Pippa

Skills and Experience 

• Teaching a wide variety of History and other humanities subjects, and English, Year 7-GCSE and a variety of other subjects.  Writing of full schemes of work and assessments & ensured compliancy with national curriculum updates. 

• I have taught a range of subjects in addition to the above- happy to teach Science, functional skills maths, KS3 Music, art, Food tech, sociology, politics – you name it, I am able to teach it! 

• Taught AQA, Edexcel, OCR and International Baccalaureate examinations. I have also taught foundation and functional skills certificates. 

• Qualification in understanding Autism (and personal lived experience). 

• Leading teacher training groups and events – e.g. careers education, working with students with Autism & ADHD, university teacher training sessions. 

• Mentoring Pupil Premium (disadvantaged) students. 

• Various training and qualification certificates for SEND needs- ACE, ADHD, speech, language & communication needs, literacy support, child protection & safeguarding, emergency first aid. 

• Wider literacy contributions: Literacy forum, spelling programme for C/D borderline pupils, Reading challenge for KS3 pupils.   Training Certificate in Dyslexia awareness. 

• Pastoral support- specifically for SEND students (inc. qualification in Understanding Children’s mental health). 

• Recipient of the Margot Stern Strom Innovation Teaching Award winner (Facing History and Ourselves): 2009 & 2011. 

• Careers Lead/ Head of Careers experience; I have unique insight into supporting and helping students into work and further education- helping to gain work ready skills, work experience placements, apprenticeships and more.  This is a great asset to students who are out of or have struggled with education.  I have lots of connections and ideas to help students into the world of work! 

• Service Pupil co-ordinator – Including publishing research and teaching training insets. Organised Service pupil animation film group (award won) and organisation of HMS Heroes group.  Grant application bid success of £20,000.  Research contribution to the Armed Forces Bill Select Committee. 

• Gifted and Talented Coordinator; including supporting SEND students who have a particular skill/ talent to embrace and flourish with their unique skills(s). 

I started teaching in my late teen years helping children from deprived backgrounds to learn music, this ignited my passion for teaching and made me see that by providing opportunities for all, a child’s enthusiasm for themselves and the world, can be kindled or restored.  This led me to volunteer and lead children’s groups in a range of schools, museums and children’s activity clubs and events throughout the rest of my career- having fun is how children (and adults!) learn best.  I continued my professional journey to university where I studied History and International Relations (Politics), followed by a Post Graduate Certificate of Education. 

Over the years I have taught predominantly in both Private and State Secondary Schools as a class teacher, Head of department, Head of Careers, pastoral lead and lead for Gifted and Able children.  I have always sought a career where I could stay working with the children, as that is where I am happiest and feel that I can make the biggest impact on the lives of others.  Titles and upper management have never interested me particularly, it is the work on the ground, face to face, helping children every day and bringing a smile to their face, which brings me joy.  That said, in doing so, I have gained a vast range of experience over the years, working with a range of children with a variety of needs in the classroom, and in small groups or 1:1, face to face and online. 

I am creative in my teaching approach and am happy to adapt to the needs of individual students- I think that the best type of teaching is child led, and am happy to base my teaching on their interests, strengths and experiences of the world.  Over the years conversations with children (and their parents!) and finding out what they need as individuals, has led me to design a huge array of teaching materials and curriculums, which are accessible and encouraging, and which engage the student’s love of learning and ultimately improves their academic outcomes.  I have found that a lot of students need to just trust the teacher and need to know that the teacher will listen, adapt and support them- I am able to build up an excellent rapport with all my students, and this enables them to flourish. 

