A bit about Lucy

I became a teacher after working in the Arts for many years. I am a creative teacher who enjoys finding ways to engage students. I have taught GCSE English and Drama in both mainstream schools, and schools with SEN pupils. I am also an experienced A Level English Literature and Drama teacher. I usually start with a short introductory activity as a way of warming up before focusing on a specific skill or topic. We’ll do some detailed work and then end with a little recap. I love to teach students who really engage with the material, and have fun. Laughter is very much encouraged! I specialise in English language and literature at key stages 3, 4 and 5. I have been the lead teacher for KS3 English in a large secondary school, and I have taught Functional Skills English at Entry Level, and Levels 1 and 2. I can teach all major exam boards and also IGCSE (Edexcel - Spec A & B and Cambridge) My second subject is Drama and Theatre Studies. I love to study plays with students. I worked as a Stage Manager before becoming a teacher so I know a lot about directing and backstage theatre. I am very experienced in AQA GCSE Drama but have contributed to text books for Edexcel as well. I have taught A Level Drama with AQA, Edexcel & Eduqas. I have been teaching online since 2020 and have really enjoyed discovering how to make lessons more enjoyable in this setting. I love to use my iPad to annotate during an English lesson, and have really enjoyed using breakout rooms for group Drama lessons. I love exploring texts with students and getting their responses to them. Teaching English allows us to talk about our feelings, and I enjoy the moment when students begin to unpick a story, description or character. I love Drama texts including Shakespeare and I have tutored A Level students for Ibsen/Rossetti (OCR) and the Gothic element (OCR) Definitely interactive - I hate just hearing myself talk! I like to use games and activities to get students involved. I love to hear from my pupils and for them to put their point of view across. I try to teach lessons that have pace and that are enjoyable. I welcome feedback about what works and doesn’t work - I aim to try and adapt so that the lessons feel like they are tailored towards the pupil. Seeing students grow in confidence and develop. I have a past student who struggled with English and I tutored him weekly. His dream was to become a pilot so I tailored a lot of the content around this topic - he now flies planes in America! If students are happy, confident and feel valued then they will learn. Also…. I don’t have all the answers - I believe a lesson is a two way process and sometimes I might not know the answer. This is OK - I like to teach people that we don’t always need to know everything and that sometimes it can be fun to find out together or for the pupil to teach the teacher! I think students love the fact that I am approachable and that I enjoy being in the classroom with them. My lessons include a lot of laughter! I also think that students think I have quite a young outlook and so they are able to relate to me. I have taught a wide range of pupils so success looks different for everyone but I can vividly remember the student who finally got that grade C in GCSE English that she’d been dreaming of getting, the boy who now flies planes and the blind students who got in to Drama school to study acting. BA Hons Technical Theatre PGCE Secondary English M-ed Visual Impairment (includes Qualified Teacher of Visually Impaired QTVI status) I was inspired by my own teachers although I didn’t realise until many years later. I worked as a Stage Manager for many years before doing my teacher training but it was always my own pupil experience that I thought of when I was planning lessons. I remembered both what I learned and how it made me feel as a pupil in the class. I have recently learned to swim - I think we should always keep on learning! I also play trumpet and ukulele (I am self taught on the ukulele) I live on a farm and love to walk and be outside in nature. I am able to teach Year 7 up to Year 13. For English at GCSE (both language and literature) I have taught AQA and OCR but prepared to cover others. I am also confident with the IGCSE English courses - Edexcel Spec A & B, and Cambridge board. I have also taught IGCSE World Literature. For A Level Literature I am experienced with the OCR and AQA syllabus. For Drama - I can help with any of the exam boards including IB Theatre.