Hi Reader As we move through January and Year 11 students have their mock results in hand, one area that consistently causes anxiety is unseen poetry. Unlike set texts or the anthology, unseen poetry gives students no chance to prepare content in advance. They are expected to read, interpret, analyse and often compare poems they have never seen before, all under time pressure. For many students, that feels intimidating rather than exciting. This is why the 2025 GCSE English Literature...
5 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader Over the Christmas break, I ran a live Macbeth Masterclass to help students feel clearer and more confident ahead of their mocks. The feedback afterwards really stuck with me: “This really helped me understand Macbeth more, as it was an area I struggled with.” “No questions from me, but thank you – that was really helpful.” “My son found it really useful.” What parents valued most wasn’t just the content, but the clarity: knowing what examiners are actually looking for and how to...
19 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Many parents tell me the same thing at this time of year: “My child loved English in primary school, but secondary English feels much harder.” If that sounds familiar, please be reassured: this is very common, and it is not because your child has suddenly become “bad at English”. In primary school, English quite rightly focuses heavily on creative writing, imagination, confidence, and enjoyment of reading. Detailed literary analysis and structured analytical writing are not usually...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Many parents tell me the same thing at this time of year: “My child loved English in primary school, but secondary English feels much harder.” If that sounds familiar, please be reassured: this is very common, and it is not because your child has suddenly become “bad at English”. In primary school, English quite rightly focuses heavily on creative writing, imagination, confidence, and enjoyment of reading. Detailed literary analysis and structured analytical writing are not usually...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader Happy New Year! I hope you have had a lovely break and that 2026 is off to a good start. Just in case you have not seen my earlier email or Facebook posts, I wanted to let you know that today at 5.30pm, I am kicking off your teen’s 2026 studies with a bang. I am running a two-hour online workshop: Master Macbeth Essays, designed to help students feel confident, organised, and exam-ready when tackling Macbeth questions. Students will leave knowing exactly how to plan, structure, and...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader As the year comes to a close, I just wanted to say thank you for following my work and being part of this community. Supporting young people with their reading, writing and confidence in English is something I care deeply about, and I am very grateful to have you here. Whether you are celebrating Christmas or simply enjoying a winter break, I hope this time brings rest, warmth and a positive start to the New Year. Looking forward to hearing from you, All the best, Verity
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader As the end of term approaches, I want to pause and celebrate the remarkable progress so many of my students have made. Several Year 11s have already completed their mocks, and I am thrilled to share that many have jumped one or even two grades since September. It has been a term of transformation. One message I received encapsulates the spirit of this progress beautifully. Louis, who has worked with me for over two years, achieved a Grade 8 in English Language and a Grade 7 in...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader If your teen is in Year 10 or 11 and hovering around a grade 5 or 6, you might have noticed something: No matter how hard they work at English at school, they don’t always move up a grade. This isn’t because they aren’t 'good' at English. It’s because writing-the skill that actually earns marks in the exam-is usually the part they practise the least. Schools rarely have time for extended writing.Essays are either written for homework or in exams.And students often freeze at the...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader As the countdown to Christmas gathers pace-school events, mock exams, concerts, last-minute deadlines-it often feels as though everything is speeding up. But in English lessons this week, my students and I have been doing the opposite. We’ve been slowing writing right down. And it’s one of the simplest, most effective ways to improve writing quality… especially at this busy time of year. What is “slow writing”? Slow writing is a technique where students write one sentence at a time,...
2 months ago • 1 min read