Rupert Packard

I am a fully qualified (PGCE and QTS) 1:1 tutor with 16+ years experience in education. The majority of these have involved working with key stage 3 and 4 SEN students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, with in the mainstream and alternative education sector. SEN Conditions these children have had include, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, ASD and ODD as well as those who have Social, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties. All these children have had varying degrees of complexity. Working with such students, especially on a one on one basis, is a privilege, as I gain fascinating insights from them. It also gives me the chance to connect as an educator on a deeper more personable and authentic level.

A key mindset I aim to pass on is getting students to, first of all, see what they can do, instead of focusing on what they struggle with. To be able to do this, I tailor my communication, content, planning and subject presentation for the needs of each student, so that it is accessible for them. If needs be I will conduct sessions with students on how to spot their skills and verbalise them. Having students visually see what they are capable of as a whole person raises their self-esteem. This in turn raises their motivation to participate in academic learning.

Whenever I am working with a student on any subject, I combine going through content in bite size chunks, ensuring that I use of a mix of mediums, along with positive re-enforcement and praise to celebrate every achievement, however big or small. I also do my best to relate the learning with examples that connect to the student’s life experience or interests, as well as my own. I find this generally increases student’s concentration and engagement, enabling them to complete what they thought was impossible or irrelevant. In fact, with one of my students, such an approach has meant that when they have gone back to the classroom, their teacher, who in the past they had had a personality clash with, has commented on the quality of their work and understanding.

My general mandate is that every child has unique gifts and interests as well as their own back story. Some of these are more complex than others. This means that it is critical to create a safe space for learning where the child can be their authentic self. To me this fosters a learning environment that is based around collaboration and equal dialogue. If I am interested in the student as a whole person and what they have to say, they are a lot more likely to be interested in what I have to say. When students respond by becoming more interested in their academic progress this is a joy to see. This is especially the case if the student has felt in the past that the subject has little relevance to their lives. Then student and educator can work together so they feel enabled to essentially take the steps, even if they feel hard, to get to the next mile stone in their lives. Ultimately, even if I play a small part supporting them in this wider process, then that is a job well done.