Qualified teacher (QTS) · Former SENCO
Specialist SEN tuition from a former SENCO and Head of Department
I'm Sophie — a qualified teacher, a former SENCO and a former Head of Drama. I work one to one with children who've stopped speaking up: dyslexia, autism, ADHD, anxiety, school avoidance, or a name on a waiting list and no answers yet.
We start with the voice. Reading, writing and grades follow — in that order, because that's the order it actually works in.
You already know something's wrong.Everyone keeps telling you it's fine.
Not a meltdown. Not a crisis. Just a slow, quiet shrinking that nobody at school seems to notice.
They knew the answer.
You could see it. The teacher asked, your child looked down, and someone else said the thing they were already thinking.
Reading aloud is the worst part of the week.
Thirty children waiting. Every word a chance to be the one who gets it wrong in front of everyone.
“How was school?” “Fine.”
It wasn’t fine. But explaining it costs more energy than they have left.
They hold it together all day and fall apart at 4pm.
The school sees a quiet, compliant child. You get what’s left after six hours of pretending.
Forty minutes at the kitchen table, and the page is still empty.
Not laziness. The gap between what they can say and what they can get onto paper is enormous, and they know it.
“I’m just stupid.”
Said lightly, in passing, like it’s a settled fact. That’s the one that keeps you up.
A child who stops putting their hand up isn't a child who has stopped thinking. They're a child who has decided the risk of being wrong out loud is worse than the cost of staying quiet.
That decision is reversible. That's the work I do.
You're in safe hands
Enhanced DBS checked
Background checked and verified through the DBS Update Service.
Safeguarding trained
Trained to the same standard as serving school staff, and updated annually.
Fully insured
Every lesson is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for complete peace of mind.
Fully qualified teacher
Holds QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and was Head of Drama at Hampstead Fine Arts College.
One-to-one tuition, built around your child
English and literacy support for learners with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties, from primary through to GCSE English.
View dyslexia and literacy supportCommunication and confidence coaching, drawing on my background as a drama specialist and LAMDA examiner. For many SEN learners, this is the work that changes everything else.
View autism and confidence supportEHCP and EOTAS provision, including tuition funded through personal budgets and direct payments, with proper baseline assessment, target setting and progress reporting.
View EHCP and EOTAS funded provisionA gentle route back to learning for children experiencing school avoidance (EBSA), at a pace that respects where they are.
View school avoidance (EBSA) supportHow I work
Six things parents describe to me almost every week — and what I actually do about each one.
What you're seeing
Every report comes back “working towards expectations”.
What I do
That phrase tells you there’s a gap but never what it is. I start by finding the actual gap — which specific skills are missing — and teach those directly. You get told exactly what we’re working on, and what’s changed.
What you're seeing
Homework is a battle. They won’t focus, and they refuse to work with you.
What I do
Children will often accept from a teacher exactly what they refuse from a parent. That isn’t a discipline problem, it’s a role problem — and it’s very hard to be someone’s parent and their teacher in the same evening. The work moves to me, in a structured session with a clear end. You stop being the homework police and go back to being their parent.
What you're seeing
Meltdowns after school — or phone calls because it happened in school.
What I do
Both usually mean the same thing: demand has outrun capacity. My lessons are deliberately predictable — same shape, same start, nothing sprung on them — and pitched so success is likely. Fewer demands they can’t meet means fewer explosions to recover from.
What you're seeing
They knew the answer. They still didn’t put their hand up.
What I do
This is my actual specialism. As a drama and communication teacher, my whole discipline is getting people to speak up, be understood, and survive getting it wrong in front of someone. We rehearse being heard until it stops being frightening.
What you're seeing
Forty minutes at the kitchen table and the page is still empty.
What I do
The ideas are there — the route onto paper is blocked. We say it first, then structure it, then write it, with sentence starters and scaffolds until they aren’t needed. Getting started stops being the hardest part of the evening.
What you're seeing
“I’m just stupid.” Said lightly, like it’s settled.
What I do
A child who believes that will hide, guess or go quiet in every subject, with any tutor. So it’s the first thing I go after, using small wins they can’t argue with. Skills only stick once a child believes they’re capable of learning them.
Results
Improved by at least one grade
Every student I’ve taught to exam
Achieved grade 4–8 in GCSE English Language
Grade 4 is a standard pass
Distinction rate across LAMDA candidates
Marked by an external examiner
Students taught
Across LAMDA, GCSE and SEN tuition
GCSE English Language grades achieved
All students I have taught to GCSE English Language exam.
- Grade 81
- Grade 72
- Grade 63
- Grade 51
- Grade 41
Grade 4 counts as a standard pass and is what most sixth forms and colleges ask for. Every student reached at least that.
What parents say
Real children, real progress
"Sophie's kind and friendly manner put my daughter at ease straight away. She is completely in tune with my daughter's abilities and needs, so lessons go at the right pace for her. We've had many after-school activities that felt like a chore — Sophie's lessons are always something my daughter looks forward to."
Katherine
Parent of a LAMDA student
"Sophie completely understood Lucy's abilities and what she needed to improve. Her confidence grew so much, and she went from a C to an A* in A Level Drama. It was wonderful to see her believe in herself again, and we're so grateful for all of Sophie's support."
Parent of Lucy
A Level Drama student
"Sophie's patience and encouragement made such a difference to Alex's confidence. She understood exactly where he needed support and helped him progress from a Grade 4 to a Grade 6 in GCSE English. It was wonderful to see him believe in himself again."
Parent of Alex
GCSE English student
Let's talk about your child.
I teach every lesson myself, so I take a limited number of students at a time. If you’d like a place this term, it’s worth getting in touch now.