May

Hi, I'm May,

I'm a friendly, enthusiastic and experienced tutor who is keen to support and stretch my students in order to ensure positive progress and self confidence.
My main experience is in tutoring Key Stages 3 and 4 English. However, I am pleased to now be offering Study Skills sessions to support with revision, time management, organisation and memory.

I am a Literacy Tutor in an 'outstanding' school for boys with speech and language needs, such as Dyslexia, ADHD and ASC. In this role, I teach boys ranging from ages 8-16 in the four main areas of Literacy: reading accuracy, reading comprehension, phonology and writing. Additionally to this, I teach Study Skills where I coach boys in Years 10 and 11 in all areas of managing their time and revision.

Tutoring Experience

I am an experienced English teacher who has worked in a variety of Hampshire schools teaching Key Stage 3 and 4 English and GCSE Media Studies. Having completed my BA (Hons) in English & Creative Writing in 2012, I began teaching English in an unqualified capacity where I taught KS3 English and running intervention groups. I then began working towards my MA in Writing for Children which I completed in 2014 with a Distinction.

In 2015, I qualified as an English Teacher having completed my PGCE at the University of Chichester. Until March 2018, I worked in one of Hampshire's top performing state schools teaching English & Media Studies. This encouraged me to hone my teaching skills to achieve the highest possible grades for my students. In both 2016 and 2017, my classes achieved 100% pass rate with a significant amount achieving grades 7-9.

Throughout my time at this school, I was commended for my work on marking and feedback which was then rolled out across the school as a standardised marking template. Similarly, my resources became widely used across the department and shared with other schools.

I left teaching in 2018 due to a significant knee injury. However, I continued to tutor several of my past students with considerable success. Notable successes included one student going from a grade 2 to a grade 5 between two sets of mock exams and one of my most recent tutees achieving a Grade 7 in his GCSE English Language, having come to me on a Grade 3, four months before his exam.

Since returning to teaching in 2021, I have worked several schools supporting students with SEN needs including Dyslexia, DCD, ADHD, ASC and language delays. My current role is as a Literacy Tutor in Surrey, working with boys from ages 8-16.

Tutoring Approach

I take a flexible and patient approach to tutoring and am able to tailor sessions to suit specific requirements or needs. I feel strongly positive relationships are key to the success of tutoring. Thus, I pride myself on being a positive, kind, approachable tutor; I believe firmly in maximum entitlement when it comes to the English Curriculum. Of course, teaching exams skills is important, however, I believe fostering a sense of pride and achievement in my tutees to be of the upmost importance in order to build the confidence and resilience to succeed.

If you are looking for additional support or challenge in English, Literacy or Study Skills, I would love to hear from you.