Our Tutors

I founded Shepway Tutoring in 2014 following 14 years as a primary school teacher.  I have taught all year groups at primary level and I now enjoy tutoring both primary and secondary aged children and young people as well as working with adults.

I qualified with a First Class Honours in Education with Qualified Teacher Status (BA(QTS)) in 2000 and I also achieved a Masters in Education (MA) in 2005.  More recently, I have qualified as an Access Arrangements assessor (PAPAA).  During my career I was a Lead Numeracy and Music teacher for Kent, a Senior Leader for KS2 and also a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator.

I am extremely passionate and dedicated to supporting children, young people and their families with educational needs and disabilities.  I created Kent SEND Support in January 2020 and I am very proud of the positive and proactive work we undertake with our families.  I currently work with children with a range of needs including Autism, PDA, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Tourettes and ADHD.

I greatly enjoy tutoring children and moving them on in their learning.  I feel that it is terribly important to help children gain confidence in their own abilities and believe in themselves as learners and as people.  I like to make learning an enjoyable experience and something that children and young people want to do.

Ian is a creative, innovative and passionate tutor.  He qualified with a first class Bachelor of Education with Honours degree in December 1992 and began his teaching career at Risley Avenue Infant school in Tottenham.  After four years he changed school and worked first as a teacher then as Acting Deputy Head at Tetherdown Primary School in Muswell Hill.  Ian was also the school’s literacy co-ordinator, a subject he really enjoys.  In September 2000, Ian became Deputy Head of Risley Avenue Primary School, Tottenham with responsibility for just under 700 pupils and over 50 staff.  

Ian continued in his role as Deputy Head for 8 years before making the move into higher education as a part-time lecturer in Geography at Middlesex University for the BA Primary/Early Years Education course.  Following this, he became a senior lecturer in Early Years and Primary Education at London Metropolitan University.  During this time, Ian was a full-time lecturer on three teacher training degree and post graduate courses and a supervising tutor for students on school placements.  In 2017, Ian left full-time employment and began to work as a private tutor.  He currently undertakes tuition work at the Cherry Tree Tuition Centre in East Finchley and has recently joined Shepway Tutoring after moving to Hythe.

As a tutor, Ian is extremely proficient in devising appropriate learning programmes for all abilities.  He has worked with children with many different special educational needs including ASD, dyslexia and ADHD.  He has a great deal of experience in preparing children for 11+ (Kent Test) and SATs and has a very good understanding of assessing the knowledge and skills of children in order to inform the planning of future sessions.

Ian’s personal interests and hobbies include writing children’s stories, reading, going to the cinema and theatre, music, cooking and gardening.  We are very pleased to be able to offer Ian’s services to our clients.

Sue is a creative and caring tutor.  She has been involved in education for over 30 years and has a great deal of experience supporting children and young people from her positions as a Teaching Assistant, Learning Mentor, Pastoral Manager and most recently as Inclusions Manager at a local secondary school.  She also has qualifications in Art Therapy and Creative Learning and so her sessions can be geared to using art as a learning tool.  In her role as an Inclusions Manager, Sue has a wealth of experience in engaging children and young people who would otherwise be disengaged and at risk of being excluded.  She has an extensive knowledge of Special Educational Needs.  When asked to write a little bit about her ethos when working with children, Sue said:

“I am passionate in my approach to learning and understand how important it is to “know” my pupil in order to deliver the most effective outcome for them.  Through careful planning and discussion with the pupil and parents/carers, I aim to deliver enjoyable, engaging and individual sessions that not only help my pupil learn but help them gain confidence to go on to be successful learners throughout their lives.”

Sue’s personal interests and hobbies include amateur dramatics and art - she has her own business – Create and Shine.  We are very pleased to be able to offer Sue’s services to our clients.

Someone once said to Caroline, “you’re wasting your time learning languages because everyone speaks English.” Far from feeling discouraged, this made her even more determined to achieve her ambition of becoming multilingual. She graduated from the University of Surrey with a joint honours degree in French and Spanish. As part of her course, she spent extended study periods at university in both Barcelona and Tours and undertook professional work placements in France.

Following university, Caroline pursued a career in private industry, including around 15 years as a procurement professional working for multinational companies, including Eurotunnel and Church & Dwight. She has continued to build on her language proficiency in the workplace by managing international suppliers and working regularly in France. Throughout her career, she has had to undertake multilingual tasks as diverse as presenting training courses, complex supplier negotiations, translation and managing multilingual teams. Following a serious health scare in 2018, she decided to change careers and follow her passion for writing. She now works for Holiday Extras as a copywriter, producing bilingual content for the company’s websites. Her career has been testament to just how valuable it can be to achieve proficiency in another language.

