Nine years' teaching experience, including three years as a full-time P3 teacher and over three years as a P6 teacher.
Started Catapult Tuition as a part-time business in August 2018. Full-time since April 2019.
Experienced in delivery of the Northern Ireland Curriculum across all school years.
PGCE in Primary Education from the University of Cumbria, 2010.
Extensively trained in the delivery of Systematic Synthetic Phonics.
Catapult began as a part-time venture in the summer of 2018. Tutoring primary-aged kids from my home in the evenings, it soon became apparent that the business had the potential to go full-time.
In 2019, after finding superb office space at Portview Trade Centre, close to the centre of Belfast, I made the break from my school-teaching career and sought to cement Catapult as Belfast’s number one choice for one-to-one primary tuition.
My vision was not - and still is not - to establish a team of tutors. It is important to me that I be the sole face of Catapult. Although that may limit the number of kids that I can help on a one-to-one basis, I can be confident that each one is receiving the assistance they need. My students, whether they be 5 or 11-years-old, are getting their extra educational support from someone who seeks to understand their personalities, to adapt to their needs, to challenge them when necessary, and (just as importantly) to lighten the mood so that any perceived pressure is lessened.
Since 2020, Catapult has been fully booked for one-to-one tuition, and spaces are now fully reserved through to 2030. I am grateful for the many parents who have seen the value of my service and have spread the word to others.
Catapult’s next stage of development lay in the PDF and printed resources that you will find in the shop. Naturally, the most sought-after option is The Catapult Papers: a range of 20 practice papers written in the style and format of the new SEAG Transfer Tests (as well as a series of 10 Warm-Up papers for P6 pupils).
Considering that approximately three-quarters of my students have been sent to me for help in this specific area, I have a wealth of experience in what is required for these tests, and the types of questions that typically appear in the tests. The Catapult Papers are not an ‘easy intro’ to the exams; they are challenging. However, they also come complete with helpful explanations of each question for parents, and advice on how to approach each practice paper. I believe in the ability of children to overcome obstacles and develop skills they never thought likely - but they sometimes need a gentle nudge in that direction. I believe that The Catapult Papers are the ideal tool for such challenging children during their Transfer Test year (‘if you can master these, then the SEAG’s a breeze!’).
If your child is in P5 or P6, I would highly recommend looking at my two series of Maths workbooks: Target Practice and Rooted. Each of these series consist of ten books. Rooted deals with a range of Maths revision topics, including fractions, decimals, percentages, shapes and angles. Target Practice is an in-depth look at developing written and mental calculation skills (many of which are not taught in the classroom), and also includes 100 teaching videos.
I am committed to improving the confidence and performance of each child who enters Catapult’s doors. I am also committed to applying this expertise to my teaching resources, so that many other children can benefit from what Catapult has to offer.
Trevor Veale BSSc, PGCE
