What people say about me

'Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel,' Socrates.

‘Steph has been our daughter’s English tutor for 3 years. Steph is amazing! She knows every element of the GCSE curriculum and the many texts inside out and she is incredibly thorough in the way that she teaches. Steph also communicates very clearly weekly and termly with us and our daughter to ensure that she is making good progress, whilst also setting tasks and GCSE past papers and has high expectations for homework. 

As a result of Steph’s patient, encouraging tutoring we have seen amazing progress with our daughter’s GCSE grades. She went from grades 5 to grades 7 and 8 in her mocks this year.

Finally, Steph has also gone above and beyond with advice to our daughter on A level options and future career paths to take.’ Lucy, 2022

“I have been a student of Steph’s since I was 15 and struggling with GCSE English, and she has gone on to tutor me through English Literature A-Level. She has also provided me with an excellent academic reference for university. Steph helped to not only transform my predicted grades of a 3 into achieving 8s for both English Language and Literature, but I actually discovered that I felt passionately about literature and wanted to study it further, which was surprising for someone who always preferred maths and the sciences.

Without Steph’s guidance and support throughout sixth form, I would not have achieved an A* for English literature A -Level, nor considered applying to Cambridge University- a university I received an offer from thanks to Steph’s stellar reference and encouragement.

Steph is incredibly intuitive and knowledgeable – not just about English, but surrounding fields like French, Russian history and literature, which are not just fascinating, but for writing quality essays is invaluable.

Her passion for learning is contagious and she is excellent at adapting lessons to what your child needs to understand and apply concepts, not just simply covering the rubrics of the course.

I would strongly recommend Steph to everyone, as I know she always goes above and beyond for every single one of her students.” William, 2023

 "I cannot express enough what an amazing tutor Steph has been for my two boys over the last 5 years.  Both with dyslexia and one with ADHD, they would not have achieved their grades without her expert teaching and guidance, I would highly recommend her to anyone!" - Kerry, June 2023 

'Stephanie is an amazing English tutor! She helped me boost my confidence when writing and for my English lessons. Steph tutored me for three different examinations and for each I passed with a high mark for my English because of Steph. She is better than any other English teacher I have ever had and made my schooling life so much better. She was always well prepared for my lessons and assisted me with what I struggled at. At first, I hated English but after having lessons with Steph, I enjoyed English and even was surprised that the whole hour had finished. I recommend if you are looking for a tutor, go for Steph.'  Harry, aged 12, Feb 2024

  "I cannot recommend Steph enough. She is absolutely brilliant at teaching and has been involved in my 3 children’s education for at least 6 years. I can honestly say my daughters GCSEs results (in all subjects) were due to Steph’s input. Steph did 1-1 tuition with my daughter for English. She was predicted a 4 (at a push) by her school for GCSE. After Steph’s encouragement and professional input not only did she achieved a grade 7 for English Literature & language in her GCSEs,  but all her subjects increased by a mark as a result of her improvement in her writing and paragraph structure.  My eldest son had only a few sessions with Steph before his GCSEs and went from a predicated 5 to a 9 in his English literature.  Steph is now teaching maths, English and verbal reasoning to my youngest son in preparation for secondary school exams and I will certainly continue to use her for his education going on. Steph is extremely kind, understanding and approachable. She has the ability to get the best out of your child. She’s incredibly patient and enthusiastic. My children always felt positive and motivated after having a session with Steph." Caroline, June 2023

 "Hi Steph. I wanted to let you know that our son got a 7 in English Literature today (GCSE). This absolutely would not have happened had he not spent the time with you in your revision sesisons. We are so grateful to you for sharing all of your expertise, tips, tricks, confidence boosters, cups of tea and all round brilliance. Thank you so much!" Isobel, August 2023 

“Steph has tutored both our children for several years, starting in year 3 and through to the 11+. I can honestly say that her professional, friendly and enthusiastic approach has always made them both feel welcome and eager to learn. Her knowledge and expertise in the 11+ subjects is excellent, and her speciality of English is second to none. Both of our childrens’ school reports have improved dramatically whilst being tutored by Steph, culminating in my son passing his 11+ exam and my daughter being judged by her teacher to be at Year 6 level in English whilst she still is in Year 4! If you have children who are struggling at school, or children who wish to supercharge their academic level and excel, then I cannot recommend Steph enough.” Anthony, July 2023

 
"For 3 years, Steph worked tirelessly and patiently with our daughter, who was struggling to get momentum with her English, through her Key Stage 2 years.  Steph has such a calm and supportive nature, and such an enthusiasm for English Literature and books that she often went well above the role of tutor; by providing book lists,  providing interesting material, structured lessons around her own interests & finding extracts/comprehensions that were interesting to a KS2 young girl. Steph’s support and guidance throughout KS2 helped our daughter to achieve a place at grammar school and has placed our daughter in a fantastic position for KS3 and Senior school." Tracey, July 2022

Key Stage 3/4 Testimonial "My son has been a student of Stephanie's for 5 years.  He did not enjoy English at all when he started these sessions. Since starting weekly English lessons with Steph his attainment, interest and confidence in English has grown enormously.  My son always looks forward to his lessons and has developed such a passion for the subject that he will be studying English Literature A-Level from September. I cannot recommend Steph enough - she is kind and encouraging, reliable and flexible, and her expertise is incredible. Her passion for literature and writing is evident in all that she does." Nicola, June 2023

Update August 2023: 'Our son secured grades 8 and 9 in  his English GCSEs. A few years ago, we would never have thought that this was even possible. His confidence and attainment has just flourished beyond words. Thankyou Steph."

