The Clara James Approach to learning

"I hate maths."

It's a sentence many parents hear.

Sometimes it's English.

Sometimes it's science.

Sometimes it's school altogether.

Our instinct is often to reassure them.

"But you don't hate maths."

"It's not that difficult."

"You just need to practise."

Or perhaps we encourage them to keep going because we know how important education is.

But what if those four little words aren't really about maths at all?

In this episode, I explore one of the biggest misconceptions I see as a tutor.

Children rarely hate a subject.

More often, they hate how that subject makes them feel.

When a child says,

"I hate maths,"

they may actually be saying:

"Maths makes me feel stupid."

"I'm frightened of getting it wrong."

"Everyone else seems to understand it except me."

"I'm embarrassed."

"I've stopped believing I can do it."

Those are very different conversations.

If we only respond to the words, we risk missing the emotion underneath them.

Because learning is never just an academic experience.

It's an emotional one too.

Repeated confusion.

Repeated failure.

Repeated comparison.

Those experiences slowly shape how children see themselves.

Eventually, they stop saying,

"I don't understand fractions."

and start saying,

"I'm just rubbish at maths."

One of my favourite ways of thinking about this is through something much simpler.

Imagine someone tells you,

"I hate sweetcorn."

Would you respond by listing all the reasons sweetcorn is wonderful?

Probably not.

You'd recognise that they're describing their own experience.

Learning is no different.

Two children can sit in exactly the same classroom, hear exactly the same explanation and leave with completely different emotions.

One feels excited.

The other feels defeated.

Neither feeling is wrong.

They're simply different experiences.

That's why I believe confidence comes before curriculum.

Before we can expect children to tackle increasingly difficult work, we first need to help them feel safe enough to have a go.

Because confidence creates something incredibly powerful.

Confidence leads to willingness.

Willingness leads to practice.

Practice leads to understanding.

Understanding builds confidence.

And suddenly the cycle begins working in the child's favour instead of against them.

Perhaps improving maths isn't always about teaching more maths.

Perhaps it's about helping children believe they can learn maths in the first place.

When we start with the child instead of the curriculum, everything begins to change.

In this episode we explore:

•  Why children rarely hate the subject itself. 
•  The emotions hidden behind the words, "I hate maths."
•  Why emotional experiences often shape learning more than academic ones. 
•  How confidence and willingness create a positive cycle of learning. 
•  Practical ways parents can respond differently when children become frustrated with school. 

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

Whether you're supporting a child who's lost confidence, looking for a tutor, or you're a tutor who believes learning starts with understanding the child rather than simply delivering the curriculum, I'd love to continue the conversation.

Because every child deserves to be seen.

When I first decided to franchise the business it was about sharing our systems and resources, but I felt misaligned with it. It felt like I'd got the paint out of the cupboard, but not yet painted the picture. 

Gradually I realised that actually it is our ethos that is more important. Our philosophy. 

We don't just talk about supporting SEND children, we start with the child in front of us and start with them, not generally but that child in that moment. A label (or lack of label) gives us a starting point, but it doesn't tell us everything, because we are all truly unique.

The franchise is actually for those who want to become part of something stronger than branding and systems, and resources. It is those who feel aligned and genuinely want to make a difference to the lives of each individual child that we work with.

If this sounds like you and you want to have a chat or learn more about our ethos, please do get in touch at [email protected]

I think that when we start tutoring one of our biggest assets that we often over look is our ability to build relationships. Personally, I think this is so much more powerful that any marketing could ever be.

It starts long before we start working with the child, just proving that we are here to help and genuinely care.

Then as we move forward grow that rapport so that the child knows that if they have a question they can ask if they need to. If they don't understand something they can ask and not fear ridicule. 

Building that relationship with the parents is also vital as they are the ones who are inviting you into their child's life to build their knowledge, their confidence, to help them to achieve their dreams.

But also, by getting to know them and building that relationship will increase the likelihood of them recommending you forwards, because they like you, you're more than "just a tutor". Or, if money is tight and something needs to give, they will be less inclined to get rid of you first, because they care about you.

I think I realised how much people genuinely cared and didn't just see me as the tutor was last November when mum unexpectedly died, the love I felt was completely unexpected and it meant the world.

So, please as you step into the world or tutoring or travel further into it, never underestimate the power of the relationships that you build.

