Whickham Tutors and Whickham Tuition

Personal Description:
My name is Joseph. Please call me Joe. I am retired and enjoy water colouring, swimming and computing but most of all I enjoy the challenge of helping young people to develop their learning skills.

Teaching Experience:
Before I retired I was head teacher of a Primary School for 21 years. This allowed me to gain a great insight into all aspects of the needs of Primary age pupils. It also provided me with the challenge of how best to provide for those needs. Prior to working in Primary Education I taught in the fields of Junior Secondary Education and Special Needs (with pupils ranging from eight to sixteen years and with multiple disabilities).

Tutoring Approach:
As a tutor my first aim is to establish a pleasant working relationship with each pupil. From there continuous assessment of the pupils needs and progress provides a basis for enhancing the skills which need to be developed. In order to make satisfactory progress I use a variety of materials and methods to stimulate the interest of the pupil.

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Personal Description:
I am an experienced Teacher of Maths to A level, AAT, Tax, Financial Accounting, Management Accounting & Statistics.

My teaching experience ranges from 1-1 teaching, group teaching, teaching in state schools and private colleges, teaching for University Foundation Programs and delivering training at clients' premises.

I am enhanced DBS checked.

Teaching Experience:
Some of the schools/colleges I have taught are:

Loughborough College
Al Hikmah
East Kent College
Cambian Group
Royal Grammar School High Wycombe
Oaklands College St Albans
Nova Training College
Cherwell College Oxford
Cambridge Seminars
Emperia College Luton
Bell Cambridge
West London Vocational College (SAGE)
Milton Keynes College
EF Academy Oxford

Tutoring Approach:
Whichever way the student wishes the lessons to be conducted but personally I tend to focus on concepts.

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Personal Description:
I have been helping students to achieve in their GCSE English for ten years. The relationship I establish is coaching orientated and the student is encouraged to work out answers without me actually teĺling the answer. My approach is to help the tutee arrive at the correct answer or method.

Teaching Experience:
My tutoring roles have been as maths and English tutor with learndirect, up to and including GCSE level 3 together with home-visit tutoring for maths and english

Tutoring Approach:
I have a coaching/affiliative style from years of experience in training, coaching and tutoring. This experience has come from employed and self-employed roles.
I believe that engagement of the learner in the subject and with the tutor are the prime drivers of new learning and knowledge and I will work with learners to make their learning a fun but disciplined experience

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Personal Description:
From my experience in the classroom I realise that many students benefit from much more individual help than school can provide. I enjoy being able to help students on a one-to-one basis as it is very rewarding being able to improve their achievement and confidence.I am very grateful to my students and their parents for the relationships we have struck up, many of which have continued through the years.

Teaching Experience:
I am an English teacher with over 20 years experience teaching to GCSE, A-level and Oxbridge entrance.I have taught in both the independent and state sectors, in a large comprehensive and a small independent school. I have also tutored in Oxford and London for students from 10 to 19.

Tutoring Approach:
One to one or small groups of 2 or 3.

I aim to develop confidence by supporting the students and understanding their needs as a priority. I then encourage them to explore and develop ideas, giving them support while they grow in this. The key is building an excellent relationship in which high expectations enable them to make progress while always supported.

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Personal Description:
I am a native Arabic speaker from Lebanon with french as a second language.
I have a Degree in Law from the Lebanese University.

Teaching Experience:
I have 3 years of teaching experience, teaching students at high school in Lebanon, and over 10 years of online or from home tutoring. I taught Arabic and French to students at all levels.

Tutoring Approach:
Speaking, reading, grammar* and writing are part of the Arabic and French lessons. The lessons are tailored to the student's needs and wishes. Ensuring students are learning and understand the lessons with pleasure.
*Arabic Grammar including iierab (إعراب).

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Personal Description:
I have a doctorate degree (Ph.D.) in Accounting and Finance from the University of Warwick. I have an exceptional academic background and several years of teaching experience. My areas of expertise include Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Economics and other business studies modules.

Teaching Experience:
I teach accounting and finance modules at the University of Warwick. I have also taught accounting at Buckingham University as a visiting lecturer.

Tutoring Approach:
Face to face. I like to keep my sessions interactive in order to be aware of student needs.
Can do online sessions too.

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Personal Description:
Native German DBS checked Tutor working at an Independent School at KS3, GCSE and A-level. Conversation classes, grammar and exam preparation.

I teach German as a foreign language but also to semi native German kids, who would like to prepare for GCSE or A-level exams.

