As a home educator, finding secondary English support that balances academic rigour with a flexible, low-anxiety environment can be challenging. Whether your teenager is preparing for GCSE/IGCSE exams as a private candidate or exploring literature for pure curiosity and creative expression, my live daytime cohorts offer structure, high-level teaching, and peer discussion in a calm, encouraging space.

25+ years of classroom teaching, department leadership, and examiner insight.

Creative Reading & Writing

A six-week group course for home-educated students aged roughly 11 to 14

Creative Reading & Writing is about enjoying words and learning how they work. Each session starts with something worth reading: a story opening, a poem, a piece of memoir or a newspaper column. We talk about what the writer is doing and why it works, and then students try it for themselves.

There are no exams and no set texts. The aim is confident, curious readers and writers who can talk about what they read and write with real control. It builds a strong foundation for GCSE or IGCSE later, but it is taught for its own sake.

What a session looks like

•     Read: a short, rich piece of writing, read together

•     Talk: what the writer does, and how we can borrow it

•     Write: students draft their own piece

•     Share: students read their work aloud if they would like to, and get feedback

Between sessions there is a short, optional reading or writing challenge. At the end of the course you will receive a brief note on what your child has covered, which you can keep for your records.

Choose your group

Both groups run in the morning, leaving your afternoons free.

Tuesdays, face-to-face in OX13: 10:30 to 12:00, 3 November to 8 December. Up to five students, in my teaching room.

Thursdays, face-to-face in OX13: 10:30 to 12:00, 5 November to 10 December.

These sessions are tailored for ages 11-14.

Cost

£150 per child for six sessions. A second child from the same family is £100.

Try it first. You pay £25 for the first session. If your child would like to carry on, the rest (£125, or £75 for a second child) is paid before week two. If not, there is nothing more to pay.

One-to-one in the daytime · £45 an hour

If a group isn’t the right fit, or your child would like more, I also teach home-educated students one-to-one during the day, Monday to Thursday, online or face-to-face in OX13.

Lessons follow your child’s interests and pace. They might start from a book they love or a kind of writing they want to try, or they can get steady preparation for GCSE or IGCSE. They work well on their own or alongside the Creative Reading & Writing group.

Preparing for GCSE or IGCSE?

If your child is working towards GCSE or IGCSE English as a private candidate, I offer one-to-one lessons at £45 an hour, online or face-to-face in OX13, with daytime slots available. I work with students on all the main exam boards. If three or more families are preparing for the same specification, I will open a small daytime group, so do mention it when you get in touch.

Places are limited to five face-to-face and eight online.

Book a Free Chat to secure your place.