It is important to tailor lessons specifically to a student's needs, but my general method is to engage him or her at a level just above their 'comfort zone'. Learning is about challenging yourself to do better, and it is crucial for a tutor to be supportive and encouraging, and also to keep the bar high.

Lessons can be conducted entirely in French, or in a mixture of English and French. I can work alongside a student's existing course (that is, from a textbook a student is already following), or we can use course books that I recommend.

Where the level allows, I like to draw upon material from contemporary sources such as French news magazines.

For "conversation classes", I find it is useful to base the discussion on an article or a book to help build vocabulary, and also think that incorporating grammar instruction (where appropriate) can be a good idea.

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Personal Description:
Emme offers private flute and music theory tuition.

Emme began her musical studies at the age of nine, receiving music scholarships at both her Prep school and the prestigious Oxford High School for Girls up until she left. She made her Concerto debut at the age of seventeen, playing Mouquet's La Flute de Pan Concerto, and successfully gained both the DipABRSM and LRSM in performance before moving to Manchester in 2005 to study at the Royal Northern College of Music. At the RNCM Emmeline studied with Richard Davis, Linda Verrier, Michael Cox, and Laura Jellicoe culminating in a final recital in 2009 that included works by Messiaen, Liebermann and George Crumb. Since graduating in 2009 she has continued to learn, play and teach the flute as well as the recorder and music theory.

As an orchestral flute player, Emme has performed in orchestras conducted by Hansjorg Schellenbeger, Sir Mark Elder, Gianndrea Noseda and Jacques Van Steen, just to name a few. She has performed across England as well as travelling to Italy to work under Noseda in his Stresa Festival and to Spain as part of the Word Orchestra. During 2008 and 2009, Emme successfully competed to become the only chosen flute player to take part in The BBC Philharmonics Professional Experience Scheme, and since then she regularly performs and records with the Orchestra in and around Manchester. She has also played with the Bampton Classical Opera, the London-Irish Symphony Orchestra, the Oxford Concerto Orchestra, and Stockport Symphony Orchestra and has featured as principal flautist on a number of recordings, notably for the soundtrack to the film Tortoise in Love, and on recordings for Polyphonic Records. She is currently performing in the touring hit musical Phantom of the Opera, as well as taking part in sessions for shows and TV in the UK.

Outside of orchestral playing Emme also performs chamber music and solo works. She is one of the founding members of Northern Quarter Ensemble, a flexible chamber group providing bespoke musicians for special events; most recently performing for royality at the Paris Opera Garnier. She often gives solo recitals and performs at weddings in Manchester, Oxford and Cheltenham. Her last concerto performance was just last year where she performed the Ibert Concerto with Oxford Studio Orchestra.

Outside of playing Emme enjoys teaching. During her time in Manchester she has taught privately, as well as for Lancashire, the Wirral and Bolton Music Services. She is also involved the BBC Philharmonic's outreach schemes, most recently being appointed the wind coach for the Family Orchestra projects in the North-West of England.

She has now moved to Oxfordshire and London and teaches at Preparatory Schools in both areas.

Teaching Experience:
Emme has over 10 years teaching experience, teaching both privately and for Lancashire and Bolton Music Services. She currently teaches at Rendcomb College, St Hughs, Ferndale Prep and Bruern Abbey. Over this time she has acquired a 100% pass rate for pupils taking exams.

If you would be interested in learning with Emme, then please get in contact to enquire about lessons!

Tutoring Approach:
She is happy to teach those who want to learn purely for enjoyment but is also experienced in preparing students for ABRSM Graded exams. She teaches all abilities; from complete beginner to advanced players.

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Personal Description:
I first became interested in teaching through working as a private tutor with GCSE students, something I am doing since I finished my graduation, training to become a leader in the process. This made me realise I enjoyed working with the people in their learning process, and college experience confirmed tutoring/teaching as a career choice. My subsequent one year PGCE has served further to fire my enthusiasm and prepared me effectively to take responsibility for learners.

I have completed PGCE , a Masters and a BSc in Economics, level 5 Mathematics in Mechanics, numeracy level 1 & 2, Diploma in Computer Science & Application and I am a Certified Internet Webmaster Associate.

Teaching Experience:
I am teaching for last 5 years. In addition, I worked as a Teaching Assistant over two years.I have been privately tutoring primary and secondary maths, A level maths and Economics on one-to-one basis since 2003. My academic education and teaching practices have given me a good understanding of the curriculum and of what makes effective teaching.

