Specialist tutoring in the following areas:

• Key Stage 2 and 3 English

• English for senior school entrance assessments, both state and independent.

• GCSE / IGCSE English Language.

• GCSE / IGCSE English Literature.

• A Level English Literature.

• A Level English Language.

• English Literature within the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).

• General EAL (English as an acquired language); preparation for IELTS and other examined assessments in English language.

• Tutorial support with an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).

• Essay-writing and literacy skills for essay-based GCSE and A Level subjects such as History, Politics, History of Art, Economics, etc.

• Support with using AI appropriately to strengthen literacy & research skills.

• Study-skills and learning support for candidates taking GCSEs / IGCSEs and A Levels. James provides inspiring, confidence-building tuition for students with neurodivergent profiles such as autism and ADHD (though he does not yet have a formal qualification in this field).

• Stretch & Inspire course for academically gifted GCSE / IGCSE students - more details here.

Reflective preparation for school entrance assessment and interviews, including:

• preparation for selective senior school / independent school entrance at sixth form (year 12 entrance)

• preparation for selective senior school / independent school entrance (year 7 or year 9 entrance)

• preparation for independent preparatory & / or senior school entry, for non-UK families.

For more details on this, please open the tab below, entitled 'Confidence-building consultation sessions for school entrance and scholarship interviews'.

Specialist tutoring for university entrance is available for students from year 11 upwards. 

This can include support with

• course searching, 

• UCAS applications, 

• applications to universities outside the UK, 

• assessments for specific courses, 

• interview practice,

• general university study skills,

• pre-university preparation & project-based work in humanities subjects,

• pre-university project-based work in STEM subjects,

and broader career-focused activities such as 

• CV-writing, 

• creating professional profiles on social media, etc.

about James

James was educated at Glasgow University where he took his honours degree in English and won awards for his work in English Literature. He went on to Oxford University on a fully-funded graduate scholarship to start academic research in English Literature. 

Deciding that his career would be in school teaching rather than in academia, James left aside his research to establish a career in independent senior schools in England. He has experience as Head, Acting Head, Deputy Head, Head of English, and boarding Housemaster. He has additional experience in developing online education for an independent school group, as well as experience in education consultancy.

James has a teaching qualification (a PGCE with QTS), for which he was awarded ‘outstanding’ in all ‘Q’ categories (teaching standards). He also has a Masters degree in educational leadership and a qualification in boarding education.

James lives in Folkestone, a town on the south coast of England. He is married to a teacher of maths, and his interests include music, literature and the arts in general, European culture including history and politics, nature, sustainable living, cooking and keeping fit.  

In addition to his work as a private tutor, James has worked with senior schools to develop curriculum and enhance the student experience.  He also creates study-guide websites for students studying literary set-texts for GCSE and IGCSE; he writes occasional feature articles on European cultural topics for a leading UK magazine.   James is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts * (FRSA).

James is active on LinkedIn, commenting on cultural topics and on education.  Follow him here.

James's approach:

James’s teaching is founded on respect for the student, establishing a safe and affirmative atmosphere in which a student is encouraged to aim at the highest degree of progress and achievement, and to capitalise on structured practice.

James specialises in building a student’s confidence, giving detailed individual support, focused on the individual student’s needs and interests.

James aims to inspire students through an encounter with fascinating subject-matter, and to provide an affirmative approach which helps students to discover how they can improve their performance.

James conducts all tutoring activities in line with the Department of Education’s Teacher Standards * and the Department for Education’s statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education * and has current training in Safeguarding and Child Protection.

Parents can contact James directly (director@folkestonefirst.co.uk) to arrange an informal online discussion of their child’s particular needs.  

This discussion can then lead to an initial sample lesson - if this sample lesson is to the student’s liking, a sequence of lessons can be booked, subject to availability. 

The first, sample lesson is not charged if the family decide not to engage James for further lessons.

