DBS verified Fiona H.
Experienced Geography Tutor, Lead Exam Writer, Head of Department, author
About
I am an effective, passionate and experienced geography teacher with 11 years of formal teaching experience and many more years of coaching and tutoring. I most recently served as the Head of Geography before becoming a Tutor. I currently also work as a Lead Exam Writer for a major exam board and as a writer of published revision materials for a leading support service for A-Level, GCSE, and Vocational students and teachers. As a Lead Exam Writer I can provide a bank of the possible questions that could come up in the exam and help your child learn how to best approach them. I regularly use these as part of the lesson progression at intervals of teaching the content.
I have a full and current DBS so that you can be confident in a safe and professional learning environment.
Results: The goal of tuition is to make significant progress with your pupil, wherever their starting point is. The mark of a good teacher is how much progress a pupil makes in comparison to the expected progress for their age and ability. This is often measured by comparing a pupils exam results with their expected grades that they receive when entering secondary school. By this metric, GCSE pupils that took my class achieved 2.42 grades higher they would have with an average UK teacher. 89% of my classroom A-level students have received A*-B and none have failed in the history of my teaching career.
Tutoring Results (A-Level):
65% A*–A
100% A*–B
Average Improvement (grades): +1.67
All students either maintained or improved their grades, over half (55.6%) of my students increase their outcomes by 2 or more grades; no students have declined, none have failed.
SEND students: all improved by at least 2 grades: +2.2 grades average improvement
Non-SEND students: +1.4 grades average improvement
Tutoring Results (GCSE):
GCSE 7–9 83.3%
GCSE 6–9 100%
GCSE Avg Improvement (grades) +2.33
SEND students: +2.5 grades
Non-SEND students: +2.25 grades
Head of Geography and Curriculum Writing:
In my time as Head of Geography I made a culture of progress the top priority in my department. The resources and routines I developed to do this will be accessible to and tailored to your child’s needs. In my time in this role I also trained both beginning and experienced teachers. I have also been employed in the private sector (Bromsgrove School) to plan and deliver revision intensive courses to ensure short term progress before the exam season. I can offer personalised schemes of work, for homeschooled students using my experience; an Ofsted inspector during a 'deep-dive' has recently graded the 7-year curriculum overhaul in Geography in my former department as 'phenomenal'.
Published Resources Authoring Experience and Examiner Training: I work with outside agencies to create and deliver exam revision content and have presented both in online and in-person workshops nationwide. I have also written published content guides on answering exam questions at A-level and have trained as an examiner.
Teaching approach: Coaching, questioning, and effective modelling and feedback, as well as metacognition (how to help pupils transmit their knowledge and understanding across tasks and contexts, and linking prior learning to be successful in future learning) and study skills throughout the process, are the strengths to my teaching and to success for your child. In this current climate (and with the right educator with the right tools) online sessions can be as equally effective to in-person sessions.
Quality Geography education is more important than ever, the increased pressure on children in to excel equally in these subjects, and with additional context of the pandemic, may mean that they require additional support. I would be happy to supply friendly, creative and dynamic 1-1 or group tutoring time to build their confidence and academic success. Homework, grading/feedback and assessments can be included in your tutoring plan if that is what suits your needs.
Education: I hold a 2:1 BSc (Hons) in Geography from the University of Nottingham and studied a range of Geography topics and a PGCE (with Merit) also from the University of Nottingham. Previously I attended Bexley Grammar School in London, studying A-levels in Geography, English Literature, Drama and Theatre Studies, and Biology whilst voluntarily opting to study a GCSE in Geology to satisfy personal interest.
Editable Personal Learning Checklists (PLCS), Glossaries and personalised Homework available for each student. Online and in-person tutoring available. Intro video chat (free) and shorter demo sessions (small fee) available.
A Level Results History
Student | Starting Grade | Outcome | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Student A | C | A | +2 grades |
Student B | C | B | +1 grade |
Student C | E | B | +3 grades (Dyslexia diagnosis) |
Student D | B | A* | +2 grades (One of the highest Paper 2 scores in the country - 98%) |
Student E | B | A | +1 grade |
Student F | B | A* | +1 grade |
Student G | B | A | +1 grade |
Student H | A | A* | +1 grade (high achiever fine-tuning) |
Student I | B | A | +1 grade |
Student J | B | A | +1 grade (ADHD diagnosis) |
Student K | D | B | +2 grades (With ADHD + anxiety diagnosis) |
Student L | C | A | +2 grades (with anxiety diagnosis) |
Student M | E | B | +3 grades (with ADHD + autism diagnosis; required online homeschooling due to school refusual and needed reteaching Y12 content from scratch and new Y13 content, as well as guidance on NEA) |
Student N | C | A | + 2 grades |
Student O | D | B | + 2 grades |
Student P | C | B | +1 grade |
Student Q | A | A* | +1 grade |
Student R | C | A | +2 grades (slow processing diagnosis) |
GCSE:
Student A +3 grades 5 → 8
Student B +3 grades 3 → 6 (slow processing diagnosis)
Student C + 2 grades 5 → 7
Student D +2 grades 5 → 7 (slow processing diagnosis)
Student E +2 grades 5 → 7
Student F +2 grades 5 → 7
Subjects & pricing
Discount
A Level and GCSE/IGCSE Hours per week | Price |
|---|---|
1 | £90 |
1.5 | £130 |
2 | £160 |
2.5 hours (home learners) | £200 |
3 hours (home learners) | £230 |
Summer Courses: All lessons 20% off June, July and August
Languages
- English Native
Qualifications
Higher education
- BSc Geography · University of Nottingham · 2:1 · 2014 University of Nottingham · 2:1 · 2014
Teaching qualification
- PGCE Geography · University of Nottingham · Merit · 2016 University of Nottingham · Merit · 2016
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- imported from First Tutors
Caroline
Fiona is excellent and took my son from a 5 in his GCSE mock after a month off school to a 7 for his final result
Fiona H. replied
Thanks for your comments Caroline, it was great to help your son make that difference.
