wirral, merseyside
Services
I offer a range of services as detailed below. I believe that no child should miss out on opportunities due to financial limitations, so if you are a low-income family, I may be able to offer reduced rates on regular bookings. I also offer reductions for multiple children. Please contact me for more information; I will be happy to discuss this with you further.
1:1 Tutoring and Bespoke Sessions
KS3 English Support
£20 per hour
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I can assist with students in Years 7-9 to prepare them for the academic journey ahead of them. Embedding core skills at this time is crucial to ensure success at GCSE - students who are able to cope with assessments in Year 9 will always perform better than those who try to cram these skills into their knowledge base during Key Stage 4.
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I can focus on English Language, English Literature, creative writing, SPaG or a combination of skills - whatever your child needs, I can create a comprehensive unit of work to help them.
GCSE English Language
£25 per hour
The new GCSE in English Language requires students to tackle a range of texts from throughout history in a short amount of time. Paper 2 in particular is a time-intensive paper that requires efficiency and skill to complete. Students are tested on their ability to interpret, decode and create their own fiction and non-fiction texts and answer a range of both short and longer essay questions.
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I can focus on a variety of skills or focus on one paper or portion of a paper depending on your child's ability and progress in school. I will also communicate regularly with your child's English teacher to ensure that our sessions are clearly and appropriately targeted.
GCSE English Literature
£25 per hour
We have entered a new era of literature examinations and the new closed-book exams are certainly a challenge, especially for students who are less-than-enthusiastic readers. The exam can be based on any part of the novel or play studied and so students must have a thorough knowledge of the texts they are studying.
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I can work alongside your child's English teacher to develop different strategies to help them recall and write about the texts they have studied in detail and at length, using critical analysis skills to approach the papers at a higher level. I use a range of different techniques to lead students to success.
home education sessions
I run a series of English-focused sessions on a monthly basis for students in the home ed community. These take place both online via Zoom and in small groups at Birkenhead Community Centre. All sessions are reasonably priced so a cost-effective alternative to 1-1 tuition. For more information, click here!
About
I am a former Head of English with sixteen years' experience in a wide variety of schools across England.
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My approach to teaching is to embed critical thinking skills throughout my courses and to avoid teaching to the test as I feel that this reduces the educational experience a student has into a repetitive and often negative one.
Instead, I work with my students to draw upon the themes of the courses they are studying in the classroom and create a wide range of resources to develop their reading and writing skills that tie into the topics but also help the students develop their thinking and communication skills. For example, when teaching Macbeth I used a variety of non-fiction articles on the topic of coercive control to both embed one of the key themes of the play and develop a wider understanding of how the theme is relevant in our own society.
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When teaching GCSE skills, I use knowledge gained during meetings attended with examination boards and my training as an examination marker to develop a range of easy-to-recall mnemonics, annotation techniques, and planning methods to help students approach the GCSE papers practically and efficiently.
Testimonials
"I love Mrs Kenny's lessons. She doesn't teach us what to learn; she teaches us how to learn."
- Amber, former student
"When I started secondary education I was predicted a D for English language and literature. When I left... I had achieved an A and a B and went on to study it at A-level... It was solely down to Rebecca and her tireless efforts to get the best out of me on a personal level. Learning from her was a genuine pleasure and has inspired my lifelong passion for poetry and prose."​
- Luke, former student
"Rebecca was fun, enthusiastic and clearly passionate about her job. She turned our class around until we were enjoying our lessons... I doubt I would have got my English GCSE if it wasn't for her."​
- Chloe, former student
"She was an inspiration. The sort of teacher who could push the brightest child to the greatest heights, whilst at the same time inspiring the lower sets to achieve their greatest potential. She truly cares and you can tell in everything she does."​
- Simon, former student
"She always made you feel like you could overcome any challenge, and would support you through overcoming those barriers... Most of all, she inspired us to be ourselves and embrace our creativity... She helped us to believe there was potential for us to go on and do great things! We had the time of our lives at school due to her dedication and quirky ability to make every student realise they loved learning.​"
- Abby, former student