Get to know the people behind Happy Owls. Meet our team of warm, dedicated tutors who work together to support every child’s growth and wellbeing.
Steven Eastes
Founder and Lead TutorSpecialist areas: 11+, primary tutor, KS3 English and Maths
Having previously qualified and worked as a lawyer in both family and criminal law, I embarked on my teaching career 10 years ago. Developing over time I worked in both KS1 and KS2 and have extensive experience in Years 2 and 6. I have been an Assistant Headteacher, and more recently a Deputy Headteacher for over five years and I have been fortunate to work with children all across the school and provide high quality teaching whether whole class, small group or on a 1:1 basis.
Developing a passion for working with children across the whole school on a small group and 1:1 basis, I have left the profession to enable me to deliver high quality, individualised learning programmes to children in Kent. I love to see children exceed their targets, raise their self-esteem and enjoy a passion for learning. The light bulb moment where a child understands a concept is the pinnacle of teaching and learning!
Outside of teaching and learning, I love to play a huge variety of sports – especially football. I am an avid supporter of Sheffield Wednesday and I love to watch films and listen to music. I enjoy spending time with my family which includes three children, ranging from 16 years old to 15 months, and two dogs. I also love to support our local community in whatever way I can!
In my tuition sessions I believe in making them creative, engaging and not straight out of a textbook. I love to use technology to support learning too! I teach all children the methods and techniques which make learning easier to understand and fun, and we learn from mistakes and misconceptions with a smile on our faces. I also support children outside the sessions with additional home learning if requested and quick quizzes. I am vastly experienced in planning, preparation and delivering lessons to all children and this individualised approach is guaranteed with Happy Owls Tuition.
As founder of Happy Owls Tuition I ensure the team is fully trained, focused and understands the ethos and culture of the organisation. We have a shared vision that every child will succeed and we play our part in this. Together we will help our children make an impact!
Email:steven@happy-owls.co.uk
Laura Dobson
Primary Catchup TutorSpecialist areas: Primary catch-up, phonics.
I’m the primary catch up tutor here at Happy Owls Tuition. Previously, I was a HLTA in Primary School for nearly 7 years, where my role was to plan and teach full classes, teach within groups, phonics teacher and tutor as well as providing 1:1 catch up tutoring for reading, maths, handwriting and literacy. The children I tutored for Phonics had a 100% success rate at the Phonics screening check.
Teaching children to read is my passion. I feel in school these days it can be dull and tricky for children to learn but I love coming up with new ways to make it fun and exciting. This not only includes Phonics but reading with older children too! There is nothing better than watching a child listen to or read a story with fascination and excitement. My aim is to pass on the years of experience I have in these areas with other parents, as the task of encouraging your own child to read can be daunting – trust me I know, I have three!
I loved working in a primary school as I find children so refreshing and fun and I love nothing more than to encourage their learning and seeing that look on their face when they finally understand something new. It truly is the most rewarding profession. However, I increasingly became more and more frustrated with the emphasis the Government are putting on classroom learning, and the unnecessary dullness it has created. Children aren’t given the time to practice the skills they need to learn, skills that can really only be taught through play.
There are so many skills that children need, not only to help them learn, but throughout their lives and in my mind these skills cannot be taught in a classroom. Children need the ability to play and the ability to play deeply. As adults we should allow this, encourage this and support this by providing children with the materials they need to truly play.
- To suggest ideas but not enforce them.
- To allow the mess and try not to control it.
- To encourage exploration and see where it leads.
The daily pressures of life can make this so difficult, and that is why here at Happy Owls I wanted to take away the pressures of homelife, buying and setting up endless materials, worrying about the mess and the time consumed by getting everything out and clearing it all away again. I wanted parents to be able to spend time having fun with their children, watching them learn and develop new skills, without having to worry about all that other stuff.
This is what led me from Primary school to here, and to setting up Happy Owls Pre-School Activity Centre! Happy playing, Happy Owls!
Email:laura@happy-owls.co.uk
Adrian Thomas
Secondary TutorSpecialist areas: GCSE maths tutor, KS4.
Mr Thomas is a dynamic and engaging secondary school Maths Specialist, who is in his 16th year of teaching. He has a proven track record of achieving excellent results alongside a great style of teaching to enable the progress of all students!
Mr Thomas is energetic, results focused & has the ability to make even the most difficult topics easy to understand. Differentiation is used for students of different abilities in his small group sessions and Mr Thomas has a unique style to engage students and increase their subject confidence.
Gemma Spalding
Secondary Science TutorSpecialist areas: GCSE and A Level Maths and Science tutor.