Over the years I have written curriculums for History, RE, PSHCE and Careers education.  I have also designed support programmes for literacy, children with adverse childhood experiences and children with Autism.  I am a published researcher and historian, having spent time working with child survivors of wars and genocide, and working specifically with children from military families in the UK.  I have experience as a guest lecturer on a university teacher training course, and have run other teacher training sessions throughout my career, including helping other staff with tips and teaching methods for teaching students who are Autistic, have ADHD, ACE or are notably gifted in a particular subject/field.  Indeed, it was my work as lead for Gifted and Talented children that led me to discover my love of working with Autistic children- I love to hear about their special interests and develop learning that embraces that.  In addition to teaching History and other humanities subjects (RE, Geography, Citizenship, Sociology) at Key Stage 3 and 4 level, I also have lot of experience teaching A Level History and Politics.  Over the years I have taught a range of exam boards – OCR, AQA and Edexcel, as well as the International Baccalaureate; I also have found inventive ways to support students who struggle academically to access certificates and learning that is not usually offered, so that they can have and feel that they have achieved.  There is a whole array of possibilities out there if you know where to look!  I have run an early years educational group for babies to age 5, and have experience teaching and supporting in primary schools also, in addition to running 1:1 online support teaching for primary aged children with learning needs, during the Covid lockdown period.  Although my main subject areas are humanities, the focus on literacy in schools, coupled with bringing up my own SEND children, has led me to have a total fascination with literacy and how to help children to read and embrace literacy.  I have used this experience to create writing and literacy support schemes within schools, and to support younger children to learn to read and write.  I love teaching English at KS3 also, and having worked as Head of Careers, believe that English is vital in preparing children for the wider world.  My belief is that if children understand the value and purpose of the text or skill that they are learning in English, and how it will help them in their future, they will embrace the English curriculum- so I always link my English teaching to work skills and careers, which students appreciate and enjoy.  I love helping students to learn the basics of English, and also to delve into the world of literacy- I am very confident teaching oracy skills and helping students to overcome their fears of public speaking (or speaking to anyone at any level!).  Having worked in schools in economically deprived areas where teachers can be scarce, I have had experience teaching in a wide range of other subjects also- my enthusiasm for learning has no end!  I can teach KS3 science, ICT, music, drama, art and food technology- and even have a certificate for PE teaching too!  I am happy to teach functional skills English and Maths also.  The flexibility of my teaching and ability in a range of subjects is loved by parents as it means that a child is able to have the support of a regular trusted adult; for many students with anxiety or Autism, other SEND needs, change of teachers can be difficult to cope with- the beauty of choosing me as a tutor, means that I can offer a range of experience and expertise. 

I have recently left the world of teaching within a school setting, and I am now dedicating myself to supporting students at home or online.  Over the past few years, I have seen many children leave mainstream education settings as it does not meet their needs, and I relish the opportunity to be able to help all these students.  In previous years, students I have tutored have been connected to me via local links; I am now branching out into the world of using tutoring platforms to find new students, and I am very excited by this opportunity!  Moving away from the traditional classroom is also enabling me the time to continue on my own learning journey- I love to learn and am excited by all the training, research and writing I will get to do again! 

