Fresh Look Tuition

Time for a re-introduction to me and my tuition!

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted and I’ve finished a new qualification in the last few months which I’m very proud of. I now hold a Master of Art in Special and Inclusive Education and hope that it will help me to better support young people with SEND.

I have some space available for two new students moving forwards and would be happy to have a chat about how I can help.

Happy New year! I hope that you are enjoying this restful period before school and work restart. I’m taking some time to read this book at the moment, with of course, a sausage dog for support.

A little festive for the last day of term. I hope all my students have a restful Winter break and I look forward to them starting back refreshed and ready in 2026.

What a ridiculous statement for Richard Tice to make. We cannot go backwards, it will only make our classrooms less inclusive and more discriminatory and unsafe for young people. Accomodations should be the norm so that every young person can access their education fully.

“The sight of children in classes wearing ear defenders, I’m sorry, this is just insane.”
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That was Richard Tice yesterday, talking about our children.
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Ear defenders are not “insane.”
They are access.
They are inclusion.
They are what make school even remotely possible for so many autistic and neurodivergent kids.
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Jude and Tommy both wear, or have worn, ear defenders in school.
They help reduce the overwhelming noise around them, so they are not spending all day with their fingers jammed in their ears, braced for the next sound.
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Ear defenders mean their hands are free to take part in lessons. They can focus a little more on what is being taught. There’s more chance they can stay in the classroom, rather than being sent out or having a meltdown
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What next, no wheelchairs in corridors?
No hearing aids because “it looks strange”?
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Of all the things that are broken in our education system, of all the ways this country is failing children right now, he singles out ear defenders and talk about a “crisis of overdiagnosis.”
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He also leans into this idea that parents and children are somehow the problem, that we are getting “too much,” that our children’s basic needs being met is why there is no money left for anything else.
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Meanwhile, families are spending years fighting for EHCPs, spending savings on reports, going to tribunal, writing endless emails, being ignored, being blamed, being exhausted. No one is cashing in here. Parents are burning out trying to get the bare minimum so their children can cope in school at all.
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This is ableist rhetoric from someone who has no idea what our kids actually live with, or what it takes to keep them in education. It makes families like ours feel like we are the problem, again. Like our children are too expensive, too much, taking up space they are not entitled to.
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And to any one feeling angry or upset by what he said. You are not the problem. Your child is not the problem. The problem is focusing on the cost of the support rather than the cost of denying it.
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Our children deserve better than this.
And we will keep fighting for them, no matter how loudly people like him try to make us feel like we shouldn’t

Sizzle was lending a paw to maths lessons today! Sharing a picture like this can be a great way to offer a brain break to students when they are getting frustrated with something. After a minute, they can try again and hopefully make progress.

My skeleton earrings were a hit today with students! They even glow in the dark!

Teachers are not trained and qualified to diagnose a wide range of conditions, and are already overworked without enough time to do all on their list. This is a terrible idea that will mean more children do not receive the support they need, and more teachers will burnout and leave the profession.

This is a very terrible idea—and teachers think so too. “Teachers to take greater role in carrying out SEND assessments, says Phillipson”
https://archive.is/AKoZj

These are some fun activities to help give brain breaks to students in between topics. I find that some students need to just stop for a few minutes though, and get up and move around, so that needs to be an option as well.

Brain breaks allow people to reset and refocus again which helps keep their learning moving forward without stress and ensure they don’t reach overwhelm.

17 brain break activities designed for older learners: https://edut.to/4mPvl5M

A huge congratulations to all our students who received their GCSE results today.

We also know that not every result day feels like a celebration. If things didn’t go as planned, there are still many exciting paths ahead — and we can help you find the right one. From retakes and subject changes to alternative post-16 options, we can help with advice for the next step.

You might find the advice on our, ‘Guide to GCSE Results’ useful, or you can get in touch with us for some individual guidance. Whether you want to share good news or explore your options, we’d love to hear from you.

📞 020 7350 1981
📩 [email protected]

National 5 results also came out over the summer and I’m so proud of my student who achieved a B in maths and another B in applications of maths, exceeding their target in both subjects!