Online English Language tutor & more
Dr Karen MB
KS3 & 4 GCSE English Language and Literature. Autism and home ed friendly.
Online English Language tutor & more
KS3 & 4 GCSE English Language and Literature. Autism and home ed friendly.
About
I am a highly experienced English tutor and ex-university lecturer working mostly with key stages 3 & 4. I am very familiar with helping students with extra challenges, particularly ASD and ADHD, and those who are learning outside of the school system. I have taught across a range of exam boards including AQA, WJEC EDUQAS, OCR CIE and EDEXCEL and both GCSE and IGCSE.
PERSONAL DESCRIPTION
I am a former university lecturer and experienced home educator. I hold an enhanced DBS certificate and have a first class degree and a Ph.d. I am patient, calm and not "schooly". I am happy to work with school refusers, home educated young people and young people at risk of, or facing exclusion.
TUTORING EXPERIENCE
I have over twenty years of experience teaching across the entire age range, from three year olds to adults and from foundation stage to degree level. I have successfully tutored students to I/GCSE level in many subjects and my students have typically improved by at least one grade. I am very familiar with home education and welcome all those who maybe on a slightly alternative learning path, as well as those in school. I also have experience working with students who are easily distracted/ have ADHD, and have had basic training in autism awareness and counselling.
TUTORING APPROACH
Every student has potential, but sometimes lack of confidence can hinder unlocking that potential. But, with a little help, and a lot of encouragement, even the most struggling student can thrive. I aim to provide a calm and supportive approach to learning, tailoring my approach to suit the individual student's needs. I do not try to replicate school, but offer a more personalised approach to learning. I am happy to help to try and fix problem areas, or help with general understanding, as well as support those who are working towards examinations. I am very patient and calm, and am very comfortable working with home educated young people.
Subjects & pricing
Languages
- English Native
Qualifications
Higher education
- BA (Hons) Literature Certificate checked · University of Essex · First-class (1st) · 1993 University of Essex · First-class (1st) · 1993 Certificate checked
- PhD Literature Certificate checked · University of Bristol · Pass · 1997 University of Bristol · Pass · 1997 Certificate checked
Reviews from Tutorperch
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Reviews from First Tutors
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The review text is the original reviewer's own words, quoted as-is. We verified the tutor's ownership of the profile, not the truth of what each individual reviewer wrote.
- Feb 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen is kind, patient and helpful over and above the excellent sessions she has been providing for my son. My son enjoys his sessions with Karen and her time and expertise are already helping him improve his English. Many thanks
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much Joanna. It is a pleasure working with your son and seeing him improve week-by-week.
- Feb 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
I contacted Ms - Batty about a GCSE English language paper I had received a 4 grade on. I sent the paper off and received the paper back with notes on how to make improvements ready for the resit and asked if I could do the same again for further improvement before actually taking the test which was granted. The interaction was friendly, pleasant, focused. The notes I received were knowledgeable, insightful and helpful and the overall service gets a high rating from me. Would recommend to others.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you Daniel. I am glad to be of assistance. I look forward to working with you again in the future.
- Sept 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen is an excellent tutor and our son has made a very positive start in their English lessons Before starting tutoring him, she was keen to find out his current level of achievement, learning style preferences and his interests, Karen has developed a focused plan to target areas where our son can gain the most marks, to maximise his chances of passing his GCSE English. She has chosen questions which are tailored to his interests, to make the content more engaging for him. Karen is well-organised, providing resources in advance and gives good feedback during their online lessons. All-in-all, a great start - thankyou!
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much Samantha! I think I have the best job in the world; it is so lovely to work with your teen!
- Apr 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
My son is Autistic, in year 11 at school but has been total school refusal since Christmas and on and off before that. He has really bad anxiety and doesn’t sleep well at all. Karen has been great with him and been really flexible in her approach. I’ve always had an instant response to any email that I’ve sent. He’s not great with new people or change but has loved her lessons from the very start. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much! I had a great session with your son today; it is so lovely to see his confidence growing. He is an absolute pleasure to work with. I have the best job :)
- Feb 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen is excellent tutor. Within couple of sessions she has helped our daughter improve her English writing who is working to improve her grade by 2 points. Highly recommended.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much! It is a pleasure to tutor such a determined young lady.
- Feb 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Excellent tutor. Established rapport and boundaries early with my SEN child whose English had not been progressing for a whole academic year. Since engaging Karen both reports and scores have much improved. I can see, when reviewing my child's work, a significant shift in the right direction. In all we are very happy.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. Your child is an absolute pleasure to work with; we always manage to have fun, even when tackling the dreaded comprehension! I am so pleased that reports and scores have improved.