Lessons are conducted using a dedicated, secure online platform, normally Microsoft Teams.  Parents are welcome to drop in on lessons at any time; parents are always given the links to online lessons. 

Communication with students is only via a parental email.

A short written report is normally sent to parents after each lesson.

Lessons are provided and charged at an hourly rate.  Younger students may be taught in 30-minute lessons, so that a ten-hour ‘block’ of sessions, for example, would be delivered as 20 30-minute lessons.

Details of prices, as well as more detailed Terms and Conditions, are available on request - please contact director@folkestonefirst.co.uk .

indicative details of the service provided:

Lessons are bespoke (designed for, and taught in response to, your child’s needs as an individual student), and are provided on a one-on-one basis, as a private arrangement between the family and James.

Lessons are live, in real time, conducted by James.  James does not normally use generic printed or pre-recorded lesson materials (such as online textbooks), although on occasion, some bespoke recorded materials devised by James may be used as part of a live lesson.  Bespoke materials will always aim to be age and culture appropriate.  (Test materials such as past papers and sample tests will normally be published materials).

The lessons aim to improve your child’s confidence and performance in the subject taught, and to add a distinctive, cultural dimension to your child’s experience of learning, such as might be experienced at an academically selective senior school.

Reading in lessons or homework may be focused on appropriate online media materials, or on literary texts, subject to copyright availability.

Writing is often assessed, and should always be completed unaided (i.e. without help from anyone else: for example, from another student, family member, other tutor or AI applications). Students are always given detailed feedback on their writing, usually in the lesson.

Students will normally be asked from time to time to prepare to talk or to give a presentation on a specific topic, and when this is so, the rules concerning help with writing apply equally.

Whilst lessons always aim to develop the student’s performance in the focus area, to boost self-confidence, and to improve prospects in assessments and exams, the lessons cannot:

• guarantee progress in any area;

• guarantee specific or desired grades;

• provide any specific advantages in relation to tests, exams, school entrance interviews, etc.

• Tutoring is provided by a senior-school subject-specialist teacher, with over 30 years' continuous experience in the profession.

• It's a bespoke provision - no generic, talk-through-the-textbook lessons.  The programme and learning materials are designed around the individual student's profile and interests.

• The tutoring is supported by continuous professional dialogue with the student's family.

• Lessons include assessment of written work whenever it is set.

• A report is provided after each lesson, with the offer of an online chat to discuss any follow-up.

• In-person courtesy meetings with parents can be offered when a student has been a long-term client.

• There is no 'hard-sell'.  Lessons are normally charged in groups of 5 hours.

About James's approach to teaching, from a former school student who went on to Harvard College in Autumn 2018 with a scholarship:

• 'I'd like to express my profound gratitude for your dedication to sharing your love of literature.  Your A level classes on English Literature ... are memorable to me years later as some of the most enriching experiences of my secondary education.  In particular, our reading of Woolf and Milton was a formative experience, introducing me ... to ways of thinking about literature that have seeded all of my consequent intellectual endeavours.'

About James's online teaching, from parents and students:

• 'Thank you so much, James.  [My child] really enjoyed the session and it was great practice and a confidence boost.  Thanks also for your very useful feedback.'

• 'Thank you so much.  I have received some feedback from [her] parents.  They just love your lessons.'

• 'Thank you so much, he’s very grateful for all you are doing for him.'

• 'Thank you so much for all your efforts with ... so far, he really has enjoyed the sessions and said they have been invaluable at helping his confidence and approach to answering the papers. He has also read through the sample answer you sent through and said it was extremely helpful.  [We] appreciate the time you have given to him and we are certain that he is now in a better position to tackle whatever is thrown at him.'

• 'I am absolutely delighted to tell you that [he] has not only secured a place at [selective independent school] but has also been awarded an academic scholarship. [We] along with ... (when he gets the news after school today!) would like to thank you so much for all your help and guidance. We are certain that without this he wouldn’t have had the confidence and correct approach to achieve such success.'

