About
About
About
English with Dr Sophie Breese
Online English tutoring for 11+ and upwards
Facts and Figures
Online tutoring
I have been working online since 2013 although many of you have only recently encountered it because of the pandemic. I live in France and this allows me to connect with students all over the world.
I use Skype to talk to and see my students, and an interactive colourful teaching platform programme called Scribblar. I create a 'room' for each student which has its own white board, and I prepare all my lessons in advance. I upload material I want to discuss and students can download sheets from the room themselves.
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Prices, Payment and Availability​
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I have a single slot available from February on THURSDAYS at 3pm UK time, 4 pm French time. Otherwise I am afraid I am completely full until Sept. 25 and am taking no more Consultancy students at the moment. My waiting list is also full.
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Please be aware that I am also very expensive. I do try to provide lower rates for lower income families but those slots get snapped up fast! I have to charge in Euros because I am registered in France as a business, but it is easy to transfer money and I will explain how.
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References, Testimonials, & Promises
You will have noticed that I have spread various comments from parents, former colleagues, and students around the pages of my site, except for one which was so long that it needed its own page! I am happy to put you in touch with current or previous parents if you wish to have a private reference.
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I cannot - and will not - guarantee that your child will get into the school/university that you would like them to get into; nor can I promise that they will get the grades you would like them to achieve. I can promise that I will keep you up to date with their progress; will be realistic with you about your expectations for them; and refer you to someone else, if I feel I can't help them in the best way possible.
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Contacts
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The Society of Tutors
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For the last two years I have been working with a group of tutors from different subjects. We are a collective and together have formed a sort of online staffroom, meaning we can discuss ideas with each other. We can also recommend each other, and in May 2022 we launched our own website. It is not an agency in any way - it is a site where you can find individual, ethical, intelligent and superb tutors in a range of subjects. Do have a look and spread the word!
​My friend and former colleague from St Paul's Girls' School Ezi Williams, now teaches GCSE and A level Chemistry at her home in Oxford and online. It was Ezi who encouraged me to work online and it is to her I go for advice and inspiration about tutoring. It was she who got me involved in the Society of Tutors, which is why I am highlighting her in particular out of the many talented tutors on that site. Ezi and I have shared many students, as far apart as Hong Kong and Jersey, and they, like those at St Paul's, have been encouraged, motivated and challenged by Ezi's approach to teaching and learning. Contact her for more information. https://www.chemhelp.co.uk/
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English tutors
Eleanor Martindale and I have a similar ethos, approach and passion, and I highly recommend her as an English teacher. Like me she teaches the full range of students from younger ones up to A level; unlike me, she can teach English language A level. When I went off to do my three-month walk in 2017, Eleanor took over all my lessons with great success; and we have sometimes shared students when timings have been difficult for one of us.
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If you are looking for help with 13+ English and Latin for boys and girls or for 11+ advice or lessons for boys, I can recommend Kate di Costanzo, a former Head of Prep and Director of Studies at prep schools sending children on to leading senior schools including Cheltenham Ladies College, Eton, Harrow and Magdalen College. Kate is also a published author for children! Kate fills in a signicant gap in my portfolio - 13+ is an area in which I am not a specialist. www.onlineenglishandlatintutor.co.uk
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One of my colleagues is Amanda J Harrington, who like me teaches English to all age groups. It has been wonderful getting to know her and learning about her teaching ethos. She is an author of all sorts of things, including study books and novels, and so her lessons are hugely creative (and involve the participation of her various dogs and cats!). Her novels are awesome - so check her out! I am particularly impressed with her approach to students who are struggling to do well - she is patient, firm, witty and very kind. She is a creative writing specialist. https://www.cumbriatutoronline.co.uk/
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11plusConsultancy Contacts
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Roger Green, former Head of Maths at St Paul's Girls', Latymer, and Godolphin is available for maths tuition. He is also working with me in my 11+ Consultancy project so do get in touch with him directly if you want advice about your math's application to independent schools at 11+. Roger taught me to scuba dive when I worked at St Paul's so I know he is a patient teacher! You can contact Roger Green here.
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Former colleague from St Paul's Chris Hack is providing online Physics and Computing lessons. He worked at St Paul's Girls' School and then moved on to Magdalen College School where he was head of Physics. He has joined me in my 11+ Consultancy project - he is able to provide advice about the computer test and the General Comprehension for the SPGS exam. This is his website: https://www.oxfordphysicstutor.co.uk/ We have also shared a student in Germany!
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If you decide to proceed with my consultancy service, I will also pass on the details of a former colleague who used to interview 11+ candidates for SPGS. She only works with my students and will provide mock interviews for SPGS and advice.
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We feel enormously fortunate to have found Sophie. My daughter needed solid 11+ prep, but I didn't want her to be robotically doing no more than extra past papers. I was hoping to find someone who could cover the 11+ side very thoroughly, but also light the spark and help her develop a broad and deep interest in literature. Sophie has done that brilliantly and we cannot thank her enough. Her love of the subject is infectious.
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Mother of year 6 student who received an offer from St Paul's Girls' School, Feb 2017
Sophie has been teaching my 11 year old daughter for over a year now and helped her tremendously when working towards her Year 6 SATs. The two of them built an immediate rapport and the lessons are something that my daughter looks forward to every week. We are continuing with Sophie into secondary school without hesitation. She is not someone who just teaches to prepare for an exam: she has a real love of literature and language, and her style of teaching is both engaging and full of beautiful insight.
Mother of student with whom I worked for 2 years, 2013-15; I worked with her a few years later to help prepare her for her GCSEs and A levels