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Sonal
- Rate R1470
- Response 1h

R1470/h
1st lesson free
- English
- Reading
- Creative writing
- School Exam Preparation
- 13 Plus
Qualified Primary Teacher, English-Only Tutor with a 90% Student Success Rate for 11+ & 13+ for 45 schools. My Student Success Formula: Sharp Mindset + Subject Strategy + Exam Technique
- English
- Reading
- Creative writing
- School Exam Preparation
- 13 Plus
Lesson location
Recommended
Sonal is a respected tutor in our community. She is highly recommended for her commitment and the quality of her lessons. A trusted partner on your learning journey.
About Sonal
My experience with teaching, including SEND (special educational needs & disabilities) I am a qualified teacher specialising in English Language tutoring for students: Year 3 to Year 11 GCSE. I have extensive experience supporting pupils with SEND, including Autism, ADHD, and SEMH. I emphasise purpose, practice, patience and perseverance, with wellness practices for progress. I am a certified Breath Coach and begin lessons with a few minutes of breathwork and guided meditation, to help students transition from stressful experiences, distractions or prior activities, into learning and growth mode. My secret to success in helping SEND students is fun and focus. Neuroscience research found it takes 400 synaptic connections to learn something. However, if learning is enjoyable, enlivening and engaging it only takes 40 synaptic connections. I listen with interest, ask proactive questions and learn my students’ likes, dislikes, strengths and struggles. No one-size fits all. My teaching and coaching is tailored to their unique needs and is student-specific: they feel it. As an English Tutor I have a 90% success rate for 46 Grammar and Independent Schools in 11+ and 13+ (Full list at the end just below) I help with - General English - Year 6 SATS - 11+ - 13+ - GCSE English Language Resits UCL Institute of Education 2016 PGCE graduate Qualified Key Stage 2 Primary Teacher with extensive experience, expertise and enthusiasm to empower children with SEND Also, students experiencing social, physical or emotional challenges, to transform their SEND/neurodivergence or challenges into a SUPERPOWER, not a stigma 10,000 hours+ school teaching and tutoring combined 12 years experience I do teach GCSE English Language I do not teach GCSE English Literature A bit more about me I have had chronic pain in my lower back since 22 years and left arm for 10 years, following a life-changing, mountain-carting accident in Switzerland at 19, just before my 2nd year of Dentistry. I am a SEND student myself, as I have an invisible disability, which I successfully self-manage. I am not weird; I am wired differently. I am not incapable; I am incredible because I dynamically adapt to move forwards without giving up. My coach says: “The only disability is attitude.” I progress within my capacity, with space for self-compassion, imperfection and vulnerability. I am an ardent mental health advocate: it’s ok to not be ok Additional Interests - Avid Reader - Prolific Poet - Engaging Storyteller - Relatable Writer I am also a keen cook, soulful singer and mindful meditator: Coming up to over 20 years I have a Meditation and Mindfulness, 90 minutes daily practice, since I was 22 years old (2007) - no one believes I am 41! I once wrote 600 poems in 6 months. writing is my yoga poetry is my heartbeat journaling is my joy I also enjoy being outdoors for nature walks and spending time with like-minded people I can grow with, laugh with and just be curious about life’s adventure with! 11+ and 13+ schools I have helped my students gain entrance to with a 90% success rate 1. Henrietta Barnett School for Girls 2. Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School for Boys 3. Latymer Upper 4. Godolphin and Latymer 5. Kew House 6. Francis Holland School 7. Queensgate college 8. Merchant Taylors 9. Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ 10. St Albans Boys (11+ & 13+) 11. John Lyon (13+) 12. St Benedict’s (13+) 13. Aldenham (13+) 14. Royal Russel - (13+) 15. Woldingham - (11+ and 13+) 16. North London Collegiate 17. Dame Alice Owen 18. South West Herts School Consortium 19. Belmont School 20. Emanuel School 21. Mill Hill School 22. Channing School 23. Northbridge House 24. South Hampstead High School 25. UCS 26. Highgate 27. City of London School for Boys 28. City of London School for Girls 29. St Paul’s Girls’ School 30. Eltham College 31. Trinity School 32. Sevenoaks School 33. Alleyn's 34. Bexley Grammar School 35. Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School 36. Newstead Wood School for Girls 37. Altrincham Grammar School For Boys 38. Sale Grammar School 39. Urmston Grammar School 40. Stretford Grammar School 41. Wallington Girls 42. Old Palace 43. Streatham & Clapham 44. Sydenham High School 45. The Laurels School 46. St Michael’s Catholic School for Girls
