Tom Whitfield

I teach biology, chemistry and physics up to GCSE, and most of my lessons start with a blank page and a question. A pupil might sketch a cell, label a circuit or explain why a ball slows down. We fill the gaps together. I am firm about vocabulary because science papers reward precise words: "diffusion" is not "spreading", and "mass" is not "weight". The rest can be relaxed. If a diagram is messy but the idea is right, we move on.

Lessons run online or at the dining table at home, usually in the same slot each week. I use the pupil's own exercise book, a shared whiteboard and a small stack of past paper questions. We read the command word first, then plan the answer, then write it. I mark as we go and note what needs another look before the next report for parents.

My teaching philosophy is simple: confidence comes from being able to say the word out loud. I ask pupils to teach a concept back to me. If they stumble, we return to the definition, not to a fresh worksheet. I am DBS-checked and qualified, and I work with pupils from age 11 upwards. Parents get a clear note on what we covered and what to try at home, even if the answer is "nothing this week".