Ms Laura P.

Teaching is my third and final career and I love it. I have over 28 years experience of helping students of all ages and abilities achieve their goals. I am a qualified teacher with 14 years in classrooms, teaching English and law, and I'm also a qualified journalist and academically qualified solicitor.

I found school very challenging myself, so I completely understand why many very bright students don't do as well as they could at school. The truth is, school isn't always the best place to learn.

My pricing

I charge according to how much time I spend preparing for lessons and marking homework between sessions. Thus for law students I require much more time preparing as new laws are constantly being passed that impact or completely cgabge those whuch they modify or replace. I am very familiar with all the GCSE texts but often have to read the entire syllabus for A level students.

What I offer

I offer bespoke one to one and small group preparation for all levels of English language from Year 1 to 11+, and CEM, and English Language and Literature for GCSE, IGCSE and A levels students, Undergraduates and Postgraduates.

I specialise in maths tuition for students upto 11+ for students who hate maths.

I help law students from A level upto and including LLB, GDL and LPC.

I teach French from beginners upto and including GCSE.

Tutoring Experience

Since 1998 I have helped literally thousands of students to

* achieve grade A/A*/9 in GCSE and A level English literature and language;

* get into a wide range of top London schools at 7+, 10+ and 11+ including St Paul's Girls, St Paul's Boys, Henrietta Barnett, Tiffin Girls, Eton, UCS, as well as Merchant Taylor, Godolphin and Latimer, Haileybury, Hampton, John Lyons, Notting Hill and Ealing, Kew House, St James', Kings College Wimbledon, Haberdashers Askes, St Helen's Northwood, Northwood College, Royal Masonic, Habs Girls, Northbridge House and Latymer Upper;

* win scholarships to Harrow School, UCS and Notting Hill and Ealing, and American Ivy League universities including Princeton and Georgetown.

* help children aged 6 and above who are struggling with English, French or maths.

* see adults on a regular or ad hoc basis, for example Claudette who is 58. I helped her with GCSE English in 2016. She completed her degree in physiotherapy at Birkbeck and is now a qualified physiotherapist. Charles couldn't decide what to do after leaving school with no qualifications and working in various dead end jobs, and I coached him until he decided to become a quantity surveyor and started university in September 2025.

Background

My first teaching experience was as a volunteer, teaching Adult Literacy from 1985 - 1987 while working as a freelance journalist. From 1995 - 1997 I taught at a boys' preparatory school - Durston House - while completing my vocational training part time as a solicitor.

I began tutoring fulltime in 1998 when I realised that although working in the law is fascinating, it's not a lifestyle I want, and I have been tutoring ever since. In 2007 I completed my Cert Ed while teaching fulltime at Harrow College.

From 1999 to 2012 I was teaching English fulltime in a sixth form college which specialised in English at all levels from Functional Skills and IELTS, to academic English i.e. GCSE, Access, and A Level language, literature and lang/lit. I continued to see a few private students, and in 2012 I returned to fulltime tutoring.

Ad hoc help:-

Apart from tutoring, I also

*help adult students with their theses and dissertations,

*teach them how to edit their work properly, how to ensure that they are not straying off topic, and

*how to improve their vocabulary and expression to ensure that thoroughfare writing is succinct, precise and accurate. I can do this online or face to face.

*Help with personal statements, applications for research grants and CVs is available face to face or via Google docs.

Children- and adults- with disabilities:-

In the last 28 years I have taught literally thousands of students and many of them have had disabilities including deaf students, visually impaired students and students with cerebral palsy, as well as students with learning difficulties including SM, AS, APD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia and ADD/ADHD.

I have studied the growing problem of both ESOL and native speaking English students who have difficulty in drawing inferences from what they read. My method of teaching uses a very carefully selected range of texts to focus on intensely in order to determine whether further investigation is appropriate. I am not qualified to diagnose autism but I have successfully taught many students on the spectrum.

Tutoring Approach

My ethos:-

I have studied the psychology of learning and have many tools at my disposal to teach the skills that students and job seekers need. If you are struggling in school, college or university, it is not your fault. My job is to ensure that you do not need a tutor as quickly as possible while offering ongoing support if necessary.

I believe that given the right atmosphere, attitude and support, anyone can succeed. A stressful environment makes learning almost impossible, so my lessons are extremely relaxing. Students are usually amazed at how fast the time passes. At the end of the session I ensure the student understands everything covered in that session, and may ask for the student to complete an appropriate length homework to bring to the next session.

My motto is "self talk determines destiny" and I help students to unlearn the idea that they can't do something.

My method:-

First I ensure that I am the right tutor for the student. The first session is designed for the student (and their parents) to assess me, and for me to work out the student's current level of ability and their learning style.

