Super hero

You are super.
Let’s help you to fly.

Fiona Wilkins
Specialist Teacher

 Child-centred support and tuition

for anyone who is struggling in or out of education, for any reason

 Child-centred support and tuition

Please note: I am not currently taking on new students.

When learning doesn’t happen as expected it doesn’t just affect academic success, it also has a negative impact on self-esteem and attitude to learning. If learning, or the school environment, becomes associated with a sense of failure or rejection, why would you want to keep trying?

If this happens, we’ve got to do 3 things:

  • Get to the bottom of what is really going on: where are the gaps? What are the barriers? Why are they there?
  • Make things fun! Build rapport and trust to overcome any learning or school-based anxiety, and pitch activities at the right level, in the right way.
  • Design a bespoke, cumulative programme with measurable targets, which we can regularly review and celebrate together.

My child-centred learning programmes are trauma-informed and based on the Thrive Approach, combined with my specialism in cognition and learning difficulties. Programmes are designed around students’ needs, giving them the skills and confidence to learn. If learning is enjoyable and successful then there is incentive to keep trying and so learning can and will happen.

Stick Man Quietly Confident

Tuition

Tuition for anyone, at any level, who is struggling with their learning.

Assessment

Bespoke diagnostic assessment based on your child’s needs.

Advice

Ongoing support and feedback, and ways to help at home.

Mentoring

Learning can only happen when we feel secure and want to learn, so establishing trust, mutual respect and buy-in is integral.

Signposting

Supporting you to navigate the SEND system.

School / setting / local authority collaboration

Working together on strategies and targets to agree outcomes including Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) packages.

Assessment can unlock the reasons why learning feels difficult and provide a baseline from which to build.

Your voice

First and foremost, your and your child’s voice: listening to you both to get your insights.

Cognitive function

The core tools necessary for school-based learning to take place: awareness of the sound structure of words, verbal processing speed and verbal memory.

Learning levels

Baseline levels for handwriting, typing, reading, spelling and numeracy allow us to make Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-related (SMART) targets and measure progress.

Visual stress

Reportedly, 10-20% of all people have a degree of visual stress and for people with dyslexia it’s 30%. A simple screening assessment can help to support or eliminate this as being an obstacle to reading.

The people I’ve worked with…

About Fiona Wilkins

Fiona Wilkins

Fiona Wilkins

Specialist Teacher in Cognition & Learning

Enhanced DBS

Fully registered with the Disclosure & Barring Service.

I’ve been teaching and advising in various education roles for 25 years now. I started my career as a teacher of History in Essex and wended my way back home to the glorious north of England specialising in SEND on my journey.

I have loved every role I’ve had to date but working 1:1 with children and young people who are struggling with education, and making a difference to their trajectory, gives me the most job satisfaction I could possibly ask for.

Qualifications

  • Postgraduate Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD / Dyslexia and Literacy)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education
  • MA in Historical Research
  • BA (Hons) History

Current certification and memberships

25 years teaching experience

  • Currently Education Practitioner and previously Regional Lead for Nudge Education
  • NYCC Specialist Teacher working directly with young people in the Youth Justice Service and the Virtual School, and advising on our countywide Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) policy.
  • North Yorkshire Learning Support Service (LSS) and Enhanced Mainstream School (EMS) Cognition and Learning Specialist Teacher, advising and working directly with 87 local schools to help them better support their students with SEND.
  • SENDCo and teacher of History, RE, PHSE, PE, Study Skills, Literacy and Numeracy.

Contact Fiona

If you would like to chat about any of my teaching services, please give me a call or drop me a line.

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