The Sunnydene Tutoring Story
From a few tutoring sessions around a dining room table to a dedicated tuition centre with a team of tutors – Sunnydene has come a long way since 2016 ... and it all started with a Christmas present!
After leaving primary school teaching to raise my family, I eventually found myself ready to return to working with children. My confidence, however, was another matter. I'd been out of the classroom for some time and the thought of facing a teaching interview felt daunting.
I decided to try tutoring instead. My original motivation was quite simple: I wanted to earn enough to buy my husband a Christmas present without putting it on a credit card for him to pay off in January!
There was no grand business plan, no ambition to open a tuition centre and certainly no idea of where it might lead.
The name Sunnydene came from the house I lived in at the time. I only ever expected to tutor from home, so naming the business after the house seemed the obvious thing to do.
A little word of mouth goes a long way
My first two pupils were children of friends. I added a single post on my personal Facebook page and, later that same day, two families had got in touch. One child needed English and maths support; the other was preparing for the Kent Test.
Within a couple of weeks, two more pupils had joined through parent recommendations, and the enquiries kept coming!
In January 2017, I started my first Kent Test group. The sessions filled, so I added more. Those filled too! Before long, I was having to turn families away because I simply didn't have any more spaces.
I hadn't set out to create a growing business, but it was becoming clear that there was a real demand for the way I taught. The confidence I had initially lacked was gradually returning, helped enormously by the encouragement and trust of the families I worked with.
Making room for Sunnydene to grow
For several years, teaching took place at home – first around the dining room table, then in a dedicated teaching room. As demand increased, I began to think about how Sunnydene could grow without losing the personal approach that had made it successful.
I was initially reluctant to bring in other tutors. I was protective of the Sunnydene name and wanted to be certain that anyone working under it shared my standards and approach. I even recommended other local tutors to families when I couldn't offer them a place myself.
Eventually, I realised that carefully chosen tutors could allow me to support more children while maintaining the thoughtful, individual approach that had made Sunnydene successful. In 2022, the first tutor joined my team, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Sunnydene. I remain very selective about who I invite to join my team. It's important to me that they share my standards and understand the approach I want Sunnydene to be known for.
At first, tutors travelled to pupils' homes. This worked well, but I wanted somewhere we could work together, with proper teaching spaces and a stronger sense of being one team.
After looking at several unsuitable properties, I bought a portion of Saphir House in May 2024. I opened my tuition centre in September, and Sunnydene Tutoring finally had a home of its own.
I had a clear idea of how I wanted the new centre to work, with separate teaching areas (which I call 'pods') for individual tuition, alongside a larger room where I could continue running my Kent Test groups. Having a dedicated base also meant I could give much more space to something that had been part of Sunnydene from the very beginning: my growing collection of children's books.
The library didn't appear overnight. It started with a few books my own children had outgrown and has grown steadily ever since. I love reading children's books myself, so you'll often find titles I've enjoyed, alongside charity-shop discoveries and generous donations from families whose children are ready to pass their books on.
A place to learn, and a team to make it happen
As a qualified primary teacher, I originally offered support across the primary age range, as well as some secondary tuition. Over time, I recognised that families particularly valued my approach to Kent Test preparation. I decided to concentrate my own teaching in this area, while the other tutors offer support in their own specialist subjects and age groups.
Every tutor on my team is a qualified teacher with a strong record of excellent teaching. Just as importantly, they understand the importance of building positive relationships with their pupils. I want children to feel comfortable, encouraged and confident enough to ask questions, make mistakes and learn.
Good teaching is about more than knowing a subject: children need to feel comfortable, supported and confident enough to have a go, make mistakes and learn from them.
Today, Sunnydene Tutoring has 11 tutors, as well as me, Amy, my fantastic admin assistant, and four after-school support team members.
Amy takes care of much of Sunnydene's day-to-day administration and scheduling, manages my after-school team and provides invaluable continuity when I'm away. The after-school team helps pupils and tutors, assists Kent Test pupils with their practice books when needed and takes care of the many little jobs that keep the centre running smoothly.
What hasn't changed?
Sunnydene looks very different from those first sessions at my home, but the principles behind it haven't changed. I still believe that children learn best when they have firm foundations, feel comfortable with the person teaching them and enjoy coming to their sessions.
The recommendations that brought those first few pupils to my dining room table are still important today. Parents trust me and my team with their children's learning, and I take that responsibility seriously.
From one Facebook post and two pupils to a busy tuition centre at Saphir House, Sunnydene's story has been shaped by the children and families who have been part of it along the way.