Meet Our Tutors
Ana Fleitas
Spanish
Hello everybody,
I am passionate about people, cultures, languages, and education. Since a young age, I have believed in education, resilience, and determination. This has been essential to paving my own path in both, personal and professional aspects of my life.
Originally I come from Uruguay but have lived in Brazil, Italy, and the UK.
Before leaving my home country, I did studies in Literature and worked as a teacher for seven years in government and private secondary schools. After leaving Uruguay, I have taught Spanish as a foreign language to people of different ages, backgrounds, and with different interests in the language.
Living in England, I decided to go back to academic studies and completed a BA Degree in Language Studies and lately a PGCE.
I can define my teaching style as flexible, interactive, and mainly learner-centered. My lessons are personalized to the student’s particular interests and/or goals and they always include activities that develop the four skills that are involved when learning a new language (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
Above all, I truly enjoy supporting people to achieve their goals and completely believe that education is the way to meet the best version of ourselves.
Angela Wood
Biology, Human Biology, Marine Science
I’m Angela and I strive to offer good quality tuition with a friendly, personal service to home educated students and their families. Being a fellow home-educating mum, I want to provide tuition that I would be happy for my own daughter to receive.
Loving all things Biology, I tutor in Biology, Human Biology and Marine Science.
KS3 Biology covers the National Curriculum syllabus and a little bit more!
The KS4 Biology and Human Biology course work towards the Edexcel International GCSE examinations.
The Marine Science course follows the CAIE IGCSE syllabus.
Following each live lesson, students are provided with comprehensive notes, optional homework (with feedback if returned) and suggestions for further learning activities. All KS4 courses include exam preparation.
I have an honours degree in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, an A’ Level in Social Biology (Grade A) and a GCSE in Biology (Grade A). Following university, I worked as a Cancer Research Technician. For the past eleven years I have worked in primary schools as a Cover Supervisor and/or an Educational Teaching Assistant. I always thought I would become a teacher and had in my plan to be a high school Biology teacher, but life has taken me in other directions!
Zerka Butt
English Literature, English Language
Our family has been home educating for over 13 years to four amazing children from 6 to 16 years old. The decision to home educate was quite an organic one and watching them develop on this journey, at home as well as at groups such as HEET, has been a very enriching and fulfilling experience. Home education has increased my passion for teaching and learning with my children. It has also built a desire to share this experience with and learn from other home-educating families.
I have been offering a range of classes for the younger age group at HEET for 5+ years now. I have taught Art and English, this year I will be offering English Literature and KS2/KS3 History.
My approach to teaching has evolved over the years and I do not believe there is a one size fits all. I like to keep my sessions as interactive as possible and to have fun while learning. I like to get to know the young learners in my sessions and I have found that this allows them to feel comfortable in getting involved in discussions and sharing ideas. I am continuously amazed and inspired by the young learners each year and this has encouraged me to continue offering classes every year.
Dawn Taylor BA(Hons) PGCE
Marine Science, Environmental Management
Catriona Herbert
STEM
Primarily I am a parent. Parents are the first teachers of their children. They remain responsible for their education no matter who is teaching them. I have 8 children of my own. I first tried my hand at home education 16 years ago when the school system appeared to break down for my dyslexic child. He went on to achieve 8 GCSEs as a home-taught student, 5 at A or A* and is now an Engineering Graduate. I have home educated at some point, 6 of my 8 children. So I am also a home educator.
I graduated in 1994 from the University of Sheffield with a Batchelor of Engineering in Materials Science and Engineering. I have worked on research projects in the automotive and aviation sectors in plastics, composite materials and shape memory alloys. I love scientific discovery and the awesome order of the world we inhabit. So I am a scientist and an engineer. I have also taught Design and Technology in a large comprehensive secondary school; I have taught at HEET for a couple of years; and I have tutored my own children at GCSE, A’level, and at undergraduate level. I really enjoy working with the enthusiasm of the younger children pre-exam stage where the love of lifelong learning begins.
Steve Herbert
KS4 PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY
Steve Herbert MSc BSc is a volunteer at HEET.
By profession he is Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology with 40 years experience in research and development. Steve runs a small home laboratory to perform experiments to enable his home schooled children get hands on experience of science. He enjoys teaching young people and aims to help them learn by captivating their interest and bringing science to life. This can best be achieved by giving students the opportunity to experiment for themselves.
Steve has a great deal of experience in directing young engineers in industry but gained experience teaching science to his children. This began 10 years ago when he took his eldest son through IGCSE courses in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
The course he is offering this year will provide demonstrations mainly in physics and chemistry and with the possibility of introducing DNA testing. Each lesson will aim to show how the theory learned at KS3 and at GCSE can be put into practice.
Stacey Woodward
Mathematics
Having studied engineering at university, travelling for a bit and then working as a financial advisor for a few years I decided to return to university and train to teach. I Qualified as a secondary school maths teacher in 2005 and spent the following years working full time in the school environment, exploring parental engagement in learning and intervention. Whilst working full time I really enjoyed teaching mixed ability groups through investigations. I turned to tutoring to fit in with family commitments after having my son, then daughter and returned to the classroom a few years later – fast forward to now where I have three children, 2 in school and 1 who is home ed. Teaching at HEET is an exciting opportunity to get back into a classroom, in a more informal way. Last years classes were fun to deliver and warmly received and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and some new ones too in September
Whilst I’m not being a teacher or tutor you might find me reading or working on our ‘project’ of a house.