I have been tutoring for 11 years, with the last 3 years working as a full time tutor. I have worked with a wide range of students including mature, younger and SEND students, offering tuition in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics for both GCSE and A-Level.
I have gained 370 HE credits in subjects including: Quantum Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Microbiology & Genetics, Mathematical Methods, Physical Chemistry and Astrophysics. The latter of the two are topics I am incredibly passionate about and having studied all three subjects I tutor to a higher level, I often provide additional context and material to support the understanding of concepts covered through KS4 and KS5.
Outside of tutoring I have lots of hobbies, I love to bake, paint, and macrame as well as pilates, cycling and walking my two loveable yet very hyper dogs, Cleo and Rupert. I’m also a Mum to two young boys, so it’s all rather busy, but I don’t think I’d have it any other way!
Marc Johnson
Secondary TutorSpecialist areas: GCSE maths tutor, KS4.
Mr Johnson has over 24 years’ experience of teaching and leading in both the UK and more recently internationally at a British curriculum secondary school in Qatar. In both countries, Mr Johnson has worked as Head of Sixth Form and taught Mathematics from Years 7-11, up to GCSE/IGCSE level.
Through both his academic and pastoral roles, Mr Johnson has always been motivated in providing opportunities for all students to achieve their best in overcoming any barriers to their studies. Where students find elements of Mathematics challenging, Mr Johnson provides differentiated activities and targeted questioning to enhance student confidence in effectively applying knowledge and understanding to multiple topic areas with growing independence. Focused, individual support is utilised, where any students require consolidation to further their progress in Mathematics.
Justin Clark
Primary TutorSpecialist area: KS2 Primary
My name is Justin Gisby-Clark. I have been a teacher for eleven years and I’m currently leading English in my school. During my teaching career, I have had the pleasure of teaching year groups from across both key stages; I’m currently teaching Year 6.
Although my degree is in Commercial Music, I’m passionate about Reading and Writing. I’ve written a few children’s stories in my spare time and tend to use them to inspire children’s writing.
For my hobbies, I play bass guitar in a band and often perform at weddings and parties; I am also an avid Liverpool FC fan!
Emma Johnson
Primary TutorSpecialist areas: primary tutor, 11+.
Mrs Johnson has over 18 years’ experience of teaching and leading across the primary phase, in both the UK and internationally. She has been involved in the leadership of maths for over 12 years, including in her most recent role as Deputy Head of Primary, at a British international school in Qatar, where she was responsible for leading assessment and the curriculum across the school. Mrs Johnson is also a maths content writer; writing blogs and creating resources to support both parents and teachers. In addition to this, she also makes maths videos and her Maths 4 Kids Facebook page and YouTube channel have a combined following of over 72,000 parents and teachers.
Alex Andrew
Primary TutorSpecialist areas: KS2 and 11+
Mrs Andrew has been teaching for the last 9 years. Within this time, she has had experience in all year groups from EYFS to year 6. She has been involved in the leadership of maths at her current setting as well as creating and supporting the development of the wider curriculum. She has experience with tutoring pupils in KS2 in preparation for SATs, the multiplication check and the 11+. Mrs Andrew is creative and has passion about making each child achieve their potential.
Katrina Feakes
Primary TutorWith over 22 years of teaching experience, I’m a passionate KS2 teacher and English Lead who believes in making learning both meaningful and exciting. I’ve taught across a wide range of year groups, from Year 3 to KS3, and previously held the role of SENCo, giving me a strong understanding of how to support diverse learning needs. I especially enjoy bringing writing to life and helping children build confidence in arithmetic through clear, engaging teaching. My goal is always to help every learner feel successful and inspired.
Joe Broadey
Secondary TutorI am a qualified English secondary teacher who has worked in secondary schools for over thirteen years. I have a Masters degree in English Literature and am able to teach English Language and Literature at all levels. I also have experience of teaching Film and Media Studies and am an Extended Project Qualification specialist.
My teaching experience covers all age groups, including A level. I have also successfully tutored many students one to one and achieved excellent results. Many students do not just achieve their target grade, but often surpass it.
I am very calm and patient, and my lessons are always adapted to the specific needs of the student. I use a range of scaffolding techniques to support learners who may struggle, and have experience with SEND students (including dyslexia, autism, ADHD and SEMH). Students are shown how to develop and extend their work through model answers, live marking and extended questioning, building their confidence and giving them strategies that work. Every lesson is clearly structured for maximum engagement and I incorporate games, student interests and creative activities where appropriate to keep lessons fun. Students leave my lessons not just having learnt how to succeed in English academically but also having forged a deeper appreciation of the subject and the joys of reading.