One last point. I think this is also the superpower of many teaching assistants, because they work every day with a small group of children or may be even 1:1 working with a child and getting to know them becomes second nature and a strength that they can build on as they go forward.

I recently wrote a book: Become a Tutor. Build Confidence. Change Lives. It answers the questions that I had when I first started tutoring. If you would like a free copy (no strings attached just a gift from me to you) drop me an email at [email protected] and I will happily drop a copy in the post for you

Homework is a battle in many (may be most) households and I don't think it's about laziness, I think it's more emotional than that. 

Kids are often tired at the end of the day and their motivation is done. But they have to come home and start again and it just (in their minds) feels unfair.

I think the biggest thing we can do to help is to be there to support them, rather than to pressure them and to find out what works for them; some kids like quiet, some like noise and movement around them, some like to sit at a table, some like to lay on their bed or the floor.

If we can work with them, we can hopefully help to remove some of the friction and make it much less of a painful experience

There comes a point in many businesses where you have a choice.

You can continue doing what you've always done.

Or you can listen to that quiet feeling telling you there might be something bigger you're meant to build.

In this episode, I reflect on what that feeling has looked like for me.

When I first started Clara James Tutoring, my ambitions were actually very simple.

I was going through a divorce, raising young children and, if I'm completely honest, my dream was simply to be able to afford to take them on holiday each year.

Growing up, holidays were some of my happiest memories. They weren't about luxury; they were about spending time together as a family. I wanted my children to have those same memories.

Back then, growing the business was about creating enough stability to make that possible.

As the years passed, something changed.

Not overnight.

Gradually.

The more families I worked with, the more tutors joined the team and the more children we were able to support, the more I realised this business was never really about me.

It had become about something much bigger.

I started to realise that what mattered most wasn't the worksheets we'd created or the systems we'd developed.

It was the philosophy behind everything we did.

At Clara James, we don't begin with the curriculum.

We begin with the child.

Every child arrives having travelled their own educational journey.

Some have had wonderful experiences.

Others have slowly lost confidence along the way.

Some need help understanding a topic.

Others need someone to help them believe they're capable of understanding it in the first place.

Our role isn't simply to move children towards a grade.

It's to meet them where they are, understand their journey and walk alongside them as they move towards where they want to be.

Over the past few weeks, I've finally found the words for something I've believed for years.

Every child deserves to be seen.

We see the child before the subject.

Confidence comes before curriculum.

Those aren't marketing slogans.

They're the principles that shape every decision we make.

Sharing those beliefs publicly has been surprisingly uncomfortable.

Whenever you put your opinions into the world, there's always the possibility that someone will disagree.

Sometimes they do.

And that's okay.

Because if we try to avoid criticism by keeping our beliefs small, we often end up shrinking our vision too.

For me, this isn't about creating a bigger business for the sake of growth.

It's about creating a deeper impact.

It's about helping more children feel understood.

It's about supporting tutors who share those same values.

It's about continuing the legacy of kindness and belief that my parents lived every day of their lives.

One day, I hope Clara James reaches communities right across the UK.

Perhaps, one day, even further.

Not because I want my name to be bigger.

But because I want more children to experience what happens when someone genuinely sees them, believes in them and helps them find a path that works for them.

Sometimes what looks like ambition from the outside...

...is actually alignment on the inside.

Sometimes you're not chasing something bigger.

You're simply becoming brave enough to build the thing you always felt called to create.

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

Whether you're a parent looking for support for your child, or someone who believes tutoring should begin with the child rather than the curriculum, please do get in touch.

I'd love to continue the conversation.

Have a great week, and if you have any questions at all, please do give me a shout.

In this episode, I share my journey into supporting neurodiverse children and how it all began with a concern about my own daughter over 20 years ago.

After being told by a school that dyslexia was simply "an excuse for laziness", I became determined to learn everything I could about how children learn differently. Since then, I have worked in mainstream schools, autism provision, early years settings, and tutoring, supporting children with a wide range of learning needs.

In this podcast, I discuss:

• Why I believe it is important to work with the child sitting in front of us rather than focusing on labels and diagnoses.

• How my experiences in very different educational environments shaped my understanding of neurodiversity.

• Why worksheets alone are rarely enough and how using a variety of resources can help children create multiple pathways to learning.

