My name is Holly, I am 32 years old and I have been teaching since 2013. I live with my husband and little girl in Farncombe. In July 2017 I left the school I was teaching at to begin my maternity leave. I graduated from Lancaster University in 2007 with a BA Hons in Sociology and have worked in education settings ever since.
As a post graduate I trained in 2012 to teach as part of the Graduate Teaching Programme. I taught Year 1, 2, 4 and 6 throughout the year and I decided during this time that I would like to concentrate on teaching in Key Stage 1. I began my first teaching post in Year 2 and so have experience of preparing children for the end of Key Stage 1 assessments. Since then I have taught in Epsom for 3 years in Year 1, whilst also being the Maths lead for the school. I have a lot of experience teaching Phonics and really enjoy this. During my last year teaching Year 1, I received a letter from the Department for Education to congratulate the school on the outstanding Phonics Screening results, which were in the top 10% of the the country.
My approach to tutoring is reflective of when I was teaching in the classroom, I pride myself on getting to know the children extremely well and use this to teach them in a style and context that is supportive and engaging to their individual needs. I like to keep teaching fresh and fun, with lots of practical hands on learning for younger Key Stage 1 children. I believe a child must feel confident and that their progress is achievable for them. I encourage children to have a growth mindset and I will help them to build resilience to try, try and try again! I am happy to informally assess the child during the first session so I fully understand their needs and can ensure progressive planning and teaching. I will discuss this with parents and give regular weekly feedback throughout our time together. I am also happy to work on specific targets or areas for development suggested by the child's school teacher.