We’ll admit it: we’re fusspots here at Spring. 

Every Spring tutor has been carefully selected and vetted by Kathryn herself, and only those with the perfect mix of teaching experience and child-centric attitude make the grade. Friendly, patient and full of enthusiasm, they’re exactly the kind of empathic teachers with the skills and personality to create a nurturing learning environment.  One where students can really grow and thrive, whether they’re struggling with the basics or striving for top marks.  

Experienced 

We only use tutors with at least 2 years’ in-school teaching experience, and five years is the average. 

Caring

The best learning happens when kids feel valued and secure, which is why we work so hard to find empathic tutors who they can relate to and trust. 

Specialist

All our tutors have a professional specialism, whether that’s subject-specific or to do with the age range they know best.

Safe 

Every tutor is enhanced DBS checked, for our students’ safety and their grown-ups’ peace of mind. 

Primary Teachers

  • Nicola Leadbeater

    Primary & KS1 Specialist

    With a whopping 30 years’ teaching experience under her belt, Nic is a primary specialist in KS1, phonics and reading, as well as primary Spanish. She lived in Gran Canaria for ten years and is also a qualified beautician!

  • Annie Kinsella

    Primary & KS2 Specialist

    Annie is a Year 5 & 6 primary teacher with a wealth of experience. Her warmth, friendly demeanour and strong understanding of how to help students succeed make her an asset to the team. She is the biggest Take That fan there is and proud of it.

  • Janine Bullman

    Primary KS1 & 2 Specialist

    Janine has been teaching for 5 years and is a primary specialist at a school right here in Hebden Bridge. In a former life she was a PR agent, working with some of the coolest musicians in the UK (and no, that didn’t include our Daniel).

  • Melanie Blackhurst

    Primary Maths & English Specialist

    Mel has been teaching for 20 years this year and specialises in primary maths and English. Adventurous and outdoorsy, she loves fell running and long-distance walking…then refuelling with chocolate fingers!

  • Liz Hodgson

    MFL Specialist (French, Spanish, German)

    Liz teaches GCSE and A-level French and German, as well as ‘pure conversation’ – actually how to use and understand the spoken language, without any writing or grammar. Fun-but-not-particularly-useful fact: Liz can walk on her hands!

Secondary Teachers

  • Simon Bond

    Secondary Maths Specialist

    Simon is our lead specialist in maths and he teaches both GCSE and A-level students, with ten years’ experience under his belt. He’s also delivered training for more than 1,000 maths teachers, and even once taught maths in Zambia.

  • Kev Simpson

    Secondary Maths Specialist

    A secondary and GCSE maths specialist, when he’s not tutoring for us, Kev teaches at one of the top schools in the country. Kev has two sons, who not only survived but thrived at high school, and lives locally.

  • Joachim Lund

    Secondary Maths Specialist

    Joachim is a KS3 and GCSE maths specialist who works for a local high performing academy trust. Joachim once sported a mullet for a while after a bet with his year 11 students took a turn.

  • Kathryn Grice

    Secondary English Specialist

    Kathryn, our founder, is a secondary English specialist, an examiner, and a coach for the School mental health award for Leeds Beckett University. She has two school-age sons of her own, one of whom she delivered herself on the bedroom floor!

  • Liz Hodgson

    MFL Specialist (French, Spanish, German)

    Liz teaches GCSE and A-level French and German, as well as ‘pure conversation’ – actually how to use and understand the spoken language, without any writing or grammar. Fun-but-not-particularly-useful fact: Liz can walk on her hands!

  • Natalie Thornton

    GCSE and A-Level Chemistry Specialist

    Natalie is a secondary and A-level teacher of chemistry and geology, with 15 years’ teaching experience behind her. She’s worked in both grammar and private schools locally.

  • Alex Bladon

    GCSE and A-Level Biology

    Alex teaches GCSE biology at a local secondary school. A mother of two small children herself she knows how important it is to find a support network who can help support with your child’s learning and wellbeing. She is also a keen runner, recently completing the Leeds half marathon and the Great North run.

  • David Campbell

    Secondary Maths and Physics Specialist

    David completed his PGCE in 2010, then worked at Bradford College where he taught A-level, GCSE and level 1, 2 and 3 BTEX as well as PRU and access courses. In a former life Dave played ping pong for Yorkshire.