Nicola Gallaugher
English
I was brought up in sunny Zimbabwe before moving across to the UK over twenty years ago. In that time I have become both a teacher and a mum of daughters. It is the blend of these two callings that has brought me into the wonderful world of home education. For my family, the main aim of it is to enjoy freedom in learning. (Think content/timings/learning style.)
In terms of my credentials for teaching English at HEET: I am a qualified teacher with experience in the teaching and tutoring of English Language and Literature. I am passionate about the subject and; thus, I hope to inspire students at HEET to enjoy English too. I also really like getting to know young people: I aim to build a sense of community in lessons and to understand the individual needs of the students.
On a personal level, my chief hobby is reading. I like to carve out time to drink a coffee with a book a few times a week. This is my favourite form of recharging. Occasionally, I may be spotted going for a jog, but I have a strange love-hate relationship with exercise! I am looking forward to embedding myself further in the HEET community.
Adam Belaon
Mathematics, Physics
Adam Belaon received a first-class degree in Mathematics from Queen Mary University of London in 2002. Whilst working on a PhD in the Mathematics department at Queen Mary University he started his teaching career in a sixth form college. In 2009 he completed a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education). Adam has over 15 years of experience teaching and for the last couple of years has been working with Home educated students in the city of Leicester. He believes in student-centred learning and tries to make the online learning experience of students active participation as far as possible rather than merely passive absorbers of information.
Angela Thompson
French
Angela has 2.1 BA Honours degree in French from the University of Nottingham and a PGCE in Modern Languages from Leicester University and have taught French, German and English as a second language. She has experience in teaching all ages and to different levels in primary and secondary schools and adults in evening classes. She has also worked for Le Club Français teaching children in after school clubs. Since 2010 she has been a private self-employed tutor of French teaching mostly children; some of whom are taught in their own home and some are tutored for specific exam preparation and others are learning for fun. She has successfully prepared numerous home-educated children for the French IGCSE exams with good results.
Charlie Parkes
GCSE and KS3 Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, A-Level Mathematics, Physics and Biology
Charlie studied Maths, Physics, Biology and Chemistry at A level and completed a degree in Biomedical science at Kingston University, gaining a first-class honours degree.
Over the last 10 years, he has been a private tutor helping school and home educated students with their GCSEs and A-Levels. He has also worked at various tuition centres and independent schools in the past few years.
He has been a real asset to HEET and we are excited to have him with us for another year.
Matthew Huish
Chemistry A Level
Matthew Huish obtained his BSc in Biochemistry from UCL in 2008. Since then he has been working in various roles for a charity in the UK. This work included lots of teaching, so Matthew has experience of facilitating small group study, coordinating seminars and delivering public lectures. Before Covid he was regularly invited to teach internationally, across Europe and even as far as Turkey and South Korea, but especially during the last few years Matthew helped the entire charity reposition itself to deliver educational programmes online. This year Matthew is stepping away from his charity work to focus on being a private tutor.
Matthew and his wife of 19 years are home educating their eight children who currently range in age from 18 to 2. When he’s not preparing meals or changing nappies, Matthew’s passions include Welsh rugby (his grandad is from Ogmore Vale), Newcastle United F.C. (he was born in Newcastle) and falling down Wikipedia rabbit-holes (he’s a self-confessed information geek). His favourite YouTube channels are TwoSet Violin, HidaMari Cooking and Veritasium.
Maria Roddis
Latin
I am a keen linguist specialising in teaching Latin, Ancient Greek, French and Spanish. I graduated from Roehampton University in 2014 where I studied Classical Civilisation with French. Upon graduating I set up my own tutoring company called Artemis Tutors and I have been tutoring ever since. Students that I have tutored in the past have been very satisfied with my approach and the success they have achieved as a result of the sessions. I am ambitious yet realistic in the goals I set for my students, and I am dedicated to helping them achieve outstanding results. My approach relies greatly on providing my students with a firm understanding of the basic rules of grammar, which I believe is essential in strengthening a learner’s esteem.
I am organised, friendly and professional, and I always ensure that lessons are fun, interactive and fully prepared. I enjoy tutoring and my clients consider me to have a caring, professional and diligent approach. My aim is to make lessons fun and relaxed, yet productive!
Testimonials
“The tutor was lovely – very approachable and delivered the material well and provided good slides. The class was also recorded which was a great help when we for various reasons could not make a session.”
“”Great tutors, extremely helpful, great selection of classes available both in person, and online, excellent venues with clean facilities, and lots of space.”
“We’ve been attending HEET classes for many years, and can’t thank the ladies enough for all they organise on behalf of our children. Another excellent year, and already looking forward to the Autumn term.”
“Dawn is an excellent tutor – she is calm, well organised and interesting. She has been doing this a long time and you get a sense that everything is going to go well with the exam. Her exam prep is thorough and she is so organised with her revision. Definitely recommend her classes!”
Angela Wood is amazing and very through in her teaching. My daughter enjoys her lessons and understands what has been taught
“We love HEET. It was a real find during lockdown and my eldest has completed 4 IGCSE courses with you.”
“I appreciate the thought and care that goes into how this is run. The environment is very supportive and good for the adults and children. Tutors are kind, friendly and care about the children”
“My son really enjoys Adam’s classes – he’s very organised and clear and an excellent teacher. I like how he keeps the children engaged and asks them questions during the class.”
“Anne is a great teacher, she does lots of hands-on experiments in science and keeps the interest of the kids!”