My Information

I am a Shakespeare fanatic with six years` classroom experience. I enjoy reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction and became a teacher to share my passion for language. Now that I have a young family, I have decided to indulge my love of teaching outside the classroom to fit around raising my children. I keep in touch with my former colleagues to stay abreast of the rapidly developing education system. I am a member of The Tutor's Association and familiar with current best practice. I create personalised programmes to fit the needs of individual students and frequently adapt these to incorporate new texts and resources to keep the lessons fresh and relevant. My sessions tend to concentrate on assessment technique and start with short focused activities, building the skills necessary to complete longer written tasks designed to mimic the conditions of examinations. Alternatively, I can support students with their class work more directly, assisting with homework and helping with clarity of expression in other subjects too. I aim for students to enjoy our sessions and feel comfortable asking questions. My main goal is to help them improve and I can only do that through honest discussion of issues. I do expect high standards and find that my pupils meet my expectations and gain grades they are proud of, when they apply themselves. Confidence is the key to learning and it is in this area that my students make the swiftest progress, which enables them to access the top grades and enjoy their increasing capability in a subject that at first seemed inaccessible. For adult learners, I offer programmes that reflect each individuals’ interests in language development and present activities in a variety of ways to keep lessons lively and relevant. I find that striking the balance between grammatical accuracy and colloquial usage allows second language students to feel much more confident interacting with native speakers. I like to have a good rapport with tutees` parents as I feel that learning is a joint initiative. Testimonials from former clients are available upon request. My fee includes all resources (apart from set texts) and the loan of study guides and other useful materials as required.

Availability: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays: 4:30-8:30pm Wednesdays: 7:30-8:30pm Fridays: 4-8pm One, one and half and two hour sessions available

Willing to travel: 5 miles

Tutoring Experience:

I have taught in Grammar schools in Kent, outer-London schools and a wide variety of institutions in Hong Kong. My subject knowledge covers English, Drama and Theatre Studies, and Classical Civilisation (the latter subjects are very useful for approaching English texts in innovative ways). I am most familiar with the new GCSE specification for AQA, but can happily adapt to other exam boards. I am a GCSE English Literature examiner for some boards also. I have experience tutoring 11-18 year olds and have worked with students with a variety of special needs.

• Institute of Education, University of London (2009)- Education PGCE QTS from the Institute of Education, University of London. (Grade: Pass) Verified


• Royal Holloway, University of London (2006)- Classics MA Single Honours from the Royal Holloway, University of London. (Grade: Pass) Verified


• Royal Holloway, University of London (2005)- English BA Joint Honours from the Royal Holloway, University of London. (Grade: 2:1) Verified

Name of the person who provided this testimonial: Janette
We would like to thank you for all the support you give Hannah with her lessons leading up to her A levels . She has learnt so much from you not only the understanding of her English work but she has gained so much confidence . I can honestly say she looks forward to Monday evenings and the hr she spends with you , you are so passionate about your work that it gives her the drive also to learn more and to enjoy it .you are calm ,understanding and always on time .and very approachable and bubbly ! We would recommend you to anyone that is looking for a English tutor .

Name of the person who provided this testimonial: Judith
I would have no problem in recommending you as a Tutor. Mason has improved 10 fold since you began tutoring him some 3 months ago. I have found you to be punctual, reliable, friendly, professional and above all very good in helping my son improve his English. Its a shame you were not the Teacher at my son's school because if you were then there would have been no need to get extra tuition.

Name of the person who provided this testimonial: Karen
Melissa was very professional at all times, she was always on time and ensured she spent a quality hour with Dylan. She only saw my son 3 times but after those 3 lessons he felt more confident and felt he could go into his exam knowing what he had to do.

Name of the person who provided this testimonial: Farzana
Having looking for a personal tutor for my son in year 11 who lacked interest in the subject English, Melissa was the right person. She offered stimulating sessions, showing great enthusiasm that reflected in my son’s improvements with his grades which boosted his confidence in poetry and essay writing during examinations. We was getting close to the final exams in his last year at school and my son was predicted a C/D grade and after consulting Melissa, she was able to set a personalised programme in a short space of time which proved to be both effective and beneficial as he achieved a satisfying A/B grade. Therefore I would like to confirm, Melissa has always been punctual and I can’t thank her enough to turn up regularly and provide 1-1tuitions in the comfort of my own home. I would certainly recommend her if you’re somebody looking for a smooth and significant progress in GCSE English.