• My specialist experiences working with young people with SEN to develop trusting and meaningful relationships; The schools I have worked in have always had a high number of SEND students, and I have always taken a great amount of pride in building trusting and meaningful relationships with my students.  The best example I can give of this, is a student who was selectively mute and would not talk to any staff.  When she first came to my classes, she would not engage, look at me and was struggling to succeed.   The most important thing was that I didn’t give up and was always welcoming to her and tried my best to help her.   One day, I saw the opportunity to talk to her (I would normally say with, but at first it was a rather one-way conversation!)…. She was walking [truanting] around the school- yes, I could have told her off, followed the school rules and issued sanctions etc- but I knew that would achieve nothing except make her more withdrawn and want to attend school even less.  So, I decided to open up even more, and make a connection which she didn’t expect.  I told her that I really wanted to help her and get to know her, that I knew she struggled with school and crowds and people and let her know that I do too! From her look I could tell that she was surprised, as I come across as confident and very chatty.  I had found my way in- I explained about the anxiety and SEND needs that I have myself, how I had struggled with them, and I understood- that is all she wanted; someone that she could talk to who understood her experience.  From that moment on, she was a very chatty person with me! She would seek me out when having a rough day, sit in my classroom during quiet periods to do work, and started to feel that school was a place that she could attend more.  I think that too many educators fear sharing their own experiences, but it is through experiences, that humans can connect (I should say at this point that sharing is always done with caution and with child safeguarding at the forefront of the mind always!). 
• My experience working with autistic young people; I am a parent of autistic children; I am diagnosed autistic myself and have a lot of experience working with other autistic people.  My experience working with autistic young people is in my every day, it is my world!  I understand the need for calm, for support with emotional regulation, understand the anxiety that comes with the sensory and socialisation issues, and how it affects a young person’s confidence.  I am also fully aware of the different presentations of Autism, how a person can mask and seem `fine` and yet under the surface be struggling immensely; or how a child can explode into a more obvious visible meltdown, because they have been given the wrong type of  _______ (fill in the relevant trigger!).  Patience is key, calm voice, don’t take it personally, start each session afresh and smile through it.   Don’t give up- for all the challenges faced by Autistic people, there are also many beautiful moments to be had, many laughs to share and fascinating conversations and moments of wonder to be had.  Autism is a spectrum, and it is experienced by each individual in a unique way- when you have met one autistic person, you have met one autistic person- stereotypes are the least helpful way to support any autistic person.  I can communicate and connect with other autistic people on a level that most educators are unable to access- I call it my `spider sense`; my own experience helps many students see what is possible, and how they can learn to cope with their autism to lead a happy, successful and flourishing life.  
•  My experience working with young people with Anxiety:As someone who has suffered with anxiety myself, I know how debilitating it can be- however I also know good strategies to learn to cope with this! I am trained in Mental Health for young people, and have helped deal with many, many students over the years with anxiety.   An example of such is a student I had last year, who had such bad anxiety they would not come into class; I took the time out of my own time to go and find them outside of the classroom, talk to them, build a trusting relationship and find out about the things that made the person anxious, and put in place a range of options to make them feel happy and comfortable- the student started to come to class and was happy and thriving.  It is all about adjustment and support!
• My experience working with young people with PDA:Slow and steady wins the race with PDA! Students with PDA need to feel in control, to make their own choices and to have little perceived demands made on them.  This is where the child-centred approach can be a success- with PDA students it is best to be flexible and let them steer the lesson to some extent.  Often, I find when they are having fun, they don’t realise that there are small `demands` / expectations that are being requested of them, and they will come along for the ride – quite literally in one case, where I mounted my pet horse Dobby (a hobby horse on a stick!) and rode around the classroom being William the Conqueror! This led to a particular PDA student (who I knew loved drama!) to join in, act out the story of the Battle of Hastings, and having become so enthused and in the zone, then went on to write a mini essay about why William won the battle (which had been the plan all along- I just had not shared that expectation/demand with him!).
• My experience working with students with dyslexia: Over my years in the classroom, I have helped and supported hundreds of students, many of whom have dyslexia and dyscalculia.  I have had a lot of CPD training on dyslexia, and have recently completed a certificate in dyslexia training.  I am also up to date with the rules for dyslexic pupils in exam conditions.  I have a range of strategies to support dyslexic pupils.
•  My experience working with students with ADD and ADHD: I have learned a great deal about ADD & ADHD over the years via CPD training, I am currently doing further training to gain certification.  However, primarily my experience is with ADD & ADHD students themselves, and because I have my owned lived experience too!   I can totally understand how frustrating trying to learn and manage learning can be when you have ADD or ADHD.  I have had much success with students with ADD & ADHD- learning is memorable, practical and at their own pace.  Keeping learning fun and interesting, helps to hold the student’s attention.  I also am trained in Mastery learning, which helps to support students who have difficult focusing.
• My experience supporting students with working memory difficulties:  I believe in mastery learning- this means, that you imbed the knowledge and go back over this knowledge again / repeatedly, until it sticks. This ensures that those students with poor working memories, have a better chance of success. In addition, there are many techniques and methods that I use to support with memory and processing issues- practical, written and verbal techniques are all used- and through child centred learning, I figure out which methods work best to support and gain success with students who have memory problems.
• My experience supporting students with sensory  and processing difficulties: As someone who also has sensory and processing difficulties, I have lived experience of this every day!  I know and totally understand the importance of supporting someone with sensory and processing issues- the key is to be patient and let them lead / explain what they are comfortable with.  I am very flexible and open with my approach, and can adapt to any needs.  I deal with my own children’s sensory and processing needs on a daily basis, so am very at ease and used to these challenges.
• My experience working with challenging behaviour: I have a lot of experience working in state schools where there is significant challenging behaviour.  I am able to stay calm under anything a child can throw at me- I don’t take it personally.  I am up to date with CAMHs recommendations for supporting students with challenging behaviour, and have taught in units which supported students who had a range of challenging behaviour- both physically and verbally. Nothing phases me!
• My experience working with people with dyspraxia: Over the years I have taught a handful of students with dyspraxia, and understand the challenges this can face both physically and mentally.  I am patient and supportive, and have a range of techniques which I used to support dyspraxic students.  One of the best Pianist I have ever met has dyspraxia- I always love to tell his story to my students as I think it is very inspiring!
• My experience working with young people with speech and language needs: Throughout my teaching career, I have encountered many students who have had some type of speech or language need, and indeed I experienced this myself when I was younger.  I know how frustrating it can be to want to get a sound or word out and not be able to do so.  Patience is so important – willingness to listen, to go slow, to repeat many times but in different ways to avoid boredom.  Story telling and play is a great way to help with oracy for those with speech and language problems; I believe a student is never too old to play games!  Working alongside professional speech and language therapists, I support the progress of these students by encouraging conversations, listening attentively, using music, poetry and literature to encourage the student’s language, and using a variety of writing, reading and physical gestures to encourage engagement with speech.  I believe that speech and language is intrinsically entwined with literacy skills, so reading to the student, and getting them to join in is key-but the way in which this is done is child centred; start small and work up to being able to do a speech in front of others- and they really can, with lots of encouragement and patience.  If a parent had said to me as a child, with my speech impediment, that as an adult I would stand in front of hundreds of people and speak- I would not have believed them.  And yet, I did! Yes, a few times I fumbled my words a little, that happens, but I did it, and so can my students- building their confidence will be the key to success.   

