Matthew

I am an education journalist, author, and advisor with twenty five years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a secondary school headteacher and academy principal, further education college vice principal, and multi-academy trust director. I am a public speaker, trainer, initial teacher training lecturer, and school improvement advisor. I remain a practising teacher, currently working in secondary, FE and HE settings. I write for various magazines, am the author of numerous best-selling books on education, and co-host an award-winning podcast.

Tutoring Experience

As well as being an experienced school leader including as a Head of English, I have taught English Language and Literature, and Media and Drama, in secondary schools for twenty years and have a strong track record of exam success, not only in the sense of high grade achievements but also value added scores.

Though I have always taught - and tutored - GCSE and A Level, I have a keen interest in tutoring key stage 2 and key stage 3 children because I believe getting it right at this stage of a child's education is essential if they are to build the foundations needed for subsequent exam success.

I have privately tutored children from key stage 2 up to A Level.

Tutoring Approach

PLEASE NOTE:
I am currently only able to offer online tuition due to other work commitments.

MY APPROACH:
As a teacher-trainer, I lecture on the importance of direct instruction and of applying what we have learnt from the field of cognitive science to our classroom practice. My approach to tutoring is no different: I believe in providing clear explanations, of modelling high quality work whilst 'thinking aloud', of providing opportunities for guided independent practice and of giving actionable formative feedback.

Effective tuition, I believe, begins by agreeing clear intended outcomes and then by focusing on marginal gains. Effective tuition also provides opportunities for frequent retrieval practice and allows children to become increasingly independent over time, developing metacognition skills so that they can monitor their own learning and progress.