Tutoring Approach:
I make a conscious effort to ensure I am not just catering for visual learners like myself, but try to see lessons through other learners' eyes. For example, to introduce pictograms to numeracy entry level class, I got the learners to create 'human pictograms' arranged by name length, pets, eye colour, etc. and then transferred that information as pictograms to the board. Kinaesthetic learners were thereby catered for in the physical movement and manipulation, visual learners in the pictograms created on the board and audio learners as we discussed and interpreted the graphs.

I have in particular come to understand the value of sharing learning objectives and success criteria with students. Knowing exactly what is expected and how they can achieve allow learners to focus more clearly on tasks.

I feel it is important to make learning interesting and creative, and one way to achieve this is using real life example; this allows learners to explore and understand situations and express feelings, thoughts and emotions. An example of how I have successfully used real life situation was with a GCSE class, working out the area of the classroom to decide the correct amount of carpet needed for the classroom. I gave the students measuring tape to measure the length and width of the classroom. They were incredibly enthusiastic and threw themselves into the task. They found this a fun, enjoyable and worthwhile learning experience, which enabled them to better understand the situation and empathise with those concerned.

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Personal Description:
I'm a full-time professional maths tutor with thousands of hours of experience of providing effective 1-1 maths tuition. I have a Cambridge maths degree, an abiding love for maths and a passion to help students enjoy and master maths for themselves!

I teach A-level mathematics and further mathematics, including IB and Cambridge Pre-U. I also teach mature students, and university students requiring maths to support other degree subjects. I have prepared students for exams from all the major exam boards, including Edexcel, AQA, OCR, OCR-MEI, Cambridge Pre-U and IB. I also prepare students for STEP and MAT and for numeracy or numerical reasoning tests, including the numeracy skills test for prospective teachers.

Two of my three children have been through school and university and one is still at secondary school, so I have been engaged closely with the education system at all levels and understand what both students and parents are looking for to achieve academic success.

My family and I have lived in Cranleigh for over 20 years and I have connections with a number of local schools.

Teaching Experience:
I have thousands of hours of experience of providing 1-1 maths tuition. At peak times in the year I have more than 40 active students on my books.

Tutoring Approach:
More than almost any other subject, maths needs confidence to be built, and a patient, individually tailored approach. Able students may need practice to strengthen problem-solving and eliminate errors, a more joined-up view of maths to deepen their understanding, and challenge to stretch their capabilities. Others find A-level maths harder going, and an imaginative and pictorial approach with plenty of real world examples is needed to achieve that "penny drops" moment!

Depending on the student, tuition may include any or all of: coaching to consolidate (or anticipate) teaching at school; revision for examinations; working through past examination papers; teaching and testing of specific sections of the curriculum; or more free-wheeling exploration of mathematical topics. By agreement with students and parents, homework may be set and marked.

I'm available to teach at almost any time in the week, either on weekdays (daytime or evenings) or on Saturday mornings. Sunday is my day off! I'm happy to teach in my own home, or in students' homes in Cranleigh or up to 10 miles away in the surrounding area in Surrey and West Sussex, including Guildford, Horsham and Godalming. If teaching outside Cranleigh I may agree an additional charge for travel.

I offer effective and engaging A-level mathematics and further mathematics tuition. If you want to succeed in your exams and also to deepen your appreciation of mathematics and have fun, then get in touch!

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Personal Description:
My name is Simon. I am 36 years old. I enjoy teaching and public speaking. I respond well to challenges and like problem-solving.
I really enjoy puzzles, such as Sudoku.
I love helping people to learn, whether this is to learn to in English or Urdu (a language I myself have learnt)

Teaching Experience:
I have many years of voluntary work experience in teaching English to children and adults whose first language is not English and also I have experience in teaching Basic Urdu to a few friends. I have completed a course in accelerated learning methods.
As I too have learnt a language I do understand the challenges people have when learning a language. This helps me in my teaching style and methods.
I believe that learning should be enjoyable.
I have recently completed a course for students of English and Urdu.
I am now looking for my tutees.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach to teaching is that learning needs to be fun and enjoyable. I did not enjoy school because of the classroom environment so I want my tutoring to be different. I aim to adapt my teaching to the persons individual needs.

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Personal Description:
I have been a teacher for many years having received my PGCE in 1992. Since that time I have worked in a variety of schools in the state and private sectors both in London and Oxfordshire. Teaching physics is a great privilege and pleasure having taught A Level physics for both OCR and Edexcel boards as well as GCSE and iGCSE physics and chemistry. I am currently in the process of creating an A-level OCR physics course for an Oxfordshire school which is both challenging and hugely rewarding as I know it will be used for the A-level students for years to come.

Here are a few testimonials of previous tuition:

From Martin 5/5: (A-Level Physics) Excellent!