- Jun 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen is an excellent tutor. She has really helped my son with his English Language studies. Karen has always had good time management and is always consistent. Karen communicated well and responded to my concerns. My son was nervous at first about undertaken extra studies in hybrid way but Karen put my son at ease straight away!
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you for your lovely comments. Your son was lovely to work with and soon settled into tuition, working really hard but always with a big smile on his face!
- Jun 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
If you are looking for an English Tutor, then Karen would be a great choice. She is a first-class tutor. Karen’s assistance with my son’s preparation for his school entrance exam had been most invaluable. My son has been finding lessons with her very useful and enjoyable.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you for the lovely words. It is a pleasure to work with your son, who is so hardworking and always gives 100%.
- May 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen has been helping our son with his English and has been an excellent tutor. Very approachable, explains things well and takes into account what my son specifically needs help with. He felt he learned so much more in just a few sessions than he did in months in a large classroom. We would highly recommend her.
Dr Karen MB replied
What lovely comments! Thank you :) You have a great son and you should be very proud of him (I am sure you are!). He always gives 100% and is a joy to tutor.
- Dec 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Lovely lady. Very kind and patient. Extremely understanding of our daughter’s needs. Would thoroughly recommend.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much for the lovely review! Your daughter is lovely to work with and always has a smile on her face. She even laughs at my terrible sense of humour…
- Jun 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen helped me greatly improve my grades in GCSE English literature and language. She helped me to understand exam technique which helped me to know what it was the examiner was looking for in my answer. She also pointed me in the right direction in practice questions as well as giving me prompts helping me to think of good ideas. I felt comfortable being taught by her and felt comfortable to ask questions. I highly recommend Karen.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you for the lovely review! You were a pleasure to tutor and I wish you every success with your future plans. All the best, Karen
- May 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen has been an excellent English tutor for my son. His confidence was low but she's helped build that up, his spelling and grammar has improved and he has more belief in his abilities. He has ADHD and Karen was patient and developed a good rapport. She worked out the best way to work with him and his strengths. Thanks very much Karen.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much for the lovely comments. I have enjoyed working with your son immensely and it has been great to watch his confidence grow. He also has a great sense of humour!
- Jan 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen was able to teach for 1 week but my son thoroughly loved the lesson. We had to discontinue because of schedule changes.
Dr Karen MB replied
It was an absolute pleasure to tutor your son, albeit for only a short time. Thank you for taking the time to leave such lovely feedback.
- Mar 2019 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Karen is a wonderfully patient and calming tutor. She has helped my daughter grow in confidence. She plans her sessions to meet her specific needs and goes that extra mile to help .
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much! Your daughter is an absolute pleasure to tutor and it has been great to see her confidence grow over the past year.
- imported from First Tutors
Sagar
- imported from First Tutors
Lorraine
We'd left it a little late to source an English Tutor towards my sons GSCEs. Thankfully Karen had a space left to accommodate us. We've been very pleased so far, my son feels comfortable with Karen and is engaged in his learning once again - his class teacher has already noticed a difference! Would highly recommend to parents looking to improve their child's understanding of English Language.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much for your feedback. I am enjoying working with your son -- he has a great attitude and is really engaged. Working one-to-one is so beneficial for students and I am really pleased that it is making a difference so quickly.
- imported from First Tutors
Bev
Karen tutored my daughter in English Language after she achieved a grade 3 in GCSE at school. We wanted her to have a good chance of achieving a grade 4 on her resits, so we asked Karen to give her a few lessons prior to the exam. I am pleased to say she has now achieved a grade 4! I believe Karen’s help went a long way towards her achieving this result. Thank you Karen
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you so much for your kind comments Bev. It was lovely to hear that your daughter achieved her grade four. I am glad to have been able to help -- albeit for only a few weeks -- and I wish her success with her ongoing studies at college.
- imported from First Tutors
Craig
Karen has a perfect style for our son who is now able to learn at a pace that he is comfortable with, and that is built on a sustainable platform. I would recommend Karen to anyone seeking help getting through their GCSE English.
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you for your lovely comments. Your son is working hard and coming on brilliantly -- it is so rewarding to see students developing in confidence and ability.
- imported from First Tutors
James
Karen is a wonderful Tutor. She is calm, kind and very encouraging which is exactly what my son needed as his confidence in English was a little shaky. He has had 3 sessions so far and already his grades are starting rise in class tests and homework. I couldn't recommend Karen highly enough. Thank you
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you for the lovely comments. It is very pleasing to know your son is already improving his grades. I’m so lucky to have such a dedicated student!
- imported from First Tutors
Alaina
Was able to bring out my nervous son who hated and was scared of English. Is now more confident and can handle what school throws at him
Dr Karen MB replied
Thank you! It was a pleasure working with your son. It was lovely to see his confidence grow! Karen