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January 2021: Tier 5 Lockdown

This evening Boris confirmed the inevitable. We are entering a second full lockdown and schools will once again be closed; this time until at least the February half term. I have already taken several enquiries tonight from parents I work with regarding additional hours for their children to supplement the remote learning provided by schools. Whilst I did have just a couple of hours available on Saturdays, the closure of schools does mean I can now offer sessions within the school day (should they not conflict with the sessions schools are providing.) If you are looking for 1:1 or group tuition throughout the school closure period please contact me. Whilst group tuition is less effective than 1:1 it can provide a solution for anyone on a budget - less than £10 an hour in the case of a group of 3 (the maximum group size I believe is effective.) You can organise a group yourself or I can organise this should there be enough interest by individuals looking for tuition in the same year gr
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December 2020

With social distancing measures still in place I have been tutoring the vast majority of my students online through Zoom since September. Though some parents were intially unsure as to how well this would work, we have found this to be an effective approach with children reporting they enjoy the sessions and making good progress. Whilst some students continue to record their work in books, which can then be shared via the camera or photographed and quickly emailed, others have begun to record most of their learning on screen. On Zoom learners are able to highlight parts of texts and also create work which can then be reviewed and annotated together. Where more than one student is taking part we choose colours to write in so everyone's contribution is easy to identify - by students, parents and myself. I often take screenshots of final pieces so that we can view them at the start of the next session - either as a reminder or to develop further. Currently I have a few tuition session
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October Update

Despite the stop-start nature of the autumn term due to the ongoing pandemic, I welcomed back all my students for another year of success in their chosen subjects. With severe restrictions now lifted, I have been able to tutor in person both at my home and those of my tutees whilst continuing to work online with those who prefer this. I currently have a one hour session on Wedenesdays after school available should you be looking for support plus a number of daytime sessions throughout the week for home educators. Congratulations to M, one of my new students, this week for her fantastic phonics learning. She not only solved all my phonic quiz clues to guess and write key words but also applied them in her writing relating to our shared story, Oh Otto. 
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Tutoring in June, July and August

With the government admitting it won't be possible for schools to reopen this side of the summer holiday increasingly more parents are contacting me regarding tutoring up until the point their children can return to school, and potentially beyond in order to ensure the current situation doesn't have any long-term effects on their children's education. Other parents have requested support with the learning materials supplied by their schools. Schools are clearly doing their best under difficult circumstances but without direct teaching many children struggle to grasp new concepts and develop the skills they already possess - leading to frustration and giving up. Conversely, I work with many families whose children are thoroughly enjoying the sorts of valuable activites often pushed to the side in a Maths and English-focussed school environment. Crafts, cookery, sport, music - even video production and computer aided design thanks to the likes of Tiktok and Minecraft! So if y
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Summer Term Support

These are uncertain times for teachers and children alike as the government considers the best way forward. One thing is for certain though, that for the forseeable future those children who are invited to return to school will only be doing so in a limited manner and many children will not be going back at all until September.  Whatever your view is on this, the fact remains that children's education has been turned upside down since the lockdown and social distancing measures became a reality. For the past couple of months I have continued to tutor children online with 1:1 and group sessions taking place on Zoom or Skype. The children enjoy the content and the interaction whilst many parents have told me how much they appreciate having some weekly input and time to discuss issues they have experienced home schooling. They have also observed how their children go into, "learning mode", during the online session - unsurprising when they don't have the
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Home Education Tutorials on Zoom

This week my home educated group of 8 to 11 year olds met for another successful session on Zoom. Prior to social distancing measures we'd been meeting every week at a parent's house and the children were intrigued to see how the sessions would differ online.  Now four sessions in, it's almost like we're still all sat round the table. We've adapted to the needs of the technology, using emoticons like the thumbs up to show when we're ready to share our writing or looking into the camera to show we're listening to each other's ideas. This week we read chapter 18 of Charlotte's web together and discussed ideas such as metaphor when it came to theme of moving on in the chapter. As the day ends we learn that Charlotte is getting older and less able to spin webs, Fern's interest in the animals is moving on to a special new friendship with Henry Fussy and Wilbur is up for the very public Best In Show award at the local fair. Having reviewed a vari
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Transition to Year 7

As we enter the summer term many parents have asked if I can help prepare their children for secondary school this September. Whether you're looking for tutoring in Maths, Reading, Writing or a mixture of the three I am currently offering 1:1 online sessions throughout the week in both the daytime and evening at special rates. If you are unsure where the areas of development are for your child I can carry out a diagnostic assessment in the first session to inform future tuition. Every session therefore maximises learning with no time wasted going over areas in which your child is already confident. My diagnostic approach is not restricted to students in year six. Should you be interested in tuition for your child in any primary school year please do get in touch. Examples of learning by my students can be found in previous blog entries.
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