Donna Upton Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

Solihull, England, United Kingdom

Head of English: Responsible for ensuring high standards of achievement for all children.Promoting the subject, its importance, and the value that it brings across the school;Having a good understanding of how well the subject is being delivered and the impact it has on pupil achievement;Using this understanding to feed into the school development plan and produce an action plan for the subject;Consulting pupils, parents and staff about the subject and its effectiveness, and assessing the feedback against the school’s values, visions and aims ;Working with the SENCO to ensure the curriculum matches the needs of different pupils, such as disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND;Liaising with governors to ensure they have an appropriate understanding of the curriculum’s intent, implementation and impact;Designing the subject curriculum for the school; reviewing and supporting with the implementation of the curriculum and moderating and evaluating the impact of the subject curriculum;Widely reading current children’s literature and selecting books that provide appropriate challenge and subject matter to specific year groups to ensure that school offers a diverse and engaging reading diet;Keeping up to date with any developments or changes;Providing support to staff regarding teaching and learning, resources, and planning in the subject area;Monitoring teaching and learning by visiting lessons, scrutinising books, and talking with pupils to assess how well the subject area is being implemented and how well it is delivered across the school;Providing feedback to staff based on the above observations to identify training needs and provide continuing professional development in the subject area;Providing feedback to Phase Leaders on achievement in the subject area within their phase;Reporting to SLT/Governors on achievementEstablishing the resource needs for the subject and resources provide good value for money.

I provide high-quality, tailored English tuition in both group and one-to-one settings, specialising in:UKISET Preparation: Supporting international students, particularly those from China, with English language proficiency and exam techniques to help them succeed in the UK Independent Schools Entry Test (UKISET).11+ and 13+ Exam Preparation: Preparing students for grammar school entrance exams and independent school common entrance exams, with a focus on English comprehension, creative writing and verbal reasoning.ISEB Pretest Preparation: Helping students excel in the English components of the ISEB Pretest for entry into prestigious UK boarding schools.KS2 and KS3 English Tuition: Delivering comprehensive English tuition aligned with the English National Curriculum for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3, focusing on improving reading, writing and literacy skills.Interview Preparation: Coaching students to build confidence and communication skills for school entrance interviews.I am dedicated to providing engaging, personalised learning experiences to ensure that each student reaches their full potential, whether working towards school entrance exams or improving overall English proficiency.

Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

I provide specialised English tuition in both one-to-one and group formats, focusing on:UKISET Preparation: Supporting international students with the English elements of the UK Independent Schools Entry Test (UKISET), helping them improve language proficiency and succeed in their exams.11+ and 13+ Exam Preparation: Delivering tailored tuition for grammar school entrance exams and common entrance tests for independent schools, with a focus on English comprehension, creative writing and verbal reasoning.ISEB Pretest Preparation: Preparing students for the English section of the ISEB Pretest, enabling them to gain entry into prestigious UK independent schools.Year 6 SATs Preparation: Helping students prepare for the English components of their Year 6 SATs, ensuring they perform to the best of their ability in the exams.KS2 and KS3 English Tuition: Offering structured lessons in line with the National Curriculum to improve reading, writing and literacy skills for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 students.Interview Coaching: Assisting students in building communication skills and confidence to excel in school entrance interviews.I am committed to providing personalised support that enables each student to achieve their full potential and excel in their exams.

Bromsgrove, England, United Kingdom

Solihull, England, United Kingdom

Monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and securing improvement where needed Leading pupil progress meetings, ensuring detailed records were kept on pupil achievement. Ensuring appropriate strategies/interventions were in place to support pupils underachieving with records kept on their impact;Ensuring the phase was up to date with best practice in relation to teaching and learning;Managing the annual performance management of teaching assistants, recommending to Governors where salary progression was appropriate;Managing the appraisal of teachers, recommending to Governors where a salary progression was appropriate;Coaching and mentoring phase staff to develop their pedagogical knowledge;Collating termly CPD requirements for teachers and teaching assistants;Taking an active role in the induction of new phase staff, mentoring newly qualified teachers;Ensuring the curriculum met national statutory requirements;Planning and managing a school based curriculum which enabled pupils to enjoy and excel;Monitoring the curriculum and its impact on raising standards;Disseminating the phase curriculum to other key stakeholders;Ensuring good behaviour and relationships across the phase;Supporting staff with classroom behaviour management strategies;Supporting staff in managing incidents of inappropriate behaviour within phaseManaging teaching support staff timetables to ensure this resource is targeted on raising standards;Ensuring resources are used effectively to raise standards;Managing phase budget to ensure value for money;Liaising with other phase leaders and SLT members to ensure that there was a consistent approach to teaching and learning throughout the school and effective cross phase links;Ensuring reporting pupil progress to parents follows school policy;Understanding how school performance data relates to achievement within phase and associated priorities;Ensuring priorities in the school improvement plan implemented within the phase.

Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

A one-form entry school where I taught in Year 6 with the following duties: Teaching pupils, ensuring that planning, preparation, recording, assessment and reporting meet their varying learning and social needs;Maintaining the ethos and core values of the school, both inside and outside the classroom;Contributing to constructive team building amongst teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and governorsSetting clear targets, based on prior attainment, for pupils’ learning;Providing a stimulating classroom environment, where resources can be accessed appropriately by all pupils;Keeping appropriate and efficient records, integrating formative and summative assessment into weekly and termly planning;Reporting to parents on the development, progress and attainment of pupils;Maintaining good order and discipline amongst pupils, in accordance with the school's behaviour policy;Participating in meetings which relate to the school's management, curriculum, administration or organisation;Communicating and co-operating with specialists from outside agencies;Leading, organising and directing support staff within the classroom;Developing good personal relationships within a team; Establishing and developing close relationships with parents, governors and the community;Communicating effectively (both orally and in writing) to a variety of audiences;Creating a happy, challenging and effective learning environment.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, English And American Literature

Pgce, Elementary Education And Teaching