Sally Gaye's Feedback

Ineed Cary, I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and learning with your son, watching him grow and develop into a confident and enthusiastic learner. Story writing through pictures and, reading together indeed was enormously rewarding, as he has a natural talent in creative writing. Thank you again for your parental support which helped to have great lessons !

Thank you very much for your kind feedback. I’m glad that your daughter found the knowledge sharing useful. I try to always focus on context, culture and context as well as written content in the production of the essays in writing, as it’s important for their subject learning. I have promised to continue to give feedback when needed on her writing, so that she can keep improving. Very best of luck

I wish your daughter the best of luck in her A levels. It was a pleasure to share my love of Literature. Of course, I really hope she watches the Lear performance by Ian McKellen being an actor herself, as it is so much better than reading it. Keep going you’re doing really well. Next step university ! Thank you again

We are now 4 weeks into the English programme for your daughter and she has learnt so much already. She is really enjoying the debates, grasping the discursive process and we are starting creative writing with the Hobbit settings. It is often challenging for 12 year olds to understand the argumentative structure but she arrived at 85% by improving each iteration. Moving towards the future assessments is so much easier with a good head start at 12! Very well done.

Your lovely daughter came to me with reservations about her learning, which is normal for a young student adapting in a new environment. I now believe by reading the books together, writing collaborative tasks and having worked out a detailed plan, we are on the right track to her success in her 13+ and her future exams. I am certain we will realise her ambitious aspirations and dream of going to Oxford University!

Thank you so much for making the journey, much appreciated. It was a pleasure to tutor your son as he is an intuitive learner, who engaged fully in the lesson with me. He loved talking about Great Expectations, which will stand him in good stead for the classics that often appear in the exams. I am absolutely certain he will do well in his English Entrance exams for Latymer and the other top schools in the Richmond area of equal ranking. The best of luck for his future…

I am so pleased your son enjoyed the session, that you found the materials useful and I am sure will go onto to find a great school to nurture his creative talents. The very best of luck in finding the right school and what you need for your son !

Your lovely daughter was a pleasure to work with, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a delight to support Charlotte, as she was enthusiastically engaged and worked hard. I sincerely hope we get to study together again for the next challenge - the 13+ if needed, of which I am certain by her creative talent, she will succeed in. Thank you

So pleased Tom is learning what he needs to fill those dreaded gaps. Not an easy task for A levels but we are getting there fast and furious! Glad to be of help. Learning can also be fun as we have discovered along the way! I’m positive for a great result. Good luck to Tom in his tennis and studying.

It was so unfortunate we were unable to realise the first lesson, as sometimes happens. Sadly, the parent cancelled their free trial last minute due to a medical issue.

We decided not to go ahead with the tutoring as their son needed specialist support from a dyslexia trained SEN tutor. Although I am a member of the Dyslexia Association by experience, I am not a specialist in SEN per se. So we only had a couple of lessons both online - as I agreed with the parent that dyslexic students respond much better face-to-face. I tutored a dyslexic student for 3 1/2 years to 2020, when she passed English at level 6 and A-level literature at grade C with two A’s in theatre, drama and photography. So therefore she can go onto a Group University - so it does take time to learn the skills for cognitive support, brain organisation and understanding.
The very best of luck with your endeavours Sally

I am very pleased that your son managed to get into the school of his choice, through his own continued efforts and independent learning, which I’m sure will stand him in good stead for the future. Even though to start he wasn’t keen on homework, he obviously managed to overcome that to pass his exam, which I’m sure gave him a great sense of achievement. It was a pleasure to tutor your son who was engaging, lively and creative with lots of fantastic ideas. Good luck both!

Thank you so much. I was so thrilled when you told me about your son’s top grades - level 9’s in both GCSEs in English language and literature! He worked really hard to make sure that he did the reading, editing and wrote the essays from my instructions every week. I am so pleased he had gone on to study his A-levels, to enable him to choose the career he wants for his future. Well done Lukas.

Thankyou for your kind remarks. It is always a pleasure to see a student steadily develop their confidence and skills over time. We have made great progress together. Hence, lessons are mutually enjoyable because of your son’s pleasant manner and engagement in the tasks. We shall now look forward to a successful result in the 11+.