"I cannot thank Steph enough for supporting our son. Every session was full of positivity and commitment to learning and improving. Always a fun and jolly experience, never pressured, always relating to the student and going at their pace. The sessions with Steph really boosted our son's confidence, encouraging him to read more widely and ultimately giving him the boost he needed for his GCSE’s, A levels and beyond." Sue, June 2021

“Studying A Level English Literature with Steph was the best decision I ever made. Steph’s expertise and experience are immediately apparent through her hands-on teaching style whilst her passion for the subject was contagious. I completed the course with Steph 100% online and her commitment was undeniable with emails between lessons never going unanswered. 

Providing in-depth constructive feedback to my work, Steph offered invaluable advice about approaching the more complex essay questions and the best way to structure all answers. Steph’s comments were always actionable. My essay writing style has greatly improved through the structure she provided, helping me improve my writing abilities, build my line of argument, and push my analytical abilities – necessary to advance my arguments. My confidence in my work has grown enormously and it’s thanks to Steph that I enjoyed the subject as much as I did, and achieved the grade I aimed for (A*). 

Beyond the teaching, Steph was also a great help when discussing my university subject choices; I found her inspiring beyond the A Level itself and she provided critical feedback on my personal statement.” Esme, 2022

Stephanie has been my English tutor from Year 9 and since then my grades have improved drastically. I am always thinking about her teachings and helpful guides when I produce my work and it has been wonderful to have a supportive helper like her. Whenever I need assistance with a piece of writing or homework she's always there to lend a helping hand. As she helps me prepare for my GCSEs, I feel more confident in myself knowing I have her encouragement and guidance. 

The work that I complete and hand in to her is gifted back with extremely helpful feedback and advice on how to improve my techniques and writing which has been a substantial help to my knowledge and understanding of creative writing and literature. In contrast to year 9, my year 10 mocks received grades high in the top levels and I owe it all to Steph. But there is always room for improvement and I know that when my GCSEs arrive she will have successfully guided me into the top grades. Yet, she's not only an incredible teacher but a great friend and our sessions are always met with a positive atmosphere. Thank you Steph!" Izzy, December 2022. 

Update August 2023: 'I got an 8 and 9 in my English GCSEs! I'm so happy! Thank you Steph! This would not have happened without you!" 

“I cannot recommend Steph Robertson as a tutor highly enough. She is currently tutoring my twin boys for taking the Poole Grammar entrance exam in September this year - 2023.  Her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for teaching, and the boys learning, are remarkable. 

She is so patient with my children, yet is very good at keeping them on track!  They look forward to their sessions with Steph, and teaching twins in the same session, I’m sure, must be quite challenging!

Steph helped prepare my oldest son for Poole Grammar. He passed with flying colours and is now in his 2nd year there and loving it. 

Steph is very flexible with the times of sessions and does her utmost to fit in to our busy schedule, and hers.

Steph is calm, reassuring and kind. My boys trust her and enjoy the sessions immensely. She is pretty much part of the family!

Gaps in their knowledge were spotted early on by Steph, relayed to me, and then addressed  by her in the sessions.  The results are remarkable. The twins have had two mock exams to date and passed with flying colours. The confidence this will have given them is priceless. I couldn’t have asked for a better tutor for all 3 boys. Thank you Steph." Ali, June 2023

" I can't recommend Steph highly enough! After leaving a previous English tutor, Steph completely engaged with our son in both English Language and Literature GCSE for Year 11. His grades, knowledge and confidence improved significantly. 100% proactive, Steph went above and beyond throughout."  Helen, June 2023

"Stephanie is currently tutoring my daughter for the 11+ grammar school entrance test. She really enjoys her sessions with Stephanie. Stephanie is extremely knowledgeable and knows exactly what is required for the 11+ while also focusing on what my daughter needs to stretch her at school now and in the future. She quickly assessed her areas of strength and weaknesses and we feel confident that she will be in the best position when she takes the test. We also love her extensive library of books which she is very generous in sharing to encourage further reading. Stephanie also begun tutoring my 13-year-old son who wanted to improve his essay writing and general English skills. He too enjoys the lessons and the work he does with Stephanie. She knows exactly what areas she needs to work on to support his journey into upper school and is extremely up-to-date on the curriculum. Stephanie is also very kind and gentle and gives good feedback from each lesson. We would thoroughly recommend Stephanie as a tutor." Alice, July 2023

 "Steph must be the best English tutor aournd. She's a rare gem, inspiring and passionate about the subject. Enthusiastic anc ommitted, all three of my children reached their full potential under her guidance. Thank you, Steph." Debs, June 2023