My specialist experience working with young people with SEN to develop trusting and meaningful relationships: As an inclusion tutor and experienced teacher, I develop emotional connection and trust through patience and empathy, taking time to build relationships and understand behavioural changes. By being reliable, kind, approachable, caring and showing a genuine interest, I build meaningful relationships with my pupils. I understand that behavioural challenges often stem from frustration, anxiety, or communication difficulties; I respond with calmness and understanding, and without judgement. I give students the space to communicate without feeling pressure, enabling them to feel understood and supported. To promote engagement, I always adapt my teaching to suit the learning style, creating an individualised learning plan. I incorporate the interests of the learner as much as possible, while facilitating and inspiring the development of new interests. I build confidence and self-value by encouraging the celebration of the learning journey and efforts of the student, as well as the achievements. I am experienced in open and frequent communication with families to ensure that the student’s needs are consistently met, strengthening the student’s sense of support. I am also skilled in collaborating with specialists, such as speech and language therapists and psychologists to refine my teaching approaches.
My experience working with young people to boost their confidence and self-esteem: Part of building meaningful, positive relationships with my students is the creation of a safe, supportive learning environment, where mistakes can be made. I believe that celebrating the individuality of my students is vital in developing their confidence and self-esteem. I set goals that are achievable for the learner, however small or incremental. This way my students feel successful, develop in their self-esteem and build the confidence to challenge themselves further. By designing scaffolding that enables the learner to achieve in their learning, I enable pupils to develop a positive perception of their learning journey. I use frequent and specific praise; I celebrate effort and progress, not just achievement of the end goal or a correct answer. Through teaching resilience and modelling a positive attitude, I promote a growth mindset.
My experience teaching children with PDA: Teaching for over a decade in a variety of settings has enabled me to develop extensive knowledge of Pathological Demand Avoidance, including its characteristics, such as anxiety-driven behaviour, social communication challenges, and avoidance strategies. When teaching children with PDA, I minimise pressure and promote engagement by being flexible in my teaching strategies. For example, I provide my students with choices and enable them to feel like they are leading their learning. I create low-demand environments, where students feel safe to express themselves and engage in learning at their own pace. It is essential to establish a strong, trusting relationship, which I do through active listening, empathetic communication, and by taking the time to get to know each pupil, their interests and their needs. I am experienced in developing individualised learning plans tailored to each student’s strengths, interests, and challenges, ensuring that goals are realistic and achievable. In order to achieve positive interactions and reduce anxiety for my pupils with PDA, I use collaboration to navigate learning tasks and avoid demands. To support students in feeling calm and regulating their emotions, I teach mindfulness techniques, breathing exercises, and the use of sensory tools. To develop independence, I encourage students to set their own goals and provide them opportunities to make choices.
My specialist experience providing engaging sessions to inspire a love of learning: When planning tutorial sessions, I follow the philosophy of EPIC: every lesson should be exciting, practical, interesting and creative. With this as the basis of my teaching, I ensure that lessons are relevant to the lives of the participants. I create opportunities for discussion and debate. I make learning practical through outcomes such as cooking, letter writing or activism. To make learning creative I link subjects such as maths and art or history and drama. Wherever possible, I create immersive or multi-sensory learning experiences. I identify the interests of the learners and apply them to the learning, while developing and expanding those interests by inspiring new ones.
My skills and experience supporting young people to develop their independence: To promote independence I teach children to take responsibility for their own learning environment in terms of its preparation, organisation and maintenance. I offer children appropriate choices in their timetable or learning outcomes to encourage them to take ownership of their learning journey. I help children to understand the ways in which they learn best so they can apply that knowledge to their independent learning. Also, in order to support children in taking responsibility, I keep learning open and adaptable so that students can influence it along the way. To build intrinsic motivation, I create a love of learning, by making it interesting, fun and achievable.
My experience teaching children with ASC: As a teacher and curriculum leader at a school with an outstanding and inclusive resourced provision for children with ASC, I have in-depth experience supporting learners who are on the autistic spectrum. I understand how ASC can affect communication, social interaction, sensory processing, and behaviour in children. I create structured, predictable learning environments that help children with ASC to feel secure and enjoy their learning. This includes visual schedules, clear routines, and task breakdowns. I am skilled in working from and adapting different curriculums to suit the vast array of needs of learners with ASC, including those who are high functioning. My approach combines emotional, social and behavioural support with a tailored and adaptable learning plan. This enables my students to thrive academically and emotionally, as well as develop in their confidence and independence.
My experience teaching children with anxiety: I have over 10 years of experience in teaching students with anxiety in both tutoring and classroom settings, I have effectively supported children across a range of ages and anxiety levels, including social anxiety, PTSD and generalised anxiety, which have been linked to a wide range of SEMH issues, personal circumstances and special educational needs. My experience includes:
- Tutoring sessions for children who struggle with school-related anxiety, helping them regain confidence and improve performance in subjects that once caused fear or avoidance
- Classroom teaching and small group sessions where I helped students engage in discussions, social interaction, and collaborative learning by fostering a supportive, pressure-free environment
- Working closely with families and mental health professionals to integrate therapeutic goals into academic tutoring plans, ensuring a holistic approach to both learning and emotional well-being.
I am skilled in applying anxiety-sensitive teaching strategies; teaching emotional regulation; customising learning plans and building relationships. I have seen firsthand the transformative impact that compassionate, anxiety-sensitive tutoring can have on a child’s academic progress and overall well-being. My goal is to empower students with the tools they need to not only succeed in school but also manage their anxiety in a way that promotes long-term confidence and resilience.
