Lucy

Skills & Experience

I am a qualified teacher with over 25 years' experience across primary and secondary education. My career has included roles as a SEND teacher, Literacy Coordinator, Ethnic Minority Achievement Coordinator, school therapist and specialist SEND tutor. I have worked in mainstream, specialist and alternative settings, supporting children with a wide range of academic, communication, emotional and behavioural needs.

For the past two years, I have specialised in tutoring children and young people who are unable to attend school because of anxiety, trauma, medical needs or complex neurodevelopmental profiles. Working on behalf of local authorities, I provide highly personalised tuition in children's homes, community settings and online. I am experienced in helping pupils rebuild confidence, re-engage with learning and, where appropriate, work towards a successful return to education.

I teach across KS1–KS4, including the primary curriculum, English Language and Literature to GCSE, and Functional Skills English and Maths. I am particularly experienced in adapting curriculum content for pupils working below age-related expectations, as well as academically able students whose progress is affected by anxiety, executive functioning difficulties, communication needs or emotional regulation.

I have considerable experience supporting pupils with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Developmental Coordination Disorder (dyspraxia), Developmental Language Disorder, PDA, sensory processing differences, speech and language needs, executive functioning difficulties and social communication differences. I have also worked extensively with children experiencing emotionally based school avoidance, trauma, bullying, low self-esteem and other experiences that can make education feel difficult or inaccessible.

My BA in English Literature, Primary PGCE and MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling for Children and Adolescents (Distinction) give me a strong combination of academic, educational and therapeutic expertise. I am able to look beyond a child's presenting difficulties and consider the factors that may be affecting their ability to learn, communicate and regulate. I also work closely with parents and carers, drawing on my own experience of parenting a neurodivergent child to understand the wider challenges families can face and to support them in recognising and building on their child's strengths.

My first priority is always the relationship. Particularly when a child is anxious, overwhelmed or has had difficult experiences of school, I don't believe meaningful learning can happen until they feel safe, understood and comfortable with the person sitting beside them. I take time to get to know each child as an individual — their interests, humour, strengths, worries and the things that make them feel confident.

I am particularly drawn to working with children who have lost their confidence in education. I don't rush to fill a session with academic tasks simply because that is what has been planned. Sometimes the most important thing we can do initially is talk, play a game, go for a walk, explore an interest or simply spend time getting to know one another. From there, I gradually introduce learning in ways that feel manageable and achievable.

I bring warmth, humour, creativity and a calm presence to my sessions. I like to find the unexpected route into learning: perhaps using a child's favourite subject to spark a conversation, incorporating movement into a task, turning an academic activity into a game, or simply talking through an idea before asking the child to put it on paper. I want children to feel that learning is something we are doing together, rather than something being imposed upon them.

For anxious or neurodivergent children, I pay close attention to signs of overwhelm and adapt accordingly. I use calm communication, gentle encouragement, appropriate boundaries and co-regulation to help children feel settled. I don't see anxiety, refusal or dysregulation as simply "bad behaviour"; I try to understand what the child is communicating and what they need in order to feel safe enough to move forward.

I also recognise that every child is different. Some children need lots of conversation and reassurance; others connect through humour, movement, games or shared interests. Some need a quiet, predictable environment, while others thrive when learning is active and creative. I am happy to think outside the traditional classroom model and meet a child where they are.

Once trust and confidence begin to grow, I gently introduce more structured learning. I use modelling, scaffolding and achievable steps to help children experience success without feeling overwhelmed. My aim is to gradually help them recognise their own capabilities and become more independent, rather than creating a reliance on me.

I believe progress is about much more than completing a worksheet or improving a grade. For some children, progress might be reading a page without giving up, writing a paragraph after months of avoidance, talking openly about something that worries them, or simply arriving at a session feeling ready to engage.

Ultimately, I want children to leave my sessions feeling understood, valued and a little more confident than when they arrived. Once a child begins to believe that they can succeed, academic progress often becomes much more possible.