All the groups will take place online, on Zoom.

There will be an absolute maximum of eight young people in a group.

Life happens (I get it, I’m a parent too!). If you need to miss a week you’ll be able to access a recording of the workshop (featuring me only - I’ll never record other participants) and any workshop materials.

Young people thrive in spaces they feel safe, and creativity thrives when we feel safe to express ourselves.

Creative work can feel very personal, and your child will never be put under pressure to share if they are not comfortable to. Topics are carefully chosen and everything shared is moderated.

I work to make sure the groups are a safe place for children and young people of all backgrounds, abilities, needs and identities.

I am DBS checked and complete regular safeguarding training. You can read my Safeguarding Policy here. I have carefuly considered, in line with best practice recommendations, how to make sure the online space is safe in a group setting. Scroll to the last page to read the specific procedures for the online group. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

You will need to have your webcam on when you first join, so I can double check who we have with us. From then on, you are welcome to switch off your webcam if this feels more comfortable.

Everyone will always be encouraged to share, but only if they feel comfortable to do so and would like to. If they would, we would love to celebrate their work with them and offer feedback if desired. Writing will always be checked, by me, before it is shared with the whole group. If they are in the ‘Wordsmiths’ group, they can bring work to their 1:1 for feedback, but if they would rather not, they can use this time for valuable creative mentoring, without the need to share a specific piece of work.

I will be able to give some feedback on short pieces of work during workshops (e.g. a paragraph of writing, short poem, brief plot outline etc.). If they are in the ‘Wordsmiths’ group, they will have the opportunity to receive more detailed feedback on longer pieces of work in their 1:1s. If they would like additional or more in depth feedback, or for much longer pieces of work, you can book this separately.

I’m an experienced teacher and tutor and a practicing writer. I have a degree in English and Creative Writing and qualified as a teacher in 2013. I ran successful and well loved creative writing clubs for students within my school for many years.

As a teenager, I struggled with school, and from the age of 15 spent the majority of my time learning from home. I found so much joy in writing and longed for someone to take my writing seriously!

Maybe. Maybe not. We won’t be looking at exam skills or making any links to exams - we’ll be purely focusing on the craft of writing for the sheer joy of it and the freedom that comes from self-expression. The ideas we’ll discover might help with exams - but that won’t be the reason we’ll be exploring them.

I’ve been a teacher for a little over ten years, and a tutor for two – so, yes, helping young people to pass their exams (and thrive along the way) is a big part of my professional life. But: at my core, I believe knowledge and skills are joys to be shared – not tested on. If it’s exam focused support you’re looking for, check out my 1:1 tutoring services.

Your space in the group is £36 per month, paid by automatic recurring payment. This is an annualised amount spread across the year, covering all 37 sessions per year. You can see the full terms and conditions here.

When you decide to sign up, we will have a 15 minute 1:1, so that I can get to know you and your child before they join the group session. I will then send you a secure payment link to complete the payment process.

I offer a 10% discount for:

• each additional group, if you sign up to more than one;

• additional siblings;

• 1:1 students.