Laura

A Little Bit About Me!

I’m married and live in east Bristol where I love baking, walking, reading and swimming. I like nothing more than a good chat while walking in the woods followed by a roast dinner and a nap. I have recently taken a break from full time teaching to begin a qualification in psychotherapy, wanting to find space in my life to support people in a more nurturing, 1-2-1 capacity. I have also recently trained as a funeral celebrant!

My Tutoring and Teaching Experience

I taught English in the same secondary school for twenty years, finishing there in July 2023. I loved every second in the classroom. I taught key stage 3 English, English Language and Literature at GCSE as well as Film Studies A Level. As well as classroom based teaching, I led on whole school literacy strategies, so also have a keen interest in reading, helping others to improve their reading skills and the enjoyment of reading. I have also had pastoral roles as a tutor and love this side of working with young people. I loved being a sixth form tutor, too, supporting students through their next steps following school, such as UCAS applications and considering apprenticeships.

Although I have not formally worked in adult education, I have mentored colleagues and supported friends and colleagues with writing for specified purposes etc. I often form good working relationships with students who struggle with attendance, particularly post-covid.

Since becoming a tutor in 2023, I have mostly supported students with preparation for their English GCSEs, though I have also worked with KS3 students who need a boost in confidence or to work on certain skills in a 1-2-1 environment. Additionally, I have worked with some adult learners, including a young man who wanted to improve his literacy to support him with a promotion at work, and an autistic lady who wanted creative writing sessions without the noise of attending a bigger workshop. I welcome working with learners of all types!

I have also been an exam marker for WJEC, examining scripts for English Language Paper 2, since I left full time teaching, which has been really helpful for supporting students in answering questions on that paper with real efficiency.

I am DBS checked, which is updated every summer, and I take a very serious approach to safeguarding; I will inform you if your child discloses anything in a session.

My Approach to Tutoring

I am both very enthusiastic about what I teach as well as calm and patient! I’m very happy to work with home educated students as well as students enrolled in a school. Additionally, I’m very happy working with adults. The 1-2-1 approach is brilliant because it allows me to break learning down into clear and memorable steps, which is probably my special skill in teaching. I pride myself on being able to work out your ideal speed and learning process and run with that. I like to create a safe and nurturing learning environment where mistakes are fine - I believe that’s where the real learning happens. You’ll get good, specific and helpful feedback from me in real time, and you’ll see yourself make progress within the space of each session as well as over a longer period. I hope I am approachable and therefore will welcome your feedback as we go, allowing me to tweak the sessions to best suit you.

If you choose to have tutoring online, I have a visualiser, which means I can model different skills in real time, just like if we were meeting in person. I found this tool invaluable in the classroom as learning happens most effectively when we watch someone else ‘do the thing’. It’s making my online teaching far more impactful (and, dare I say, fun!).