• 'I really appreciate the effort you have taken for the first sequence of lessons, including the diverse materials you prepared and your guidance - they make me perfectly enjoy the learning process.'

• 'Thank you for all your help once again for helping him achieve these results.' 

• 'I can see that [my child] really enjoyed his lesson tonight, especially the rehearsal of that funny poetry.'

• 'I really appreciate all the guidance you've given me throughout the course.  It has been a great learning experience' [iGCSE student]

• 'For the [university-style research] project, I am certain that I really enjoy the process. During the project, I have learned how to read, write and research, and even the proper use of AI. What I gain is more than knowledge: more importantly, the project helps me shape a basic understanding of what I will do at university in the UK.'

• 'From: [a pre-university student in China]

Sent: 09 December 2024

To: James

Subject: Appreciation for Your Guidance

Dear Mr Harding,

Thank you so much for the final report on my performance during the final sessions of our lessons.

I am writing to express my gratitude for the months of tutorial. Starting in May and ending in December, the sequence of lessons is a fulfilling experience for me.

Your lessons were always well-structured and informative. From the discussions on UK life to the final academic project, you consistently provided a wide range of resources—such as TED talks, documentaries, and websites—that gave me a deep and comprehensive understanding of the topics we explored.

I still remember your interview with [an English judge], who has become a professional role model for me. The interview not only broadened my perspective on English law but also inspired me to explore the development of AI in the English courts, which perfectly met my future academic interests as I pursue law at university.

I am also grateful for your support of my true interests and academic goals. The materials you provided, such as the reading of Xiaolu Guo on England, enabled me to further explore my feminist enthusiasm.

Additionally, your guidance on UK universities was extremely helpful. The pictures of UCL and Manchester University that you kindly sent to me, as well as your established website, have been invaluable in my decision-making process as I am applying to universities in the UK and beyond.

Currently, I am reflecting on my progress.

Finally, please allow me to express my appreciation again for our joint efforts we put into our 48+ lessons ...

Best wishes and many thanks,'

[a student from Shanghai]

Drawing on his career-long experience of supporting senior school students with university applications and his in-depth knowledge of universities, James offers bespoke support for students wanting to study at university, whether in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, the United States, or elsewhere.

James's work with university applicants aims to build ambition and self-confidence through nurturing the study-skills and academic independence needed to thrive at the world's top universities.

Whilst each course of support is designed around the student's particular profile and context, a typical course will involve cultivating individual academic interests of the kind which will add distinctive authenticity and depth to a university application.

James has recently supported individual students in their quest to study at top universities around the world, across a range of subject disciplines.  Successful students have gone on to Oxford, Imperial College London, Harvard College, and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris to study subjects from a variety of humanities and sciences.

Bright secondary school students in years 10 and 11 typically study for a large number of GCSEs, and so the focus during these two crucial years of schooling is primarily on performing well in GCSE exams, sometimes at the expense of higher-level activities. 

Whilst the process of completing the two-year GCSE course is in itself a very valuable exercise, laying a strong foundation for the specialisation of the A level years, it can often be easy for bright students to lose a forward-looking focus during the GCSE years. 

In particular, nurturing the kind of high-level thinking, creative and interpersonal skills - essential for today’s careers - can be neglected. 

Equally neglected can be the kind of cultural awareness and deep general knowledge that students need in order to manage in an informed and discerning way the immersive and bewildering proliferation of information (reliable and otherwise) available online. 

This is where Stretch & Inspire online tutoring steps in: 

• it’s designed to deepen and enrich the educational journey at any point during these two crucial, formative years of secondary schooling; 

• it aims to cultivate a real love of intellectual adventure and a pursuit of knowledge for its own sake; it aims to cultivate discernment and to help equip young people for success in an immensely complex world.

Click here to find out more.