Caroline is an experienced tutor and has previously taught both French and Spanish to conversation and GCSE level. She has an absolute love of languages and feels passionate that learning should be fun, as well as informative. She is very adept in helping pupils who may be shy or lacking confidence with speaking languages. Her previous students have exceeded expectations with their predicted grades with one going on to study Spanish at university.

When not working, Caroline retains strong connections to her Romney Marsh roots with her voluntary work organising community events. She is a member of the New Romney Country Fayre Committee and is also the team leader for the Light Up New Romney Community Christmas Lantern Parade.

Margaret is an imaginative and passionate tutor. She qualified in December 1993 with a 2:1 Bachelor of Arts with honours degree in Business Studies and began her business career with Scottish Enterprise, BBC Scotland, Telewest Communications and TSC (outsourcing) to name a few. After relocating to Hawkinge with her family in 2008, Margaret volunteered in her daughters’ primary school. This led to her undertaking her PGCE qualification at Canterbury Christchurch University and beginning her teaching career at Furley Park Primary Academy in Ashford in 2012.

During her time at Furley Park, she taught both Year 1 and Year 4 and was nominated for KMFM’s Teacher of the Year Award, receiving a Highly Commended. After four years she changed school to Martello Primary Academy in Folkestone and then its sister school, Morehall Primary. Margaret was Literacy Co-ordinator at Martello Primary, a subject she really enjoys. She was also the Wellbeing co-ordinator for both Morehall and Martello Primaries.

In a voluntary capacity, Margaret has been involved in both her daughters’ primary and secondary PTFAs, continuing to hold the post of Chair of Folkestone School for Girls PTFA, a role she has undertaken for the last 9 years. In December 2018 Margaret stopped teaching to care for her late mother. Since then she has been working as a private tutor and part-time exam invigilator.

As a tutor, Margaret is patient, compassionate and supportive. She adapts her teaching to meet the needs of all her pupils and is dedicated to helping them feel confident, raising their self-esteem. Margaret recognises and appreciates that all children are unique and learn at their own individual pace.

Margaret’s personal interests and hobbies include cycling, drawing, reading, going to the theatre, music, cooking and reluctant gardening. We are very pleased to be able to offer Margaret’s services to our clients.

Kat is a knowledgeable, creative and patient tutor who encourages young people to have a positive attitude, to think critically, and to emphasise their strengths. Over the past 10 years she has worked with children in schools both in Kent and London. During her time in the classroom, she has gained invaluable experience assisting children through their learning journeys. Kat has worked with children and young people with special educational needs including ASD, ADHD, ODD and Dyslexia. She also has experience working with children with mental illness and has completed some training in this field.

Kat has completed a BSc (Hons) degree in Marketing Management and has worked as a business consultant and workplace trainer. In addition to this, Kat has qualifications in music; singing and playing the guitar. She is very computer competent and has learnt to use Adobe’s Creative Cloud which includes applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator. She also uses Procreate to generate her own work as a graphic designer and she loves to use her creative flair to adapt and find engaging ways for children to learn.

Part of her work as a Marketer has involved copywriting and creating press releases and as a result Kat has a very high standard of written English. In her own time, she loves to read books, play and listen to music, go for bike rides and she is currently learning how to code to develop websites. Kat’s varied knowledge makes her a valuable part of our team and an inspiring tutor.

Our tutor, Liz, works hard to help all her students feel valid, valued and heard. She is passionate about equality, inclusivity and kindness and is dedicated to helping the world become a more tolerant and understanding place. Liz has a Batchelors degree in Fine and Applied Arts and a Masters degree in Fine Art. She is currently working towards a Foundation degree in Education and Training and has a qualification in Information, Advice and Guidance.

Liz is able to offer a wide range of support both as a tutor or a mentor. As a tutor, Liz can support learners with GCSE English as well as other subjects such as History, Art, and Sociology. In addition, she has a good knowledge of the Functional Skills Entry Level to Level 2 curriculum for both English and Maths.

As a mentor, Liz enjoys working with secondary aged young people through to post 16 and young adults. She is able to provide support in many areas including LGBTQ+, confidence and self-esteem, body image and employment skills. She is also able to support older students at college or university who may need help with organising their assignments or communicating their needs to tutors.

In addition to Kent SEND Support, Liz works at a centre for young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Here she co-ordinates work placements and helps young people gain qualifications, develop confidence and recognise their path in life. She finds this work extremely rewarding and says she learns something new every day.

Liz grew up on the Romney Marsh and loves all the beautiful things it has to offer. She is committed to looking after the environment and sustainability, working hard to live a life with as little waste as possible. Liz believes everyone should have an equal opportunity to live the positive and fulfilling life they want to live and that everyone deserves a second chance. We are very pleased to have Liz as part of our team.