Indeed, for that reason, we had arranged a full 1 hour free consultation and assessment with the family as soon as we exchanged details. The First Meeting is also face to face to ensure safeguarding and check documentation at no cost to the parent to discuss all the details in full. This meeting was arranged for the Saturday as I had apologetically relayed that I am not available during the daytimes due to other commitments, then tutor in the evenings so can’t answer my mobile. Unfortunately, because I am a researcher at university I was unable to respond to the calls due to being indispensable at the time. I respond to sms as soon as I can. Mutual understanding is appreciated. With sincere wishes, Sally

I am so pleased that finally we got your son into the school of his choice. James rose to the challenge, after some initial doubts in his own competence in English. His final pieces of creative writing were original and thoughtfully crafted. To consistently encourage and support a child to question and analyse their reasoning processes, is the key to their achieving success in the 11+ entrance exams. I am therefore delighted that he developed his confidence in his critical thinking, beyond the demands of the secondary school exams. He will do well !

Your daughter is a keen learner, who is eager to do her best in the exams. I am very pleased she has responded so well to the teaching methods and structured content, which are entirely suited to her individual style. Therefore, I am sure she will do extremely well in the GCSEs, like many of my other students who have different ways of learning and processing, quite complex texts, to be able to write under pressure in a short space of time.

Asya is a delightful student. She comes ready to learn, with her notebook and homework all done. She smiles and willingly follows all the instructions.
I am sure she will do very well.
Thankyou so much for such kind feedback.

Dear Sapna
I wish you the best of luck finding a tutor. As we did not meet then the rating is a bit ina curate as it is supposed to be for my tuition as a tutor. I always get 5/5 so it is important for me to maintain my credibility as a top school tutor.
I am sorry the post code address did not appear before you accepted.
It is a pity you could not travel to Sheen.
I do understand,
Kind regards Gaye

It is always a pleasure to have a student who is enthusiastic bright and motivated.

Indeed, I thoroughly enjoy my time with your little boy. I’m thrilled that he has come along so well with the methodology of creative writing and inter-active reading.

We have been able to start more challenging texts, that he will meet in the 11+ exams, which I am also pleased with. Particularly, as he will be able to feel independently confident, that we have addressed some of his challenges, especially with the complex language and sentence structures, that they expect in the Independent and grammar schools.

We have come along way already! I can see exactly where he needs support, which we can improve quickly and effectively with the reading and creative writing, that we work on together in lessons.

Dear Mamatha
I was also concerned at the beginning, that your lovely son would not engage with some of the very academically dense topics pupils have to cover in English at school. However he has truly developed his own opinion and style, bringing topics to the lessons to discuss with enthusiasm. I am impressed at his willingness to debate current affairs in depth, global politics, crime, ethics and the law, medicine, new inventions with compassion and empathy. He has come along so well, that I can see that whatever profession he chooses in the future, he will excel and be ready to apply himself as an exemplar student.

Thankyou Samantha and Briony.
I am thrilled that Briony could grasp highly complex concepts and the Academic style in time to reach her goal of a higher grade for the required university entrance.
I will keep my fingers crossed for her! The very best of kuck for the coming exams! Well done on a Grade B and going onto University!

I unfortunately had to attend my elderly parent in hospital, who had pneumonia; 5 hours from London, so never met or delivered any lessons.
The rating is therefore not a reflection of my teaching. I ensured First Tutors gave the student a refund to choose another Tutor.

I requested that the parent please remove the rating of 3/5 - as it affects my tutoring delivery profile.
As it was not related to myself or my
service. But the First Tutors is a big company so don’t do it.

Sadly, as the only offspring to my parents, I had to deal with a sudden family health emergency, five hours away from where I live. Which is unavoidable.

We never actually had a lesson or spoke.
As it sadly happened before we arranged the first lesson, which would normally have been complementary.

Therefore, I the rating is not relevant as I didn’t complete a lesson with the student.

I also sent free advice and English content with my documents free of charge, which took me over 3 hours as a courtesy.

I advised the parent to re-apply for a refund, so that they could be re-imbursed their money back.
But obviously I didn’t charge them any fees myself at all.

I think there should be a better refund procedure, for parents that apply for a lesson, when cancellation is due to an emergency or mitigating circumstances.

As at the moment the only way is through a tutor’s profile which then affects their ratings; which seems a little unfair, as it is a simple procedure of applying direct for a refund.

I also pay first tutors £50 every three months to list my details, so I as the tutor make no gain from the fee.

