• My specialist experience working with young people with SEN to develop trusting and meaningful relationships;
Forming tutor/student & family relationships is the best part of being a tutor or teacher and the most important in terms of making progress over time. I have been fully committed to every single student that I have taught throughout my career and have been commended on this, even when working in busy special schools with many students. I have used my skills to tutor children in the Early Years/ Foundation Stages and ensure that my sessions are engaging and fun but importantly run at the child’s pace. I can adapt my teaching style to fit the needs of the student and be totally flexible in my approach. This ensures a safe and trusting environment for the child.
• My experience supporting young people with ASC;
I have taught children/ young people with autism in a range of settings. I create relevant and purposeful learning experiences for these students, whilst keeping to routine and using symbols and visual aids where appropriate. I am patient and tailor resources to the needs of the child. I have experience in supporting students with their sensory diet and creating communication tools for them to be able to express themselves independently. I have also developed strategies for self-regulation and emotional development, depending on the needs of the child. When I was 13, my brother was diagnosed with ASC and complex needs when he was 3 years old and he has taught me so much about the condition over the years.
• My experience supporting young people with ADHD;
The students that I have taught with ADHD have required a number of different strategies in order to keep them engaged, focused and be able to retain information. For example the tasks need to be; personalised as much as possible, use symbols or images, created for short bursts of attention and need to be built up very progressively. Repetition and consolidation is vital for ADHD and other SEN needs. It is also really important to provide reward time and identify the students’ motivators.
• My experience supporting young people with a PDA profile;
I have worked specifically with students with PDA in both special school and tutoring settings. I recognise that a student with a PDA profile has a unique way of thinking, that requires a careful use of language and a low demand approach. I have had additional training in PDA throughout the past 5 years and recognise the complexity of the PDA profile alongside other co-existing diagnoses.
• My experience teaching Social & Communication skills;
These skills are fundamental for an individual’s personal development; the ability to develop relationships and to have an enriched life. They have been a core part of my teaching philosophy, across all subjects, in schools and now into tutoring. I have experience teaching these skills through role play activities, through play-based learning, life skills and functional skills. I am currently working with a pre-verbal student who has started to communicate using expressive language and it is an absolute joy to be part of their learning journey
• My experience supporting young people with sensory/auditory processing needs;
The students that I have taught with these needs have required different strategies to keep them engaged, focused and able to process and retain information. For example, the tasks need to be: personalised as much as possible, use symbols or images, created for the sensory needs of the learner and built up progressively. Repetition, overlearning, interleaving and consolidation are vital for students with any processing needs.
• My experience teaching Primary EYFS English and maths;
Throughout my Special Needs teaching experience, I have had to explore and deliver a variety of strategies for teaching reading, phonics and the Early Learning Goals in English and Maths. I predominantly do this through play-based activities, using visual schedules and fun activities that support fine motor skills, in preparation for writing control. I have delivered activities to support the EYFS framework and have used continuous provision to support learners to move between tasks.
• My experience developing confidence and self-esteem;
I have a positive and caring nature, which allows me to form bonds with students quickly. The key to my approach is to deliver gradual, child-led sessions that are well planned and positive. I give plenty of praise if the student responds well to it and will go out of my way to make students feel ‘seen’ and ‘heard’. I believe that praise can boost confidence in students when it is well pitched and genuine, and that there needs to be specific consideration for those individuals with a PDA profile, as often praise can be seen as another layer of demand.
4 Reviews on “Jess”
Jess has been a fantastic addition to our sons learning journey so far. She puts an enormous amount of care and detail into every session and really takes the time to learn and understand his interests and needs. He really looks forward to their sessions, we couldn’t have asked for a better tutor
C’s tutor, Jess, from SENsational tutors, has consistently gone above and beyond in supporting her to be able to engage in lessons. She understands complex SEN including FASD, ASD (PDA) and ADHD which requires education to be bespoke and the learning profile to be thoroughly understood. SENsational Tutors took the time from the start to find the right tutor for us and this tutor has consistently come up with creative ways to engage and teach C, and has been incredibly supportive in a very difficult situation. Jess’ support has been outstanding; she has gone above and beyond over the last year and her SEN knowledge is excellent. Quite frankly, I don’t know how we would have managed without her unwavering commitment.
My son has been having on line tutoring with Jess of SENsational Tutors for nearly three months now. Jess has had a very positive impact on him and has helped him learn new strategies for learning and completing his college work. She is very patient, encouraging and supportive and Jacob has really responded to this and listens to what she says. Her feedback to me before and after the sessions is fantastic, so I always know what the plan is, what was covered and what he has to do for the next session. I really struggled to find the right tutor to help him, as he has some specific learning needs, but Jess has been a life saver.
When we first started looking for a tutor for my daughter, I was honestly quite anxious about finding someone who would truly understand her needs cPTSD and neurodiversity.
From the moment we met Jess, those worries disappeared. She just “got” my daughter straight away. There’s something special about the way Jess connects with young people – she’s incredibly patient and has this calm presence that immediately put my daughter at ease. Within just a couple of sessions, my daughter was actually looking forward to their time together, which was amazing to see.
What I love most about Jess is how she makes learning feel natural and enjoyable. She doesn’t just stick to textbooks – she finds creative ways to teach that match my daughter’s interests. Whether it’s using art techniques to help with other subjects/topics or finding ways to make difficult concepts more accessible, Jess always seems to have the perfect approach.
One thing that really shows Jess’s special way of working is how she’s encouraged my daughter to turn her passion for crochet into a mini enterprise. With Jess’s support and encouragement, my daughter has gained the confidence to share her skills with others and even make a little money from something she loves. It’s amazing how Jess sees potential in everything and helps build on it.
As a mum, I really appreciate how Jess keeps me informed about what they’re working on and how my daughter is progressing. She gives such thoughtful feedback after each session, and I can see she genuinely cares about my daughter’s wellbeing, not just her academic progress.
The transformation in my daughter’s confidence has been incredible. She’s grown so much that she’s now transitioning to an independent sixth form to study A levels – something I honestly wasn’t sure would be possible when we first started. Seeing her excited about her future and believing in herself is the most wonderful thing as a parent.
If you’re looking for someone who will truly understand your child/young person and help them flourish, I can’t recommend Jess highly enough. She’s been exactly what our family needed.