Lizzie

Hello! Here is a quick summary of who I am and what I do:

• 11+ Specialist
• University of Cambridge graduate
• Fully qualified teacher
• Trained at a nationally recognised school (Grade: Outstanding)
• Consistently achieve exceptional results
• Excellent references

I firmly believe that teaching is one of the most rewarding careers there is, and that primary school is the foundation for children to reach their full potential – being a part of this is a great privilege. My interest in the world of education was the reason I read, and greatly enjoyed, Education Studies at Cambridge University. Keen to gain a variety of experiences following my degree, I spent five years in the corporate world. However, I never found it anywhere near as inspiring as my teaching experience.

I trained to teach at Fox Primary School - one of the best schools in the country. I have also taught at a top preparatory school in London. After over four years in the classroom, I am eager to continue my true passion. I am an enthusiastic, proactive and highly organised tutor, with a proven ability to fully engage and motivate children with creative and interactive lessons, and achieve results.

Tutoring Experience

September 2019 – Present: Private Tutor and 11+ Specialist.

September 2017 – July 2019: St James Preparatory School. Class Teacher, Year 5. Joint Science Coordinator from September 2018. (I completed my NQT year in July 2018.)
• Received excellent feedback for my ability as a Class Teacher, especially regarding my engaging and motivating lessons, ability to differentiate for the wide variety of abilities and needs, and behaviour management. I set high expectations of learning and behaviour for all children, ensuring an excellent and safe learning environment.
• Extremely proud of the progress the children made both academically and socially. According to recent standardised assessment results, 64% of the children made 'much higher' than expected progress in Maths (and 14% made 'higher' than expected progress).
• The Headmistress stated that I had an exceptional relationship with the children and parents. During my first year at St James (NQT), the parents were extremely complimentary, and made a formal request for me to continue with the class to Year 6 in September 2018.

Examples of feedback from parents:

'My daughter came from school each day buzzing with enthusiasm about what she had been taught. Lizzie's positive approach and smiling, warm personality had a direct impact on her pupils. My daughter said that Mrs Callander had the perfect mix of kind, inspiring and strict in the right way.
As parents, we felt very fortunate to have such an excellent teacher for this important year, leading up to the 11+ exams for entrance to secondary school. As a result of Lizzie's teaching and support, our daughter was offered places at all five of the schools she applied for. We are very grateful to her and cannot recommend her highly enough.'

'Lizzie is a gifted teacher - engaging, kind and very bright and capable - but most importantly I feel she really knew my daughter and how to engage her in learning. My daughter learned so much in her time with Lizzie - she blossomed in confidence and really excelled in her studies.'

April 2017 – July 2017: Merlin School. Class Teacher, Year 1 (Maternity Cover).
• Very proud of the feedback I received from the Headmistress and parents on completion of this role.

September 2015 – July 2016: Fox Primary School (recently ranked one of the country’s best state primary schools). Teacher, Year 6 (School Direct Programme).
• Achieved an overall grade of 'Outstanding' and received excellent feedback from colleagues.
• Demonstrated my ability to meet the Teachers’ Standards (I achieved a final grade of 'High' for seven of the eight standards, and 'Good' for the other one).
• Received particularly positive praise for my ability to plan and teach stimulating and well-structured lessons, using good curriculum knowledge, my ability to differentiate appropriately to meet the individual learning needs of each child (including children with SEN and EAL, and from different ethnic groups), and my ability to manage behaviour effectively. For example, feedback from several observations highlighted that children were fully engaged and motivated throughout, including children with challenging behaviour issues.

April 2015 – July 2015: Fox Primary School. Learning Support Assistant, Year 1 and Year 4.

Tutoring Approach

If I had to sum up my tutoring approach in one word, it would be motivation - for my students and for me! Throughout my teaching experience, I have found that motivation leads to success, and so this is my focus in every single lesson. I tailor every lesson to the individual child, ensuring strengths are built on and confidence is raised in more challenging areas to maximise their potential. This approach has made a real difference to progress and results. I believe that the relationship between tutor and tutee is key to successful tuition, so I work very hard to create a really positive, strong relationship. My energetic and warm personality helps to do that. Fostering a love of learning is also a top priority for me - my aim is for my students to really enjoy and look forward to their lessons with me!