Autumn Newsletter 2025
- Sophie Hocking
- Jan 6
- 4 min read
Hello from Lighthouse!
Welcome to the second edition of our Lighthouse Newsletter!
What an Autumn term it has been! From settling into our new Plymouth hub (yay!), to watching our learners grow in confidence, curiosity and independence. It’s been a truly wonderful few months at Lighthouse Tuition South-West. It has been another brilliant term, so thank you to everyone who has joined us for 1-to-1s, group or taster sessions or received SEND advocacy from Sophie.
Sophies' Trip to Kazakhstan
This term, our Company Director Sophie travelled all the way to Kazakhstan to attend the World Inclusion Congress with the IFIP (International Federation of Inclusive Practitioners). This was a global gathering of leaders, educators and advocates dedicated to building a more inclusive future. Part of the congress was to contribute to the UNESCO White Paper due to be presented at The White House in 2026. Inclusion has always been at the heart of Lighthouse Tuition, shaped by her background in performing arts, community work and SEND education. Being surrounded by experts from across the world, sharing knowledge, research and lived experience, reaffirmed everything we stand for: that every child deserves to feel seen, supported and celebrated. Sophie returned inspired, energised and full of new ideas to strengthen the inclusive, child-centred approach that makes Lighthouse what it is today.
New Staff Faces at Lighthouse
We’re also delighted to welcome two fantastic new tutors to the Lighthouse team, Tim and Chris!
Tim is a qualified teacher with over 20 years of experience across primary schools and specialist secondary settings. He has a strong background in supporting autistic learners and children with SEMH needs, alongside helping pupils develop core skills in literacy, numeracy, computing and outdoor learning. Tim is passionate about adapting lessons to each child’s learning style, building confidence and making learning meaningful and enjoyable. Outside of work, he enjoys walking his dogs, sailing and woodwork -hobbies he often weaves into his teaching to spark creativity and real-world connections.
Chris brings over a decade of teaching experience and a passion for creating fun, interactive and playful learning environments. He believes every child thrives when their needs are understood and met and he is committed to building a space where learners feel safe, motivated and happy. Outside of teaching, Chris enjoys football (as a loyal Manchester United fan!), trips to the cinema, reading, music and hiking... especially when there’s a cosy pub at the end! At home, he’s kept company by his two affectionate cats, Nox and Lumos.
Spaces are limited, so if you’d like to secure a spot or to find out more, drop us an email at info@lighthousetuitionsouthwest.co.uk , we’d love to help you find the perfect session, and tutor, for your child!
Christmas Light Switch on Event
We absolutely love the strong sense of community in Ivybridge. It was a real pleasure for us to be part of the Ivybridge Town Council Christmas Light Festival recently. It was wonderful to meet so many new families, spend time chatting and of course see some of our lovely current learners too. A huge thank you from all of us to everyone who entered our Christmas colouring competition, we’ll be announcing the winners shortly!
Let's Get Festive!
The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time to slow down, get cosy… and sprinkle in a little fun learning along the way! Here are some light, festive ideas to keep little minds engaged over the break:
We’ve made a fun Christmas wordsearch for you to join in! (To practice that lowercase/uppercase recognition!)
Turn Christmas jobs into mini games. Counting decorations, sorting presents by size, measuring wrapping paper, timing a tidy-up. Maths is everywhere this season!
Go on a “winter nature walk,” then write a story or draw a picture about the animals and footprints you find.
Design a festive board game, set up a living-room obstacle course or draw a treasure map with instructions for a sibling or friend to follow.
Download our Christmas colouring pages!
A message from our founder, Sophie!
What an incredible term it has been at Lighthouse Tuition. Every single week, we’ve watched children achieve things they once believed were out of reach - whether that’s cracking a tricky maths method, reading with newfound confidence or proudly sharing writing they never thought they could produce. These moments are the heartbeat of Lighthouse and I couldn’t be prouder of the courage, creativity and resilience our learners show.
A huge part of our journey this term has also been advocating for children. I am finding that more of my role is working with schools to create EHC Needs Assessments, to define drafted EHCP’s and to ultimately fight for what each child deserves. This has included observing children in schools, delivering trainings and meeting individuals from local councils.
And of course… our biggest milestone yet: the opening of our Plymouth Hub!
This space represents so much more than your typical classroom. It’s a safe, welcoming home for learning, movement, play and connection. Seeing it filled with laughter, curiosity and confidence has truly been a dream come to life. I am so grateful to everyone who has believed in this vision and helped make it possible. Here’s to the second hub and its evolving use as an alternative use as an Alternative Provision!
Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’re a learner, parent, tutor or supporter. Here’s to even more progress, joy and breakthroughs next term.
Coming up...
If your child needs a some extra support, learns best in a fun, inclusive, small-group setting then we can help. Contact us to discuss the best way forward for your child and how we can help with their learning journey.
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