Matthew A

My Passion & How I Inspire

I have always had a love of English and a love of learning. One's educational trajectory should, I feel, extend further than the completion of exams and the awarding of qualifications. My belief that all students should reach their full potential has inspired me to continue teaching, through Tavistock Tutors, as I transition into working within Widening Participation in Higher Education settings.

My enthusiasm for English is translated to my students through my capable and amiable approach to teaching. Goals and structure are complemented by a knowledgeable approach to planning and a fervour for the subject. I enthuse my students through my flexible approach to the emerging needs of my pupils; I always seek to link my sessions to the interests of my students, recapitulating the necessary English skills and content in new contexts to make them exciting, relevant and engaging.

My Experience

I am an Ambassador for the education charity Teach First, having achieved great success on their Leadership Development Programme between 2016-2018. I have taught for three years in Birmingham, and relocated to London in late 2019. I have been teaching GCSE English, for the AQA exam board, to a range of ability students with varying needs.

My experience of teaching and tutoring is broad. I have designed, implemented and evaluated the success of a range of projects, working with internal and external stakeholders. Notable examples of my experience in enhancing the education of young people include:

- a two-year, multi-cohort literacy intervention project targeting year 7 students with lower than age-related expectation reading ages. This project was collaborative, involving local schools and the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education.

- targeted weekly intervention sessions for year 11 students. I managed pupils' assessment data and invited them to specific sessions to further embed skills and develop knowledge for areas of need.

- privately tutoring a number of students ranging in level from SATs to Key Stage 3 and GCSE.

- weekly volunteering tutoring sessions at a primary school in Dalston.

Subjects That I Teach

  • English
  • English - A-Level
  • English - Key Stage
  • Geography
  • Geography - A-Level
  • Geography - Key Stage

My Qualifications

I received my secondary education from Chipping Sodbury School, before attending St. Brendan's Sixth Form College for my A-Levels. I have A-Levels in English Literature, Geography and Biology, plus an AS Level in Philosophy.

I received my BA (Hons) in English and Creative Writing from Royal Holloway in 2016, gaining an upper second class degree: 2:1. I have been Tour Coordinator for the RHUL Gospel Choir, and have voluntarily participated in the White Water Writers creative writing programme. I received the RHUL Passport Award for my multiple extra-curricular endeavours.

I received my PGCE (Secondary English, Teach First, with Qualified Teacher Status) from Birmingham City University in 2017 was awarded my MA in Educational Leadership (Merit), graduating from Warwick University in 2019.

Fun fact

I received the Clive Ling Poetry Prize during my second year of study at Royal Holloway, UoL.