CLAIRE MEADOWS-SMITH
Principal and Founder: Maths, Further Maths - Pre-GCSE, GCSE & A level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 38 years. Claire is passionate about helping students of all abilities to regain their confidence and to achieve their potential. She has been Head of Maths at St Albans Catholic School, Ipswich but now devotes her time and enthusiasm to running the Community Schools which she founded 10 years ago.
SALLY WOOLDRIDGE
Maths - Pre GCSE and GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 13 years Sally started teaching at King Edward VI School in Bury. After this she taught at Suffolk New College in Ipswich, teaching GCSE resit, A level and adult evening classes. Sally then moved out of mainstream education and became the Assistant Education Centre Manager for Kumon Educational UK Ltd at their tuition centre in Norwich. Here, Sally oversaw tuition for students from the age of three to sixteen years. Sally found that she was missing the classroom and went to teach at Thurston Community College where she worked for four years teaching students in years seven to thirteen. Sally stepped back from full time teaching to bring up her daughter.
TONY GERMANY
Maths, Further Maths - Pre-GCSE, GCSE
Biography
Tony emigrated from New Zealand in 2008 and has been teaching at Thurston Community College for 6 years. He currently teaches Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 GCSE Mathematics and GCSE Further Mathematics. Tony is also a Lead Practitioner at Thurston Community College, devoting time to develop current staff and trainee teachers from both the Cambridge PGCE and SNITT training routes.
PHILIP PITT
Maths, Further Maths - GCSE & A level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 16 years Having recently retired from full time teaching, Philip has joined the Community Schools to continue assisting students achieve their best in GCSE and A level Mathematics and Further Maths. He worked at King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds for 10 years teaching Mathematics at all levels from Key Stage 3 to A level as well as A Level Further Maths and GCSE Statistics. He has been a full-time teacher since qualifying in July 2004.
SUE HARRISON
Maths - Key Stage 2, pre-GCSE & GCSE, English - Key Stage 2, pre-GCSE-
Biography
Successfully teaching for 20 years Sue graduated in 1976, working initially in industrial and academic scientific research within the U.K. She gained her teaching qualification in 2002 and has experience of teaching in Primary Schools across West Suffolk for 15 years. She was a Senior Teacher and SENCO for 4 years as well as subject leader for English and Science. For the past five years Sue has worked part time as a supply teacher, and more recently as a Maths and English Intervention teacher in a local primary school. She has also worked as a Maths Intervention teacher for GCSE students in a local Bury St Edmunds High school.
JUNE WRIGHT
English & Maths - Key Stage 2 & Pre-GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for over 30 years. June has taught all year groups at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and has frequently taught mixed age classes. Over the years she has had responsibility for areas of the curriculum including Maths, PE, ICT, PSHE and Assessment. Trainee Teachers were often placed in June’s class to gain experience and improve their teaching skills. Having retired as a Primary School Teacher, June now works as a Specialist Teaching Assistant at St Alban’s High School supporting pupils in English and Mathematics.
BILLY ADAMSON
Maths - Pre-GCSE, GCSE & A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 24 years. Billy is Head of Mathematics at Thurston Community College.
GIL TURNER
Maths - Pre-GCSE & GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for over 20 years. Gil Turner has been teaching mathematics to Middle School children for 18 years. She was Head of Mathematics at St Louis Middle School in Bury St Edmunds for 15 years until it closed in July 2016. She especially enjoys teaching the small groups at the Community School where personalised learning and individual attention means that students can achieve more.
CHRISTINA JOANIDES
Maths & English
Biography
Key Stage 2 English & Maths
PATRICK JEAN-JACQUES
Maths - Pre-GCSE & GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 16 years Patrick has been teaching in Suffolk and Norfolk schools for the over 13 years. He has held various teaching posts at schools including County Upper School, Hardwick Middle School, and Combs Middle School. He is currently teaching KS3 Maths and Geography and GCSE Mathematics at King Edwards VI School in Bury St Edmunds.
HILARY DICKINSON
Maths Pre-GCSE & GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 16 years Hilary began teaching almost 16 years ago at West Suffolk College. She taught Key Skills / Functional Skills in English, Maths and ICT to a wide range of FE students in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Colchester. She then taught adults in the community, including adults with learning disabilities and adults whose first language is not English. Hilary worked as a One to One tutor at Thetford Academy before moving to King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds over 7 years ago where she combines her roles as a maths teacher and specialist maths intervention tutor. She especially enjoys helping students who do not always find learning easy and has experience tutoring a wide range of students from the ages of 6 to 80.
