Thomas

Hello! My name is Tom, I'm a teacher of Biology to all years, Physics to KS3, head of year and your potential tutor! My role is primarily a pastoral one, and it's my goal to help students unlock their potential and achieve their academic goals! With 4 years experience as a teacher and tutor, I bring enthusiasm, patience, and a personalised approach to every session.

Tutoring Experience

Thanks to some amazing and unforgettable teachers I had during my time at school I was able to develop a lifelong interest in education. This is the foundation of my commitment to helping out my students develop their own work and passions, whatever their abilities may be.

As a current teacher, I have the pleasure of being responsible for the academic and pastoral development of students in several KS3, KS4 and KS5 classes.

I have studied Biology since my time at school, and continue to today to ensure my lessons are relevant and relatable.
BSc Biology from Aberystwyth University, MSc Medical Biotechnology and Business Management from The University of Warwick, PGCE Biology Specialism from The University of Oxford.

Tutoring Approach

As a full time teacher my approach to tutoring is based on strategies I find useful in a classroom for student progression, and my own experience as a tutee when I was younger. I struggled at school, staying focussed on tasks and knowing where to start when revising for exams, so I know all too well some difficulties students face!

Students can often feel disconnected from subjects they find difficult or confusing, so I strive to build tangible connections between the subject and the student’s daily life. At its core, the study of Biology is about harnessing and empowering students’ curiosity about the natural world. I take an enthusiastic approach to harnessing that curiosity and equipping my students with the scientific skills to find answers to some of their biggest questions about the world.

I approach the initial session as an assessment of the student’s needs. I find it really useful to first analyse what learning styles best suit, what areas need development, and what exercises would be the most beneficial for their progression. In my experience, I've found this beneficial both in terms of academic achievement and passion for their studies.
Following this, the learning focus would shift to covering and consolidating key curriculum areas that the student struggles with in school.
In science, students can often become overwhelmed by the wording of questions, and consequently write answers that don't quite address the question. I deal with such issues by dissecting command words, question styles and information already provided, until the student is confident with exactly what is required of them.
I like to encourage my students to bring anything they would like support with, whether that be specific homework tasks or a general topic that they want to understand better.

In terms of exam prep, which is a priority for many students, my approach is built around giving the student a robust understanding of what examiners are looking for in exam answers. A hugely valuable tool for students is past exam papers. As I have been able to build a sizeable bank of previous exam questions, sessions could be centred around working through past papers and exam style questions to build confidence and accuracy.