What people say...
Pride was very patient and supportive with areas that I struggled with in English. She really helped to improve my confidence and took the time and effort to find ways and techniques to help me. Her enthusiasm was infectious and inspired me to work harder on a subject I struggled to find interesting. I can’t thank her enough for all the help she gave me - I got level 9s in my English GCSEs!
Ellie, Year 11 (2021)
Having been with Pridie for two years, I was able to achieve a grade 9 in both English language and literature at GCSEs even though I had been getting 6s when I first started tutoring. She has been instrumental in accomplishing this and I cannot thank her enough. I had always looked forward to our weekly sessions; her exuberance and passion for the subject made learning fun and I consistently came away with new knowledge and a heightened confidence. Pridie’s style of teaching was perfect for me and I felt at ease in her company. She is patient -which I very much appreciated- as well as intuitive; she knew exactly when to offer more guidance and when to give me time to think. Pridie challenged me constantly so I could progress. I highly recommend her!
Polly, Year 11 (2020)
Pridie was a great tutor and helped me feel more confident with English. She mainly focused on English Language with me (because that’s what I had asked for) and helped me achieve much higher than I thought I would get in my GCSE’s. She taught me various techniques which helped me a lot and meant that I was more comfortable in my own ability to answer difficult questions. Pridie also encouraged me to do my best and was friendly and easy to get along with. She helped me exceed what I expected to achieve in both English language and English literature.
Talya, Year 11 (2020)
Pridie worked hard with me on individual issues within my writing, going above and beyond to find relevant and useful materials (specific to my target grade required for university) to benefit my essay content and structure. Her passion for the subject is clear, as she is engaging and enthusiastic, making our conversations interesting yet consistently centred around the topic in question. I had hit a low point with my writing, but Pridie helped me rebuild my confidence within the subject, not only through guiding me through the changes I needed to make, but also through helping me realise I knew a lot more than I thought, and that my knowledge and wider reading was always relevant!
Daisy, Year 13 (2018)
My initial reaction to being told I was getting an English tutor couldn't have been anymore negative, English was my most dreaded subject and I did anything to avoid picking up a book. I was so nervous and unconfident that I had the mind set that I was going to fail before I had even given it a chance. Pridie however, within the first session put me at ease and began to fill me with confidence. At the beginning of every session Pridie cleverly engaged me by having a chat and finding out how my week had been. During my chats with Pridie she found out about my interests and if ever I started to show signs of distraction Pridie was quick to engage me again by constantly relating the work to topics I was interested in. Pridie always mixed up the style of teaching to suit me and ensure I was never bored. She went the extra mile with every session often arriving with a bag full of things related to my work to make it more fun. We often worked in different environments such as outside or on beanbags which really made me look forward to our sessions. Not only was Pridie the most excellent teacher she was also great fun and easy to get along with. My English significantly improved since having Pridie I began to feel more confident and even began to believe I had a chance to pass. I couldn't be more thrilled with my results of getting a level 5 and 6 in my English GCSEs after never being predicted more than a D (even though I will still never pick up a reading book to this day!) This certainly would not have been achievable without Pridie's help not only in English but to guide me mentally through the exam process. Pridie has been a tremendous support to me throughout the 3 years and I could not be more thankful and appreciative for going above and beyond. Thank you Pridie.
Freya, Year 11 (2017)
I struggled with English so we decided to get a tutor and Pridie was highly recommended. Pridie started and we went through all the basics. I used to dislike English, however, I learned to enjoy the subject because Pridie made it interesting and fun. I ended up achieving much higher than my expectations.
Kieran, Year 11 (2017)
Pridie was a great teacher and she really engaged me in my English lessons at school. I did not like English, I was bored and found myself switching off in class but Pridie had a great way of teaching that not many teachers have where she could keep the whole class engaged in the lesson and also kept everything interesting .
She achieved this by having a great imagination, she could find something that would always get us enthusiastic and make us want to learn. She was very approachable and friendly , if anyone had a problem they would always go ask her without hesitation because they knew she would always support and help them. Nobody ever felt stupid to ask a question or say they didn’t understand something, Pridie would take the time to explain and explain until we completely understood. I later went on to have Pridie tutor me, again I enjoyed my sessions they were always interesting and fun. Pridie was very good at picking up my weaknesses and we were then able to focus in on these as well as building on my strengths altogether helping me improve my English in general. Pridie was the biggest reason I passed my English GCSE she helped me enjoy English which resulted in me concentrating more and applying myself to my work.
Ryan, Year 11 (2015)
Pridie tutored both our son Oliver and our daughter Eloise. She made English an exciting and interesting subject for both of them, helping them to achieve more than they thought they were capable of. She is an extremely passionate, engaging and brilliant tutor, who takes the time to get to know and understand her pupils as individuals. I would always highly recommend her.