James offers bespoke consultations for senior school interviews (independent and maintained sector).

Here, James explains how such consultations work -

The consultation aims to support your child in preparing for senior school interviews, including scholarship assessments, and comes in three parts -

Part 1 - a short, 10-minute online meeting with one or both parents, so I can introduce myself to you and explain how everything is going to work.  Your child can join me to say hello if he or she wishes.

Part 2 - an hour-long live online assessment session, conducted via Microsoft Teams, in which I will work one-on-one with your child to help her / him to build confidence in handling a school interview.  

This session will begin with 15 minutes or so of ‘getting-to-know-you’ time with me.  The aim of this time is for me to help your child to build self-awareness and confidence ahead of a mock interview. 

This is followed by a mock interview, following a format which is informal and which focuses on your child being given the opportunity to talk freely and confidently about their strengths and interests. 

Once the mock interview is complete, I will encourage your child to reflect on how she or he fared in the mock interview, and I will clearly and supportively lead your child to an understanding of the good points in their interview, and of the things which could be done even better.  The session will conclude with me summarising to your child what I will report to you as family concerning the consultation. 

Part 3 - I will send you a short written report on the session, including comments on the mock interview.  You will be invited to connect at your convenience for a live feedback session with me, lasting around 15 minutes.  Following this, you might wish to request a further session if there are significant points for development - this would be charged at the same rate, as a second session.  Normally one consultation with me is enough, and there is never any sales ‘push’ to arrange a second session.

What these consultations aim to do -

* To develop your child’s self-confidence ahead of a school interview.

* To encourage your child’s capacity for constructive self-awareness and reflection.

* To help your child to build up presentation skills, including preparing for online interviews.

* To help your child to present at interview in a spontaneous and authentic way, and thus to reveal their best.

What these consultations do NOT do -

* Coach your child in ‘how to say the right thing’ in a school interview.

* Aim to second-guess and practise the questions which will be asked at interview.

* Help your child to prepare impressive topics for scholarship / exhibitioner interviews.

* Guarantee a positive outcome in the ‘real thing’.

James observes -

All good advice emphasises that we should not and must not ‘coach’ and  ‘spoon feed’ children for school interviews.  Such processes are always counter-productive, and can be damaging.

My experience is that, instead, I can work supportively alongside your child to discover the self-confidence and clarity of presentation which will enable him or her to show their very best at interview or assessment.

My consultation session is all about developing your child’s confidence, self-awareness and integrity in the school interview.  I want to help your child to be confident in showing her or his authentic best, and - most importantly - to enjoy the interview and any associated assessments ‘on the day’.

I can also provide further reflective sessions, on request, in specific elements of the assessment process, for example, in written papers.

Contact me for an informal chat to find out more: director@folkestonefirst.co.uk 

indicative details of safeguarding principles:

All lessons and tutoring activities are conducted in accordance with the principles of child protection and safeguarding, as required of all schools in England, and summarised in the document Keeping Children Safe in Education.*  

All lessons and tutoring activities are conducted in line with the Department of Education’s Teacher Standards. *

In his school headship positions, James was responsible for whole-school safeguarding and safer recruitment of teaching staff.

James is certified with Qualified Tutor, which means that he has current, live, DBS certification in place.   His live electronic credential, certifying his current DBS status, may be viewed here. *

Key safeguarding principles:

• Every online lesson link is issued to the child’s parents, who are welcome to ‘drop in’, without notice, on any lesson at any time;

• Communication concerning the lessons is between the parents and James only;

• No direct communication between James and the student can be made via social media, iMessage, WhatsApp, Instagram, WeChat or other messaging services; James will not make or accept invitations to communicate or connect with students on messaging services or social media platforms;

• All lessons aim to provide safe and age-appropriate materials for a student, and in the context of a safe and affirmative online learning environment.

These safeguarding principles apply to all online students taught, even if the student is over 18 years old.