Sam

Professional Keystone Tutor

Sam is a highly personable individual who teaches across the age range. He specialises in English, EFL and 11+. Sam is also a writer and has a love of language that he aims to pass onto his students.

Sam is a professional Keystone tutor. This means Sam:

✔ Engages with Keystone's bespoke professional development programme
✔ Works exclusively for Keystone on a fully employed basis
✔ Is committed to tutoring as a career and profession

We believe these factors combine to make a unique difference to the level of commitment we can assure, as well as the quality of teaching that our professional tutors offer.

Sam teaches: 7+ English, 7+ Maths, 8+ English, 8+ Maths, 11+ English, 11+ Maths, 13+ English, GCSE English, AS/A Level English, School Entrance Interviews, Special Educational Needs, English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

“Sam is a wonderful tutor!''

A-Level student

About Sam:

Experience
Biography
Approach to Tutoring
When not tutoring

Experience

- 7/8+ English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning

- 11+ English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning

- GCSE English Literature (AQA, Edexcel, OCR)

- GCSE English Language (AQA, Edexcel, OCR)

- A Level English Literature (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas)

- English as a foreign language (including IELTS and TOEFL prep)

- Taught 11+ Maths classes for the Bridge Programme at Godolphin and Latimer school

- Wrote and edited English textbooks for CGP books

- SEN work with visually impaired, hearing impaired and autistic university students

- Experience preparing children for places at numerous top schools, including St Paul's Boys and Girls, Eton, Godolphin and Latymer and Wycombe Abbey.

Most recently, I worked as a writer and editor for the educational publisher CGP Books, based in the Lake District. I contributed to recent editions of the very popular GCSE Literature Text Guides, along with SPaG workbooks for KS1 and KS2, Reception Phonics books and lots more! I’m really proud of the work I did there, and I always get a thrill seeing my name in a published book.

I have completed the Keystone 11+ training in English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning; I have also completed Keystone's 7/8+ training program! I'm highly familiar with the curricula, and I excel at helping primary students prepare for these examinations.

I have privately tutored GCSE and A-level English Literature students, teaching every exam board. I have also run English intervention writing groups with Year 6 classes, helping them prep for their upcoming SATs, along with ad hoc TA work.

I have considerable experience tutoring EFL online. I have taught over 7000 classes, with my youngest student being 2 years old and my oldest in their 60s. Most of my students have been international, from countries including China, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

I have also taught Business English to executives at many major Korean firms, including Samsung, Naver and Hyundai. Among other things, this involved interview and presentation preparation, as well as proofreading professional documents.

Biography

I grew up in Harrogate and Worcester and received 5 A*s and 5 As in my GCSEs. I then got 2 A*s and 2 As at my A-Levels, maintaining the symmetry.

I was very enthusiastic about the Humanities (in Sixth Form I studied History, Philosophy, Literature and Critical Thinking) – so university presented me with a difficult choice. I chose to study English Language and Literature at UCL, as it encapsulated all of these disciplines.

At university, I came top of my year twice and received several departmental recommendations. After graduating with a First, I spent some time travelling North America, Europe and Asia, whilst tutoring online. As my travels wound down, I accepted a job at CGP books, the educational publisher.

Approach to Tutoring

I believe first and foremost in tailoring my approach for each individual student. I have taught adults and children from a diverse array of backgrounds and abilities, and I’m proud of my ability to connect with students quickly and identify ways to engage them.

Finding some way to connect the subject matter to the student’s interests is crucial, and I am happy to go the extra mile to uncover ways to spark the interest of each student. I think finding a joyful engagement with reading and learning is a really important first step.

When not tutoring

As a literature graduate, it perhaps isn’t surprising that I’m an avid reader – not only fiction but also non-fiction works on history, science, philosophy, the history of philosophy, the philosophy of science… you name it.

I also love to write and am currently working towards my goal of publishing a middle-grade children’s book. I have a few works in progress; it’s not as easy as it seems! Children are very discerning readers.

I also enjoy going to recording studios and making music with my much-more-talented friends. I walk a lot, usually lost in an audiobook or a football podcast.

What clients say about Sam:

"Sam is an outstanding tutor. He helped me to make rapid progress and made a huge effort to tailor his teaching approach to my personality and needs. I had completely lost confidence in English Language and Literature. Within a few weeks, Sam helped me to restore my confidence and I began to enjoy both subjects again. I got 2 9s – I am very very happy with both these grades, and more importantly, I enjoy English a lot more, which I initially thought wouldn’t be possible."

GCSE English student

“Sam is a wonderful tutor! He is attentive, supportive and compassionate. He always works to ensure that I am well prepared for exams and provides a great approach for improving my understanding in the content I cover.”

A-Level student

''Sam is very dedicated and he has a structured approach which works well with my son. My son has improved a lot since starting his creative writing lessons with Sam.''

Parent of 11+ Student

“Great at leading the lesson. Interesting follow-up questions. I was surprised that the time was over so soon.”

EFL Student

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