Ellipsis Learning

Ellipsis Learning run by Fiona Hodgkins (BA Hons, PGCE, CELTA) provides educational advice, tutoring support as well as the publication of historical, educational and travel literature.

Fiona Hodgkins's professional life has revolved around history, travel and education. After many years overseas, mainly in Singapore, she now lives in England. Fiona’s career as an educator spans more than 30 years in the UK, Zimbabwe, Sharjah, Venezuela, Trinidad, Dubai and Singapore.

Prior to setting up Ellipsis Learning, Fiona taught at the Tanglin Trust School in Singapore. 

With a first degree from the University of Durham in History and Sociology, Fiona has a special interest in social history. While recently living in Singapore she used the opportunity to research a period in history with particular family significance during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during WWII.  

This research has culminated in two recently published books:  From Syonan to Fuji-Go, The Story of the Catholic Settlement of Bahau in WWII Malaya and its children’s companion book - Voices Under the Rising Sun.

She writes educational and travel articles. 

HOW ELLIPSIS CAME INTO BEING

"With over 25 years teaching experience in the UK and overseas at British and international schools, whilst taking a sabbatical to do some historical research, I was approached by a friend to do some tutoring for her son.  This quickly snowballed and so Ellipsis Learning came into being in 2011.  Drawing together my years of classroom experience, I found enormous satisfaction in being able to use best practice to devise individual programmes to bring children’s learning forward whatever their level.  Over time, as more and more of my students came for preparation for UK schools entry exams, (both with a long and short lead time) so the Educational Consultancy part of Ellipsis Learning came in to being as I came to offer advice to parents on suitable schools for their children.  Now, I have a portfolio of over 100 schools that I have prepared children for, visited or had personal contact with and many more that I have done research into.  Whilst my core business is tutoring and advising families of children I tutor, since 2012, I have been successfully giving advice to parents of children I do not tutor.

Having been an expatriate for over 27 years and having lived, taught, and had my own children at 21 educational establishments from Nursery to University in six countries, I have become an expert at moving between countries and have successfully chosen four different boarding schools for my own children.  This personal experience coupled with my educational background has been invaluable in informing the services I now offer to both expatriates overseas and people in the UK looking to move overseas.  

I advise parents with a completely independent unbiased approach as I take no commission from any schools.  And my approach is not to do all the work for parents, but to help them make the final decisions for themselves pointing them in the right direction and showing them what they should be looking out for."

"My aim is to empower parents to make the right school choice for their child by knowing what to look for and ask"