Confidence Comes First: How Jenny New Is Raising Standards in Online Tutoring
Leaving teaching does not always mean leaving education.
For Jenny New, founder of Bright Berry Education, it meant finding a new way to use 15 years of classroom and school leadership experience while creating something with greater flexibility and room to grow.
Jenny began tutoring independently after stepping away from teaching, but the enquiries soon became more than she could personally deliver.
Rather than continuing to turn families away, she spotted an opportunity.
There were parents looking for high-quality support and brilliant secondary-school tutors who needed help finding clients, managing marketing and building a more consistent flow of work.
Bright Berry Education was created to bring the two together.
Building Beyond Geography
Bright Berry is a fully online tutoring company supporting secondary-school pupils in maths, English and science.
The online model means Jenny is not restricted to tutors living within a certain radius. She can recruit qualified teachers from different parts of the UK and beyond, then match them carefully with each family.
“I can bring the best tutors from around the world. I’m not dependent on location.”
It also makes life easier for families.
Parents do not need to drive between activities or organise another journey after school. Pupils can access their lesson from home, while still receiving focused, individual support from an experienced teacher.
Bright Berry currently works with around 40 pupils, with numbers naturally changing around exam seasons and school holidays.
Around 80% of new clients come through word of mouth, which Jenny sees as a strong sign that families trust both the quality of the tutoring and the way the service is managed.
Quality Cannot Be Left to Chance
One of the biggest surprises for Jenny after leaving schools was how little regulation exists within the tutoring sector.
In education, teachers are observed, supported and expected to reflect continually on their practice. In tutoring, almost anyone can advertise themselves as a tutor without the same level of oversight.
Jenny wanted Bright Berry to offer something more accountable.
Her tutors must be qualified teachers with classroom experience, and she remains closely involved by:
- Watching lessons and monitoring teaching quality
- Giving practical, constructive feedback
- Supporting tutors with ideas and professional development
- Ensuring pupils remain focused on the learning they need
Jenny wants tutors to build warm, positive relationships with their pupils, but she is also clear that families are paying for high-quality education.
“You don’t want to waste their time. These years are precious, especially if it’s exam focused.”
That responsibility sits at the heart of the business.
Confidence Comes Before Progress
Bright Berry supports pupils who may be falling behind, preparing for exams or aiming for a higher grade.
Jenny sees academic progress regularly, from pupils moving into higher sets to improving predicted grades.
However, the most immediate difference is often visible before a test result arrives.
She described watching one pupil during their first lesson. At the beginning, they appeared disengaged and uncertain. As the tutor encouraged their answers, their posture changed, they began smiling and their confidence grew visibly during the hour.
“You could literally see in an hour her confidence just go from…”
That shift matters because pupils need to believe they can participate before they can make the most of the teaching in front of them.
As Jenny puts it:
“Confidence comes first.”
Bright Berry’s tutors are there to explain difficult concepts, but also to create the kind of focused, encouraging environment where pupils feel heard and capable.
Exams Are a Chapter, Not the Whole Story
Jenny is careful not to present exams as the defining moment of a child’s life.
Adults know that careers can change, qualifications can be revisited and there is rarely only one route forward.
But she also believes pupils should receive the right support while they have the time and structure around them.
“It is a chapter of their life, but it isn’t the be all and end all.”
The goal is not to create more pressure. It is to help pupils navigate the chapter they are currently in with stronger skills, more confidence and a clearer belief in their own potential.
What Comes Next for Bright Berry?
Jenny is continuing to grow the tutor team while developing a new website and dedicated online platform.
Her longer-term ambition is to make excellent tuition more accessible to children who may not currently be able to afford it.
She would like to explore grants, funded provision and a possible social-impact arm of the business, creating opportunities for pupils in communities where private tutoring is far less common.
That mission brings Jenny’s journey back to where it began: a belief that education matters, and that every child deserves access to teaching that helps them move forward.
Watch the Full Interview
Jenny New is a finalist in The Class Business Awards 2026, and her story raises important questions about quality, confidence and accountability in the growing tutoring sector.
From leaving teaching, to building a fully online company, to creating stronger standards around tutor recruitment and lesson quality, it’s all in this conversation.
👉 Watch Jenny’s full interview here.
And if you want to be in the room with finalists like Jenny, hearing these stories first-hand and connecting with the people shaping this sector right now…
Join us on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull for The Class Business Live, followed by The Class Business Awards & Afterparty.
Expect a full day of insight, energy and connection, from 9:00am to 3:00pm, with guest speakers, mastermind discussions and real conversations with people who get it. Then we come back together in the evening from 6:00pm to celebrate everything this community has built.
Book your place for the Class Business Awards here.