About the lesson
- Primary
- Secondary
- Matric/GCSE
- +9
levels :
Primary
Secondary
Matric/GCSE
AS Level
A Level
BTech
Adult education
Undergraduate
Masters
Diploma
Doctorate
MBA
- English
Languages in which the lesson is available :
English
My teaching philosophy 90% of my students gained entrance into 46 11+ and 13+ grammar or independent schools My English Language GCSE student jumped 2 grades in 2 months, with 2 lessons a week (results not guaranteed; information only). This is because I gently challenge and empower and don’t push or pressure. I remind students they drive the car of their learning and life in their own way, at their own pace, with the exam date in mind. As a passenger, I help them to feel seen, heard and understood and develop a lifelong love for learning to optimise results. I support self-awareness, help them set goals, take micro-actions without overwhelm and navigate lack of confidence, procrastination and perfectionism. I use my Certified Life Coach & NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) Practitioner training to build positive relationships, celebrate wins and feedback with non-judgement for improvement. Failure is an event, not a person. For students who struggle with English, I close learning gaps and go back to basics. Once that foundation is there we move onto more challenging work For more advanced English students I challenge them through increasingly sophisticated texts, deeper inference and analysis, ambitious vocabulary and opportunities to develop their own distinctive writer’s voice. I worked with a Year 5 bilingual girl from Azerbaijan and a Year 6 bilingual boy from Russia, for whom English was not their first language. The girl liked English but was in the lower set. After a few months of working with me she read more challenging books to expand her vocabulary, began to write using complex literary devices such as metaphor and was able to speak more coherently, concisely and confidently. She was thrilled to also be placed in the top set for English half way through our one and a half years of working together. The boy initially had very little interest in English, but after discovering his enthusiasm for Bakugan toys. I incorporated this into our English work to engage his imagination and make learning meaningful to him. His engagement transformed and, after just two months of focused tuition over the summer, he went on to pass his 11+ entrance examination. Some students are native English speakers and others moved to the UK from other countries like Romania, India, Pakistan, Italy, Spain or Africa. As you can see, personalisation is at the heart of how I tutor. I help students according to their unique abilities and interests. I have developed my own creative-writing frameworks eg my 5W 1H method my 3P framework 1 Purpose 2 Person 3 Power in your pen I also have effective methods for helping children use literary devices effectively such as metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia and descriptive language, in a way that makes their writing compelling and captivating for their readers. I also have other comprehension, writing and verbal communication frameworks to draw out their originality, creativity and individuality through their oral and written communication skills, which is what makes them stand apart from every other speaker or writer out there. These give children a structure they can use independently while still allowing their originality and imagination to shine. For comprehension, retrieval (fact-finding) and inference (implicit meaning), I break down in simple steps, how to apply the P.E.E.L Method P - Point E - Evidence E - Explanation L - Link I also help students develop SPAG: spelling, punctuation and grammar, as well as syntax (sentence structure) using my own strategies and tried-and-tested techniques. I identify each child’s strengths and specific areas for development so that our time together is focused where it can make the greatest difference. My students appreciate that I am encouraging and empowering. Parents are grateful that I am happy to answer any questions they may have along the way, that I reply promptly, and that the impact I have on their child’s enthusiasm and education lasts beyond the lesson. As a holistic educator I also use 4S Student Success model to empower students to thrive in 4 Life Areas: 1 Self-Empowerment 2 Subject & Strategy 3 Sync Mind-Body* 4 Social Connection & Creativity *Growth Mindset & Emotional Regulation Body: Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep
Recommendations
Recommendations are written by the tutor's friends, family, and acquaintances.
Ashmita (Parent)
My son was a Year 11 student studying English Language GCSE.
Before starting with Sonal, he was predicted a lower grade.
Sonal taught him for approximately 9 weeks, and in such a short period of time, he improved his results by 2 grades.
