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Meet Helen!
Helen Westwood – BSc (Hons), QTS. 2019 Moneywise Personal Finance Teacher of the Year
Who puts the 'Helen' in Helen Westwood Maths?
A bit about me! I’m an experienced, enthusiastic and encouraging teacher and tutor who qualified as a Maths Teacher in 2003 following a brief career as a management consultant after graduating.
My teaching career has meant that I have supported many young people with their Maths learning and GCSE Maths preparation, whilst also having the privilege to deliver financial education (culminating with me receiving the 2019 Moneywise Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Award).
I’ve assisted with the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and supporting expeditions to China, New Zealand and Venezuela so I’m also interested in how teenagers develop wider experiences to help them in future!
I am a parent to a lovely teenage daughter and see myself as a general supporter of teenagers, forever interested in what makes teenagers tick and how to support them to be the best that they can be, with a particular focus on their Maths learning (due to the nature of my work).
I have also supported young people with applications to the Army and RAF, in the form of practice for numerical reasoning selection test (the RAF ones I proudly passed as part of my Air League Flying Scholarship application in 1998).
In my spare time, I love yoga, camping and musical festivals (that I attend with my daughter Jessie) and I’m also a musical theatre lover (and played the violin to county standard when I was in secondary school). I’m a qualified pilot (thanks to an Air League scholarship that I received in my 20s) so I have some great examples for when I’m teaching bearings.
During my time at school, I was supported and encouraged by some incredible teachers in my own Maths learning journey, who have shaped the teacher and tutor that I am today!
Why Choose Me?
Personalised tutoring for your child’s objectives and ambitions – one to one sessions can be tailored to work on specific topics (or even questions) that your child finds difficult.
We can work at your child’s pace to develop their learning and understanding
Personalised Tutoring
Qualified and experienced tutor and teacher – my experience means that I have a wealth of resources to draw upon and different explanation methods to help break down misconceptions and make sense of all areas of Maths.
Qualified Experience
Exam support – I have wide experience of preparing students for GCSE Maths exams so can help them to structure their GCSE Maths revision and preparation, including High Performance Learning approaches (used during my teaching career).
Exam Support
Supporting personal objectives – I always ask what students are looking to get out of their Maths learning, including their personal target grade for GCSE Maths (this is often different to the school target grade)
Personal Support
Awards
In June 2019, I was delighted to be shortlisted for the Moneywise Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Award and subsequently walked away from an amazing black tie event in central London with the overall 2019 Secondary Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Award for 2019 and a £5,000 to further develop financial education at my school!
Winner: Helen Westwood, teacher of financial studies,
Caroline Chisholm School, Northampton
The winner in the secondary category, Helen Westwood, received particular praise from the judges for her honesty and enthusiasm.
Rachel Lacey says: "For the secondary category, Helen Westwood is the stand-out winner - she clearly loves her job and is prepared to go great lengths to get her students to not only understand personal finance and learn valuable life skills but to enjoy the classes too.
"I love how open she is about her own finances, showing students her payslip and sharing her wedding budget spreadsheet."
Mr Prestridge wholeheartedly agrees: "Helen's entry was quite brilliant. I just loved her enthusiasm. It was refreshingly honest too."
I have also been recognised for my tutoring and in 2021 I was short listed for three awards – Ideas Champion, Networker and Tutor of the Year in the Tutors Learning Network 2021 Awards (a network of tutors that work across the UK).