All lessons are tailored to suit student's preferences, ability and needs.
I have some daytime availability, weekends and limited evenings. Please check directly, as availability changes frequently when students finish their exams.
I'm happy to teach from my home in Surbiton, but I also offer online tutoring.

From experience the greatest learning loss occurs during the school holidays and I therefore now also offer "Ferien auf Deutsch" to stop your learned knowledge from going missing. It is proven that by September a student's ability is lower than it was in July. "Ferien auf Deutsch" can prevent that. These are intensive courses offered during the school holidays. Special rates available.

About me:
I was brought up and schooled in Berlin and came to the UK on a scholarship a few years back. I know what it is like to grapple with a foreign language and I also know how to succeed. My teaching style is interactive, immersive, fun and relevant.

Teaching Experience:
During the day I teach at a private secondary school in Kingston. In the evenings I tutor beginners, KS3, GCSE and A-level German.

Tutoring Approach:
All lessons are tailored to suit student's preferences, ability and needs.
I have some daytime availability, weekends and limited evenings. Please check directly, as availability changes frequently when students finish their exams.
I'm happy to teach from my home in Surbiton, but I also offer online tutoring.

I was brought up and schooled in Berlin and came to the UK on a scholarship a few years back. I know what it is like to grapple with a foreign language and I also know how to succeed. My teaching style is interactive, immersive, fun and relevant.

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Personal Description:
I have over thirty years experience of teaching Latin, English, French and essay-writing skills, both in schools and as a private tutor. I specialise in helping students write their Personal Statements when applying to university or to postgraduate courses.

I am the mother of five grown up children, three of whom went to Cambridge, one to KCL and one to Oxford, and I have also guided many other students into achieving offers from top universities, including many to Oxbridge.

After graduating from Cambridge with a degree in English and Classics, I taught for 2 years before going to Drama school, then moved to Granada TV as a researcher and presenter. The next 14 years were spent working for various TV companies, while also writing for national newspapers and magazines.

In 1992, I moved with my family to Salisbury and went back to teaching, first in a college of Further Education, then at a prep school, and subsequently in independent schools: nine years at St Mary's Calne from which I retired in 2015. I was then invited to , come out of retirement to teach at St Swithun's in Winchester and The Oratory School Oxford.

I no longer teach in the classroom, but continue to offer tutoring in Latin, English, French and Writing Skills. A particular speciality is Personal Statements - helping students with their applications to university. I have helped very many students (both pre-university and postgraduates) write successful personal statements for their chosen courses.

As well as the academic subjects mentioned above, I help with any writing task from an A level or IB essay (especially Theory of Knowledge) to university theses and dissertations. I specialise in Oxbridge help, including suggestions for reading, preparation for entrance tests and interview practice. So far I have helped over 20 students gain places at Oxbridge.

Teaching Experience:
Personal statements

I have helped very many students write their personal statements for application to university - both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This does NOT mean writing the statement for the student - I do not have the breadth of knowledge to write about Astrophysics or Zoology, but it does mean helping the student clarify his or her thoughts, explain what has prompted the interest in the subject, how he or she has developed this interest, what extra-curricular choices have been made, and why, and how current A levels (or degree subjects) have prepared the student for this application.
For many students, the Personal Statement is the first time they have have to talk about themselves, and for many, it is bewildering knowing how to approach it and what to include and what to leave out.

I help the student by asking him/her to fill in a preliminary questionnaire, (Why this subject? What sparked the interest? Why it's important for the student and for society etc). Next, I ask for a first draft - it doesn't matter how bad or poorly expressed this is. Then, I work with the student - either at home or by Skype/Zoom, talking through the first draft and suggesting adjustments, improvements etc. Next the student writes a second draft, and the process continues until the students is totally happy that the statement says exactly what was intended, and show the student at his/her best.
I have many testimonials from happy students (including over twenty five to Oxbridge) which I would be happy to share on request.

Latin
I teach Latin at Latin Common Entrance, GCSE, A level, and university level. The great majority of my students achieve 9s at GCSE, and As and A*s at A level. Many have gone on to read Classics at university.

English
I teach English literature and language - both critical analysis of texts and and writing skills - from GCSE to university level and beyond. Many students whom I have helped with A level essays have come back to me for help with their university dissertations, applications for Masters, or covering letters for postgraduate job applications.

Essay writing
As well as helping with A level essays in all the humanities (RS, Philosophy, Psychology, History etc) I am an experienced tutor for IB Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essays. I have also advised and guided many students with their EPQs.

