My philosophy

Language, the ability to communicate and express oneself, to manipulate and master the infinite possibilities of words, is a gift for any child.

It opens up the world, gives understanding and meaning, helps one to question and influence. Empowering your children to have this passion and belief, to be courageous and bold in their choices, to be daring, is at the core of my teaching.

Every child is unique, has their own extraordinary array of strengths and qualities, their own challenges, their own story. These are their super-powers. Unlocking all this promise, this individuality and talent is what drives me. I want to give them the confidence to power up their words and sentences, to inspire a love of reading, to take greater ownership of their work and affect their own learning journey.

Achieving this is about building a strong rapport with your child, tailoring my tutoring to generate ambition and appetite, energy and enthusiasm, a willingness to take risks and trust instincts. By creating an environment where they feel comfortable, to foster a fearless respect for language and meaning, they can discover their voice and their own writing style.

Throughout my career, from journalism to teaching to writing, I have nurtured a lifelong passion with language, the extraordinary power of the written and spoken word. Let me share this with your child.

Helping guide my son through 11+ English, the creative support and understanding, the genuine commitment Tim showed to his development, was always evident, and contributed to his exam success and his first-choice school.”
Mrs M (Surrey)
Parent
From the moment my 11-year-old daughter met Tim, she was totally captivated by his passion for English. He is one of those teachers, children will remember for the rest of their lives. He makes learning a total pleasure and is engaging and enthusiastic. He is an absolute credit to the teaching profession.”
Mrs L (Surrey)
Parent

About me

I will help your child to realise their potential, discover their writer’s voice and support their entry into senior school.”

Throughout my whole career, there has been one single thread that has defined the choices I have made – my love of language, the power of words, their ability to inspire, to move and connect, to tell a story. For the past eight years, this journey has seen me teach English at Hampton Prep and Claremont to Years 5 and 6, preparing pupils for all areas of the 11+ examination and entry into senior school. Having gained a strong understanding of the rigorous nature of this process, the challenges, and requirements, I have helped pupils gain places at all the leading schools in Surrey and South-West London.

Before this, I worked for eighteen years as a journalist, largely in television and radio, for several companies including ITN, Bloomberg, This Morning and GMTV. My roles ranged from presenting to producing to programme editing and documentary making, gaining widespread management experience. During this time, I also spent four years heading up the broadcast public relations at healthcare company Bupa, dealing with campaigns, crisis management and writing speeches for the chief executive and chairman. Looking back, my story is one of reinvention. Tutoring is the next chapter, an opportunity to enthuse, to galvanise and embolden your child to love words too and set them on their own road of discovery and success.