Following her graduation from Cambridge University where Ria specialised in English Literature with Education, she went on to teach in a variety of primary schools, mostly independent preparatory schools. She also became Head of Year at a number of these schools and took part in a Teacher's International Professional Development exchange visit where she was given the opportunity to teach in China.
As a hard-working, enthusiastic, caring and dedicated teacher, she will give 100% effort to any given project. She has been teaching for 20 years and has taught a wide range of age groups, predominantly Years 1-4. She also tutors a range of children up to Year 6, her experience in private schools helping to prepare these children for their 7+, 8+ and 11+ exams so they can approach these exams with confidence. She has a proven track record of helping children to get into their desired schools, with one of her long-term students recently achieving an Academic Scholarship to Haileybury. In addition to online tuition, she works as a freelance editor for a range of educational publishers, including Oxford University Press.
Some recent testimonials from parents of children that are currently being tutored by Ria had this to say:
'Ria has been a fantastic tutor to our son at Radlett Prep. A few weeks of lessons have made a big difference to his performance at a very academically demanding school that feeds children into top schools like Habs, Merchant Taylors, Westminster. Ria always comes well prepared, with tons of tutorial materials and suggestions for online learning. The lessons are very well structured, she is a very effective communicator, ensuring that each lesson provides a fun and at the same time demanding learning environment for our eight-year old. I could not recommend Ria higher. We have had other tutors before, but no one like Ria, who we hope will be taking our son all the way through to 11+ preparation.'
'It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Ria. I have had the pleasure of viewing her professional development over the past two years. I can say with confidence that she is a great teacher for my son. She is a very confident and responsible person, a Cambridge University graduate and an experienced primary school teacher. Ria joined our family to support and develop my son in his English and Maths. Our son is always excited to see her and work with her which is so lovely to see. Ria makes the lessons as fun as possible and has helped our son to extend his sentences and vocabulary. In Maths, they do lots of fun games and activities too.'
'We highly recommend Ria. Her strong experience, personable approach and carefully planned sessions have been of incredible value to both our son and daughter, as well as my husband and I. She provides excellent feedback following each session, and takes the time to understand and address knowledge gaps so she can bring optimal value. Ria also shows a genuine care for their progress beyond sessions. With the provision of homework as well as recommendations of other ‘enhancement’ activities, we are extremely thankful at how she goes the extra mile.'
'Ria did a great job with my daughter. We started English (Grammar and Comprehension) with Ria during the lockdown when there was no school. Even in the space of 2 months, my daughter's reading/comprehension skills improved immensely, as well as punctuation and grammar. Ria developed a great relationship with my daughter and managed to keep her focussed and motivated. She manages to keep the online teaching experience very personal and real and my daughter is always looking forward to the lessons, while previously it was near to impossible to motivate her to do any home learning. Ria was also extremely helpful in recommending books and extra learning material specifically for my daughter's level, which we enjoy very much. I can't thank Ria enough!'