French
I teach French to A level and

I teach Classical Greek to GCSE.

Tutoring Approach:
1. My first priority is to let the student know that they are not alone - I am here to help. Just being told this can be immediately reassuring, especially if the student has been worrying for about a subject or project for a long time.

2. The next step is to establish exactly how much the student already knows. Nothing surprises or shocks me, but I have come across students seeking help who haven't got a copy of the relevant book or haven't read beyond the title page. I understand this - life is busy.So I am never critical or judgmental, I am always on the student's side. If necessary, I will provide a copy (years of teaching and a large family mean I usually have several).

3. The next step is to encourage the student into thinking of the subject as interesting. This may mean overcoming any resistance, by chatting, discovering how much they already know (always more than they think - another source of encouragement) and relating it to other areas of interest. One ideas have started to flow the student will begin to realise that not only might this subject/essay not be as bad as feared, it's possible they might find something enjoyable about it.

4. Now we look at the project and ways of approaching it. The key here is structure. Quite often the student's lack of confidence has led to panic and accompanying lack of organisation. So I help sort out files, help put notes in order, and encourage the student recognise which bits of paper are/aren't relevant to their work. This is mental housekeeping - and once order has been established, the student is in a better frame of mind for doing the work.

5. The next step varies according the to the subject.

LATIN.
I ask the student translate until he meets a problem. I then explain the topic- taking care to base it only on what the student already knows and feels confident about. If there are big gaps in knowledge, I start filling them, teaching vocabulary, grammar and syntax in an orderly way and asking the student to record what we have covered in his own written file.We then continue the translation, making sure the student has understood everything we have covered so far. This process is designed to lift the fog and give the student the tools needed to translate confidently

WRITING.
If it's an essay, I encourage the student to look at the title and think about (a) what is it really asking and (b) what ideas can he or she think of in response? These can be written down in any order - at this stage it's a question of getting the thought processes going.
We then discuss how to organise the student's thoughts into a coherent whole. This can be painstaking process - it involves teaching essay structure, and and sometimes even working backwards - going from conclusion back to introduction - but we always finish by knowing exactly what direction the essay is taking.
The final step is to ask the student to write something for next time. It doesn't matter if it's short or badly-expressed, and I always make it relevant to school work. The reason I ask for a piece of writing is
a) the act of writing enables a student to know what he/she wants to say
(b) seeing a student's writing shows me how to approach the next lesson. I can see what element of the writing need work, and plan my lesson accordingly.

OTHER IDEAS FOR READING ETC
I often recommend extra-curricular ideas to make the subject more engaging - films, YouTube extracts, magazines, even books - the student doesn't have to read a whole book - even dipping in and out is helpful and there is nothing more deadening to the love of books than being told you HAVE to read them.

STUDENTS WHO ARE STRUGGLING.
. I do not only help academic high-flyers. I am also offer warm and sympathetic help to students who - for whatever reason - find academic study challenging. I help develop study skills, suggest organisational strategies (for student and parent) and above all, restore lost confidence by showing the student that he really can tackle - and overcome - any problem - just by taking it slowly and making sure he or she understands each step before going on to the next.

WELCOME TO MY HOUSE.
, I'm a great believer in the comforting powers of a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit, as well as the presence of my 2 cats (who, despite being to every lesson I've given, are still rubbish at Latin). For allergic pupils, however, the cats are banished to the garden.

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Personal Description:
I am Funda.I am from Turkey so I am a native Turkish Speaker.I graduated with a bachelor`s degree in English Language Teaching from Anadolu University in 2005.After I passed the public personnel selection examination successfully,I was appointed to my first public school in 2006 as a permanent English Teacher in Turkey.

Teaching Experience:
I taught English language and culture in different kinds of public schools from nursery to secondary and age groups between 3 and 18 years old by using differents teaching methods and techniques during 13 years.In those years except teaching English,I also carried out two European Union Projects called Commenius Projects with great fundings.Placing in international projects was one of my dreams. By this way,I provided almost 100 students and school staffs with going abroad,meeting different cultures and practicing their English and also joining an international project to create a common product with different nationalities. Then I moved to the UK to make my biggest dream true.I have been running my own business since October,2019.I founded UkArs Education to teach English and also Turkish to speakers of other languages and to find the most suitable language school for the students from all over the world who want to study English in the UK as an educational consultant.Before pandemia,I had private lessons face to face,gave education counselling service and translated documents but now I have online lessons mostly and sometimes make translation.