Nat, Parent of Ellie and Oliver (2021)
Our daughter was confident in most of her GCSE subjects but found that in English, although she loved reading, she wasn’t achieving her predictions and felt she did not know what the teacher wanted. With her boundless enthusiasm, inspiring wide-ranging knowledge and a friendly manner Pridie was able to help our Year 10 daughter not only understand what an examiner wants and thus diminish the trepidation of English exams, but also to enjoy the subject and insights beyond it. After every session there was a “post Pridie high” only matched by the elation of her eventual grade 9!
Tessa, Parent of Polly, 2020
I cannot speak highly enough of Pridie. She tutored my son who achieved way beyond our expectations and so we then asked Pridie to tutor our daughter Talya. Again I felt Pridie got to know Talya and bring out the best in her and give her confidence in her own abilities. Talya went on to get amazing English grades and we are very grateful to Pridie helping Talya achieve these grades. I have recommended Pridie over and over again to friends as I know she will be able to help your child in whatever way they need.
Sarah, Parent of Talya, 2020
Pridie is the most amazing tutor.. she managed to engage my reluctant 15 year old son to enjoy and understand what was needed to help him pass his English exam..his mock grades went from a 3 to 7 in just a few months. But most importantly was her enthusiasm and delivery of the subject. Myself and my son would highly recommend her she is awesome...
Jinny, Parent of Charlie, 2020
If you are lucky enough to get Pridie as a tutor you will know that you could not find a more engaging, enthusiastic, brilliant teacher. She is so passionate about English Language and totally transformed my son`s ALevel interest in the subject. He achieved a grade above his prediction and secured a place at Cardiff Uni to study Journalism on the back of it. Her passion for the subject is infectious - she is fantastic! Tim, Parent of Will, 2018
One of the best things I did for my daughter during her A levels was investing money in Pridie’s tuition. She gave my daughter excellent support, focussing on the areas that my daughter identified as needing improvement. After a period of doubting herself considerably, Pridie re-establish my daughter’s love for the subject and focused on fine details of how her writing would meet all criteria required in answering A level exam questions. This undoubtedly increased my daughter’s confidence and love for the subject again, and her belief that the A grade she needed in English Literature (in order to get in to her chosen university) was possible. My daughter is now studying English Literature at university! Thank you Pridie!
Annabelle, Parent of Daisy, 2018
Pridie is an amazing, inspirational teacher. My daughter had spent the last 5 years at secondary school always ‘underachieving’ as she could not meet her target grades. Grades that were put in place from her SATs at primary school. She lacked confidence and self-belief in all of her academic subjects, which became very apparent during year 11. She failed her mocks in the December and again in the Spring making her hit rock bottom. Knowing that Pridie was fully booked I tried to find an English tutor for her but everyone was busy. Pridie stepped in and worked out a schedule for her to meet with Maia, going over and above. I could see a glimmer of self belief return to Maia, although she was still lacking confidence. Pridie instinctively understood exactly how Maia was feeling and how to motivate her. The exams came and went and we awaited results day. Today was the day! Maia passed both her English Language and English Literature, to say she was over the moon is an understatement. She can now go on to study the L3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design. Without Pridie’s expertise and compassion we would not be in this position and I cannot thank her enough.
Maria, Parent of Maia, 2018
You have had a remarkable effect on Will and his work. He is far more interested in Eng Lang and it is down to your infectious enthusiasm and passion. We can't thank you enough! Every student that comes across you is very lucky. You are a star!
Lisa, Parent of Will, Year 13, 2018
Pridie tutored my son Kieran for GCSE English. We left it a bit late as Pridie didn’t start tutoring Kieran until mid-January with his GCSEs in May. Pridie tutored Kieran once a week for English language and English literature. Kieran didn’t particularly like English and has very rarely read a book. We were concerned about both English exams and Kieran himself said he thought he needed some extra lessons.
Pridie arrived and we got on her with immediately. She was easy to talk to and put Kieran at ease straight away. Every visit she was great fun and we had to stop ourselves (my husband and I) chatting to her when she arrived so that she could start the tutoring session.
As the sessions went on we watched Kieran gain in confidence with his English. I feel that Pridie tailored the lessons to the type of teaching that suited Kieran best. She was always armed with paper and coloured pens as well as her laptop. Sometimes there would be lots of writing from Kieran and Pridie and other times I would see them on the laptop together. Kieran did not like English but started to think he was quite good at it. It was interesting to watch his confidence grow in a subject we have always been concerned about. As the time came nearer to GCSEs, Pridie started to tailor the lessons to the actual exams and how Kieran should tackle certain questions. She was very informed about the GCSE syllabus and exam questions.
Kieran took his GCSEs and we waited for the results. Pridie sent him good luck messages for each of the exams. I am very pleased to say that Kieran gained an 8 (A*) in English Literature and a 7 (A) in English Language. This is way beyond any expectations we had of Kieran for these exams and it is down to Pridie and the great way she brought out the best in Kieran. I cannot recommend Pridie enough, not only has she helped Kieran gain amazing results but Kieran has now said he actually enjoys English.