- imported from First Tutors
Eli
Fiona was an outstanding tutor who provided exceptional support for my A-level Geography exams. Her clear explanations, patience, and encouragement made every session both effective and enjoyable. I couldn’t have asked for a better tutor. Thank you Fiona.
Fiona H. replied
Thanks so much for your feedback Eli! Best wishes for the future, look forward to hearing from you in August!
- imported from First Tutors
Jan
I would generally recommend Fiona as a geography tutor; she is very good at explaining difficult concepts and is attentive in aiding with whatever question you may have about the content. She always provided excellent feedback for the work that I had done and made it very clear how and where to improve. The sessions do however follow a very fixed structure with significant note-taking, something to keep in mind. Overall, I am happy with the services she has provided.
Fiona H. replied
Hi Jan, Thank you for your feedback, when reviewing content, as requested, then there will be writing down notes as this is how we reduce cognitive load and increase cognitive processing, just like in class. There's a reason you do so in school and the best tutors follow the best pedagogical practices for effectiveness in the long term - using a structure of testing prior knowledge, a starter on the content for the day, main activities (including low stakes tasks and worked example schemas), assessment for learning tasks and plenaries - as it says in my profile everything I would do in the classroom! In the study of pedagogy we understand that verbal instruction without time to progress into a written note or diagram, or to do a practice question would be in ineffective at putting the knowledge into long term memory storage. However if you had communicated that you needed less writing I would have happily made worksheets for you to complete as I do with other students, or we could have had shorter lessons or I would have advertised you that we couldn't cover the volume content of content you requested in the time frame and we would need to be more precise. During timed practice just prior to the exam, of course we will do extended writing to get you ready for the exam - just as you requested as well. Glad you enjoyed the lessons overall and found them useful. Look forward to hearing from you in the summer with your results. Hi Jan,
- imported from First Tutors
Saood
I tutored with Fiona for 10 months in preparation to sit my Geography A-Level. She is a fantastic tutor and would strongly recommend to anyone. She has a very clear and concise way of teaching and it is clear that a significant amount of effort goes into both lesson prep and setting work to do outside of lessons. Her extremely in-depth understanding of the subject and the exams shines through in the lessons, and she is effective at honing in on any areas where your exam technique may be lacking. I would have struggled massively without her help, and I strongly recommend Fiona to anyone considering geography tutoring, especially if you are taking AQA, however, I don't doubt that she is also extremely knowledgeable about the other exam boards as well.
Fiona H. replied
Thanks for choosing me as your tutor Saood, it has been great working together to teach you the specification in these 10 months as you home-learn the content. Best of luck for the future!
- imported from First Tutors
Hannah
Fiona was super helpful with some last minute bolstering of content for our daughter taking Geog A'Level. Personable and knowledgeable across the board, including some esoteric areas that very few people know about, turns out Fiona has a speciality in. Daughter was delighted!
Fiona H. replied
Thanks so much for choosing me as your tutor, it's been a pleasure teaching your daughter and helping her grow in confidence and ability.
- imported from First Tutors
Tatiana
Fiona is an excellent tutor. She is very knowledgeable and patient. Her lessons are interesting and clarifying. We would highly recommend. Fiona, thank you for your help!
Fiona H. replied
Thank you so much for your kind words!
- imported from First Tutors
Rachel
We are still in the very early stages of working with Fiona in support of my son, it was very clear from the first meeting though that she was keen to understand what he wanted and needed, and moreover, what method he would best like to learn by. He described that he is quite a visual learner and that just being talked at would not help him, he has received support via a range of teaching methods such as talking things through, quick fire tasks, supported longer answer planning, imagery and diagrams. He is finding the sessions helpful and described to us how time is taken when he is not sure about something. Fiona has always clearly planned his tasks for the session. He described her sessions as creative, fun and engaging. He finds her kind and supportive which is perfect as one of my primary reasons for finding a tutor was to increase his confidence levels. I am often in and around his room at the end of the sessions and am very happy with the approach taken.
Fiona H. replied
Thank you for your kind words Rachel, looking forward to continue working with you and your son going forward.