Tutor Interview: Theresa Cox

An interview with Gemma Louise Bull

Can you tell us about your education background?

I went to a wonderful primary school, which inspired me to train as a primary school teacher – Warren Road in Orpington, Kent. I now teach lots of children who attend this school. I took the Newstead Wood exam in 1989, on the recommendation of my teacher, but I didn’t pass! I had never seen NVR until that day. No one really had tutors back in the 80’s and my mum had no idea what the exam entailed to help prepare me for it. However, I met my husband and best friends for life at my school – St John Rigby in West Wickham, Kent. I love telling the children I work with that I didn’t pass my 11+, I feel it helps take the pressure off them!

Despite not going to a great school, I achieved excellent GCSE & A-Level grades. I studied BSc (Hons) Psychology at the Manchester Metropolitan University 1998 – 2001, achieving a 2-1. Upon graduating, I completed a course to teach English as a Foreign Language. I worked in Austria, Italy, Poland, South Korea and Japan teaching English and designing English Language Curriculum. I trained to teach, completing a PGCE course at the University of Brighton 2004-2005, and completed my NQT year 2008-2009.

When did you start your education business?

I took on a few children to tutor 1:1 in 2012-13 while teaching full-time. I did this just to save some extra money to pay for my wedding. It grew quickly, parents were recommending me and the phone kept ringing. What started as 4 children became 12 within a few months. I handed in my notice in 2015 when I realised I had enough tutoring clients to make ends meet.

What inspired you to start your business?

Initially, it was to make extra money to pay for my wedding. However, I loved the flexibility of the work and being my own boss. I have always received feedback from classroom observations that I am very good at challenging more able children, so I know this is where my strengths lie. Therefore, it made sense to tutor for the 11+. I soon realised that there was a gap in the market for qualified teachers offering tailored tutoring.

Being a teacher is a wonderful job and a privilege. However, sometimes the weekly hours put in and the politics in schools can grind you down. There is a lot of admin required in schools that I feel doesn’t benefit the children’s learning, and is just a tick-box exercise. Now, everything I do has the children’s learning at the centre of it. Tutoring has all the lovely parts of the job – working with children, teaching, learning, and fun – without some of the less desirable parts. Going from a class of 30 children to 8 is wonderful! It means I can focus much more on each child.

What classes do you offer?

• Y4 11+ Preparation

• Y5 11+ Preparation

• Y6 Maths and English

  
  

Can you recommend strategies for self-tutoring parents? What is the best way for them to use your resources and/or other resources?

I highly recommend the CGP practice books. The answers are explained comprehensively and useful tips are provided. The CGP 10-minute test books are also useful for extra practice and to introduce the timer!

Subscribing to Bond or CGP online would be useful but you don’t need both.

Vocabulary is key! I recommend Kamilah Hale’s ‘Wordier’ course, as well as Sheena S. L. Ager’s wonderful books. There are lots of useful videos on YouTube if you’re stuck on a particular topic or question type.

For NVR – check out IEducate’s online course.

Make sure you do at least one mock exam; it will give your child an idea of what to expect on the day. They will probably feel overwhelmed, but, if they have a trial run, they should feel less so on exam day. The feedback provided is also very useful to highlight gaps or next steps and see how much work is still required.

Thinking about your most successful students, what strategies did they use to achieve their potential?

Practice, practice and more practice! Timed practice is essential. The children need to get used to being against the clock and understand how long they have to complete questions. I introduce the timer around March/April once the curriculum has been covered and it’s time to ‘fine-tune.’ After working under timed conditions in class, the children lose their anxiety and instinctively know they can finish in time.

Most children who always do the homework I set, put the effort into learning vocabulary and complete the two timed papers per week that I advise from Easter go on to pass. Very often (not always of course) those who don’t pass are those who don’t do as much extra practice at home. Even the brightest children need to practice. Getting used to the format of the papers is a skill in itself e.g. filling in a separate answer sheet with grids. The children need to get used to checking that the correct answer is clearly placed in the correct box.

What other tips do you recommend to parents who are preparing their child for the Kent test?

Get into a good routine! Allocate a few hours each week into your timetable for 11+ study. Try to do it on the same day and time so your child knows that’s their time to study.

Vocabulary is key – put extra effort into studying word meanings. The same words seem to come up each year. It can be the difference between a pass and a near miss, or scoring the very highest scores.

Ensure that your child completes at least one mock exam before the actual day. They need the experience of the big hall and exam conditions to know what to expect and hopefully help them feel more at ease.

Over the summer holidays, I recommend up to an hour’s study each day, but then the children need to have fun! I always say, if you go away, let your child have a total break from it during that time.

Anything else you would like to share?

I strongly advise embarking on the 11+ journey if your child is working at or above the expected level at school. The exams are fiercely competitive. Only 32% of all children who took the Bexley test this year passed, and 45% of all children who took the Kent test passed. Having said this, you have nothing to lose by having a go!

Work out which schools you’d like to target. Research what scores your child will need to achieve based on catchment. Decide whether this is realistically achievable. Also, think about commuting time to the schools and whether they would be a good fit for your child in terms of extra-curricular activities, SEND and pastoral care.

Preparing for the 11+ is a tricky balancing act. Children get quite hormonal in Y5 (you may have noticed)! You know your child best: go with your instincts and let them have a break from it all if needed. Reassure them that whatever the outcome, you are proud of them.

For more information about Theresa's services, check out https://www.11plusorpington.co.uk/