Tutoring Approach:
Since pandemia,I have been giving my lessons online and I have been using an interactive book on Zoom while teaching to an online student.There is no difference between online lessons and face to face ones.It is so effective to improve all four skills;speaking,listening,reading and writing.
I am available between 10 am and 3 pm in a day on weekdays.In the evenings,I am also available between 8.30 pm and 10.30 pm on weekdays and at the weekends.

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Personal Description:
Hi, I'm Charlie. I'm a 25 year old Musician and Graduate from the Academy Of Contemporary Music in Guildford.

I specialise in guitar, production and guidance through GCSE and A level work. I have been playing guitar since Junior school, whilst also singing and developing into a songwriter. I have vast experiences of being graded on my performances, my songwriting and production work.

Teaching Experience:
I spent my work experience in my secondary school as a teachers assistant, supporting in year 7-10 music lessons (aged 11-16). Throughout this I helped out with organising lesson plans, whilst also advising and guiding students during their work periods.

Alongside this, I also have experience running workshops with younger primary school students (6-8 years old) these were more lighthearted, friendly introductions into music as a subject.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach to tutoring is relaxed, supportive, and tailored to each individual. I start by getting to know where you're at, what you'd like to achieve, and how you learn best. Whether you're aiming to master Grade 5 theory, improve your GCSE or A-Level coursework, develop your guitar playing, or dive into music production with Ableton or Logic Pro, I'll help break things down into manageable steps that suit your pace and style. The goal is to build confidence, keep things engaging, and make sure you're always moving forward toward your musical goals.

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Personal Description:
I grew up in Northern Italy (Piedmont), and did my University Degree in Italian Humanities, and my MA in Film Studies in Turin (Torino). In 2005 I moved to the UK, because of my fascination with the culture, music and landscape. I was an indie music nerd as a teenager and young man, with a huge passion for obscure bands. I also loved to write and sing, and got a lot of inspiration for my writing from movies and literature. I am still enthusiastic about going to the cinema, or discovering a new novel or a new (or old) band. On top of these interests, I'm passionate about language, poetry, psychology, personal development, nutrition and beautiful coastal landscapes.

Teaching Experience:
Since my arrival in Bristol in 2005, I first worked as an Italian Linguist for an international corporation. After three years, I dedicated some time to focus on my music and writing, but soon I also pursued a career in Adult and Community Education, developing my teaching practice and experience and creating courses, programmes and tailored lessons for groups and individuals. I gained a certificate to teach adults (PTLLS), and have worked both with a great number of private clients, with a college (Redmaids School for Girls, where I have been Italian Teaching Assistant), with adult education organisations (City of Bristol College, Bristol City Council, The Bristol Folk House) and with Language Schools (International House, The Language Experience, Bristol Language School).

Tutoring Approach:
I am happy to teach at all levels, from complete beginner to advanced conversation. I have gained a solid experience due to the diversity of my clients and of the environments where I have taught and I currently teach. I will tailor my lessons exactly to your current needs, and will use and recommend varied strategies for learning according to your preferred learning style, covering Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing. I also value a focus on Pronunciation: when you study a new language you literally enter a new cultural world of sounds, and it's better to familiarise with it as soon as possible. My lessons are playful and interactive, and my aim is for you to feel at ease, so that you can make mistakes without fear, and therefore enjoy the process of learning.

At intermediate and advanced levels, when students have a basis for an exploration of cultural topics, I'm very passionate about using original cultural texts, from literature to newspapers, from video interviews to films or documentaries. I find it very rewarding to share with my students the excitement of exploration, discovery, beauty and reflection that comes from engaging with culture.

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Personal Description:
I'm a qualified primary teacher currently teaching Year 4 and offering KS1-KS2 tutoring. Sessions are structured, supportive and tailored to individual needs. Please feel free to message me if you would like to chat further.

Teaching Experience:
I have experience working across the primary age range, specifically in Nursery and Years 2, 3, 4, and 5. This has given me a deep understanding of the EYFS framework and the Key Stage 1 and 2 National Curriculum. In my time in Year 4, I have successfully supported students through assessment periods, tailoring my support to help them achieve their learning targets in English and Maths. I am comfortable adapting my style for younger learners (using play-based learning) as well as older students (focusing on exam technique and deeper comprehension).

Tutoring Approach:
My approach is student-centered and adaptive. I begin by assessing a student's current level to identify any specific gaps in their knowledge. From there, I scaffold their learning to build confidence and bridge those gaps, ensuring they meet age-related expectations. For students already working at level, I provide targeted challenges to push for greater depth and mastery of the subject.

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