Helen Kirk Tutoring

Books and cake-perfect!

To celebrate our 90th birthday, we're offering one lucky booklover the chance to celebrate all year round. 🎂

Win cake delivered to your door for a year, and a special £90 National Book Token to spend in your favourite bookshop!

Enter now: https://caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com/win-a-year-of-cake-and-90-to-spend-on-books?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=20221114-90-years&utm_content=year-of-cake

Good afternoon everyone!
I've had several enquiries asking about the benefits of online tutoring, so here are a few Friday afternoon thoughts:
It's as Covid-19 friendly as it can possibly be. I don't come into your house, or your child doesn't come into mine.
Your child will be learning at home, in an environment in which they feel safe and secure.
You do not need to ferry your child across town in the rush hour traffic, stressed after a long day, trying to get to a session on time.
Children are much more tech-savvy than we are, and they are used to learning and communicating online.
I have all my resources immediately to hand on my PC, ready to share with your child.
I always do a free welcome session with both you and your child so that we can get to know each other before the bespoke lessons begin. That way I can get an idea of the areas we will work on together, and I am not just a strange face on the other side of a screen - or hopefully not too strange!
It actually works very well! Please watch the (rather amateurish) video that I have posted onto this page to see how I tutor online.
Please phone, message or email me if you have any questions. I'm always happy to chat and help if I can. 😀

Parents- are you still looking for primary tuition for your child? After Christmas I will have two sessions available on Tuesday afternoons for 11+ preparation, or support with primary maths and English.

Wishing good luck to all Warwickshire children taking the 11+ tomorrow, but especially to my fantastic 11+ crew! What a year it’s been! We’ve soldiered on through the dark days of winter and the sweltering heatwave. Along the way we’ve had snack updates, cube/sugar fish (if you know, you know!), snoring dogs, birthday coincidences, Harry Potter figures making guest appearances, sci-fi chat and much more. You have all worked incredibly hard and, whatever the outcome of tomorrow, you should be very proud of yourselves. I will miss you all!

Happy summer holidays everyone! Parents of children who have just finished Y4 - now is the time to get in touch with me if you’re thinking of entering your child for the 11+ in September 2023. I only have a few places left!

Thank you to Siri, one of my lovely nieces, for this amazing birthday card. With her kind permission, and with one modification (approved by the artist), I’ve used it for my cover photo.

Attention parents of children currently in Y4! Are you thinking of entering your child for the Warwickshire 11+ in 2023? I’m now taking bookings for tuition beginning this September for children who will be entering Y5 in the autumn term. It’s the ideal time to begin 11+ preparation and it’s never too early to reserve your place! Individual and small group classes available.
Please message, email or phone me if you’d like to chat.

Sending lots of luck to all the Year 6 children in Warwickshire who are sitting their 11+ tomorrow.

I am now taking bookings for primary catch-up sessions. Are you worried that your child’s progress and confidence has suffered during this school year due to lockdown disruptions? If you think they’d benefit from extra tutoring during the summer then please message, email or phone me for a chat.

Attention parents of children currently in Y4! Are you thinking of entering your child for the Warwickshire 11+ in 2022? I’m now taking bookings for classes beginning in September for children who will be entering Y5 next term. It’s the ideal time to begin 11+ tuition and it’s never too early to reserve your place! Individual and small group classes available.
Please message, email or phone me if you’d like to chat.

Last day of home learning! As parents everywhere breathe sighs of relief, Hedwig and I are preparing to teach our last daytime lessons to the children we have been supporting during this lockdown. Well done everyone-we did it!

It might have been half term this week, but lessons have continued here at Helen Kirk tutoring. We’ve had dragons, turtles, big numbers, maths games and lots more. Even the baby Yodas have joined in! With at least two weeks of remote learning until schools reopen fully, please contact me if you feel you or your child could do with some support.

So, parents, three weeks in and how is remote learning going? Please message, email or phone me if you’d like some help for your primary-aged child. I’m available for one-off support lessons as well as regular individual or small group sessions.

Parents- are you struggling to explain long division? Fronted adverbials not really your thing? Confused by modal verbs?
If you’d like some help for your children during this period of remote learning, please message, email or phone me. I’m now taking bookings for one-off online support lessons for primary school children. Regular individual and small group lessons are also available.

Does the thought of struggling with home schooling until at least half term make you anxious? Are you worried that your child will not make progress during this period of remote learning? You are not alone! Message, email or phone me for help. I’m now taking bookings for individual or small group lessons.

Do you live in a tier 4 covid hotspot? Is your primary-aged child facing a few weeks of home learning? Are you worried about being able to support your child and juggle work commitments? Do you feel your child could do with a bit of a boost in English or maths after the holidays? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, please message, email or phone me. I am an experienced primary school teacher and online tutor and I can help you.

