Rebecca
I am the lead tutor at The Literacy Club and manage all syllabi, communication and monitoring of all pupils' progress.
My academic background is in international relations; my love and passion has always been for English literature and education - although the two disciplines certainly collide; words have, after all, always changed history, for good and for bad, and continue to do so.
I've taught English/literacy since 1999, and in between raising my children, also spent ten years working with and delivering training to senior leaders and governors across Birmingham's schools, as well as providing local safeguarding training, before focusing primarily on The Literacy Club.
I have tutored specifically for the Birmingham 11 Plus exam since 2011 and have been delighted to see, over the years, hundreds of children grow their literacy wings and fly off to new horizons and brilliant futures.
My values are based around integrity and honesty.
“Mr. Alcott sat behind his table, and the children were placed in chairs, in a large arc around him; the chairs so far apart, that they could not easily touch each other. He then asked each one separately, what idea he or she had of the purpose of coming to school? To learn; was the first answer. To learn what? By pursuing this question, all the common exercises of school were brought up by the children themselves; and various subjects of art, science, and philosophy. Still Mr. Alcott intimated that this was not all; and at last some one said “to behave well,” and in pursuing this expression into its meanings, they at last decided that they came to learn to feel rightly, to think rightly, and to act rightly.”
Elizabeth Peabody, Record of a School
Dr Sulayman
I am Dr Sulayman Ayub and currently work at Sandwell and City Hospitals on a specialised foundation program (education stream).
I studied medicine at the University of Birmingham and also intercalated with a first-class honours degree in Clinical Sciences (BMedSc).
I have enjoyed being a tutor at The Literacy Club since 2014 and was an assistant for many years before that. I always look forward to engaging with my students and ensuring their motivation and continued success from a holisitic point of view. Within university I was the President of the Islamic Medical Society where we have managed to provide amazing support for students on campus and the community in Birmingham.
I hold an Ijazah (authorization) in Quran. I enjoy horse riding and have always been passionate about reading. It's great to encourage my pupils to devour books as I used to at their age!
Having completed a highly instructive international placement at the largest hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, my main medical interest lies in intervential radiology.
Prior to university I attended King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I achieved 8 A*s (including English language and Literature, where some modules were awarded full marks) and 3 As for GCSE. For A-Levels I studied Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry and achieved A*A*A respectively.
Working with children and teaching is something I have always enjoyed immensely and seeing the progress of my students and their increase in confidence over their time with me is especially rewarding.
What is excellence? Is it always being the best, or is it more? Perhaps we should define it instead as a state: a continuous state of trying to be the best in what you do, maybe? Not a one-time achievement, but a state of being—of effort. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word excellent as ‘the quality of being extremely good’. I define it as the students I am blessed to teach at Literacy Club.
I did not grow up in an affluent area of Birmingham, in fact, I grew up in the lower-class areas of our great city. Being from such a background, I did not go to a prestigious school, nor was I even cognizant of the existence of 11+ in Primary School. The one thing that I can say was that due to great teachers I learnt to fall in love with reading in Year 4; I read voraciously, and was inexplicably awed by the power of the human mind, imagination and the art of creating a beautiful book.
Fast forward a few years (I'll quickly list these out) and I've been teaching English since 2016; I attained a first-class degree (hons) and a Masters in English Language and Linguistics from the University of Birmingham, where I still guest-lead the Jumuah; I co-founded the tag archery company Trickshot Archery (we work with Blue Coats annually, Olive School weekly and many other schools around Birmingham), and later, JustOud. After four years of writing, I finished The Eternity Train in 2023; I founded Literacy Club Publishing and wrote a number of textbooks based on 11+ comprehension skills.
To begin, I initially taught English at the Academic Enrichment Centre, then Literacy Club, along with Ucademy (I still highly recommend them for KS3/4). I’ve been proudly teaching Year 3s to Year 12s since 2016 and it’s honestly the best job in the world. Having the honour of watching children work so diligently and consistently achieve—I couldn’t have asked for a more rewarding way to spend my years. I appreciate seeing people strive, and to see such conscientiousness from such young minds really shows us how much we as adults should similarly do. Coming to this year, I started my PhD at the University of Cambridge in October 2024, running experimental research focusing on Comprehension Strategies in the 11+, so as to hopefully provide a research-driven, excellent education in this field to all students.
Blessed is the only word to describe my life. I do not feel like anyone should champion me, yet Rebecca champions me. So I am extremely grateful to be where I am today, coming from where I came from yesterday, and to have the chance to teach the incredible, brilliant minds I teach everyday.