Sarah and Paul, Parents of Kieran, Year 11 (2017)
My daughter Freya was in Year 10 and was becoming increasingly anxious about her achievements in English. She appeared to be falling further and further behind in the subject. With her GCSE exams fast approaching she had pretty much resigned herself to failing in both Language and Literature and, as time passed, my daughter become increasingly panic stricken at the mere idea of reading any kind of written text let alone a book.
I think the best way to describe the tutoring sessions with Pridie was a bit like Nanny McPhee ( without the warts ) descending on your house. Gradually, over a few months she cast her magic spell and somehow my daughter seemed to be engaging positively, almost enthusiastically in her English tutoring sessions. Freya began to appear to look forward to her tutoring sessions with Pridie and seemed quite buoyant afterwards. Within six months Freya was no longer convinced she was going to fail but began to use phrases like " I just hope I pass after all this".
I am now very happy and proud to report that my daughter passed both her GCSE English Language and Literature exams with much better grades than any of us dared to hope for. Freya's achievement can only be credited to the most wonderful, dedicated and skilled tutoring by Pridie. Not only did Pridie liaise consistently with Freya's own school teacher to check her tutor sessions were supporting the classroom based activities but she also made sure that she stayed fully abreast of each of the curriculum modules. Pridie went out of her way to make every tutoring session interesting, appropriate and fully engaging when it came to my daughter's learning style. It was not unusual for me to come home to find A3 flip chart paper and cushions spread all over the kitchen floor or a session being conducted outside on a sunny day in the garden just to keep things interesting. In addition, Pridie not only coached Freya through the entire English syllabus but also through the entire GCSE revision and exam process, often being a good sounding board for my daughter's worries not just in English but across all curriculum areas. As a parent I found her input and support invaluable as Pridie was far more familiar and up to date with the exam / revision experience and exam boards expectations than I was. Pridie is a gifted and exemplary tutor. If you are given the option to have Pridie as your child's English tutor then I can honestly say that you are very lucky. I believe you will be giving your child the very best opportunity to improve and develop in this vital subject area by employing a Pridie as an English tutor. You never know, your child might even enjoy reading books! If nothing else, I guarantee Pridie will help improve your child’s English skills and offer them the opportunity to gain great results in their English Language and Literature GCSE.
Katherine, Parent of Freya, Year 9-11 (2017)
As the A levels approached, it became clear that our son’s confidence in his ability to achieve a good grade in English Language was unravelling day by day. We were therefore delighted to be able to find Pridie as a tutor. She was very supportive, yet rigorous and challenging in her expectations and quickly developed his confidence in tackling demanding language questions.
Pridie has an excellent knowledge of the new A level specifications and their marking schemes which she uses to ensure that students are well prepared for each section of the paper. Her regular use of exam questions to monitor progress enables her to customise the tuition sessions to target and overcome student weaknesses.
We were delighted with the support Pridie provided and recommend her tuition to any student in a similar situation.
Sue, Parent of Alex, Year 13 (2017)
As a family we have known Pridie since 2014 originally as my eldest son’s school teacher then later as a private tutor. My eldest son took his GCSE’s last year and passed with flying colours, my youngest has just entered year 10 and is still attending sessions with Pridie.
Both of my sons have always struggled in English and never enjoyed the subject. They have attended various tutors but it has always been a struggle. This changed however when they started attending tutoring with Pridie they both returned from their sessions happy and enthusiastic and looking forward to their next session and the results soon became evident in the improvement in their grades.
Pridie has shown them that English can be fun by thinking outside the box, tailoring each lesson to their strengths/weaknesses and incorporating topics which are of interest to them.
Pridie is a true professional who is committed and extremely reliable, at the end of each session I am updated on the lesson content, the objectives achieved and of course the progress being made by son. Pridie has regular contact with my son’s English teacher therefore she is able to prepare him for the forth coming topics and work on any areas which are of concern to my son or the school.
I highly recommend Pridie it has been amazing to see the transformation in my children’s enthusiasm and ability.
Audrey, Parent of Ryan and Mark, (2017)
I have taught alongside Pridie for years and she is the kind of teacher that I really hope my children have during their path through education. Firstly, her enthusiasm and energy is infectious resulting in even the most challenging students wanting to learn and achieve during her lessons. Alongside this Pride’s creativity enthuses students such as taking them out of the classroom to write descriptively under trees or turning mundane exam practice into an exciting treasure hunt! Pridie is a supportive and caring teacher but she also maintains extremely high standards of behaviour, attitude and focus from all her students. During the course of working together Pridie was the Head of Year of my tutor group. In this role she was a strong leader who was organised, very supportive and also respectful of her co-workers and all of her students. So, to try and sum up Pridie: she is an inspirational teacher who any student will remember well after they have finished their coursework or sat their exams.
Sorcha, English Teacher