I am a compassionate, skilled and well qualified teacher with 33 years’ experience. I have taught and nurtured a wide range of pupils in a variety of settings including mainstream schools, hospital school, specialist resource units, home tuition services and in the community via EOTAS packages. My approach is always personalised, taking into consideration developmental level, potential barriers and personality. I analyse any challenges and barriers to learning and work tirelessly to promote confidence, resilience and success.
I have been passionate and instrumental in meeting many varied educational needs across age ranges 3 to 16 years. I have taught the early years and primary National Curriculum and am skilled in delivering English and Science at KS3. I have a particular passion and skill for developing language and literacy and have a broad knowledge of how to teach phonics, reading, receptive and expressive language skills and creative writing. I have had many successes and lots of fun teaching singing to early years and primary pupils including children with additional needs.
In mainstream schools as a class teacher I have successfully supported a range of pupils with additional learning needs including autism, ADHD, ADD, OCD, challenging behaviours, developmental delay, cerebral palsy and speech and language delay. Patience, understanding of individual need, and skill in designing personalised learning has helped me to successfully teach my pupils.
In hospital school I worked with children with a whole range of additional needs, many very poorly and facing not only medical but emotional challenges too. Working as part of a skilled multi-disciplinary team ensured the best outcomes for the pupils. I taught all aspects of the National Curriculum in an outstanding setting across all Key Stages specialising in, and leading in English.
As Teacher in Charge of a special needs resource unit for children with autism I led and managed a passionate team. I worked closely with pupils, parents, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and staff in local schools. I developed a deep understanding of autism and ways to help children learn, despite often significant barriers. I gained a strong understanding of how to support and encourage language and social skills development in young learners and how to adapt the environment and learning resources to meet needs successfully. I learned how to break down barriers to learning and help pupils flourish. I developed many strategies for promoting social skills learning and understand the importance of learning in context. I strengthened and developed a broad knowledge of speech and language development and the best ways to support and encourage learning.
As a local authority specialist outreach teacher consultant I helped teachers to help autistic pupils learn in the mainstream setting. Skilled observation and analysis in classrooms allowed me to provide bespoke personalised insights, strategies and goals. I am proud to have helped raise awareness and understanding for the pupils I supported, as well as increasing skills and confidence for staff.
As a home tuition services tutor I have especially enjoyed supporting teens who struggle with learning differences, anxiety and mental health challenges. By providing an individual bespoke approach I have successfully built relationships that allow learning to flourish. I am patient, kind, empathetic and skilled at breaking learning down into small steps upon which to build. I can make my lessons achievable across all ages from early years to GCSE level and I delight in my pupil’s success. I am adaptable and flexible and am always willing to go the extra mile for my pupils. I have tutored all subjects across Key Stages 1 and 2 and have I have also tutored KS 3 Science, English Language and English Literature. I have a good understanding of requirements for the GCSE syllabus in the subjects I specialise in and have added Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE tutoring in recent months. Supporting pupils out of education for a variety of medical or mental health reasons has been a career highlight for me, and I can genuinely say the experience has enriched my skillset and helped me to be a better teacher.