• My experience teaching Maths, English & Science; English is my primary teaching focus when it comes to the `big three` essentials that all children are expected to have succeeded in by the time they reach adult hood.  I have taught Key Stage 3 English and am able to teach key stage 4 English (GCSE) and functional skills English also.  I am happy to teach functional skills maths and key stage 3 maths to students struggling with basic maths concepts.  I have a good understanding of and can support students who have dyscalculia.  There are lots of maths tricks that students can learn to help them cope with everyday maths skills.  I believe that Maths should also be put into context of the real world, thus understanding banking, tax, payslips etc is essential maths learning with me.   Science is a big thing in our house (I am married to a scientist!)- in addition, I find biology fascinating and that is where my science strength lies.  I have a lot of connections with outreach science programmes also, which are very beneficial to students. 
• My experience working with young people to boost their confidence and self-esteem:I feel that this is the most important job of an educator, it is at the heart of everything I do as a teacher.   I have had many years supporting students with building their confidence and am trained to support students who are experiencing low self-esteem and mental health problems.  I am fully confident that working with me will lead to students feeling more confident and with better self-esteem. 
• My specialist experience providing engaging sessions to inspire a love of learning:I am always happy to adapt and play with students, no matter what their age- being flexible with the approach and being prepared to have fun will always help students learn.  In the past I have had students who are usually resistant to learning, engage through dressing up, looking at artefacts from time periods studied, finding out about their own family or own interests and linking that to the topics, teaching whilst standing, walking or exploring a site.  My best achievement in this area is working with a student who had PDA, and refused to write or do any work when I first met him, but after `re-enacting` the battle scene together, he went on to write many pages of an essay, and from this point on was enjoying learning with me.  I will sing, act, model leaning, whatever is needed to inspire- I am happy to do it! 
• My skills and experience supporting young people to develop their independence:  Having been Head of Careers, attended careers based SEND conferences and thinking about my own personal journey, I know what skills a person, needs to succeed, and how those skills may be more difficult to learn for SEND children.  Being able to teach a wide range of traditional academic subjects, as well being a dab hand in the kitchen and garden, being a mother and growing up as a young carer myself- I have plenty of experience in teaching and supporting people to develop essential life skills to help them develop their independence.  In recent years I designed programmes which prepped students for the world of work- how to apply for a job, how to dress to impress, how to make a phone call, fake it to make it confidence tips, how to manage your money, how to advocate for yourself.  I had to learn many of these skills the hard way, I want to ensure that someone is there who can support you in teaching these vital life skills to your children, so that they can go out into the world as independent as they can possibly be.  Having taught and developed PSHCE programmes, and I am fully aware of the essentials expected by the government’s curriculum, but I can offer more- I can help each student to be the best that they can be!