Gemma Harvey - Private Tutor

ANNOUNCEMENT: For the first time, I am now offering private English tuition for homeschooled children, during school hours.

I am excited to deliver bespoke programmes of English work for children who are homeschooled, whether that be because of family preference, health reasons or SEN. I can teach children between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 (ages 7 - 16 years old).

With my background working in both special education and mainstream environments as a classroom teacher, I am confident and capable to teach children across the ability spectrum, including those with diagnosed additional needs. I can support children in plugging learning 'gaps' that may have occurred due to long term absence from school, or create tailored schemes of work which are age and ability appropriate.

Contact me directly via my email ([email protected]) to find out more and to ask all and any questions you might have. I can't wait to get started with improving your child's English and Literacy skills, as well as boosting their confidence and self-esteem!

Every tutee I see has a unique learning experience with me. I tailor the learning journey, objectives and resources to meet the needs of each individual student so they are supported and stretched in exactly the way they need. I am delighted when parents recognise my tailored approach to tuition as well, just like the parent who wrote this testimonial:

"Gemma helped our daughter with GCSE English language and literature. She listened to our daughters needs and came very well prepared to each lesson. The lessons were well structured but fun as well. Gemma pitched the lessons at our daughters level but didn’t make her feel like they were to easy or to hard for her. She also boosted our daughters confidence in both her ability and self belief which had a massive impact with helping her prepare for the exams. We wish we had found Gemma earlier in the year. She has been a great help and we would highly recommend her."

Another lovely testimonial received from a happy parent!

“Gemma was wonderful with helping my daughter to have a better understanding in GCSE English. She is very professional, friendly, patient and supportive and Lybie always looked forward to their tuition sessions. Lybie now hopes to study English at A Level and I believe this is due to Gemma’s enthusiasm and love for the subject and the way this comes through in her teaching. I would highly recommend Gemma and will most definitely be in touch with her again to help prepare my son for his English GCSE.”

I take pride in communicating with my tutees in a relaxed and relatable way. Creating an understanding and a sense of trust is integral to enabling the best progress. I am particularly proud of this testimonial from a former tutee, who made excellent progress!

“Gemma always brought a positive atmosphere to every lesson and I felt comfortable with her from the first time I met her. She helped me improve three whole grades for the 6 months I had her for and she made me feel a lot more confident in English. I very much enjoyed her lessons as she was always really interesting and open with me.”

Building relationships with my tutees and their parents or guardians is a vital part of the tuition process. Feedback is given often and is discussed openly, and as a result the tutee can feel clear about and empowered by the progress they are making!
I am always so proud of the testimonials I recieve and this is no exception:

“Gemma has been tutoring our son who has dyslexia for over 2 years. Gemma has helped focus his attention and worked on specific areas to help him improve his spelling, phonics, punctuation and general fluency. Gemma has made learning fun and kept everything in bite size segments, making it easier to follow. We have certainly seen the benefit of his weekly tutoring and would highly recommend Gemma.”

It's been a long time since I last updated my social media (I have been rushed off my feet teaching!) but I wanted to share some testimonials that I am very proud of. Therefore, I will be posting testimonials throughout the day to share with you what my clients say about my English tuition services.

"I cannot recommend Gemma highly enough! Gemma is calm, considerate and was able to build a professional rapport with my son, bringing out a confidence in him that helped him pass his English GCSE - thank you Gemma."

And so another academic year has ended! As I'm sat sorting through all my books and papers, I'm reflecting on the busy and productive year it has been! What a wonderful group of tutees I have had the pleasure of tutoring this year. It was a record breaker for me too with more GCSE students than ever before.

I've also had the privilege of supporting a number of Key Stage 2 and 3 learners with additional needs and who have benefitted greatly from having more time developing their foundation literacy skills.

Here's to more breakthrough moments and confidence building from September in the valuable subject of English 👏📖💡

I just came across this fantastic post from SaLT by the Sea and felt compelled to share it with you all 😊 While the skill being discussed is different (Speech and Language rather than English and Literacy) it really resonates with me as an educator.

As a Private English Tutor, I believe fundamentally that working in collaboration WITH the tutee to achieve the objectives set is so much more important than following a set list of tasks in a particular order. The beauty of tuition is that it enables the learning to be dynamic, responsive and at the pace the learner benefits from best.