ALISTAIR EWAN
English Language/Literature, Pre GCSE, GCSE & A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 40 years Alistair started teaching in 1978 and taught English until he retired in 2016. He also taught ICT and has been Head of English, Head of ICT and Assistant Headteacher. He also worked for 3 years at Anglia Ruskin Polytechnic as Principal Lecturer. Alistair is a very experienced teacher of KS3, GCSE and A Level English having taught in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
ROBYN BOOTH
Biology - GCSE & A level, Chemistry & Physics - GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 6 years Robyn has taught GCSE Science and A-Level Biology for 6 years at schools in Nottinghamshire and Suffolk. In addition to this, Robyn has worked closely with various exam boards, including Cambridge Assessments and OCR, in both marking and writing new exam specifications and examination questions for the GCSE Science exams.
ANDY WATTS
Biology, Chemistry, Physics - Pre-GCSE, GCSE, A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 36 years In his 36 year’s career Andy has always focused on getting the best from students, whatever level they may be at. He is considered an Outstanding teacher in the school he is presently working at, being praised by both staff and students for his enthusiastic approach to both the subject being taught and his adaptable teaching style. Lesson observations have always been judged at the highest levels with matching examination performance.
GINNY TURNER
Biology, Chemistry, Physics - Pre-GCSE,GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 32 years Ginny has taught for more than 20 years in Suffolk. She has taught GCSE science and GCSE Physics, Chemistry and Biology. She has also taught AS Physics and A Level Chemistry.
KATESHA HARRISON
Biology, Chemistry, Physics - pre-GCSE, Physics - GCSE, A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 8 years Katesha currently works at Thurston Community Centre as a teacher of science. She has been teaching science at Thurston for 5 years and has an 3 extra years of experience teaching in another school outside of the UK. Katesha is also an examiner for AQA GCSE Physics.
VINCENT SCHOLIER
Chemistry - GCSE & A Level
Biography
Teaching Successfully for 9 years Vincent has taught GCSE Science and A-Level Chemistry for nine years at schools in Essex and more recently Suffolk. Prior to this, Vincent spent five years working as an Environmental Scientist.
MICHELLE JARRETT
French - GCSE, Spanish GCSE & A level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 18 years
SUE RYAN
Biology, Chemistry, Physics - pre-GCSE & GCSE, Chemistry - A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 15 years Sue has been teaching science in both state and independent secondary schools in Suffolk. Prior to becoming a teacher Sue worked for 20 years for BT at their research centre in Martlesham Heath as a Research Chemist and consultant in the optoelectronic division developing and fabricating optical fibres for use in the telecommunications indust
LOUISA ROGERS
Psychology - GCSE A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 10 years Louisa has been teaching Psychology for over 10 years in both state and private sector, most recently spending four years teaching A-level Psychology and Sociology at Royal Hospital School in Suffolk. Louisa also regularly examines for Edexcel and has previously examined for AQA, so has a good insight into exam technique for students as the impending exam season approaches. Louisa has also tutored a number of students independently and really enjoys working with small groups to help share the knowledge techniques in improving an understanding of the many aspects of Psychology.
JULIET YAGER
English Language - Key Stage2, pre-GCSE & GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 7 years From the age of eighteen Juliet has taught English as a Foreign Language in Italy and Slovenia during the summer months. After completing her Masters at The University of Oxford, she decided that she wanted to teach English Language and Literature further afield. Her knowledge of English Language and Linguistics has enabled her to teach English at all levels; she enjoys teaching core literacy skills to younger children, but also relishes the complexity of English at GCSE and beyond. Juliet believes that every child is an individual, and adopts a holistic approach when tutoring. She not only encourages the child's academic skills, but also encourages their independent learning skills and overall confidence.
JO MARSH
English Language & English Literature - Pre-GCSE, GCSE & A Level, Media Studies - GCSE & A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 10 years After spending 20 years in the Civil Service, Jo retrained to teach Secondary English as a second career. She has worked in schools in both Norfolk and Suffolk, more recently as the Head of English at Ixworth Free School where she supported their first cohort of Year 11s through to their final English exams. Jo is keen to ensure that all students work to their full potential and achieve the best grades possible and likes to teach through creative methods in order to ensure that her students learning journey is both enjoyable and memorable. Alongside her teaching career, Jo is also a published and broadcast author of short stories and is currently working on some educational publications for Cambridge University.
SALLY BURTLE
English Language - Pre-GCSE, GCSE & A Level, English Literature- GCSE & A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 5 years Sally began tutoring English to local refugees whilst at University and this initially sparked her interest in pursuing a career in teaching. This led to her helping to develop and run a summer school in China for three months. Sally was accepted onto the Teach First Leadership Development graduate programme after finishing University. She began working at St Albans RC High School in September 2015. She thoroughly enjoys building positive and productive relationships with pupils, helping them to build in confidence and proficiency.
