The Chimney-Corner — Specialist Tuition
Most parents who get in touch are tired. The school has flagged something, or hasn't flagged anything but you know. The reading isn't moving. The homework battles are bigger than the homework.
Or you're home educating and you've got the structure in place but reading and spelling aren't clicking. Or you've been told 'just half an hour of reading practice' and you've done that for a year and nothing's changed. Or you haven't had any of that and you're just wondering whether one-to-one specialist tuition might help, and you're trying to work out what it is.
This is the page about my one-to-one tuition. It's online, by Zoom, for learners from age six to young adults in higher education.
I have twenty-three years of teaching experience. I started in secondary English classrooms, including A Level, and was Lead English Teacher for Gloucestershire LA. I moved into study skills work with undergraduates and postgraduates, and then into one-to-one specialist work. I've now been doing that for thirteen years, across primary through higher education. My qualifications are M.Ed in Inclusive Education, AMBDA, SpLD APC, Level 5 Dyscalculia Specialist, QTS and PATOSS membership.
I'm also a parent to four children with additional needs, including autism, dyslexia and Williams Syndrome. Being a parent inside the SEND system sits alongside the professional work.
A lot of my own time as a parent has gone on figuring out how to teach reading and spelling to children the standard approach hasn't worked for. This page is about whether what I do as a tutor is the right fit for your child. Routes for verifying the professional detail above are at the foot of this page.
What follows is what tuition with me actually looks like in practice.
What a tuition session looks like
I work one-to-one with each learner, online via Zoom, in their own home. Sessions are 45 minutes - 40 minutes teaching plus 5 minutes of feedback to a parent or carer at the end. No formal diagnosis is required to start.
If a child is obsessed with trains, we use trains. If they want to read about cats, we read about cats. The specific content of any given lesson is built around what the learner brings to it. The structure underneath stays consistent - phonics sequence, morphology, writing practice, comprehension work. The way we get there is whatever works.
I work with learners who have dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism (including PDA) and other learning profiles. Some have formal diagnoses; many don't. What matters more than the label is whether the approach fits the learner.
Areas I cover
Depending on the learner, sessions may include:
Early Reading Mastery using a Linguistic Phonics approach grounded in the Science of Reading
Morphology - root words, prefixes, suffixes - to deepen vocabulary and spelling
Reading Comprehension and critical thinking
Handwriting using the Morrells method
Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
Creative and Academic Writing
GCSE and A Level English Language, Literature and combined Language & Literature
Mathematics (KS1 and KS2) - I'm primarily a literacy and dyscalculia specialist, so maths support sits at primary level
Study Skills and Exam Strategies
How I work out what to focus on
What we work on depends on the child, and I start from what's already known.
If there are diagnostic reports, I work from what they recommend. If there aren't, I may do some light assessment in the first few lessons to get a picture. Sometimes formal assessment isn't the right thing - in which case I'll ask you to send work samples, or videos of your child reading aloud at home, sometimes captured by stealth when a child clams up the moment they know they're being watched.
You're the expert on your child. You know what they can do on a good day, what they find hard, what they've been through - that's information I can't get from a report. If your child would like you in the lesson, or you think it would help, you're welcome to be there - you'll be on hand to gauge how they're coping, and I keep my WhatsApp nearby during sessions so you can send me a quick message if you need to. Some parents send photos of their child's work during the lesson. And if we're chatting at the end and I mention a resource that might help, I'll send a link over WhatsApp before I forget.
You can also message me informally during the week - sending examples of work, checking in, or giving me a heads up if your child's had a hard day or is feeling under the weather, so I can adjust the lesson if needed.
Sometimes a child starts on work that's easier than they can manage, on purpose. If a child has found learning hard before, building trust comes first - the harder work can wait until they're ready for it.
How I teach reading and spelling
If you want to understand exactly how reading and spelling are taught in my sessions, I've written a full explanation. It's particularly useful if you're home educating and want the detail, or if you've been through an approach that hasn't worked and want to know what's different here. 'How I Teach Reading and Spelling'. That page covers the structure of a typical lesson - phonics, decoding, sentence reading, spelling work - and how a parent can support what's been covered during the week between sessions.
How the waiting list works
Tuition spots come up rarely. When one does, I choose from waiting families based on whether I think I'd be able to meet the child's needs well - their age, what they need, and what I can offer. It isn't a simple queue. When I think there might be a fit, I get in touch by email to set up an initial meeting.
The first step is a free 15-minute meeting. It works both ways - a chance to talk through what's happening for your child, and for both of us to see whether we'd work well together and whether my teaching matches what your child needs. I always meet a learner and their family before starting.
From there, if it's a fit, we set up lessons. The first few lessons are charged separately from the rest of the half-term we're in, so there's a natural point to check things are working before settling into the term's rhythm. If it isn't a fit, I'll say so, and I'll usually be able to suggest who or what might suit better - sometimes that's a Before the Fire consultation rather than tuition. Sometimes it's a different practitioner or service entirely.
Once lessons are running, I keep annotated lesson records rather than conducting formal assessments. The five minutes of parent feedback at the end of each session covers what we did and how it went. Formal written progress reports are available on request, at additional cost. For families home educating, I'm happy to contribute to annual home education reports.
If you'd like to start working on some of this independently in the meantime, The Forge has structured literacy resources you can use at home.
Two waiting lists
I run two waiting lists, depending on when your child is available.
Daytime tuition
This is for families home educating, EOTAS placements, or learners available during UK school hours for any other reason - including learners in a different time zone.
After-school tuition
This is for learners who are in school during the day, and who are available after school.
Fees
The rate is £75 per session - 40 minutes of teaching plus 5 minutes of parent feedback at the end. This is the rate for new students from September 2026.
Fees are reviewed each year and may rise from time to time. I'll always give existing families notice before any change.
A couple of practical notes. Some sessions need physical materials at the learner's end - letter tiles, paper, pens. I'll let you know what's needed before each lesson.
My Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy are available to read.
Homework
If you'd like homework set between sessions, I can prepare targeted practice that reinforces what we've covered in the lesson - £15 per session.
A note worth making plainly: homework only helps if it gets done. I prepare it specifically for your child, and it takes time to put together. If you know it's likely to sit untouched, it's better not to request it. Add it when you and your child feel ready to add additional consolidation to your week.
If you'd like to ask a question first
If you've read this and want to ask something before joining a waiting list, you're welcome to email me. I usually reply within a few working days.
Verification of qualifications
For parents who want to verify professional credentials before committing to a waiting list:
The ‘About Me’ page has the longer biographical version of my training and teaching history
My qualifications are listed on the PATOSS professional directory, you'll need to create a PATOSS account and log in to view it.
Certificates are available to view in an initial conversation if neither of the above works for you