It is slightly unclear as parents think it’s me who should be refunding the registration fee.

So I find it a little awkward to involve the tutor in the refund process, when it isn’t in their control.
It creates an uncomfortable atmosphere between the tutor and the parent.

Thankyou for your kind words. Your son was highly engaged in the lessons, even through his minor setback. His enthusiasm and sense of curiousity will stand him in good stead for the future.
I wish him the best of luck in his new endeavours. Thankyou!

Eva is a delightful, lively and engaged little girl who really enjoys creating her own stories and illustrations.
I am very pleased that she enjoys discussing her different ideas and themes enthusiastically.
She will do well in her creative approach to learning as well as writing great tales!

The student unfortunately was expecting the essays and content to be written by me for him. Maybe other tutors are willing to offer essay writing service but as an examiner I was not able to do that.

Your little girl was engaged and enthusiastic.
She certainly has a creative flair, which she should keep developing and pursuing, as it's a rare talent!

Max is very willing to try new techniques and tools, which is going to stand him in good stead for his academic future. I am sure that he will attain a top grade in GCSE, as have my other students, who embraced the methodology, completed all the exercises and homework that I set. It is hard work but with persistence it pays off. Well done Max so far!

I have only had one lesson with her, so it is hard to say having not taught her before ,whether there will be sufficient time to get up to the required level. It always depends on how much the student has been reading the classical texts and engaging with English previously.
We will try to see if she will have enough time before the exams in January.

I wish her the best of luck… A very competent student, who tries hard to understand the complexity of analytical thinking which is required of the grammar school examinations.

I hope that she goes on to study, that we can make the time to get her up to the required level.

Your son Victor, is enthusiastic, diligent, and a pleasure to tutor. He is progressing well, and certain to gain entry to St.Paul's, with his astute awareness of current affairs and the natural environment.

Maria is a pleasure to tutor. She brings a fun, energetic and enthusiastic attitude to lessons. She loves reading, using her imagination to create fantasy worlds and is open to new ways of learning through drawing, writing and painting. She will do well in her school life.

Your son is an absolute pleasure to teach, as he is enthusiastic, lively and participative in the lessons. He has an innate quality of a thirst for creating stories, with characters embarking in colourful adventures.

He will do well in school with his peers!

If the other Tutor does t charge for the first half hour, then you recover the fee.

I offer the first half hour at no charge. So you only pay my time for 30 mins.

I hope that helps and answers your question.

Gaye

First Tutors are the company who make the registration charge not me.

Anna was a very diligent student who was a pleasure to teach.
I am delighted that she has gone on to her medical profession to develop as a doctor.
I wish her all the very best and hope that we keep in touch with her progress.
It looks like we might even have a budding neuro scientist professional!
Well done!

It was a pleasure to help clarify structuring essays to ensure all points were covered, with relevant sections and in depth critical analysis. It helped enormously that your son Amadeo could grasp the concepts quickly. I await a great result.

I was asked by this student if I could write an upgrade of an A level course work essay in 3 hours from a C to an A! It is not allowed in the examination rules. This is a serious offence for which I would lose my registration. Refusal often offends.
I explained that it would not be achievable.
My honest appraisal was that we needed to spend a further 8 hours of 1 to 1’study to improve his Academic English writing skills to meet the level of sophistication needed to get an A.
He was unable to do that as his parents explained due to after school commitments.
I need time to do my job well.
I passionately, support, guide and tutor the skills and depth, A level critical thinking and analysis requires.

I have helped students develop from a U to an A in 30 hours.

I enjoy working hard with students as you will see from my other reviews.

I wish you all good luck with your studies.

Aaron and I have a tutoring partnership which is develping his capabilities in a steady and consistent manner.
Aaron realises it is a formative process that builds on active participation in lessons, academic research, writng, analysis and critical thinking.

I believe we will achieve the top grade he needs to study Law at university.

Aaron is a dediacted learner, is open to feedback and tries new ways of working to achieve his goals… A pleasure to guide him through his exams.

Catarina is a joy

I believe every student has the capacity to learn. It is about awakening the intellect through curiosity, positive feedback, inspiring them to explore for themselves!
The student has great ideas and such enthusiasm that the building blocks all there ready to be nurtured.

Albeit to say he got a B in AQA not the easiest of A levels. Well Done!!!