Poppy's Tutoring Company

Poppy's Tutoring Company Local Tutoring Service in Dorset, South London and Online KS1 - GCSE
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27/09/2026

What if we taught young people to see the world around them as part of their classroom?

Watching the Changing of the Guard at Windsor Castle reminded me just how many learning opportunities exist outside traditional lessons.

For History, there are questions about monarchy, power, conflict, architecture, tradition and almost 1,000 years of change.

For English, the same experience could become a piece of descriptive writing: the rhythm of marching boots, the colours and uniforms, the crowds gathering and the castle towering above them.

But perhaps the most valuable skill is simply curiosity.

Why is this tradition still happening?
Why was the castle built here?
What has this place witnessed?
What has changed ... and what hasn’t?

As educators and tutors, we don't only have to teach young people information. We can help them become interested in the world around them and confident enough to question it.

Learning doesn't always have to begin with a textbook.

Sometimes it begins with “Why?”

I’d love to hear from other educators: what places have you used to bring learning to life?

25/09/2026

A day full of big conversations, but one thing kept coming back to me:

Education systems are often built around neat categories. Children are not.

SEND, EOTAS, alternative provision, specialist education, mainstream, AI, leadership, sustainability… these can all sound like separate conversations.

But ultimately, they all come back to the same question:

Are we creating an education system that genuinely works for the child in front of us?

The conversation around AI was especially interesting too. Not just how we use it, but what we choose to protect as education changes.

Curiosity. Judgement. Relationships. Creativity. Confidence. The ability to think.

For me, those things matter just as much as ever.

I came away from the Education Summit with a lot to reflect on, and plenty I want to keep exploring through my work with students, families and educators. 🤍

What do you think education should protect, and what are we ready to rethink?

23/09/2026

“My ideas matter, and I am capable.” 🤍

This is how I want every student with dyslexia to feel when they leave our lessons.

With my youngest brother’s experiences so close to my heart, helping children feel understood and confident means so much to me.

A thoughtful explanation, time to find their words or another way to share an answer can give a child the opportunity to show us what they know.

🌊 Give them time to think.
🌊 Make the page clear and manageable.
🌊 Model, practise and revisit skills.
🌊 Offer different ways to express their understanding.
🌊 Celebrate their ideas, effort and progress.

And always get to know the individual. Ask what helps them and listen to the answer.

I want our students to feel comfortable asking for help, proud of their progress and brave enough to have another go.

Save this for your next lesson or homework session 🤍 What has helped you or a child you support?

21/09/2026

What I would love every teacher and tutor to know about teaching students with ADHD 💙

Small changes in how we teach can make such a difference to how a child feels about learning and themselves.

• Start with curiosity. If a student is struggling to focus or begin, take a moment to understand why. They may need help finding that first step. Feeling understood makes it easier to ask for support.

• Break things down. Give one clear instruction at a time and keep the steps visible. This reduces how much a student has to hold in their mind and can make a task feel more manageable.

• Make room for movement. A stretch, standing up or a quiet fidget may help a student stay engaged. We can miss how much they are taking in if we only look for stillness.

• Make learning personal. Bring in their interests, offer choices and let them talk through or show what they know. This gives us more ways to connect with them and understand their thinking.

• Protect their confidence. Notice the effort, celebrate progress and give feedback with kindness. “You found a way to get started even though that felt tricky” helps a student recognise their own success.

Every student with ADHD is different. Get to know the child in front of you and keep asking what helps them. I want every student I teach to feel safe to try, comfortable making mistakes and proud of what they can achieve. 💙

Parents, teachers and tutors, what has made the biggest difference for your child or students?

17/09/2026

We say we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. What if we brought that same curiosity into education? 💙

Looking beyond a school’s name or reputation to understand its people, values and the experience of the children who learn there.

And looking beyond a child’s label to discover their personality, interests, strengths and hopes.

A diagnosis can open doors to understanding and support. It should never place a ceiling on what we believe a child can achieve.

