Our Tutors for 11+

I have over 6 years’ experience preparing students for the 11+ assessments, working both with those already within the UK education system, as well as overseas applicants. I cover all the core topics, including English, Maths and Science. In recent years I have assisted with preparation for some of the top schools in the UK, including Brighton College, Oundle, Wycombe Abbey, Benenden, and Tonbridge.

My lessons are welcoming and engaging, and even at this early age I encourage students to take charge during their classes, which builds academic confidence and interest. Our sessions are full of conversation and debate, stimulating their communication skills ready for interviews, as well as providing argumentative ideas for their persuasive writing tests.

Whilst I always build an individual plan around each student’s needs, I will normally take a dual approach. In the initial sessions, I try not to focus on rote tasks, but rather encourage pupils to expand and experiment, going beyond the standard syllabus and maximising their potential. Once exams draw nearer, the attention shifts to exam techniques, with a heavy emphasis on answer style and practice papers, so on assessment day they feel a sense of confidence and familiarity.

I studied Mathematics up to Master’s level at the University of Oxford, graduating in 2017. During my time at Oxford I specialised in Pure Mathematics, particularly number theory, which I completed a thesis on in my Master’s year. Outside the classroom, I spent my time in Oxford working for the university’s undergraduate mathematics journal, to which I contributed expository papers. After graduating I moved into teaching, starting out as a teacher in London before undertaking a PGCE in Wales and then moving to Oxford to teach at Magdalen College School. At MCS I was mostly responsible for A-level teaching, and I taught both Single and Further Maths to Sixth Form classes, as well as KS3 classes. I loved the challenge of teaching in the highly academic environment of the school and I look forward to tutoring students who enjoy pushing themselves to an equally high standard.

I strongly believe in identifying any gaps in a student’s knowledge or skills from the outset. We then come up, together, with a programme to plug these gaps and to lead the students as close as possible to where they want to end up. Along the way my students learn new ‘tips and tricks’ to answer the exam questions more quickly, more accurately, to get more marks; I regularly encourage them and provide material to work on in their own time between lessons, and I test knowledge and/or skills each time we meet, so that their progress is measurable and evident for all to see.

I am a tutor in English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. I am currently writing a book about the history of satire in English literature for Princeton University Press. By training I am a specialist in eighteenth-century satire, but I love to read widely across all genres and periods of English literature.

I have taught students from all over the world, from 11+ up to BA (Hons). As a published academic and a professional cartoonist, I have lots of experience teaching students from a wide range of backgrounds for different qualifications. I specialise in exam technique, written style, and comprehension: from 11+ entrance exams all the way up to degree level. I have also taught creative writing and reading comprehension to children between the ages of 7 and 10, where confidence is essential to achieving highly. If you want to improve your written English or write more clearly (and therefore successfully!) in exams, then I would love to teach you. My students consistently achieve top marks and gain acceptance to reputable schools, Russell Group Universities, and Oxbridge. As a tutor, I am considerate but diligent: the aim is that you improve and feel comfortable with all of the new ideas and techniques that we develop together.

I am a hard-working, friendly and determined individual who really enjoys teaching and working with children or young adults. I have been tutoring both for groups of children at a Saturday school and for individuals privately, part time, for more than three years now and on top of that worked as a teaching assistant for primary school children on my GAP year. My diligence and desire to do well have allowed me to obtain all A* grades in both GCSEs and A-Levels, putting me in a good position to tutor children with similar academic achievements in mind. More than this, however, I believe in fostering a real passion for a subject, as ultimately it is from a natural desire to learn that top grades can be attained. I have found particularly with English Literature, my main focus, the school curriculum prior to the A-Level syllabus can be fairly limiting and uninspiring to many students. My aim is to expose students to texts that will broaden and strengthen their study of Literature, allowing them to think more critically and with new opinions of classic, canonical works. I tutor with a passion and approachable energy that I believe encourages students to learn from their mistakes and consolidate upon their existing knowledge.