• The importance of adapting our approach to suit each child's strengths, interests, and individual needs.

• Why some behaviour difficulties may be a sign that the environment isn't working for the child rather than the child being the problem.

Most of all, I share the philosophy that has shaped Clara James Tutoring from the very beginning: every child learns differently, and our job is to find the approach that works for them.

If you would like a free copy of my book, Square Pegs & Round Holes: Supporting Every Child's Education, simply email me at [email protected] with your postal address and I'll happily pop one in the post for you.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

I think the short answer is that confusion, comparison, pressure or misunderstanding can take even very capable children start to doubt themselves. Over time the story in their mind changes from "I can't do this yet" to "I'm just not that clever".

I think often what also happens is that they don't like to celebrate their results with their peers, because they don't want to "brag" which means they are not celebrated in the same way that others are, again adding to that internal feeling of self doubt.

But sometimes a different way of explaining something and giving them a place to celebrate their wins, will help them to completely rewrite their story

Every Child Is Already on a Journey – Our Job Is to Meet Them Where They Are

When a child walks through our door for their first tutoring lesson, they aren't starting their educational journey.

They're joining us somewhere along the way.

For some children, that journey has been fairly smooth. They've enjoyed school, built confidence along the way and simply need a little extra support to reach their next goal.

For others, the path has been much more challenging.

Perhaps they've struggled to understand a concept that everyone else seemed to grasp.

Perhaps they've begun to believe they're "just not good at maths" or "can't do English."

Perhaps anxiety has started to creep in, making every lesson feel harder than the last.

By the time we meet them, that journey has already shaped the way they see themselves.

I think this is where tutoring sometimes gets it wrong.

It's easy to focus on the destination.

"What grade are we aiming for?"

"What topics do we need to cover?"

"What exam do they need to prepare for?"

Those questions matter.

But I don't think they should be the first questions we ask.

Instead, I believe we should start somewhere much simpler.

Who is this child?

What are their strengths?

What do they enjoy?

How do they learn best?

What has happened on their journey to bring them to this point?

Because sometimes the biggest barrier isn't a lack of knowledge.

It's a lack of confidence.

Sometimes the foundations of learning have slowly begun to crumble.

Not because the child isn't capable, but because somewhere along the line they've stopped believing they are.

Before we can help them move forwards, we sometimes need to rebuild those foundations.

That might mean revisiting topics they should have understood years ago.

It might mean changing our teaching style.

It might mean slowing down, taking a different route, or simply giving them the time and encouragement they've never had before.

Every child's journey looks different.

One child might be working towards a Grade 3 GCSE and another towards a Grade 9.

One might need just a few gentle nudges.

Another may need us to help rebuild years of lost confidence.

Neither journey is more important than the other.

Success isn't about comparing one child with another.

It's about helping each child travel further than they thought possible.

At Clara James Tutoring, we don't expect every child to follow the same path.

We meet every child where they are.

Then we walk alongside them, one step at a time, helping them move towards where they want to be.

Because every child deserves to be seen.

Not just for the grades they achieve.

But for the individual they are.

Could This Be the Way You'd Like to Tutor?

If you've found yourself nodding as you've listened to this, perhaps it's because you already believe the same things we do.

Maybe you've always felt that tutoring should be about more than worksheets, grades and exam techniques.

Maybe you believe that confidence comes before curriculum.

That every child deserves to be seen.

That our role isn't to squeeze every child into the same mould, but to meet them where they are and help them become the very best version of themselves.

If that's you, I'd love to have a conversation.

I'm currently building the Clara James franchise for people who believe that tutoring starts with the child, not the curriculum.

It's not about following a script.

It's about becoming part of a community that shares the same values and wants to make a genuine difference to children's lives.

If you'd like to know more, or even if you're simply curious about what we're building, please do get in touch.

I'd love to hear your story.

📧 [email protected]

If your child is consistently anxious, resistant, stuck, falling behind, or beginning to lose confidence it is worth paying attention. Support doesn't need to wait until it's a crisis, but I think ultimately follow your gut instinct as a parent

Sometimes being bright and finding learning difficult aren't opposites. A child can be intelligent, thoughtful, kind and full of potential, but still struggle if the teaching style, pace or environment does not work for them.

And sometimes you or someone else explaining it differently is the key to success that they need