South East London Tutor specialising in English, EFL and 11+ exam preparation

To whom it may concern.
I am delighted to write this reference for Carmina, Academic Mentor who is known to me in my professional capacity through my work as an Education Consultant at Oaklands School in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Carmina has exceptional knowledge of the English language and has been able to very successfully work with and mentor students across the key stages; identified as needing support to ensure that they are able to achieve not only examination success but understand and enjoy the pleasures of language and literature.
The Academic mentoring role involves working with individuals and groups of students across all the Key Stages in a Secondary School in the United Kingdom and requires a high level of skill and emotional intelligence when supporting students. This is one of the most important areas in which Carmina has made significant and sustained progress by managing both individual and groups of learners, enabling her to use a wide range of communication and motivational skills, essential in the role of an Academic Mentor.
In the four plus years I have worked with Carmina, I have witnessed a huge leap in confidence in her ability to use a variety of means to communicate with and manage the learners. She is very successful in creating a positive, enthusiastic and safe learning environment in which learners feel valued and respected and want to achieve.
Carmina’s work with the English department made a significant impact on the achievements of students in her care, ensuring that the intervention strategies used with students on the borderline of a higher grade make progress and achieve success. This impact was evidenced in the increased number of students achieving their predicted grades.
Carmina has excellent organisational skills and records and reported on a regular basis to the Head of English. Her records are meticulous as is her marking of student’s work which gives a clear indication of what to do in order to improve.
Carmina’s quiet, self- effacing demeanour belies a strong and determined character who demands high standards and frequently achieves them. She is well able to work independently and use initiative and operates well as a member of a team demonstrating sound leadership qualities.
Carmina is not afraid of hard work and always willing to go the extra mile to support the students and the colleagues with whom she works. Two years ago at my request Carmina was challenged to train an Academic Mentor colleague as it was felt from the observations made of her teaching that she was ready to do this. This belief was well rewarded and the observed session provided plenty of evidence of well- considered planning and preparation but more important the ability to listen and engage in a positive and constructive manner with a colleague.
Carmina leads by example, is able to work closely with others and create positive and productive professional relationships with the students referred to her and all staff. She has been more than generous in sharing her experience and expertise with newly appointed Academic Mentors and shared the delivery of the training session with me at the start of the term.
This generosity and wanting to share is well extended to the students as evidenced in the initiative Carmina has taken in setting up a Spoken Word/Creative Writing club. She also helped out with First Story last year, which was organised by teaching staff and in the last two years supported the SLAMbassadors poetry workshops. She has read to students for World Book Day/Week, and took some of the intervention students to National Poetry Day Live this year. She has helped out with 'Hidden Leader' last year, which aims to help with girls' confidence and leadership skills. Additionally, she given talks to 6th form students about poetry - the first was sharing poetry via reading and recordings, and the second this year was about the history of the oral traditions of poetry.
Carmina has much to offer and is highly professional in all aspects of her work. Her planning and record keeping are meticulous. Her love of the English language and her broad knowledge of literature is enthusiastically communicated to the students.
It is without reservation that I commend Carmina to you as a candidate worthy of consideration for the post she now seeks.
Dilly McDermott
DMDirect