David

I will be away from the 6th November - 3rd December and will be unable to answer any enquiries during that time. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Please note that I currently only have tuition vacancies for day-time lessons (Monday - Friday).

I am currently enjoying my second career (as a teacher) having worked as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years. I left my company in 2003 and retrained as a teacher at Greenwich University, qualifying in 2004.
Outside of my career, I am a trained singer and musician, a keen sportsman (now, sadly retired from most active participation), a keen fell walker and a wildlife enthusiast.
I moved south from Yorkshire to go to university and have stayed here ever since.

Tutoring Experience

Since 2012, I have worked independently providing 1:1 home tuition for KS2, KS3 and KS4 students, primarily in Science and Maths. Some of this work continues to be with children with medical needs.
From 2008 to 2012 I worked for the Borough Pupil Referral Service providing tuition support for children with long term absence from school due to medical conditions. As senior teacher, I led the science curriculum for both KS3 and KS4 and was responsible for introducing the new Science curriculum in 2011. I also home tutored KS2 children until they were well enough to attend school again.
In addition, I assisted the Math coordinator in delivering GCSE maths tuition as required.
Prior to that, I was an upper KS2 primary school teacher in a Bexley 2-form entry school for 4 years post-qualification.
I have provided private 1:1 home tuition since 2005 for children aged from 7 to 16.
Tuition is frequently aimed at exam preparation, but also aimed at boosting basic levels of achievement.
I was an honorary lecturer at Kingston University for 5 years on an MSc course designed for the Pharmacutical Industry.

Tutoring Approach

I aim to involve any children I teach (class, group or individual) in the learning process, guiding the child to the required knowledge / answer, rather than telling them directly. It is my experience (both from industry and the classroom) that this approach leads to a better understanding and retention of the information. It also helps build the child's confidence in their own abilities. Lots of praise, and supportive feedback on any attempted work help support this. The increased confidence that results makes the child more willing to participate in classroom activities. Lessons should always be pitched at the level of the child and should be fun to ensure a full and active participation.