It’s got to be connection over compliance every time.
⚡️💛
That’s why I don’t train kids to give eye contact, or insist they follow my now/next schedule.

That’s why I’m more interested in a kid’s ability to share their ideas than their ability to sit still on the carpet.

When we start with genuine connection and interest in being together, we find so much more to say.



{ID: Blue skies and oak leaves, with block text that reads “We’re in the business of connection”}

Here goes Hampshire... wishing everyone a safe and successful return to school! Some may have already started but many schools are reopening their doors today.

Education is crucial for children right now, more than any other time in recent history. Let's support teachers and schools as much as we can ✌📚🖊📝📐💻🎾🎨🎭

Extra special good luck to my teacher friends. I'm doing my bit with getting back into tutoring this week and looking forward to supporting learners to get back on track with their English 🙂👍

Whew!! We made it to the Summer hols!! What a crazy academic year it has been for everyone.

I became busier with online tuition than I ever envisaged at the start of lockdown, and I want say a big well done to my tutees for adapting well to the changing circumstances and for putting in a lot of effort at a strange time.

Here's a huge well done to all you parents too. We've all achieved what might have once been considered impossible! 👏👏 Enjoy your well deserved break!

Lockdown English Activity 6: Speaking and Listening

Time to mix it up a bit! Writing is only one part of English, and speaking and listening are crucial to developing good literacy. So why not have a good old-fashioned family debate?!

➡️ TASK: to plan and deliver an argument within a family debate, supporting your child's ability to listen accurately and express themselves coherently.

✅ TOP TIPS:
- keep the topic light and fun if you can; no-one needs another reason to feel stressed or fall out at the moment!
- decide on the debate topic together so the learner feels invovled and enthusiastic
- ask the learner to plan arguments for both FOR and AGAINST so they are practicing critical thinking and the ability to adapt their ideas (even if it's not what they feel personally)
- toss a coin to decide which side of the debate the learner will argue
- don't focus too much on who 'wins', instead discuss success in terms of the learner's ability to make good points and be able to respond directly to what someone else has said

I would love to hear about some of the topics your family decides to debate on! Feel free to comment below!

This could serve to be useful for anyone who gets confused with word classes!

(Not written by me, writer/creator unknown)

Lockdown English Activity 5: Letter writing

Now feels like a very apt time for learners to practise the art of letter writing. Not only is it core to the English curriculum as a functional skill but it's likely to have spiked in popularity amongst the general public in recent times, both as a means of keeping in touch with friends and family and to communicate to key organisations during this pandemic.

As ever, this activity can be adapted to all abilities (see below!). It can also be used as a way of engaging your child with current affairs, should they be an appropriate age to understand and discuss these.

➡️ TASK: to write a letter, either formal or informal, which communicates a particular message or thought clearly to the reader. Structure is key to letter writing; information must be laid out in a particular way to make the meaning clear and adhere to the rules of this genre.

🆘️ SUPPORT:
- help the learner with key information, such as the address and the spelling of specific, appropriate vocabulary, e.g. 'sincerely' or 'regards'
- keep it simple and fun, for example writing to a friend or a grandparent about something that the learner enjoys
- read their letter out loud together and talk about what they did well and what they could improve next time, then encourage them to write further letters with this feedback in mind

🤔 CHALLENGE:
- encourage learners to write a formal letter to an individual or organisation about something topical, e.g. write a letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, or your local MP
- based on a family discussion about Coronavirus and the impact it is having on our lives, invite the learner to form an opinion about what they feel should be changed or done differently before they begin writing
- ask them to try to include multiple paragraphs, including an introduction, main body and conclusion

It is always useful to have an example of a letter to hand to help the learner to include all the key features (address, date, appropriate ending). As ever, an example has been included here or you could find a letter you have at home and use that.

Happy writing!

Happy Sunday to you all - I hope you've had a nice weekend! In readiness for the start of a new week, here is my next suggested English activity... this time, it's a mini-project!

Lockdown English Activity 4: create a travel guide booklet 🏖🏞📃

This activity brings together the different writing purposes that my previous posts have introduced. It's a great opportunity for some extended writing, possibly some researching as well and, as ever, it can be adapted to suit learners across the ability spectrum. You can set the task up to allow for more or less parental support or input, to suit your family's demands 👍

➡️ TASK: to create a travel guide booklet based on your child's perfect day out! This is a great opportunity to allow learners to engage their writing skills in a task that is fun and exciting to work on!

