Nantwich tutoring business looks to expand and recruit

A Nantwich businesswoman who runs a personal tutoring company, is looking to recruit more teachers to cope with demand.

Former Brine Leas School student Laura Smith launched One-To-One Learning UK, just three years ago.

It has been so successful, she now has 20 tutors and hundreds of youngsters – and needs to recruit more.

The former teacher, who also studied at South Cheshire College, says her business has grown through word of mouth and a loan from South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce.

She now has 20 qualified tutors working with more than 120 local primary/secondary aged school children in line with the National Curriculum.

“The Chamber helped me to develop a website, start some local marketing and advertisement, but crucially gave me the confidence to push for growth and success,” said Laura.

“Like the children that we work with, having that reassurance that others believe in what you are doing is critical to succeeding.

“I am keen to grow locally, not only with regards to the children we are supporting, but also the team of fantastic tutors we have working through us.

“We now have professionals bringing vast experience and specialised skills with them, and we are always looking for new additions to join us.

“All of these tutors are local who are now passing on expertise to our local children.

“Hopefully the future will see us reaching further afield and branching out in other areas, as well as building relationships with schools to work together to try and tackle the ever growing pressures set on us by the current education system.”

Laura said the inspiration behind One-to-One Learning was her own experience as a primary school pupil.

“Primary School for me was pretty miserable,” she said.

“At school I never felt I was interesting, bright or particularly capable.

“The feeling of being asked a question and the teacher pushing me for an answer as my face grew redder by the second isn’t a feeling that has left me.

“This was 25 years ago – and yet this is still the story I hear day in and day out by so many children.

“Now the rather ‘no nonsense’ teachers I had to deal with, have been replaced by far more considerate, politically correct professionals who have a whole new problem.

“The massive expectations placed upon today’s children’s shoulders by the current Education System.”

The single mum-of-one was disheartened by education becoming “totally focused on results, Ofsted inspections, a packed Curriculum and targets targets targets”.

So she quit teaching in secondary schools and developed an idea for a business which could support teachers.

“Children are not black and white, and I am yet to work with a child of any ability who has not amazed me with progress that they have made,” she added.

“Children should not be written off before they’ve even got started!

“When did primary schools change from a place to nurture, build confidence and experience creative and inspirational learning, to herding children through reams and reams of learning objectives and terminology that leaves many adults flabbergasted?

“I quickly realised I wanted to do something that would support teachers, children and parents and this is where my tutoring business began.”

Personal tutors work at the child’s pace, give one-to-one attention, work on learning obstacles, teach outside the syllabus, offer a flexible schedule, and help children achieve goals and dreams.