KATHRYN GERRY
Science - pre-GCSE & GCSE, Chemistry - A Level
Biography
Successfully teaching for 29 years Kathryn has 29 years of experience teaching all aspects of Science GCSE at St Alban’s RC High School Ipswich. In addition she has taught AS and A level Chemistry since 1998.
CHRISTINE COULDRIDGE
Science - pre-GCSE, Biology & Chemistry - GCSE, Biology - A le
Biography
Christine took a Biology Degree at the University of Manchester. Following graduation, she worked in scientific research in a university setting and then for a biopharmaceutical company. She then spent time in product development for the pharmaceutical industry. About twenty years ago she moved into teaching, working in a community setting and in secondary schools. She has a PGCE and many years' experience in teaching. She ensures that sessions are interactive and focused. Trained in counselling, she uses these skills to build confidence in students. She works in a student-centred way so that students get what they want and need from their tutoring.
HELEN SMITH
English - Key Stage 2, pre-GCSE & GCSE
Biography
Successfully Teaching for 43 years Helen has been teaching English since she graduated in 1977. She worked in three secondary schools in London. Helen trained to become a Special Needs Coordinator and was a SENCO for 7 years. She worked in a further education college in Cambridge for eleven years as a Literacy tutor, where she also taught Functional Skills for two years. Recently she has worked part time as a Literacy Intervention teacher in two local Bury St Edmunds schools.
TOM DECENT
Maths - Pre GCSE & GCSE, English - pre GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 16 years. Tom has taught and tutored extensively for over 16 years, specialising in Mathematics and English. He has led countless support groups and worked as a Gifted and Talented Coordinator. Hence, he has considerable experience helping students with special educational needs and the gifted and talented. Tom has always loved Mathematics and he won a first prize in his first University foundation year. He has a 2.1 Master of Arts degree and he would also list English, Computing and Geography as his specialisms. Tom is a great advocate of growth mindset and the view that our potential to learn is boundless - mistakes should be seen as opportunities to learn rather than confirmations of failure. He is patient, resourceful, diligent and an active listener. His lessons would involve identifying gaps, questioning, quick assessments, clarifying concepts together, exploring examples, maybe a few jokes, tackling practice questions, problem solving and completing review exercises over time.
JO PUTT
English & Maths - Key stage 2, English - pre GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 21 years After graduating, Jo’s work as an actor took her into schools all over the country and that’s when she became interested in teaching. Beginning work as a Key Stage 2 teacher in 1999, she went on to enjoy leading English and PSHE and being a SENCO. Jo has always valued the chance to work with small groups where she can get to know her pupils and the way they learn best. She believes in teaching children how to learn as well as what to learn so that they become more confident and bounce back when things get tricky. Jo’s own interest in mindfulness has led her to share some simple practices with her pupils to help them deal with anxiety and treat themselves with more kindness.
STEPH ATKINS
English Language English Literature - Key Stage 2, pre-GCSE GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 21 years
WENDY MEADOWS-SMITH
Director of Online Learning: Maths- KS3 and GCSE
Biography
Wendy has successfully taught mathematics for over 10 years. Having spent 4 years running a boarding house and teaching mathematics at Wycombe Abbey School, a leading private school, she has recently returned home to join an excellent mathematics department at a local secondary school. Wendy is passionate about supporting students to reach their full potential and feel more confident with their maths.
MARY FORTY
Maths - Key Stage 2, Pre-GCSE GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 21 years Mary came into teaching relatively late, having first had a family, so she had a good idea of education from a parent’s point of view! Initially Mary studied as a Maths specialist and Primary school teacher and worked in Primary teaching for 16 years, mostly teaching mixed year 5 and 6 classes. A few years ago she decided to explore her love of teaching Maths and completed courses to revise teaching Maths to GCSE and subsequently teaching Maths to A level, and has been teaching Maths at High School since 2015.
LAUREN WOLLEY
Maths, Further Maths - Pre-GCSE GCSE
Biography
Successfully teaching for 4 years Lauren’s teaching experience began when she helped her friend with her GCSE resit after her degree. She enjoyed sharing her success when she achieved a grade 4 (after 3 previous attempts) and from this started her PGCE in Mathematics. During Lauren’s of time teaching she has taught years 7 - 11 and has recently taken on the post of Lead Practitioner within her school.
DAN PIPE
Computer Science - GCSE & A Level, Cambridge Nationals - IT
Biography
Successfully teaching for 19 years Dan Pipe is currently the Head of Computing and ICT Dept. at a highly successful Suffolk High School. At all times Dan strives to ensure that students receive good quality teaching and learning to equip them with the skills, tools and knowledge to realise their potential. Current interests include Python programming and DofE Awards Programme.