Ask your child what their perfect day out would be to look forward to once the lockdown has been lifted. Would it be near or far? With family or friends? Would it be a picnic, a trip to a theme park or a hike up a mountain?! The choice is theirs and they can plan it today!

I suggest that learners include a number of key features and types of writing, detailed below. Please look back to my previous posts for a visual example of each type of writing, as well as suggestions for supporting 🆘️ and challenging 🤔 learners. Pitching the work to suit your child's ability will help them to do this much more independently 👍😊

They could aim to include the following:
- a front cover
- instructions on how to get there, i.e directions for driving or walking or public transport timetable information. This could involve research for older learners. (See Activity 1 post)
- a vivid, enticing description of the destination to make the day trip seem very appealing to the reader, and to help them to imagine what it would be like! (See Activity 2 post)
- an itinerary for the day, with activities in chronological order and/or a menu of the food, drinks and travel snacks on offer! (See Activity 3 post - informative writing)
- pictures and other decorative additions, such as colourful textboxes, to make the guide look fantastic!

I hope this post, along with my other previous posts, provide some inspiration and guidance to help your child continue their English studies in a way that is useful and adaptable!

Feel free to ask me any questions and please give this post a 'Like' if you give it a go in your home!

Lockdown English Activity 3: Informative writing

Writing to inform relates to many different types of texts, all of which are intended to provide information to the reader in a really clear and useful way. Again, the task can be adapted to all different ages and abilities (between KS2 - 4 and for those who can read and write). You as the parent can be involved as much or as little as you want or need, with a few adaptations. Read on to find out how!

➡️ TASK: to plan and write a text which is informative for the reader, focussing on using layout and structure to make the information easy to access and understand.

This could be one of the following text types:
- designing and writing a MENU for a restaurant!
- making a LEAFLET about a topic that your child loves or feels they know a lot about, e.g. looking after a pet, different types of sports, a favourite author or music artist
- creating a page of a TEXTBOOK, with detailed information about a particular specialist topic, e.g. the life cycle of a plant or an introduction to Buddhism (this can link excellently with the task of revising for any subject in KS4 👍)

Importantly, informative writing should include the following:
- clear, accurate sentences and spelling (to the best of the learner's ability)
- titles and subheadings to organise the information on the page clearly and help the reader to navigate it
- bullet points or short paragraphs to structure information in an easy-to-digest way
- images, diagrams or graphs to visually make information accessible
- clear introduction and addition of any other useful information to create a 'journey' for the reader

My image shows a simple text type and labels the key features to include. This task can be as creative as the learner would like, with the addition of colour, drawings and imaginative content! Have fun with it and the learner should create something they are proud of!

🆘️ SUPPORT: to support your child with this task, you could do the following:
- as I always suggest, you could write down key spellings in a word bank, or provide them with access to a dictionary if you have one, so they can try to find words themselves
- show them examples of informative texts that you will almost certainly have around the house to guide them, or show them my example

🤔 CHALLENGE:
- once your child has written their informative text, they could also write a quiz which tests the reader about what they have just read. Members of your family could get involved at the end of the day by reading their work and then trying to answer the quiz questions! Can the information be easily found? Is it clear and useful to understand?
- for those in KS4, your child could be encouraged to arrange with some friends from school that they each write an informative page about different topics in the same subject, say Science, which they can then share with each other, like a long-distance revision group!
- the learner could research a totally new topic that they have an interest in but know little about, and can create a leaflet to demonstrate what they have learned

Please give this post a 'Like' if you give it a go! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below or in a private message, and images of examples of work would be fab to see too!

Happy Friday and happy writing! 🖊😊

Lockdown English Activity 2: Descriptive writing using adjectives

As with all the tasks I suggest, this can be adapted to suit learners of a wide range of abilities, so read to the end for tips on supporting, challenging and differentiating. 👍

➡️ TASK: to describe a place/room/setting, using adjectives to add lots of descriptive detail. This could be a room in your house or the garden, which would enable learners to take time to study the enviroment around them and notice lots of things to describe.