My experience supporting young people with social interactions and friendship skills: I use regular check-ins to discuss social interactions and friendships with students. I do this by listening to their perspectives on situations from their own lives and working together to identify ways they could be developed. If beneficial to the student, we role play the ideas to build confidence. As a class teacher in a primary school I used circle time to teach, discuss and practise the skills required for effective social interactions and friendships. As phase leader I ran nurture groups to support children who needed more time and practice to develop these skills. As a year 6 lead, I ran transition groups, which aimed to prepare children for the social aspects of secondary school through role play, discussion and the evaluation of example scenarios. I take care to reinforce examples of positive social interactions, as well as model effective conversational skills. In order to support children who found it difficult to make friends, I implemented a buddy system, when more confident children could support those who found social interaction more difficult.
My experience teaching maths and English: I have a consistent and longstanding record of outstanding English and maths teaching – mainly in key stage 2, but also 1 and 3. I was Maths Subject Leader for seven years, during which time, I led the school in a highly successful transition in our approach to the teaching of maths, resulting in a more accessible, varied and holistic curriculum. I designed and delivered training for teachers, support staff and ECTs across four schools. I went on to mentor a new maths leader, while I oversaw a wider section of the curriculum. In several roles, I have coached and mentored teachers in their planning and delivery of English lessons. I supported teachers by modelling lessons that included reading, writing and oracy skills. I am skilled in using my knowledge of the curriculum to adapt learning, tailoring it to the needs of individuals, enabling my pupils to develop their confidence and fulfil their potential.
My experience teaching children with speech and language needs: I have taught many children with speech and language needs, including those who are non-verbal due to medical issues, autism and anxiety. I provide patience and encouragement in a positive, pressure-free environment. To support the learning preferences of my students, I use multi-sensory techniques, making learning auditory and kinesthetic. I adapt communication to suit the needs of each learner, employing visual tools such as PECS, communication boards and visual timetables. I identify the interests of my students and apply them to their learning, so that each young person is motivated to communicate.
My experience teaching children with dyscalculia, dyslexia and dyspraxia: My approach when teaching children with specific learning difficulties such as dyscalculia, dyslexia, and dyspraxia emphasises understanding each student’s unique strengths and challenges while using tailored teaching methods to promote academic success and confidence. As an experienced teacher, I bring a wealth of expertise in creating personalised, supportive learning strategies that empower students to achieve their full potential. When teaching children diagnosed with dyscalculia, I use a lot of visual representations and concrete resources to support their understanding of mathematical concepts. I break learning down into small, achievable steps. I then teach each step through a variety of ways in order to strengthen my students’ understanding. In order to support children in combating difficulties with coordination and motor skills, I implement physical adaptations and practical tools that work for the individual. I break down tasks into small, clear steps and provide structured routines to support organisational skills and task management. Through patience, flexibility and adaptability, I create a pressure-free learning environment in which children can enjoy and celebrate their progress.
My experience teaching children with ADD and ADHD: As a highly experienced teacher, I specialise in creating structured, engaging, and supportive learning experiences. I use a range of tailored teaching strategies to help students with ADD and ADHD thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. I ensure that my students can access the curriculum and reach their full potential by understanding and addressing their unique challenges with attention, focus, and self-regulation. I make learning interactive, hands-on and fun in order to engage my students with their learning. I use positive reinforcement to motivate, build confidence and develop self-esteem. In order to develop skills such as organisation, prioritisation and self-regulation, I provide executive functioning support through resources like checklists, planners and timers.
My experience tutoring children with working memory difficulties: I create a learning environment that not only addresses the cognitive challenges these students face but also builds their confidence, enabling them to succeed academically and develop critical lifelong skills. As an experienced teacher, I have developed in-depth knowledge of how working memory issues affect learning, including difficulties with following multi-step instructions, remembering key details, and holding information in mind while completing tasks. I use targeted teaching techniques, such as breaking down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps, repetition, visual aids, and chunking techniques to support retention and recall of information. These methods make learning more accessible and reduce cognitive load. To support students in developing their working memory, I employ memory-enhancing strategies and a multi-sensory learning approach. My goal is to empower these students with tools and strategies that allow them to overcome their memory-related obstacles and unlock their full academic potential.
My experience teaching children with global developmental delay and learning difficulties: I have taught many children with GDD and learning difficulties and understand the wide range of needs they may present. I make certain to gain a holistic understanding of the individual so that I can tailor learning to suit their interests, learning styles and developmental needs. In order to engage my students, I use a creative approach to teaching, where learning is multi-sensory. Hands-on activities, visual resources and games also support the retention of information. I take time to build an authentic, trusting relationship with each pupil so that they feel secure and calm and are able to enjoy learning at their own pace. I aim to build confidence and self-worth by celebrating the progress and effort made by students.
My experience tutoring children and young people with complex medical needs
As a medical inclusion tutor I have a strong understanding of a wide range of medical conditions, including chronic illnesses, neurological disorders, and sensory impairments. I provide high quality, bespoke education to my students, whilst prioritising their health needs. I have the adaptability to modify lesson plans based on the child’s energy levels, health condition, and hospital stays, ensuring educational continuity. I understand the emotional and psychological impact of long-term medical conditions on children. I provide nurturing, empathetic support to foster self-confidence, resilience and positivity alongside academic progress. I am experienced and skilled in collaborating with families and medical professionals in order to integrate therapy goals with educational benchmarks. As a teacher of young people at a school for profound and multiple learning difficulties, I am experienced in working one-to-one with young people with physical disabilities, experiencing movement and speech difficulties, supporting them with personal care and using PECS as one tool for communication.