That was one of the loveliest things about The Dorset Education Conversation. Bringing people together who wanted to look deeper, with schools ready to share who they are and what they stand for beyond the name above the door.

A wonderful evening of conversation, connection and shared care for our children, right here in our Dorset community. Thank you to everyone who was part of it including the amazing schools:


and

local voices :
charity


Thank you also to & for your support

What do you wish more people understood about your child beyond their label?

My heart is with Noah Woods’ family and everyone who loves him following this evening’s heartbreaking news. A child’s bo...
16/09/2026

My heart is with Noah Woods’ family and everyone who loves him following this evening’s heartbreaking news. A child’s body has been found during the search for Noah, although formal identification is still pending.

For those of us who teach and support autistic children, this feels especially close to home.

Every child deserves adults who take time to understand how they communicate, what helps them feel secure and the individual support they need. Listening to families and valuing their knowledge must be part of that care.

This is a moment for compassion, respect and privacy. Please be gentle with families who may be finding tonight’s news particularly painful.

Holding Noah and his loved ones in our thoughts here at Poppy's Tutoring 🤍

If you’re parenting an autistic child, you’ll already know that there is no one version of autism, and no single approac...
16/09/2026

If you’re parenting an autistic child, you’ll already know that there is no one version of autism, and no single approach that works for every child. 💛

What helps one child feel safe, regulated and ready to learn might look completely different for another.

That is why I think the most important starting point is always the child themselves.

Get to know what helps them feel comfortable. Notice what overwhelms them. Give them processing time. Make things predictable where you can. Use the things they love to build connection. And remember that regulation often has to come before learning.

Sometimes progress is not completing another worksheet or getting through the whole lesson.

Sometimes progress is a child feeling safe enough to ask for a break.

It is communicating that something feels too much.

It is returning to learning after becoming overwhelmed.

It is beginning to trust the adult sitting beside them.

Those moments matter too. 🌿

I would really love to hear from parents of autistic children.

What is one thing you wish more teachers or tutors understood about your child?

And for teachers and tutors, what has an autistic child taught you about the way you approach learning?

I think some of the most important conversations in education happen when we listen to families as well as professionals. 💛

15/09/2026

One of my favourite things about bringing people together is hearing the different perspectives that come out of the conversation. 💛

Education isn’t one size fits all and neither are children. When we bring together educators, specialists, parents and people with lived experience, we start having the conversations that can genuinely change how young people are understood and supported.

A little more from The Dorset Education Conversation 🌊

And this is only the beginning… 👀

Thank you so much to our lovely Tai for capturing our amazing schools & families.

What do you think needs to change most in education right now?

13/09/2026

🌲 Learning really is all around us.

A little wander (mid ride) through the giant sequoias at Blackwater in the New Forest turned into a lesson in history, geography and science without a textbook in sight.

These incredible trees originate from California, with giant sequoias introduced to Britain during the Victorian era. And perhaps my favourite fact? For something so enormous, their root systems are relatively shallow spreading widely beneath the ground to support these giants.

It’s such a lovely reminder that education doesn’t have to happen within four walls.

Sometimes learning is looking up at an enormous tree and asking: How did that get here? Why does it grow like that? What’s happening underneath my feet?

Curiosity is learning. 🌿

And for so many children, getting outside, exploring and actually seeing and experiencing something can make learning feel far more meaningful.

The world around us is one enormous classroom ... we just have to stay curious. 💚

12/09/2026

If you teach or tutor autistic children, remember: the goal isn’t to make them learn like everybody else. 💛

Get to know the child, not just the diagnosis. Create predictability. Give processing time. Notice sensory needs. Use their interests to build connection and confidence.

And perhaps most importantly REGULATION comes before learning. An overwhelmed child doesn’t need us to push harder; they need us to understand what’s making learning difficult at that moment.

Every autistic child is different. When we take the time to understand how they learn best, we can create an environment where they feel safe, understood and able to thrive. 🌱

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