I have added an image with my example of how adjectives (descriptive words) might be gathered beforehand in a word bank at the top of the page. The sentences and paragraphs could then be written underneath. This two-step process might support idea generation, as thinking of ways to describe the space and writing accurate sentences are actually two separate skills and doing both at the same time might be tricky for some.

My sentences appear very repetitive, but this is to provide examples of how sentences may vary in length and complexity. If one 'level' of sentence is easily achieved, you could encourage the learner to aim to write slightly more advanced sentences, with an increased number of adjectives / connectives. (Connectives: and, because)

🆘️ SUPPORT: if your child requires some support and you find yourself unable to sit alongside them while they work, you can do the following:
- if they need support with their spelling, write the word bank with them; they should provide the ideas and you can provide the spellings
- if sentence accuracy is tricky, write a couple of examples of good sentences for them to copy, i.e. with a capital letter, full stop and the inclusion of the connective 'and' and a comma to separate adjectives.

🤔 CHALLENGE: if the above feels easily achieved for your child, you can encourage them to do the following:
- be more adventurous with their vocabulary choices (my example of a word bank demonstrates how adjectives can be much more advanced - see words on right-hand side)
- ask them to describe a setting from a favourite book, film or video game which is harder as it's more abstract compared to describing what's physically in front of them
- they could come up with an imagined place of their own! This requires lots of imagination but it can also be much more engaging and fun for more able learners.

Descriptive writing is a fundamental writing skill which is introduced to the youngest school-attenders and is still assessed at GCSE level and beyond, so it is a valuable skill to practise and can be scaled up and down to suit every learner.

If you do this activity at home with your children, please give this post a 'Like' and I'm sure we would all love to see some excellent examples of descriptive writing if anyone is happy to share.

Happy writing!

Lockdown English Activity 1: Instructional writing

This writing task requires little to no preparation on the part of the parents, depending on your child's ability, and all you need is a pen and some paper. I've included ways to adapt the activity to support or challenge learners depending on their age and ability. It's work a quick read to the end!

➡️ TASK: to write instructions on how to do something very comprehensively - so, in as much detail as the learner is able.

This could be how to complete a particular house chore from beginning to end, how to cook a meal, how to draw or make something in particular or even how to complete a certain level on a video game! Tapping into something they find interesting will help with their motivation to complete the task and also do it to the best of their ability.

I suggest that parents make that decision for or with the learner so they feel focussed when they begin and don't sit daydreaming, trying to think of a topic!

Encourage learners to use a title, subheadings and numbered bullet points or time connectives (First, Next, After, Finally...see my example to see these in action - on a topic close to my heart! 😂) to order the information. Structure is key for this type of writing.

For those who are artistic or enjoy being creative, they could draw pictures to accompany each step, or to go alongside a list of equipment needed (like ingredients in a recipe).

🆘️ SUPPORT: if the learner needs some extra support, and you don't feel able to sit with them while they complete this task, you could:
- create a word bank, where you write down key words that they decide they will need to use, to support their spelling
- provide an example to guide them by writing a simple version of instructions yourself, or by showing the example I've included on this post

🤔 CHALLENGE: if the learner is able with their spelling, vocab and can understand more complex processes, you could suggest that they research a new skill or DIY project, and then translate what they have seen and learned into their own set of instructions.

⭐ A fun additional activity to extend the task could be to have another family member actually follow the instructions! Will they work? Did they make sense? Did that cup of tea taste nice? Was Dad able to defeat that gatekeeper at the end of the level on his son's game? (Side note: this should be fun and engaging, not off-putting for the child, so avoid being too critical if they don't quite work 😉 but praise their efforts instead!)

Feel free to comment if you have any questions and please give this post a 'Like' if you give it a go!

If you and your child are happy, it would be great to see examples of their excellent instructions shared in the comments!

I really hope this helps some of you today. Happy writing! 🖊

Good morning everyone!

Here is your friendly reminder that today is the day you can download The Book Of Hopes from National Literacy Trust's website:

https://literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone/9-12/book-hopes/

I've just dived in and it looks wonderful 😊

Happy reading to all 📖☺

The Book of Hopes | National Literacy Trust Award-winning children’s author, Katherine Rundell, has launched The Book of Hopes: Words and Pictures to Comfort, Inspire and Entertain Children in Lockdown.

