DBS verified Dr Natalie
PGCE-qualified and experienced English Language, Literature and Creative Writing tutor | examiner | published poet | SEN trained.
About
PGCE-qualified English Language, Literature and Creative Writing teacher, examiner, published poet and PhD holder, with over 20 years’ experience in education. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with a motivational and empathetic approach. SEN trained, Enhanced DBS checked, and a qualified Mental Health First Aider.
Session rate: £50 for 50-minutes of contact time.
Free 15-minute consultation for students considering long-term tuition.
"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."
- Chinese Proverb
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More about me...
I hold an undergraduate degree in English, a PGCE specialising in the post-16 sector, and have seven years of experience working as an A level and GCSE English Language and Literature teacher in a high performing sixth form college. I was Lead Examiner for the A Level in Creative Writing (AQA), examiner for English Language AS Level (AQA) and am on the register of Cambridge International GCSE examiners, so have a rich perspective to offer my students as they progress through their studies.
My additional specialism is Creative Writing: I hold both a Masters and Doctorate in this subject and am Lecturer in Creative Writing at a reputable university. I am a published poet with my own collections and many appearances in anthologies and journals.
Experience
Since 2014, I have tutored hundreds of students in English Language and Literature. In this role I am most proud of the work I have achieved with one of my long-term students who has ASD. From day one, I adapted sessions to meet his needs and gain his interest. I spent time getting to know him and found out that he liked Minecraft, so created a reading comprehension resource themed on the game. He loved it and said that he really enjoyed our first session together as a result. I am still tutoring him weekly after nearly four years and have built a great rapport with him and his mum. This is the feedback I received from her: “Natalie is helping our autistic son with his English. She is very kind, patient, helpful and professional. Our son enjoys Natalie’s lessons and is excited to see her every week. He feels much more confident and happier. Natalie is a wonderful tutor and I would highly recommend her.”
I have experience of teaching and tutoring English Language, Literature and Combined English from Key Stage 3 up to Further Education level. I have taught the AQA Certificate in English Language (iGCSE), AS/A2 English Language (Spec B), AS/A2 English Literature (Spec B) and AS/A2 English Combined (Spec A). Having tutored students of the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, Eduqas and Cambridge International boards, I am very familiar with a range of specifications. I have a keen eye for detail when appraising essays and have received excellent feedback for my critiques of student work.
I also have experience of adult, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in the fields of Creative Writing (specialising in poetry) and Communication/Functional Skills. I am currently Unit Leader and Educational Content Creator for the Masters in Creative Writing at Arts University Bournemouth.
Approach
My approach is person-centred, kind, calm, motivational and empathetic, with an aim to boost confidence, which I believe is vital to academic achievement.
I spend time getting to know my students and encourage the practice of English skills within topic areas of personal interest to them. Being mental health and neurodivergence aware, I promote safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration and empowerment as I build a rapport with my students to better support their individual needs. Sessions are therefore bespoke and flexible, learner-focused rather than teacher-led.
I am a good listener and can empathise with my students, helping them to see areas for improvement in their work and offering practical advice and tips on how to develop it further. From students who require regular face-to-face online sessions, to those who require a single essay critique by email correspondence, I am able to meet the needs of a wide range of learners.
I encourage students to be proactive and resourceful in their approach to English, guiding them through the processes of learning and problem-solving. I invite students to discuss what they would like to work on each session and establish the ways in which I can best support them. Any materials to be looked at during the session time can be emailed to me or shared via an online platform. I also offer guidance on setting targets over a course of sessions so that students can meet their aims and manage their study time effectively.
Ultimately, I aim to help my students fulfil their academic potential whilst also developing the range of skills needed to achieve their aspirations in life.