We cannot praise Kevin enough. He has the rare combination of knowing his subject very thoroughly and able to communicate that knowledge in a way that immediately makes sense to the pupil. Plus he is clearly very enthusiastic about the subject and teaching others. Very inspirational.

Time keeping perfect. General manor, friendly and enthusiastic. You just know your child is going to enjoy the lesson and progress.

I have no doubt that our daughter will have improved her exam grades by at least a grade. Also her general interest and enthusiasm for the subject has improved.

Simon: 5/5 Our son is enjoying the sessions very much, Kevin has reinvigorated our son's enthusiasm for Physics and perfectly meets the mix of needs now; subject knowledge, teaching style, enthusiasm and targetted exam technique… brilliant!

Natasha: 5/5 Kevin tutored my son for maths and physics. He made the lessons interesting and fun and really helped him with the revision process. He was always prompt and cheerful. All in all, an inspiring teacher.

Siyu: 5/5 It's very useful for the exam. Thank you so much！.

Teaching Experience:
See below for my roles in different teaching posts in UK state and private schools:

Head of Physics: Plan, create and teach a new programme of study for the new A level OCR physics course. Management of A -Level practical assessment and teach :A-level (OCR course)

Physics Teacher: A-Level physics (Edexcel), iGCSE physics teaching (Edexcel) . Organise and supervise rowing outings, ergo and running training for rowing crews.

Physics Teacher: Responsible for co-ordination of IT over the three science departments. A-Level physics, GCSE physics and GCSE chemistry teaching. Design and upkeep of the physics department web site. Organise and supervise ergo and running training for J14 octuple crews as well train crews on the tide way twice a week (including Saturdays). Elected member of the staff committee negotiating the new salary scale commencing September 2001. NUT school representative.

Head of science: Implement changes post OFSTED inspection. Key Stage 4 co-ordination of the examination
schedule with departments and administration of internal and external examinations. Writing of all internal mock examinations. Implemented changes to KS4 course based on EDEXCEL science syllabus changes. Oversaw science course work moderation based on INSET each year concerning moderation techniques and course work marking. INSET training in the managing of a science department. Responsible for the setting of all year 10 and 11 science groups. Created and hosted IT training courses for science staff. Responsible for implementation of IT themes within the science programme of study from year 7 - 11. Class room and form room management.

First teaching post after P.G.C.E. qualification. Responsible for year 7-11 science groups. Worked with the head of department on GCSE practical work. Created new practical work for assessment. Taught top and bottom GCSE science groups with physics as a specialism. Participated in after school clubs including The America Club ( letter writing to pen pals), and The Music Society ( encouraging pupils to play musical instruments ).

Physics Teacher: During the Easter holidays I taught revision courses in A level physics and instructed candidates on good revision techniques. During the summer I worked for the administration department as a clerical officer as well as overseeing their ' social monitoring ' programme for the foreign language students.

Tutoring Approach:
I would use my experience in teaching to understand the specific problems the tutee has with the subject material and then work with them with appropriate materials and resources to overcome the areas of concern.

My experiences in schools range from organizing trips for science based activities and interests, accompanying pupils skiing as well as the world famous Magdalene College School choir to Europe and coaching rowing in London and Oxford schools for competitive events in London and Henley. I would use my experience with students to help develop a good working relationship.

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Personal Description:
My Name is Ross and by day I am an IT professional. I have been working in IT for the last 12 years and have worked in an educational institute for 11 of those years. I have recently moved to Cornwall and now work as an IT Services Manager. I provide training on the following topics..

Office 365 / OneDrive
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint
Windows 7 / 10
Any day to day IT requirements

Teaching Experience:
During my last position one of my key roles was to ensure that all members of teaching staff were fully trained in any IT applications we used at the school. I delivered training to 200+ members of staff either in a one to one manner or class based IT training. Whether you need to brush up on your IT skills which you already have or are completely new to IT, I can provide basic IT training or advanced training courses and can tailor training courses based on people's skills.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach to training is to build on what skills you already have and with communication we can get you to a level you desire. Everybody has different levels which they wish to get to and with my very personal training courses I will cater training completely unique to you. I will provide you with documentation to go with the course materials which we go through remotely so you have something to take away with you at the end of the course.

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Personal Description:
Experienced teacher of 12yrs with an MEd, able to tutor in 4+/7+/11+ common entrance, EFL, IELTS preparation, lower primary English/maths/homework help, homeschooling, language and literacy support, early years, Phonics and end of year exam preparation. Can also offer drama, voice & beginners guitar tuition. Will travel locally. Enhanced DBS checked.

Teaching Experience:
12 years in EFL, Early years education and general primary education in the UK independent sector and in international schools overseas. 8 years experience as a private tutor. IB PYP, Montessori, UK EYFS, KS1&2 and US Common Core training and experience.