Happy New Year everyone!

It’s been the strangest of school terms, but we’ve made it! Well done to children, teachers and parents! You all deserve a wonderful holiday and a very happy Christmas.

I know how much my two boys benefited from their Y6 residential at Marle Hall. It would be so sad if it had to close

Warwickshire teachers bid to stop Marle Hall closure The stately home on the edge of Snowdonia has been owned by Warwickshire County Council since 1971.

We’ve all had to find new ways of working this year, teachers and tutors included. If you’re considering engaging a tutor for your primary-aged child after Christmas, remember that online tutoring is just as effective as a face-to-face lesson and is perfectly Covid-friendly.
After howls of embarrassment from the shepherd yesterday, I feel it’s only fair to post a picture of his older brother preparing to play Joseph. Eagle-eyed followers might notice the use of the same costume, minus the fluffy lamb!

Covid-friendly nativity plays are in full swing in most schools this week. Teachers and children are cleverly finding new ways to keep Christmas activities going this year.
Here’s a photo of my very own shepherd, dressed up for his first pre-school nativity, quite a few years ago now!

It’s adopt-a-pet day here at Helen Kirk Tutoring! I’ve been given special permission from my lovely friend Elaine to adopt Bailey for the day. He’s surely the cutest puppy ever. Bailey’s sister (who is equally adorable) belongs to a rather talented local footballer. Can anyone guess who? Bailey’s wearing a scarf to help you guess.

I know I’m a bit late to the banana bread game - should have been baking this in lockdown 1.0 - but it seemed appropriate to make in these tier 3 times too. Possibly a bit overdone, but it’s not as if Paul Hollywood is coming round to have a slice!

Everyone pops in their own time.

How lovely ❤️

This might be worth looking at if you've got children who prefer reading non-fiction.

Try 6 FREE issues (worth £15) Award-winning reading for 8-14s

Just a reminder for Warwickshire Year 5 parents: I am now launching my 11+ classes.
Now is the ideal time to begin 11+ preparation if you are thinking of entering your child for next year’s test. These classes work particularly well for groups, but one-to-one tuition is also available. £30 for an hour’s individual tuition. £20 for an hour’s group lesson. All classes are online so they’re perfectly covid-safe.
Phone, message or email if you’d like to discuss this.

Things we very often forget to do, especially during these strange times.

And also thank goodness for sunny Saturdays and Strictly!

Let’s hope this next month passes very quickly and finds us all emerging safely on the other side. Thank goodness for chocolate, gin and Netflix!

Attention all Warwickshire Year 5 parents! I am now launching my 11+ classes.
Now is the ideal time to begin 11+ preparation if you are thinking of entering your child for next year’s test. These classes work particularly well for groups, but one-to-one tuition is also available. £30 for an hour’s individual tuition. £20 for an hour’s group lesson. All classes are online so they’re perfectly covid-safe.
Phone, message or email if you’d like to discuss this.

So I’ve made the Christmas cake today. It’s not actually as burnt as it looks in this photo! Do you think we’ll be able to have anyone round by December 25th to help us eat it?

Something fun to do on a wet and windy Saturday.

🧙 Read this Witches' Spell from Shakespeare's play Macbeth and then have a go at writing your own recipe for a spell: https://bit.ly/2SF6ztH

Sometimes smaller steps are the ones that get us to the top in the end.

Good morning everyone!
I've had several enquiries asking about the benefits (or otherwise) of online versus fact-to-face tutoring, so here are a few Wednesday morning thoughts:
It's as Covid-19 friendly as it can possibly be. I don't come into your house, or your child doesn't come into mine.
It's possible to do, and it works! Watch this space for further explanation of this point...
Your child will be learning at home, in an environment in which they feel safe and secure.
You do not need to ferry your child across town in the rush hour traffic, stressed after a long day, trying to get to a session on time.
Children are much more tech-savvy than we are, and they are used to learning and communicating online, especially since the first lockdown.
I have all my resources immediately to hand on my PC, ready to share with your child.
I always do a free welcome session with both you and your child so that we can get to know each other before the bespoke lessons begin. That way I can get an idea of the areas we will work on together, and I am not just a strange face on the other side of a screen - or hopefully not too strange!
Please phone, message or email me if you have any questions. I'm always happy to chat and help if I can. 😀

For my Stratford-upon-Avon friends: if you’re free on Saturday and fancy a bit of arty Christmas shopping then come and see what these talented artists are up to.

This Saturday at 130 Loxley Road CV37 7DT with guest artists Chris Taylor Enamel Art and No 96 Beehive products!