A bit about Tania F

I have taught Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 for 24 years, and have never lost my passion for teaching. Throughout my career I have had an outstanding track record for grade improvement, consistently achieving the top results in a department of 15 English teachers. I have taken a leading role in producing innovative and engaging resources, which have been integrated into schemes of work across the year groups. Close links with AQA and OCR have contributed to a thorough understanding of what examiners are looking for. I believe one of the most important aspects of helping you reach your potential is through building your confidence. I specialise in KS3 and GCSE English language and literature, and A Level English language. I have attended numerous training sessions with OCR, AQA and at the English Media Centre in London, which has both enhanced my subject knowledge and my understanding of assessment objectives. I have been tutoring for 10 years; over the last three years, more has taken place online. Teaching one to one has proven incredibly effective, as it has enabled me to tailor my lessons more tightly to each student's needs. My lessons are tightly tailored to your individual needs, whether you need extra support, or more challenge. I provide clear lesson objectives and model responses at an appropriate level, so you will have a confident understanding of what you need to do to improve. Tasks are interactive, accessible and engaging. I will also give you time to reflect meaningfully on your work. Above all, in all my lessons, I work hard to help my students feel comfortable enough to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. I am receptive, approachable, encouraging and able to motivate students. I work hard to create resources which are easily accessible. Pupils have often commented on how I have made a difficult subject seem easy. Most importantly, I never put limits on what I think an individual can achieve. I love teaching English language and literature, as it is a medium through which you can explore so many aspects of human nature. I have always believed that fiction can be more truthful than non-fiction, as it breaks down emotional barriers and captures the real essence of a culture, place and time. More importantly, perhaps, is the way I feel when I read some of my own students’ work and can see they have put their heart and soul onto the page - this is a very precious gift and the reason I find teaching so rewarding. I am able to concentrate on each student 100% of the lesson; what could be better than that? Give students the confidence to take risks and make mistakes so that they can learn from them. My students think I am good fun, and really enjoy the relationship I have developed with them; they definitely trust me. When I was working in a large coeducational secondary school I ended up teaching what was called ‘The Nurture Group’, because nobody else was prepared to teach them. It was made up of the least able students in a cohort of 450 pupils. The English Department always taught mixed ability and this segregation did not really fit well with our teaching philosophy. Nevertheless, I did feel I might be able to make a difference. I absolutely loved teaching this very special group of people, who managed to improve their English GCSE grades by a greater margin than any other class in the school. I have a BA Honours Degree in English and Sociology and a PGCE in English and Outdoor Activities. I have taught Year 7 to Year 8 for five years and Years 9 to 13 for 24 years. The examination boards I have followed are OCR, AQA and Edexcel. I am an avid skier, having spent a number of years ski instructing in France, and I enjoy mountain hiking. Other interests include reading, writing poetry and film. Curiously, I was inspired to be a teacher by some of the awful teaching I experienced when I was a student. I didn’t want anyone else to feel as negatively as I did about my academic ability.