My Experience

I began tutoring students in 2006 to fund my PhD in English Literature, and I taught a range of syllabuses (OCR, AQA, CCEA, EDEXCEL) and levels (KS2, KS3, GCSE, A-Level and degree).

In 2010, I became a Learning Mentor at a top grammar school in Birmingham - King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls - where I helped GCSE (AQA) and A-Level English Literature (AQA b) students with revision and study techniques, and supported those who had problems revising. I was also tasked with helping to ‘close the gap’ between B grades to A, and A to A*.

Fuelled by my love of tutoring, I trained to become a teacher, graduating in 2011 from the King Edwards Consortium (which was rated `Outstanding` by Ofsted). I completed my training at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, before taking up a teaching position at Oakham School in 2012. At Oakham, I teach A-Level English Literature (I have taught OCR and Edexcel while there), the International Baccalaureate (at Higher and Standard Level), GCSE (Edexcel) and KS3 classes.

In my role as Oxbridge mentor, three of my pupils have been accepted into Cambridge and Oxford to read English. I had two successful applicants when teaching in Birmingham – bringing my total to 5 Oxbridge students.

I have also been a 7th Form tutor, and have written UCAS references and advised on Personal Statements for my tutees.

In 2017, my Higher Level IB group achieved four 7s and two 6s. One of my students was awarded 45 points in total. My group achieved the only Level 7s of the cohort. In 2016, my Higher Level class gained three 7s, one 6, and two 5s; again, one of my pupils was awarded 45 points, which shows that I have experience teaching students. My A-Level results have been similarly strong. In 2017, my class achieved 3A*, 3As, and 2Bs (with one student going on to read English at Pembroke College, Oxford). In 2016, I taught a top set Edexcel IGCSE group. 14 out of 23 pupils achieved A*A*, 7 achieved A*A, and 2 achieved AA. This year group achieved 40 A*s in English Language and 21 A*s in English Literature: my pupils therefore achieved 35 out of 61 A*s awarded across the eight sets in the department (which includes two top set groups per year). My teaching benefited hugely from my work as an Edexcel IGCSE examiner for the English Language Paper 1 in 2015.

I also have a range of academic publications:

Wyndham Lewis and the Cultures of Modernity (published by Ashgate in 2011), co-edited with Dr Nathan Waddell and Professor Andzrej Gasiorek,

Utopianism, Modernism, and Literature in the Twentieth Century (published by Palgrave in 2013), co-edited with Dr Waddell.

‘Monstrous Entrapment in Angela Carter’s “The Lady of the House of Love”’ (The English Review, 2013)

‘Shameful Rape and Grotesque Revenge: Ovid’s Myth of Philomela Transformed in Titus Andronicus’ (The English Review, 2013)

‘Carrying the fire: Narrative Journeys in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road’ (The English Review, 2015)

‘Stay with me: Generating Sympathy for Abused Women in The Waste Land’ (EMagazine Plus, 2016)

‘“Gerontion”: A Futile Longing for Faith’ (EMagazine Plus, 2017)

“Glowing in that waste like a tabernacle”: Hope for the Future in The Road’; EMagazine, April 2018

I have published 6 resources on Teachit, which have been downloaded 2410 times.

Subjects That I Teach

• English
• English - GCSE
• English - Undergraduate
• English - 11+

My Qualifications

QTS

PhD English Literature: ‘Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, and Catholicism: 1928-1939’ (Thesis awarded)

MPhil Literary Transitions (1850-1920) (Thesis awarded)

BA (Hons) English (main subject English Literature, subsidiary subject English Language) (First Class Honours)

English Literature A2 (A)

History A2 (A)

Biology A2 (A)

English Literature AS (A)

History AS (A)

Biology AS (A)

Chemistry AS (A)

Courses

KS2 SPaG marker

Edexcel English Language examiner

Three-day training session for IB English A Literature Category 2 course

(led by Anna Androulaki-Woodcock)

‘Raising Standards Through Mentoring’ Creative Education

PGT012 ‘Introduction to Learning and Teaching for Postgraduates’ (2010)

PGT070 ‘Introduction to Supporting Student Study Skills for Postgraduate Teaching Assistants’ (2006) (I taught undergraduate students for 2 years at the University of Birmingham)

My Video Introduction

Fun fact

I adore second-hand bookshops, and can spend HOURS searching the shelves, rooting around in dusty corners, and buying armfuls of books. I’ve discovered some of my favourite writers in this way – by pure chance!