Ted

I was fortunate to grow up in a grammar school county, attending the super-selective Skinners’ School which was a mere two minutes’ run from home (over the back fence when running late). There I gained the usual academic clutch of A-Levels in English Literature, Religious Studies and History, and an AS-Level in French. I won the school prize for Religious Education, and some of my A Level scripts, in which I scored full-marks, were used as teaching aids in subsequent years.

My first degree was a BA (Hons) in Philosophy and Theology from the University of London. My college, Heythrop, was dedicated purely to these two subjects and offered a one-to-one tutorial for every essay. There is nothing like defending your thoughts against a subject expert who seems to be thinking eleven moves ahead!

While leading a large team as Marketing Manager for 18 newspapers across the South East, I studied part-time for the Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP Law School, later topping this up to a full LLB (Hons) by completing further research modules on company and family law.

Adopting education as a profession, I qualified as a teacher at Oxford University. After that my first post was teaching Religion, Politics and History at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School, a prestigious state boarding school perched atop the white cliffs of Dover. There I was Highly Commended in the Kent Teacher of the Year Awards. Two years later I married and moved to Berkhamsted School, where I spent five years teaching Religion, Philosophy and History at this leading independent school in Hertfordshire. I served the last three years there as Second in Department for Religion and Philosophy before joining the exclusive Keystone Tutors as a Professional Tutor.

While working in school, I returned to Oxford for an MSc in Learning and Teaching, awarded with Distinction. The final research dissertation, “The Virtuous Reader: How Can a Character-Led Intervention Enhance Extended Reading in A-Level Religious Studies?”, now shapes the way my students are coached to sustain deep reading and high-level essay writing

Alongside my early work and education I also served fairly uselessly as a Territorial Army soldier. We learned useful transferable skills such as shaving in icy water, driving off-road at night with no headlights, and standing perfectly still next to London landmarks.

My teaching practice is strongly grounded in academic research, supported by an MSc in Learning and Teaching from Oxford University. I’m dedicated to using evidence-based methods such as interleaving, spaced repetition, clear modelling, guided practice, and maintaining enthusiasm through high rates of success.

Lessons take place in PencilSpaces, an online classroom built specifically for teaching and tutoring. It combines video, an interactive whiteboard and document sharing in one space, so we can talk, write, and work through learning activities together in real time. I allocate each student their own 'space' making it much easier to revisit and revise from previous lessons.

After the first lesson, I email an initial overview of strengths, priority areas and agreed goals. After that, you will receive a brief written monthly update outlining what we have focused on, how the student is progressing, and what we will target next. I am also happy to arrange occasional 10-minute catch-up calls at key points in the year (e.g. before exams or after school reports) if you would like a more detailed discussion.

My passion is painting with oils. I recently completed the foundation course at London Fine Art Studios whilst being delighted with the occasional sale at local exhibitions.

I remain a commissioned officer in the Combined Cadet Force, running intense field exercises that develop young people's leadership and resilience.