When I first began training tutors back in 2019, I thought my role was to share what I already knew. What I didn’t realise was how much the process of designing and delivering tutor training would sharpen my own tutoring practice. Every discussion, course, and mentoring session has fed back into my one-to-one work — making me a more reflective, confident, and adaptable tutor.

Learning from the Learning Pit

In my book Love Tutoring: Be the Tutor Your Student Needs, I admitted that I used to lose my nerve around session five with a new student. That’s still true, in a way. But now I can name that wobble for what it is — the learning pit. Just as I teach my students to expect a dip before progress, I remind myself that doubt is part of the process. I can anticipate it, plan for it, and climb out with renewed clarity.

From Primary to Secondary — and Beyond Subjects

I began as a primary tutor, convinced that older students needed subject specialists. But as I trained more and more tutors, I found myself speaking constantly about metacognition — helping learners understand how they learn. Over time, that became the core of my work.

Today, most of my students are in secondary school, and what I teach isn’t content — it’s strategy. I help them organise knowledge, manage motivation, and think about thinking. After years of exploring resources across subjects, I now feel confident selecting and adapting the right tools for each learner.

And thanks to AI, I’ve added a new dimension to lesson planning. I’ll often open ChatGPT and say, “Give me a sequence of ‘Would you rather?’ questions to warm us up.” Within seconds, I have creative prompts that spark conversation and curiosity. It’s like having a planning partner who never tires.

Real Students, Real Stories

Right now, I work with one Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) student who comes four days a week. Together, we use Oak National Academy to explore the curriculum he’s missed — maths on Mondays, science on Tuesdays, geography on Wednesdays, and English on Thursdays. His favourite topic is dogs, which makes Moxie, our Labrador, the most effective teaching assistant imaginable. Last week we read about Support Dogs UK, drew scaled diagrams of a Labrador, and listened to Spy Dog on Audible.

On Sundays, I see a primary student with complex learning difficulties. Our sessions are patient and playful: we walk Moxie while practising “Guess My Number”, or bounce through times tables on the trampoline. The informality helps him reconnect with learning — no pressure, just progress.

Last week, two new Key Stage 3 girls joined me. Both bright, both frustrated with school. One came for a study skills trial; we built rapport quickly and mapped out strategies she can use straight away. The other, a capable but disengaged student, discovered divergent thinking through creative tasks. She chose “travel” as the theme for our six-week project, and we’ve ordered a model aeroplane as the basis for our final piece.

Evolving How I Support Students

Two of my recent students, in Years 11 and 12, have now transitioned from weekly sessions to a monthly mentoring model. They attend my online study group for continued accountability, with one-to-one check-ins once a month. It’s a sustainable way to maintain momentum without over-tutoring — something I often encourage tutors to consider in our training programmes.

What I’m Still Learning

If there’s one area I still want to improve, it’s endings. I have one student whose sessions have been drifting, and it leaves me uneasy when I sense I’m no longer adding value. It reminds me how important it is to define clear project boundaries — like our six-week aeroplane project — so both tutor and student can see tangible progress.

The Tutor Who Keeps Learning

Six years on, I can see that training tutors has been the best CPD I could ever have asked for. It’s given me structure, self-awareness, and a professional confidence I didn’t have before. More importantly, it’s re-anchored me in why I began tutoring at all — to make learning personal, flexible, and hopeful.

Every session I lead, whether for a student or a group of tutors, reminds me that good tutoring isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about staying curious, reflective, and open to growth — for our learners and for ourselves.