Bsc (Hons) Mathematics
PGCE Secondary Mathematics
CRB valid as of January 2008
Member of GTC
References are available upon request

Subjects

Interview

Which subject(s) do you teach?
I teach GCSE Mathematics and Statistics, and A level Mathematics.

Tell me about your qualifications.
I have a 2:1 BSc (Hons) in Mathematics from Plymouth University, and a PGCE in Secondary Mathematics from The College of St Mark and St John.

What kind of experience do you have?
I have taught in a Plymouth Community College for six years, teaching from years 7 to 13. For five of those years, I was the KS5 Mathematics Coordinator, meaning that I specialised in A level Mathematics, as well as running the A level courses. I am currently not working in a school as I have recently had two children and am a full time Mum during the day.

How much do you charge?
I charge £20 per hour lesson, and do not charge for travel within Plymouth. Tuition further away may incur a small transport charge. If students wish to be tutored as a pair, I charge £15 per student.

Where do you teach?
I tutor in students' homes as my two children make it a bit noisy to tutor at mine! I tutor in Plymouth and will also travel as far out to Ivybridge and Saltash.

When are you available?
I am available evenings from 5.30pm to 7pm, and 8.30pm to 9.30pm. I will also tutor on weekends, please ask for times if this is your preference. I can tutor during the day in Easter and Summer holidays also. I provide students with my e-mail address so that if they have any queries outside of tutoring sessions, they can e-mail me and I'll help that way too. **Currently I am fully booked, I will update once spaces become available**

Which ages and levels do you teach?
I teach KS3, GCSE and A level, from ages 11 to 18.

Which qualifications do you prepare your students for?
I can prepare my students for GCSE Mathematics and Statistics qualifications, and A Level Mathematics. I am most used to using the OCR (MEI) specifications but have had experience in working with material from other exam boards as well.

Do you have an up-to-date CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) disclosure certificate?
I have a valid CRB certificate, dated January 2008.

Do you belong to any professional organisations?
I belong to the General Council of Teachers (GTC).

Where and with whom did you train?
I trained as a teacher at The College of St Mark and St John (Marjon) in Plymouth, in 2003.

Tell me about some of your current students.
Student A has been working towards her AS Level Mathematics. An able student, she felt that she was nevertheless falling behind due to outside commitments. I worked with her for 2 months before her exams, in order to cover problem areas and practice exam techniques. She went into her exams feeling much more confident, particularly with her Statistics module.

Student B is in year 10 and has fnished her first year of GCSE Maths. I have previously tutored her brother so know the family well. She is taking GCSE Statistics as an extra and wanted exam preparation help. We have been working on exam papers, looking at 'wordy' answers to statistical questions and have, for the last two sessions, focussed on high grade questions with high marks allocated. She is going into her exam next week with a great deal more confidence.

Student C is also a year 10 student, but one who is not taking any maths exams until the end of year 11. We are working through topics that she finds difficult, and consolidating work that she has done at school that week. As time goes on, we will look to move more towards working at exam papers.

Do you have a personal message for students?
Maths is a subject that needs plenty of practice for the ideas to sink in. You need to be committed to working hard and practising new topics, sometimes completing homework if we think it's necessary. Often the biggest stumbling block is confidence - once you have that then we'll be doing great things!

Articles

A great text book for GCSE maths
Subject: GCSE Maths
Tags: book, collins, gcse, maths, text
Created: 21/06/2011