About Sophie
Thirteen years teaching, most of it with children who learn differently.
In Sophie's words
We don't expect all children to look the same or have the same personality, so why do we expect them to learn the same way? Dyslexic brains are wired differently, and brilliantly, and I teach in the way that works for each child: their interests, their pace, practical activities, movement breaks, repetition, whatever they need.
I have loved teaching in every setting I've worked in, but mainstream schools often would not let me adjust learning to suit the child in front of me. Dyslexia and other specific learning differences should not feel like a weight slowing a child down. It should feel like a hot air balloon lifting them up, and the way these children think, their ideas, their solutions, is something to marvel at, not something to fix.
When your child comes to me for tutoring, I get to know them individually as a learner: their literacy and maths needs, yes, but also what motivates them, how they learn best, what they enjoy in a session and what they find hard. I want them to leave each session feeling like they're walking on air, having learnt something new, and over time learning more about how their own mind works, so they can use that for themselves long after our sessions end.
After becoming a parent myself, I left the classroom to focus on one-to-one and small group work, which gives me the freedom to teach the way I always wanted to.
Qualifications
- Level 5 Diploma in Teaching Primary and Secondary Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties, delivered by Fairley House School and accredited by the CPD Standards Office
- PGCE for ages 5 to 11, and Qualified Teacher Status
- BA in History and Politics
- Thirteen years teaching, including in a specialist school for children with specific learning differences
How Sophie teaches
Lessons are multisensory and practical, which means your child spends the hour doing something rather than listening to a teacher talk. Sophie plans around the child in front of her instead of working through a published scheme.
She starts every child with lots of small, quick successes, because confidence is usually what has taken the worst beating, and a child who has stopped believing they can do it has usually stopped trying as well.
Keeping your child safe
Lessons at Sophie's home happen in her teaching room. Most parents drop off and collect, and anyone who would rather stay is very welcome to.
Her family, including her husband and young child, may be in the home. They will not sit in on lessons.
If Sophie teaches at your home, a parent or another responsible adult stays in the house. Online lessons are not recorded.
A child's photograph or work is only ever shared with a parent's written permission, and never with anything that identifies them.
Have a chat with Sophie first
The call takes 15 minutes. There is no charge for it, and no obligation to book anything afterwards.