The Chimney-Corner: Specialist Tuition
Many parents who get in touch are tired. Your child isn't picking up reading the way the phonics books and online guides suggest they should. Or the school's raised something and you're not sure what to do with it. Or you're home educating, everything else is working, but reading and spelling aren't. Or your child is in secondary school or preparing for GCSEs, and needs support built around them as a neurodivergent learner. Or you're just wondering whether one-to-one specialist tuition might help, and you're trying to work out what it is.
This is my one-to-one tuition. It's online, by Zoom, for learners from age six to young adults in higher education. Some come during the school day - home educators, families on EOTAS packages, learners in different time zones. Some come after school. I don't teach at weekends. You don't need a diagnosis to start. Many of the children I work with don't have one.
I work with learners who have dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism (including PDA) and other learning profiles.
I'm a specialist tutor with twenty-three years of teaching experience, and I've been doing one-to-one specialist work since 2007. My qualifications include an M.Ed in Inclusive Education, AMBDA, the SpLD APC and Level 5 Dyscalculia Specialist. I'm also a parent to four children with additional needs. The longer version is on my About Me page.
What a tuition session looks like
Sessions are 45 minutes - 40 minutes teaching plus 5 minutes of feedback to a parent or carer at the end. The specific content of any given lesson is built around the learner's needs. The structure underneath stays consistent - phonics sequence, morphology, writing practice, comprehension work. The way we get there is whatever works.
You can message me informally during the week - WhatsApp works best.
If you want to understand exactly how reading and spelling are taught in my sessions, 'How I Teach Reading and Spelling' covers the structure of a typical lesson and how a parent can support what's been covered between sessions.
There's more about what lessons look like in practice, and how I work out what to focus on, on my Inside a lesson page.
Areas I cover
Depending on the learner, sessions may include:
• Early Reading Mastery using a Linguistic Phonics approach
• Morphology - root words, prefixes, suffixes - to deepen vocabulary and spelling
• Reading Comprehension and critical thinking
• Handwriting - I trained with Sue Smits in the Morrells method and have adapted it for my neurodivergent learners and their families
• Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
• Creative and Academic Writing
• KS2 and KS3 English
• GCSE and A Level English Language, Literature and combined Language & Literature
• Mathematics - I offer maths up to KS2 and early KS3 content, whatever the age of the learner
• Study Skills and Exam Strategies
How the waiting list works
The first step is the waiting list form. When a tuition spot comes up, I review the list. It isn't a simple queue - I choose from waiting families based on whether I think I can meet the child's needs well, and on when you're free and when I have a slot. If it might be a fit, I get in touch by email to set up a free initial meeting with you.
If it's a fit, we set up lessons. The first few lessons are charged separately from the rest of the half-term, so there's a natural point to check things are working. If it isn't a fit, I'll say so, and I'll usually be able to suggest who or what might suit better.
UK daytime slots go quickly to home-educating families, EOTAS placements, and learners in different time zones. After-school slots are for children in mainstream school.
The full detail - how I choose, what the first meeting is for, and what happens if you stop and want to come back - is on my Joining the waiting list page.
Fees
The current rate is £65 per session - 40 minutes of teaching plus 5 minutes of parent feedback at the end. 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.
Tuition runs half-term to half-term. To stop, let me know at least three full weeks before the last day of the current half-term and I won't invoice the next one.
Fees are reviewed each year and may rise from time to time. I'll always give existing families notice before any change. My Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy are available to read.
If your child's provision is funded through EOTAS or another local authority route, or you'd like me involved in an EHCP review or a home education report, there's more on my Funding, reviews and reports page.
Before you start
Before your first lesson, have a look at the setup page - it covers where your child works, what device works best, what materials to have ready, and what each kind of lesson needs.
If you've read this and want to ask something before joining the waiting list, you're welcome to email me. I usually reply within a few working days.
If tuition isn't what you're looking for, Before the Fire is my paid consultation service for parents and carers - a one-off or occasional conversation rather than ongoing tuition. You can also subscribe to ongoing messaging support, via email or WhatsApp.
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
What lessons are like