Simon

I am currently a head of geography at a top Bucks grammar school and offer a wealth of experience in both geographical knowledge and skills. A strong subject knowledge combined with a clear understanding of examination needs (former A level examiner) means that my tutees have always excelled / achieved what they have needed. I have a natural ability to build trusting and professional relationships with both students and parents. I would like to think that I have a sense of humour and seek ways to make learning interesting, relevant and fun; the subject of geography makes this an easy task. My areas of particular interest in geography are, weather and climate, ice on the land and urban environments - A degree in Physical Geography gave me a solid baseline on which to build my subject knowledge which I have developed with my teaching and extra reading in my private time. Some of my recent tutees have gone on to achieve A* at A level and grades 8&9 at GCSE.

Tutoring Experience

September 2025 will be my twelfth year teaching and in that time I have gained experience in both the private and state sectors - I am currently head of department in a good school having worked previously as a head of department in a top grammar school ranked within the top 50 nationally and graded 'outstanding'. In addition, I have previously worked for the Field Studies Council (FSC) and therefore have received specialised training in geographical skills and field work an area heavily focused on in both the new GCSE and A level course (from September 2016) as well as most AS and A2 courses on the outgoing syllabus. I have taught most major exam boards, however, I can offer tutoring primarily for the Edexcel A level and AQA GCSE. In addition to my teaching experience, I have also been an examiner for an A level exam for 3 years & 1 year at GCSE where I have gained an insight into the expectations of examiners and how best to maximise performance. I have been a private tutor for 8 years.

Tutoring Approach

I prefer to tutor at the tutees house with parents on hand if needs be. My approach is structured yet informal. For GCSE and A level students I will spend 50% of the time on subject knowledge and 50% of my time on exam skills - I follow the desire of the student in which topic area they would like to focus on therefore, I expect the student to know what they need help with.