Sonal understood my son as an individual student and was able to identify his strengths as well as areas he needed improvement.
She helped him address the learning gaps and taught him how to answer questions to a high standard.
She also provided him with extra resources to support his learning.
Whatever Sonal taught my son not only helped him achieve better grades but also benefited his overall personal development.
My son became more confident in his ability to approach English questions and was able to express and develop his ideas more effectively.
Sonal encouraged him to set high standards for himself and helped him become a more confident and capable learner.
Sonal is committed, patient, supportive and genuinely invests in her students’ progress.
She sets high standards while making her lessons enjoyable and engaging.
She also maintained excellent communication with me throughout the tutoring.
After each lesson, she would email me to update me on my son’s progress and provide constructive feedback.
This made me feel very much involved in the whole learning process.
I would highly recommend Sonal as a tutor and coach because of her dedication, her individualised approach and her ability to support both the academic and personal development of her students.
Ashmita's son (Student)
Sonal in 3 words: Committed, patient and empowering I achieved a high-level grade, 2 grades above my predicted grade.
I was overjoyed!
One of the biggest improvements was in my creative writing.
Sonal taught me how to use English Language techniques such as similes, metaphors, personification and onomatopoeia.
She also taught me how to write with detailed description and imagery by using more sophisticated and wide-ranging vocabulary for verbs, adjectives and adverbs, as well as interesting sentence starters.
For comprehension, she taught me that I could only sharpen my interpretation of a text after understanding the question first.
She showed me how to skim and scan for information, retrieve relevant evidence and use quotations to support my own insightful and unique analysis.
Sonal helped me become more confident in my own abilities and encouraged me to believe that I could achieve a higher level than I initially thought possible.
She was committed and patient, but also set high standards for me and encouraged me to elevate my English.
Her lessons were fun and engaging, which made learning much more enjoyable.
Most importantly, she empowered me to improve through hard work and showed me that with the right guidance, commitment and effort, I could achieve my goals.
Finally, a wish came true through hard work from both of us!Sonal helped my son Alex when he was in Year 6 with 11+ English
He came downstairs after doing a piece of creative writing, was very happy to show it to me and shared how he finds it much easier to do creative writing, whereas before, he was dreading it.
I was so happy to hear that! And it's all thanks to YOU Sonal! So much work and so much attention and dedication you put into lessons and it has paid off!
I cannot express how grateful I am for that.
Such a relief to see Alex feeling happy and confident about his creative writing now!Sonal prepared my son Yash, in Year 5, for his 11+ English Exams at various private schools:
Habs (Haberdashers' Aske's Boys'), Merchant Taylors and St Albans Boys.
She's a very warm person and my son took an instant liking to her. She would not only teach the subject in hand but also bring in relevant aspects of the broader Key Stage 2 syllabus to consolidate the learning.
My son always came away learning new facts or idioms, analogies, similes.
He enjoyed these aspects of the lessons the most.
I would not hesitate to recommend Sonal and she has been an asset in my son being offered a place at all three schools mentioned above.See more recommendations
Rates
Rate
- R1470
Package rates
- 5h: R7352
- 10h: R14704
free lesson
The free first lesson with Sonal allows you to get to know the tutor and discuss your needs and expectations.
- 30min
online
- R1470/h
Details
Parents often ask me why my rates are higher than other tutors and I answer them with simple proof: 90% of my students get into the 11+ or 13+ English results they want. Don’t take my word for it - message me and ask for my Parent and Student testimonials over the last 12 years. I am new to Super Prof so please message me so I can send you my testimonials (parent email and what’s app screenshots) I can’t guarantee results for your child, as their effort and other factors play a part too. However I can offer a premium learning and teaching experience, and if your child applies themself to the process, they will grow closer towards their goal: whether that’s 11+ or 13+ Entrance exams or another English goal. My secret sauce? I know how to empower children AND am an English expert. I know how to motivate children and remind them that they are the driver in the car of their Learning and Life and to take ownership for their studies, homework and exam preparation so you don’t have to keep hassling and hounding them to do it! I offer both skillsets as a Holistic Educator. Most tutors only offer academic teaching without sharpening the child’s mindset. As a certified Life Coach and Qualified Primary Teacher I am able to do both.
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