Subjects & pricing
£50/hr
£50/hr
£50/hr
£50/hr
Languages
- English Native
Qualifications
Higher education
- PhD By Existing Works (Poetry) · University of Sunderland · Pass with minor corrections · 2015 University of Sunderland · Pass with minor corrections · 2015
- MA Creative Writing · University of Leeds · Merit · 2001 University of Leeds · Merit · 2001
- BA (Hons) English with Drama · University of Lancaster · 2:1 (Upper second) · 2000 University of Lancaster · 2:1 (Upper second) · 2000
Teaching qualification
- PGCE · University of Cumbria · 2006 University of Cumbria · 2006
Reviews from Tutorperch
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Reviews from First Tutors
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- imported from First Tutors
Nelson
My son has really appreciated Natalie’s structured guidance for his preparations in the Cambridge English Literature A level exams. Natalie’s insights in her discussions on the various texts have rejuvenated and motivated his progress over the months she had tutored him. And his excellent results during his school exams have been testament to this.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your feedback, Nelson. I'm so pleased that your son found the tuition helpful. All the best for his exams! Best wishes, Natalie
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Mia
Natalie is very friendly and patient. She had helped me a lot with catching up and taught me very useful techniques in answering exam questions. I would highly recommend her and I look forward to future tuition with her if needed.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your kind comments, Mia. All the best for your future studies!
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Sharon
Natalie helped me to achieve an A in A level English Language ( 3 off an A*). I really enjoyed her lessons and feel they contributed greatly to my success! I highly recommend Natalie as a tutor. Thanks so much!
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your kind feedback - congratulations on this fantastic result!
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Karen
Since having tuition with Natalie, Sophie’s confidence and understanding of both English language and literature has grown immensely. It has also helped with the other subjects she is studying too. Many thanks Natalie, I’ll let you know her results in August.
Dr Natalie replied
Thanks Karen - all the best for Sophie's results!
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Henry
Natalie is a well-qualified tutor with very good knowledge of the A level syllabuses and exam requirements. Her skills in identifying weaknesses of individual student quickly and providing precise and effective guidance and instructions have helped my daughter to gain insight and confidence in the subject within a short period of time. Despite Natalie’s busy schedule, she is always prepared to give my daughter support whenever she needs it. I am very grateful for Natalie’s professional attitude and she always keeps parents informed of the progress. I would highly recommend Natalie.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you Henry, for your detailed feedback. It is great to see how far your daughter has progressed in English.
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Martina
Natalie is helping our autistic son with his English. She is very kind, patient, helpful and professional. Our son enjoys Natalie’s lessons and is excited to see her every week. He feels much more confident and happier. Natalie is a wonderful tutor and I would highly recommend her.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you so much for the excellent feedback Martina. It's a pleasure to tutor your son and fantastic to see the progress he's making each week. Best wishes, Natalie
- imported from First Tutors
Sonam
My son feels that Natalie teaching is very helpful with his English writing and he is very happy to have a tutor like her. Thank you Natalie.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your kind feedback Sonam. I'm glad that your son is finding the sessions helpful - it's really encouraging to see how much progress he is making. Best wishes, Natalie
- imported from First Tutors
Maria
Very helpful. Natalie taught me how to write well structured essays. Diana, 16.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your feedback Diana. All the best for your future studies!
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Qing
Natalie is an excellent tutor. She has rich experience and professional. She helped my daughter much in vocabulary and comprehension. She always has good way to let my daughter thinking and find the answer at last! Believe my daughter will get progress in writing too! I will highly recommended Natalie to everyone who need support in English!
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your feedback, Qing! It's great to see how much your daughter is improving in English.
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Nandana
Natalie is an excellent tutor.I was able to achieve high grades in my English GCSEs.I was able to improve my technique so that my writing was more precise and she helped me with analysing texts. Nandana
Dr Natalie replied
Thanks for the feedback, Nandana. Congratulations on your fantastic results!
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Veronique
Natalie is very professional and really helped my daughter gain confidence through her supportive and encouraging approach. Highly recommended!
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for the great feedback, Veronique. I wish your daughter all the best for university.
