Qualified Primary School Teacher • Smethwick & Birmingham • KS1, KS2 English, SATs Preparation & 11+ Tuition
Practical guide · Updated
A child’s reading attempt can reveal both decoding and understanding. A short conversation around a familiar passage helps distinguish those demands without turning it into a formal test.
Ask the child to read a manageable section and retell what happened. If reading the words takes most of the effort, an adult can read a second section aloud and compare the child’s understanding. Discuss an unfamiliar word in its sentence rather than as an isolated definition.
Bring observations and the school’s current reading approach to a conversation with Serena. Agree the next learning goal and suitable support, without using one home activity to diagnose a difficulty or judge the child’s overall ability.
After a manageable passage, invite the child to retell it before asking a list of comprehension questions. Notice whether the sequence, central event or character motivation is missing.
Choose one follow-up that targets the missing connection and return to the relevant words together. Avoid correcting every detail at once. Share useful observations with Serena alongside the school’s reading approach, so the discussion can identify a suitable next step without using one activity to label the child’s overall reading ability.
Serena Johal is a qualified primary school teacher and co-founder of Teaching Success. She works with children from Reception through to Year 6, with particular depth in KS2 English, SATs preparation and 11+ tuition. Her approach is calm, structured and focused on building confidence alongside accuracy — the two things primary-age children need most before exam pressure arrives.
Serena understands the gap between what children can do in a relaxed classroom setting and what they produce under timed test conditions. Her sessions are designed to close that gap — improving reading speed and comprehension, strengthening written expression, and building the SPaG accuracy that Year 6 SATs and 11+ papers demand.
She works in-person from the Smethwick base for families nearby and online for families who prefer the flexibility. Primary-age children often do better in familiar surroundings, so Serena is happy to advise on format during the free trial session.
Working Towards to Greater Depth in one term — targeted reading and writing sessions with weekly feedback.
62% to 84% over one programme cycle — timed practice and systematic vocabulary work.
Two sub-levels of writing progress in a single term — sentence variety and punctuation focus.
Serena teaches in-person at the Smethwick base and online for families further afield. In-person sessions are well-suited to younger primary-age children who benefit from a structured, distraction-free environment.
Reading, Maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning — the full 11+ programme.
Year 2 and Year 6 SATs — Reading, Maths and SPaG support.
Reading, writing and SATs support for the final primary year.
Reading comprehension, writing and SPaG across Year 3 to Year 6.
One free hour — no obligation. Serena will meet your child, assess their current level, and explain exactly what the next term of lessons will focus on.