My Story

Meet Clare, a Private Online 11+ English Tutor

About me

I’m Clare, a qualified, experienced teacher and 11+ English tutor

As a shy child, I know the struggle of lacking self-confidence. I learned to become confident as a teacher. I remember the fear of facing a room of curious eyes and thinking I had two choices, either to run away or embrace the challenge. Stepping outside of my comfort zone was a decision that changed my life. I love empowering driven children to discover their own confidence so they can unlock their full potential.

After nearly a decade teaching at Thomas’s London Day School, Fulham, Putney High Junior School, The Roche School and Eaton House the Manor in Clapham, I returned to my Devon roots in 2019 to become a full-time, private online English tutor.

The 11-Plus exams for top grammar and independent schools remain fiercely competitive. Supporting your child to reach their full potential is a valuable investment in their education, happiness and success.

Are you looking for English tuition that combines challenge and compassion, while fostering joy and confidence ?  If so, I’d love to help! This unique blend in my teaching style sets me apart as a private tutor.

While I’ll provide gentle guidance, I won’t hesitate to point out areas to develop. My suggestions may differ from your initial expectations. However, success often requires stepping outside of our comfort zone and as such, my private tuition isn’t for everyone

It’s aimed at ambitious, focused students who lack confidence in their English skills to shine. I work with forward-thinking, down-to-earth parents who are ready to take feedback onboard in the pursuit of success. I’m particularly passionate about supporting girls to believe in their strengths and pursue their dream goals.

A successful private tuition journey is similar to a team sport, with parents, tutor and child on the same team. Let’s guide your child to more confidence, personal and academic success. 

I help children from both state and private schools gain admission to top UK schools such as, King’s College Wimbledon, Emanuel, Wimbledon High, Francis Holland, Putney High, Alleyn’s School, Latymer, Tiffin, Dame Alice Owen’s, Latymer Upper, Whitgift, Winchester, St. Paul’s, Brighton College and Dulwich College.

I’m here to help your academically bright child achieve their English goals, regardless of your location or desired UK school.

If your child isn’t planning to take the 11-Plus exam but wants to strengthen their passion for creative storytelling, I can support them with their goals. My premium fees reflect my experience and expertise. Aside from my work, I love beaches, well-behaved dogs, books and good coffee!

If you think your child is ready to benefit from my tuition, I highly recommend you book a free consultation with me—I’d love to hear from you!

My Qualifications

Skills & Qualifications that I apply to my teaching

Bachelor’s degree from Durham university

PGCE teaching qualification from Plymouth Marjon in 2010

Professional membership with the Tutors’ Association

Over 12 years of experience of teaching within schools

My Values

I support ambitious, forward-thinking parents to work with their child to achieve wild confidence for exam success and beyond.

Purpose

To empower children to become confident English stars fostering self-belief and self-confidence.

Vision

To inspire the next generation of individuals so they can reach their highest potential.

Mission

To empower bright children to grow their creative confidence for limitless success.

What do Parents think?

Here are some reviews from the children’s parents

Rated 5 out of 5
“I have used Clare to help my son with his Common Entrance prep. She was absolutely amazing. Not only is she a real teacher who knows how children actually learns and what they need to close their knowledge gaps, but she was also so in-tuned to my son’s learning style, not to mention always kind and with a smile on her face. She made the hard work easy and we are just so very lucky to have been able to work together. My son got to the top schools he aimed for and we remain forever grateful.”

Parent - SW London

Rated 5 out of 5
“My daughter Leia (Year 3) loves the lessons with Clare because they are structured in a fun way that encourages imagination. Each session is designed to enrich vocabulary and ends with a beautifully written essay about various topics. There was a noticeable improvement in my daughter's writing only after three sessions and Leia is very proud every time she has used a new word in her writing. After each session Clare provides a pdf summary of the words that have been used in the session, which we find very helpful as we can practice all the words until the next session. ”

Parent - SW London

Rated 5 out of 5
“Charlie has clearly enjoyed his lessons with you and we would like to thank you for all that you've done with him. At last week's parents' evening his English teacher said that Charlie is doing really well and he's very pleased with all his work. ”

Parent - SW London

“Thank you so much for the update on his progress - it's amazing to hear how well he's doing! I'm especially happy to hear he is enjoying the "show don't tell" and is getting so inquisitive about words.Your insights about his approach to writing are really helpful, and I appreciate the analogy of learning as a “to do” list. It makes perfect sense. I'm sure that, as you say, his writing will become more natural and fluid with time and practice. I'm also learning as we go along so it's great to have your experience to guide us.”

1:1 Bright to Brilliant - Year 5 parent

“My daughter recently completed a delightful 12-week course, '1:1 Bright to Brilliant,' with the exceptional English tutor Clare, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Each session, lasting about an hour per week and accompanied by homework, was instrumental in helping my daughter articulate her ideas, put pen to paper, and develop her writing skills. The feedback provided for homework was both valuable and encouraging, making the course highly informative and constructive. My daughter initially found certain writing styles, such as poetry, quite challenging due to infrequent practice at school. Clare not only encouraged her and offered insightful guidance but also instilled in her the confidence to write. The atmosphere of the sessions was always relaxed and friendly, fostering a love for writing in my daughter. As a result, she now feels much more confident when writing at school and has expanded her vocabulary, with 'suave' and 'reminiscing' being her favourite new words. What my daughter found most enjoyable was creating her original story and receiving feedback for its development. For example, she wrote a story titled 'The Portal,' which follows a young girl and her apprentice as they track down a pair of thieves. The story ends with a plot twist and cliffhanger after several pages filled with adventure. She is very proud of both the idea and the length of her writing. A heartfelt thank you to Clare for running this wonderful course. ”

1:1 Bright to Brilliant

Rated 5 out of 5
“Claire's poetry workshop is absolutly amazing and I will highly recommend her! My 8 year old child truly loved it and learnt so much. Claire has a great way of teaching and is very knowledgeable, we can't wait to attend her next session.”

Parent - South Devon

Whats new?

Check out my latest case studies and resources

News

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How can I prompt my child’s creativity? This is a common question I get asked a lot by parents looking to prepare their child for the 11-Plus exam.

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Case Study

How Matteo reaped the benefits of 11 Plus tuition

Matteo was in Year 4 and attending a small independent school in North London when we first started working together. 

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Resources

The Independent School Interview

Rebecca currently works as a LAMDA teacher at Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green and is Head of New Writing at Putney Theatre. 

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