About me …
I have been a Teacher and Tutor for more than half of my life. I was born in Darlington in the 1960s, the youngest of five. My family moved and I was raised and schooled in Eston in the 1970s. Aged 19 I left home to study in Leeds in the 1980s. Then I ventured south and started my teaching career in London in the 1990s. I returned to my native North-East just before the millennium where I have lived and worked ever since.
Teacher and Tutor Career – Summary
Primary
In 1990 I started teacher training. By 1991 I was fully qualified and headed to the bright lights of London to begin my career. For the next ten years I taught in primary schools across all ages, mainly in Key Stage Two, Years 4-6.
Special Needs
I was fortunate to work in two wonderful schools dedicated to providing first class education for children with various needs. The character, resilience and positivity shown by many of these children was inspiring and I developed a strong passion for the work. To improve my skills I undertook specialist training relevant to teaching children with a range of Special Educational Needs.
Mathematics
In 2000, I took a change in professional direction and retrained as a specialist Mathematics teacher. I worked in a variety of secondary schools and further education colleges teaching to GCSE level Since 1998 I have worked as Lead Specialist Teacher providing one-to-one Maths intervention through Middlesbrough Council.
Guitar
I have played guitar since my early teenage years and enjoyed teaching many people to learn to play from the very first beginner steps. For over ten years years I have worked as part of the team on justinguitar – one of the world’s largest guitar tuition websites. In that role I have mentored and coached countless students and written many articles about learning guitar. I have helped to run the forum dedicated to supporting guitar students.
Testimonials
My years of teaching and experience have equipped me to help you. I understand the learning process and how students make progress. Don’t just take my word for it, read what others say.
Qualifications & Further Information
- BSc Honours Degree – University of Leeds 1988
- Post Graduate Certificate in Education – University of Leeds 1991
- Threshold Standard for Effective Teachers – Department for Education 2002
- Diploma Certificate in Teaching Children with Special Educational Needs – Newcastle University 2003
- Raising Achievement in Mathematics 2003
- Diploma Certificate in Advanced Education Studies in the Teaching of Mathematics – University of York St. John 2011
- Mathematicss Development Programme for Teachers 2011
- Grade 5 Certificate in Guitar – Rockschool 2013
- Full Enhanced DBS clearance
- GCSE Expert Exams Marker with Pearson EDEXCEL since 2018
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