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Kevin
Natalie is very professional, punctual & an inspiration to those that do not find the English subject naturally as clear as other academic topics. My daughter's confidence not only in English but across other subjects that involve essay writing/answers has improved significantly under Natalie's expert tutelage. The tutoring sessions have meant that she is now focused on structure/content in all subjects along with social interaction also. Count yourself very lucky to obtain one of the few spare slots that Natalie occasionally has on offer…
Dr Natalie replied
Thanks Kevin - it has been a pleasure to tutor your daughter. Best wishes, Natalie
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James
I would recommend Natalie to anyone who has a child that needs help with English. Although my son was an avid reader , he had an aversion to the art of writing. After a year's tuition with Natalie he came out with Grade 5 in both English Literature and English Language. It also had a major impact on all of his other subjects which meant that his overall passes amounted to 7 GCSE passes of C to A!
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your feedback. Congratulations to James on his success. All the best for the future.
- imported from First Tutors
Ann
Natalie has tutored both of our children. She was been so helpful to our daughter Alice in her second year of A level English Lit Lang and helped her progress from a poor E grade at AS level to a couple of marks off an A grade at A2 level. Alice got so much out of her sessions with Natalie, and the techniques she learnt helped her enormously. She achieved 98% in one of her English papers and we think this is largely due to the analytical approach she had learnt from Natalie. We were so impressed and thankful that we returned for Natalie's support for our son Tom in the run-up to his GCSEs. A very different student to his older sister, he too really enjoyed his sessions with Natalie and got so much out of it. He has gone into his exams confident and felt they went well, so we could ask no more. Thank you so much Natalie for your wonderful approach. Ann
Dr Natalie replied
Thanks for your very detailed and positive feedback, Ann. It was an absolute pleasure to tutor Alice and Tom. I wish them both all the best for their bright futures!
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Adela
Natalie has been an excellent English tutor who quickly understood Georgia's GCSE needs and helped her to develop her skills and confidence. Georgia found the one to one weekly sessions very helpful in particular when discussing work done at school and producing a model answer. She also found the application of Natalie's methods to understand and produce a correct interpretation of the question very useful in producing a more improved and appropriate response. Natalie is a very pleasant, calm and approachable tutor. She has been very flexible regarding the re-scheduling of sessions when necessary. The homework set each week was very constructive in boosting Georgia's learning. We would fully recommend Natalie's services and we're hoping for some good results! Thank you Natalie!
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for the detailed feedback, Adela. I wish Georgia all the best for her remaining exams.
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Araf
Fantastic tutor who has helped my son immensely in his GCSE English Literature. Certainly been worthwhile and would whole heartedly recommend.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you for your kind feedback, Araf.
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Meera
Natalie was extremely helpful with improving my personal statement. Responded quickly to my emails and checked through my work thoroughly. Would definitely recommend her! I think the feedback she has received from everyone speaks for itself. Truly amazing. Thank you Natalie.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you very much for the excellent feedback, Meera. You were a pleasure to work with. All the best for the future. Kind regards, Natalie
- imported from First Tutors
Catrin
Wonderful tutor, enjoyed every session and felt I was learning something new every week. Helped me go from a B grade to an A* in the space of just a few months as well as improving my own confidence
Dr Natalie replied
Thanks for the excellent feedback, Catrin. All the best for university!
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Sarah
Natalie has been an excellent tutor for my daughter making the sessions interesting and engaging. Cecily has developed a greater understanding of the subject and has very much appreciated all Natalie's help in her preparation for her A'Levels.
Dr Natalie replied
Thank you very much for the positive feedback, Sarah. I wish Cecily all the best for the future. Kind regards, Natalie.
- imported from First Tutors
Tara
Natalie helped my son with with AS level English. We don't know the results yet, but he has certainly felt more confident about approaching his exams.
Dr Natalie replied
Thanks for the brilliant feedback, Tara. I wish your son all the best for his exams. Best wishes, Natalie.