Tutoring Approach:
Tailored lessons to suit individual needs, aimed at heightening engagement for younger learners as well as thinking skills, confidence and curiosity. 1:1 attention with homework help and distance learning or homeschooling. Available on weekdays. Reduced rates for online tuition.

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Personal Description:
I'm a patient, friendly, knowledgeable maths and physics teacher. I'm a qualified teacher with a Master's degree in Physics with Astrophysics and 15 years of classroom experience.

Teaching Experience:
I have 15 years of experience helping young people realise their full potential. I have always tutored alongside teaching in schools. It's been so successful, I'm now tutor full time.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach is adaptable depending on the needs snd aspirations of my student. I readily identify and correct misconceptions. I am able to inspire and build confidence with a focus on conceptual knowledge over procedural fluency.

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Personal Description:
I'm passionate about teaching languages and admittedly spend far too much time preparing lessons or so I'm told at home! My greatest motivation comes from the sense of achievement when my students are able to express themselves more in their target language.

I'm a qualified teacher from Hong Kong with 15 years of experience in teaching Mandarin and English, and I have met the professional requirements for language teachers in both subjects.

I studied Linguistics in university, and achieved a score of 90.7 in the Putonghua Proficiency Test. I understanding challenges my students may face when learning a second language, and I am confident in teaching Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) using English as medium of instruction.

Tell me your expectations and let me tailor lesson plans and teaching materials just for you.

Teaching Experience:
- 3.5 year experience in online teaching (Mandarin, Cantonese and English)
- Invigilating GCSE & A-Level Chinese (Speaking - Mandarin & Cantonese)
- 15 year full time teaching (Mandarin and English) in secondary schools in Hong Kong

Tutoring Approach:
I feel genuinely happy for my student, a new dad in a bilingual English-Cantonese family!!

Congratulations to my student who can now give a short presentation in Cantonese and write a paragraph of over 70 characters! Believe it or not, her handwriting is better than that of many primary school students in Hong Kong -- I'm so proud of her:)

My 11 year old student has also learnt to tell her favourite story, Finding Nemo, in Mandarin while preparing for the musical at school. We both enjoyed talking about the characters and writing the story together -- it was so much fun!

Tell me your learning goals, and I'll tailor lesson plans and teaching materials just for you.

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Personal Description:
I am Dr. Jisu Elsa, a PhD-qualified academic with over 13 years of experience teaching Electronics and Communication Engineering at undergraduate and postgraduate level in India. Alongside my engineering expertise, I have authored four published textbooks and developed a YouTube educational channel with over 3,000 subscribers and 463,000+ views, covering topics such as C Programming and Applied Electromagnetic Theory. I am currently based in Exeter, UK (where my husband is a Lecturer at the University of Exeter), and I am eager to share my passion for STEM subjects with students here.

Teaching Experience:
I have been an Assistant Professor at SCT College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram since 2013, teaching subjects including Computer Programming (C, C++, Python), Applied Electromagnetic Theory, Biomedical Engineering, and Algorithmic Thinking. I have supervised over 20 undergraduate final-year projects and multiple postgraduate (M.Tech) dissertations, as well as co-supervising PhD students. I have received Certificates of Appreciation from my institution's Alumni Association for achieving 100% pass rates in multiple subjects. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I created and delivered online learning materials that were adopted by students across Kerala.

Tutoring Approach:
I believe in making complex concepts accessible through clear explanation, practical examples, and interactive problem-solving. I adapt my teaching style to the individual learner - whether that means breaking down foundational concepts for beginners or challenging more advanced students with real-world applications. I make extensive use of worked examples, visual aids, and hands-on coding exercises to build both confidence and competence. My goal is always for students to develop genuine understanding rather than rote knowledge, and I take pride in supporting students who find technical subjects daunting.

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Personal Description:
I have a lot of skill deconstructing film and media and I specialise in the psychology of representation in film & television. I love fine art and also popular forms and have a large collection of comics that I will not be parted from. I have a strong aesthetic sense and I know how to communicate meaningfully. I can add real and lasting value to people's studies.

Teaching Experience:
I have 20+ years' experience as a 1-to-1 tutor working in schools and further education colleges, specialising in English, Media and Film Studies. I have supported academic study and essay-writing with students at secondary, FE and undergraduate levels. I have helped students decide what they want from education and have received one or two glowing reviews.

Tutoring Approach:
I help students identify their thoughts and feelings in relation to whatever they are studying. If they can find their own interest, that is key to unlocking their potential (academically and/or professionally). I help students to think in new directions and create new connections, so that they can develop their responses and learn how to articulate them. I can help students find these connections with any given object of study, be it audio, visual or written texts.

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