What a funny old time we are having. As we all know, one of the many enormous implications of this pandemic is the huge disruption to children's education. It can be worrying, disorientating and frustrating, especially for those students who were preparing for their GCSEs and A Levels.

Some sort of engagement in educational activities for school-aged children will likely provide some stability to learners at this time, and if it is pitched appropriately (as in, not too difficult), it can offer a real sense of achievement and fulfillment. However, the last thing any parent needs is the additional stress of preparing complex activities or feeling stretched beyond your personal capability.

I would like to help. I will endeavour to regularly offer ideas for simple yet effective English and Literacy-based activities, which require very little preparation for parents and will allow learners to read, write and create with purpose and largely independently. These will be for free and available on my page.

And so to begin, I have seen that there is a fantastic new publication being released TOMORROW on the Literacy Trust's website (link below). It is a collection of new work from over 100 children's writers and illustrators, compiled by Katherine Rundell. The list of contributors includes Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and Anthony Horowitz!

I suggest everyone with a child downloads this, and let the reading begin! 📖🙂

Stay safe, keep positive and I'll be back with more ideas soon.

https://literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone/9-12/book-hopes/

Why is English and Literacy so important?

These skills enable learners to become clear, effective communicators and confident readers of all forms of text present in the world around them. They are concerned with old forms and new forms of communication, written and verbal. They focus on improving understanding and being understood. They are the gateway to furthering progress in all other subjects. Whatever the path of the learner's future, English and Literacy will help them to excel.

To learn more about how I can support your child with their English and Literacy, by supporting schemes of work at school or through a personalised course devised by me, visit my website: www.gharveyprivatetutor.com 📖🖊📄🗣🗨

As children get older, many say they don't like reading and they show real reluctance to the mere suggestion. This can prove challenging in English! But why is this? We could blame the use of media today, offering fast-paced visuals and whizzy graphics which provide instant gratification to its viewers. But should we just put a developing dislike for reading down to 'growing out of it'?

I suggest not. If reading for pleasure is incorporated into family life regularly, the enthusiasm shouldn't need to fade. Books, magazines, online blogs... anything goes! If it includes text and it's sparking the learner's enjoyment, encourage it. An enthused reader is likely a better reader and that is a valuable skill for life.

Here's my son, enjoying one of his books at 8 months old. He's definitely in it for the touchy feely patches on the page, but I'm all for that! Long may it continue 😊

Yesterday was moving day in our household so we were running around armed with parcel tape and bubble wrap, busy transporting our lives from one home to another. I was even too busy to acknowledge Roald Dahl Day - for shame! But better late than never as the saying goes...
So, here's to Roald Dahl. A teller of tales so fantastical and magical, they continue to inspire and excite readers after all these years. It is always a pleasure to teach students about his imaginative stories and their fabulous characters!

I really believe that nothing motivates learners more than an enthusiastic teacher! After all, the hard work has to come from the learners themselves to drive real progress and people are only inspired to work hard on things they enjoy and get excited about.

That's you.

New (school) year's resolutions

The weather might be keeping us in 'Summer mode', but the new school year is just around the corner! For some (okay, many), this time of year can bring up feelings of dread as the thought of hard work after so much rest is a bit daunting. But why don't we turn this mindset on it's head?

Nevermind new year's resolutions, the new academic year is a time for new opportunities and a fresh start! Learners at school should be encouraged to think about what they want to achieve this year and to set a goal for themselves! Just one will do. Add a simple plan of action and before you know it, motivation will flourish!

If improving English skills or gaining confidence with Literacy is on the agenda for your child, I can help. Strike while the iron's hot this new academic year and help them to start on the right foot, with enthusiasm instead of apathy. Please take a look at my website (link available on this page) to learn more about me and how my approach puts the learner front and centre of their tutoring experience. 📖🖊📄

Who am I?

I am a qualified English teacher with 6 years' classroom teaching experience in a variety of secondary school environments, including mainstream and special schools. Since becoming a mum in January 2019, I have decided that returning to full time classroom teaching doesn't suit our family. As a result, I am excited to provide tailored support to individiual learners through specialised English tutoring sessions, which also enables me to spend more time at home with my son.

I have provided more information about myself and the tutoring services I offer on my website, so please do take a look to find out how I can help you. 📖🖊📄