Alastair Wardle is the Centre Director for Kip McGrath Hull North West. He has a BSc and PGCE in secondary education. He has over 18 years experience in secondary education and 3 years experience as the Centre Director. Having worked at all levels of teaching and leadership in the secondary sector, Alastair has a wealth of knowledge about the barriers faced by students in the current educational climate. He understands how quickly gaps in learning can form and lead to loss of confidence and progress. Alastair has a strong belief in teaching to stage not age, and the Kip McGrath programme allows him and his team to do that. He understands that the challenges of the education system means that many students are moved onto new content without having fully grasped the previous topic, and this can knock student’s confidence and lead to poor foundations, onto which future learning becomes difficult to build. Alastair and his team aim to identify where those foundations are weaker, and with the right support, quality teaching and encouragement, secure those foundations and enable progress to be accelerated. Alastair works with his team to make sure the experience for each student is personalised and he encourages his team to get to know their students. This allows students the confidence to ask questions, but also “have a go” and not fear making mistakes. He also interacts with local schools, to ensure the support offered shadows the work being done in each student’s school Alastair is a parent to two boys, one of whom is neurodivergent. He is understanding of the difficulties faced in education by children who need additional support, and the huge demands it can place on parents. At the Hull North West centre he has endeavoured to create a space and environment where all young people can find success. At a period of time where more children are needing support, parents should feel confident in choosing Alastair’s centre, because he understands education from all perspectives. Whether your child needs help to catch up, to be stretched, prepare for SATs or GCSEs, or you need support, having made the difficult choice to home school your child, Alastair’s focus is always to provide the right support for your child.