In subsequent sessions the most important thing is to ensure that the student has no gaps in their understanding of the subject and what is required. So I always begin at the beginning and usually students progress very quickly through the first phase. Once they are reasonably confident and have caught up with their school's expectations, I begin to stretch them, at their own pace.

I believe that students want to do well but are self-conscious and dislike asking for help at school as it makes them feel stupid. Lack of basic understanding results in lack of self confidence which can easily develop into becoming withdrawn or disruptive in class, or hating the subject.

It is quite easy to turn the student's attitude around once they realise that they can succeed, so I do a lot of confidence building exercises and use praise and humour to help them see what they are doing wrong and what they are doing right.

As a result of this, their self esteem is enhanced and they become more willing to contribute in class and take risks, rather than sitting in the back of the classroom praying for the time to pass.

My resources

I use my own resources which I have developed by studying assessment criteria and objectives of all of the boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC) as well as the specifics of GCSE and IGCSE. For 11+ and CE I use a wide range of texts that are demanding and lend themselves to students learning how to explore linguistic effects.

Location of lessons

I am happy to tutor at the student's home because I think students feel more secure and relaxed in their own home, and I charge a travel supplement (please see below for details).However, students can of course, come to me if this suits them better. Parents are welcome to sit in on sessions as long as the student feels comfortable with that, or they can wait in another room. I am always happy to consider teaching friends at the same time to keep costs down (max group size 4 students), and am happy to negotiate an appropriate rate for group sessions. Such sessions take place in my home.

Please note the following:-

1. I will split the introduction fee with you 50/50;

2. I charge a supplement of £10 to travel upto 3 miles and a residents parking ticket if necessary or reimbursement for parking costs;

3. I require a minimum of 48 hours notice of cancellation or payment in full (except for travel time) under all circumstances including sudden illness. If possible I will offer an alternative session in the week but this is not always possible;

4. On Sundays I only teach from my home;

5. For distances beyond 3 miles upto 5 miles radius of my home, the minimum session is an hour and a half plus a travel supplement of £20. This can be shared between siblings or subjects;

6. For distances beyond 5 miles radius of my home, I charge for one hour of my time, or an uber in both directions, whichever is cheaper. These sessions are a minimum of an hour and a half, which can be shared between siblings or subjects;

7. All GCSE and A level students are welcome to send me essays of upto 1000 words to comment on between sessions. There is no charge for this service.

References

Finally, if you would like references from current or previous students (or their parents) please just ask.

Languages

English (British),

French A level,

German O level,

Latin O level,

Availability:

Weekends, Weekdays (3 pm-8 pm)

Qualifications

University of Westminster 2007 Cert Ed

London Guildhall University 1994 Professional Legal Practice Course (law part 2)

University of West London 1993 Common Professional Exam/ GDL (Law part 1)

The City University 1978 Professional Post Grad Diploma in Journalism

University of Kent 1977 BA Hons American Studies in Literature

Laura's Feedback

Published feedback (from the now defunct First Tutors.com 2010 to 2012. I have requested my data from 2012 to 2026 from First Tutors.com and I am awaiting it)

FROM ANH

She is punctual and nice tutor but her teaching method is not suitable for us. Thank you for spending time with us.

Hi Anh,

Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry that my style is different from what you were expecting. I wish you and Cherie the very best i... Read more ›

FROM GENET

Laura has made my child independent and extraordinary. She has developed his skills in comprehension and creative writing.I would reccomend Laura.

... Read more ›

Hello Genet,

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. I really enjoyed working with Yafet, and Adonay, and I'm sure you are very proud o... Read more ›

FROM CATHERINE

We have found Laura to be excellent. Our son really looks forward to his lessons with her.

Thank you very much Catherine. Freddie is a pleasure to tutor in maths. Hopefully soon I will have time to help him with English and/or French, too... Read more ›

FROM EMMA

Laura is a fabulous tutor, who has reawakened my sons love of literature and is doing an excellent job of preparing him for his GCSE English exams.... Read more ›

Thank you Emma. I really enjoy spending time with Jude. He has excellent original ideas about The Merchant of Venice, and I'm sure, his input on th... Read more ›

FROM TOMOKO

Thank you so much for fulfilling saturday morning for my sun!

Thank you very much, Tomoko. It is great watching Taichi becoming more confident as he becomes more competent.

View all 10 comments about Laura ›

FROM REIKO

Laura is the tutor I wish my parents had got for me when I was at school. All three of my children (13,10 and 8) are on the spectrum and she has helped all of them!

Thank you, Reiko. That feedback made me cry.