A bit about Martyn R

Hi! I'm a fully qualified teacher (and ex Head of Department) for Business Studies, Media and English, covering GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB. With over two decades experience (both in the UK and overseas) and having worked with almost all exam boards and alongside examiners, I'm confident that whatever your experience, needs and learning preferences, I will help you reach the potential that you are truly capable of. Alongside teaching and tutoring, I am also honoured to have spent many years working closely with Universities and schools in mentoring the next generation of trainee teachers. *English Language & Literature: KS3, KS4 GCSE & IGCSE, KS5 A Level & IB, covering all examination boards (16 years experience) *Business Studies: GCSE, A Level, Cambridge Nationals, Cambridge Technicals (L2 & L3), and Head of Department for 4 years *Media Studies: RSL Creative Digital Media - Head of Department for 2 years *Psychology: AQA GCSE (2 years experience) These tuition sessions are all about you and your needs: we'll begin with a recap on our previous session and where you progressed, and the areas still requiring attention. I like to begin with a quick warm up activity and then we'll get straight into learning through a variety of proven methods to help unlock comprehension, recall and retention of knowledge, and fine-tune essay writing and examination responses. Importantly, I always aim to make the learning relevant and applicable to the real-world wherever possible. I first began tutoring in 2010 whilst working as an English teacher in a private school in Switzerland. I tutored individually and also in small groups to students wanting to perfect their English Language and Literature skills. I'm delighted to share very high rates of success in this year's results, with L9 in GCSE Psychology and Distinction Stars in Business being attained by my current students. Outside of teaching, I love photography (and have my own P/T wedding photography business), and am also a real petrol-head: I love spending time restoring cars (mainly the older, more unusual stuff - I really enjoy something interesting!) as well as listening to music and spending quality time with my family. Keeping fit has always been a big part of my life, whether it be a workout in the garden or a 100 mile bike ride, life is always full and exciting! I teach all year groups (predominantly Y10 to Y13) across a wide range of subjects and examination boards: English Language & Literature: GCSE (OCR, Pearson, WJEC, AQA, Eduqas) A Level (AQA, OCR, Pearson, WJEC) International Bachellaurette Business Studies: GCSE (AQA) A Level (OCR, Eduqas, Pearson) Cambridge Nationals L1/2) Cambridge Technicals (L2 & L3) Media Studies: RSL Creative Digital Media Psychology: AQA GCSE Squished up on tiny chairs and desks as a Y2 teaching assistant, it was heart-warming to witness the joy of little people as they made new discoveries about their learning and the world around them. Blessed to be in a great school and with lovely, caring teachers to support them on their journey, I knew that I too needed to have a more pivotal role in making the lives of young people amazing, so that's just what I did: I trained to become a teacher and have loved the amazing journey ever since! I qualified as a teacher back in 2022, initially specialising in English Language and Literature. I hold a University degree in English (as well as a wide range of GCSEs and Levels), and I am a mentor to trainee teachers. I also work closely with exam boards which includes examination moderation for both KS4 and KS5. Kindness, patience and understanding are at the core of my teaching - and life - philosophy. Seeing students as individuals, with their own amazing spirit and gifts and challenges and strengths has always been at the heart of my interactions and motivation. To quote Albert Einstein “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Sometimes students can feel out of depth or unnoticed in a classroom of perhaps 30 other students, and it's amazing how just an hour of one-to-one mentoring can accelerate the learning - perhaps even weeks' worth - for such students. To hear the words "I get it now" or simply "thank you" means the world to me. Student's love my kind and personal approach: there are no scripts, no lessons rehashed, but an individual approach for each and every student that brings out the best in them in each and every session. I always endeavour to contextualise the learning with then real world, helping to make connections between theory and applicable, relevant content. Enthusiastic, patient and caring, with a focus on the individual needs of the student is what I am all about, with a good sense of humour and an understanding that we all have better days than others: some days you'll make amazing progress, whereas other days you might find your self a little stuck or doubting your own amazing ability. These are the days that you most need kindness and a tutor with a wealth of experience to help guide you through your learning journey. As a an expert in a range of subjects, my answers will be different for each. However, there is a common theme in each, and that is the ways in which we learn that bit more about ourselves as we delve deeper into our studies. Here goes! English: The ability to communicate with clarity and confidence, using just the right word at just the right moment, or understanding the nuance of what we hear or read, is incredibly empowering. Exploring the ways in which we can learn so much more about ourselves and our place in the world through the power of language never fails to both amaze and humble me. Business Studies: to properly understand the world of commerce that we live in is truly eye-opening; in a rapidly changing and dynamic landscape, being wiser to how businesses work enables us to make more informed and discerning choices for ourselves, feeling more confident with how and where we choose to make purchases. and who we do and don't chose to conduct business with, wether for ethical, environmental, social, political or financial reasons. It never fails to fascinate me! Psychology: what greater intrigue can there be than that of understanding the complexities of the human mind and how we interact with the world around us? From how understanding how we learn to having a better grasp of our own tendencies and habits, to case studies of criminology and the influence of society upon our decisions and behaviours, every aspect of psychology teaches us something new. It's fab! Mentoring a student with low self-esteem, believing he was a failure with consistent L3 results and not knowing why, to see him then achieve a L9, was incredible and one of those real "yes!" moments that we all love as teachers.