Hilary Burt

Dyslexia Tutor

According to one of my students, I look MUCH older now!

The lessons ...

Hilary Burt offers one-to-one reading and spelling lessons for dyslexic children in Brighton, UK.

She specialises in children who have just been assessed as dyslexic and need a thorough grounding in the building blocks of learning to read and spell.

Her students are primarily 7, 8 and 9 year olds who are having trouble picking up the basics of reading and/or spelling in their class. They may be children who seem to be slipping through the educational net and are clearly not reaching their potential.

The first lesson is for Hilary to find out where your child is at. This will involve a check on the alphabet, basic sounds, basic spellings, auditory memory and usually a phonological awareness test. This informal assessment will inform the content of future lessons.

Generally speaking, each hour’s lesson is very structured with perhaps six or seven activities designed to hold the child’s attention and make the lesson both enjoyable and educational. As well as pen and paper work there will also be some computer-based learning, structured reading and usually a short game to finish.

Each lesson is tailored to the individual’s needs and a detailed lesson plan is provided for each session. For this reason it is recommended that the child works on lined paper keeping everything in an A4 ring binder. The child also needs to have a pencil/pen and ruler.

She enjoys working with children who are at the early stages of building up their literacy skills - working on phonological awareness (hearing the detail in words), learning and using the phonemes (sh, th, oo, ar, ee, igh . . .), building up a bank of high frequency words, reading graded phonic-based texts - in short filling in the gaps that may be preventing a child from moving forwards.

Lesson Prices ...

Lessons take place at your own home and cost from £32 an hour plus parking if necessary.

The first couple of lessons can be paid for individually and thereafter payments are made in half-termly blocks usually by bank transfer. Brighton and Hove state school holidays are followed and these form natural breaks throughout the year which are not paid for. No refunds are given I'm afraid once the invoice is paid. Holiday sessions can be arranged if required (eg. during the summer holidays) depending on Hilary's availability.

Teaching Zones . . .

**Hilary teaches in the area broadly between the A23/London Road/Preston Road to the east, Portslade Station to the west, Hangleton Road/King George V1 Avenue to the north. Lessons are £32 an hour within this zone.

For students from further afield (eg. Patcham, Hanover, Fiveways etc) the lesson prices increase to reflect the additional travel time/stress involved in sitting for long periods in a car! These lessons are £35 an hour.

I'm afraid some areas take so long to drive to that it means I can't sensibly fit in other students on the same evening. If I had a helicopter things would be sooo different!!

Teaching Experience ...

Hilary Burt qualified as a teacher in 1986 and worked as a full-time primary school class teacher in London for the next ten years. She then decided to go part-time and worked as a Language Support Teacher in Tower Hamlets for three years.

More than anything else Hilary decided she loved working with individual children focussing on their learning needs and so in 1999 she started working as an independent private tutor.

Since then she has also worked as a teacher at Dyslexia Action in Tonbridge, Kent, as well as a Learning Support Teacher at Itchingfield Primary School, West Sussex, and St Aubyns Independent School in Rottingdean, East Sussex.

Dyslexia ...

"I have successfully tutored many children with dyslexic type difficulties and I work in a very structured and detailed way which is necessary in this field. I use multisensory teaching methods and my approach is friendly and non-threatening. The children seem to enjoy the lessons and feel energised when they emerge after an hour! If you require an assessment for your child, please consult an Educational Psychologist."

Qualifications ...

Dyslexia Institute - Sept 2004 - July 2005
Postgraduate Certificate in Dyslexia and Literacy - Distinction for Teaching Practice. Approved Teacher Status with the British Dyslexia Association.

International House London - Aug 1998
RSA CELTA - Grade B (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults)

University of Warwick - Oct 1982 - July 1986
BA (Hons) with Qualified Teacher Status. Grade 2:1

Testimonials...

Here are some words from parents and children over the years I've been tutoring.

Hilary has been a wonderful tutor for our daughter who is dyslexic. Hilary is calm, very consistent and has helped our daughter gain knowledge and confidence throughout the past year and a half. She has developed a structured programme which targets our daughter's specific learning needs. I highly recommend Hilary in every respect. Thank you Hilary! Frederique (parent) June 2010

Hilary is great and wonderful. She is great because we do lots of fun things together. She is such a fantastic teacher for kids. S. (9 years old) June 2010

From the very first, Hilary demonstrated a gift for recognising and responding to individual needs which, coupled with a cheerful and stimulating style of delivery, ensured positive outcomes in the children's learning. Working from a secure knowledge of the issues and features of specific learning difficulties, she mapped her teaching closely to each pupil's learning needs, making excellent use of multi-sensory methods and working effectively with class teachers as necessary. Alison Edwards, Head of Learning Support, St. Aubyns School, Rottingdean, Brighton (July 09)

Hilary has been an excellent teacher for our daughter. She is patient and professional but combines this successfully with a fun approach to learning. We have seen our daughter's confidence and abilities flourish under her tuition. We have been very happy with Hilary and would not hesitate to recommend her to other parents. Yvonne (parent) July 09

We can never thank you enough for all you did for Robin - we won't forget you! Parents of Robin - January 09

Hilary is a good tutor. She helps me so much and puts a lot of effort into helping me. She has got a lovely personality and a lovely smile. Isobel (8 years old) July 07

Hilary is professional, reliable, friendly and approachable and in my opinion 100% trustworthy. I would not hesitate to recommend her. Nadra (parent) July 07

With Hilary you have more confidence then you would have at school. You learn a lot and her methods help you remember things. S. (13 years old) July 06

It's a great comfort to see S. growing with confidence in her learning. Donna (parent) July 06

Times ...

Lessons for children take place after school Monday to Thursday, as well as on Saturday afternoon. I come to your own home to teach. If you are interested in organising 1:1 lessons for your child, or would like to find out more, then please contact me.

If you are a parent and interested in helping your child yourself then visit this page for some useful resources which will make a difference.