To end, I want to say that the teachers at Literacy Club are some of the best tutors (and honestly, people) that I have met—period. I started because of my friend Dr Sulayman. I stayed because of the family. Rebecca’s passion, care and diligence has created some of the best 11+ syllabi and general literacy tuition I have had the pleasure of coming across, and you will genuinely have made a spectacular choice regardless of which tutor you choose. Literacy Club is a team effort—a team that I am honoured to be a part of. If I am blessed enough to teach your child, I will try my utmost to provide them with all that I can: an education that aims to raise good people of tomorrow, people who love to read and people who love to learn, and ultimately, I want to provide an education that in some way glimmers with fondness when our students look back on their literary journey—children who will grow to be adults, but hopefully, forever students of excellence.
Amanah
My passion for Literacy stems from a love of reading, which allows a reader to experience different lives and different worlds. Having acquired an ‘A’ grade in English Literature and an ‘A’ grade in English Language at GCSE level, I began a more academic pursuit of Literacy and consequently became a qualified teacher.
I have been teaching the primary and some secondary curriculum for approximately 15 years and am presently teaching Year 6 children in a large mainstream primary school as an ‘outstanding’ practitioner. I am also currently the Writing Lead for the whole school and work closely with the school Reading Lead as part of my management role, to ensure I utilise the latest research and techniques to support all children in Literacy, regardless of them being in a classroom or at home learning and reading.
I have taught a variety of classes for the Literacy Club, enabling me to familiarise myself with the syllabi being taught. I also have first-hand experience of the Literacy Club as a parent, as my own children have been taught by Rebecca at the club and successfully attend/have attended the King Edward VI grammar schools.
I understand, appreciate and value the partnership needed between tutors and parents in making the Literacy Club experience a success and will endeavour to support you and your child so their time at the club is purposeful and enjoyable.
Yien Lein
For the curious, a potted history of my education and work as an educator is as follows: 9 As at Cambridge GCE ‘O’-Levels; 4 As at Cambridge GCE ‘A’-Levels, Distinction in English at ‘S’-Level, Merit in History at ‘S’-Level; scholarship to read English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (BA 2:1); Distinction for MA in Asian/African History (SOAS, University of London). Papers presented at international conferences; taught variously at polytechnic and university level; briefly took up a University of Michigan fellowship to pursue doctoral studies in History before relinquishing it in favour of marriage and family this side of the pond.
Salihah
My passion for education and helping children achieve their potential led me to become a Literacy Club Tutor in 2020, after years of assisting at the club. Having been a student at the Literacy Club until 2013, I not only have a solid grasp of the syllabi but can also connect with children on a personal level. My teaching philosophy centres on fostering a positive learning environment and ensuring the progress of each student through a caring, reliable, and well-organised approach.
My academic background includes attending KEVI Camp Hill Girls' School, where I excelled in English Language and Literature with 8s (A*) in both subjects. I then earned a scholarship to Highclare 6th form, where I studied A-Levels in Religious Studies, Psychology, and Maths, and completed an Extended Professional Qualification focused on current and historical politics in China. I've also had the privilege of studying abroad in both Jordan and Korea, deepening my understanding of language and culture. Currently, I'm pursuing Korean and World Philosophies at SOAS University of London, reflecting my commitment to lifelong learning.
In addition to my educational pursuits, I'm a dedicated explorer of diverse perspectives through reading, with a particular interest in linguistics, anthropology, and world philosophies.
I believe that nurturing a child's love for learning is a cornerstone of effective education. I'm dedicated to helping children develop their literacy skills while instilling a lifelong passion for knowledge.
Amal
I still remember the day in which I learnt how to read. It was a sudden moment of realisation after a long struggle. The new words enthralled me, and I swallowed them eagerly, reading book after book, and losing myself within new worlds of limitless imagination. Since then, literature has been my passion. My favourite moments of school were always to do with my English classes: getting lost in the analysis of a play or book or poem, or sitting in the corner of the library and appreciating the dance of words so skilfully employed by authors.
I achieved two A’s in English language and literature at GCSE level, and achieved A’s in English literature, History and Psychology during A-level. I then studied English language and literature at Kings College London, which then led me to the Institute of Education (now part of University College London) in which I studied to become a secondary school English teacher. The time I spent teaching children how to analyse literature holds some of my favourite memories ever. Literature is about influence, development, happiness, finding yourself and losing yourself. It is about making a statement, politics, and it is about sharing your emotions and ideas with the world. I love seeing students grasp this understanding and using it to nurture themselves. Above all, I highly value holding conversations with my students, sharing my passion with them, and learning from their experiences and understanding of the world.
Whilst my move to Birmingham and the raising of my two children interrupted my teaching career, I have provided written feedback for children at the Literacy Club from time to time over the years. The eagerness and creativity of the students has always impressed me, as has the curriculum and teaching of Rebecca and her team. I am delighted to join as a tutor and look forward to learning from students, helping them harness their potential, and to achieve the goals they set their hearts on.