Meet the founder

Rachel Couffignals is an Oxford-educated British preparatory-school educator and former Head of Gifted & Talented and Head of Lower School (Year 3 &4) at Wetherby Prep in London, one of the UK’s most respected independent preparatory schools. She has taught and mentored pupils and advised parents whose children have progressed to selective senior schools including Eton, Harrow, St Paul's and Winchester.

Rachel’s own children attended an independent school in Kensington, London before the family relocated to the UAE. After the move, she chose to complement their schooling with structured, independent-school-aligned tuition at home in order to maintain continuity in academic expectations and depth of learning.

What began as a personal decision to support her own children’s education soon led other families to seek similar guidance. Parents approached Rachel for her perspective on choosing a tutor who could best align their children’s education to the standards of leading independent schools back in the UK.

As demand grew, Rachel founded Primrose Prep to offer carefully structured, high-quality tuition for families seeking the standards, pace and academic continuity associated with strong British independent education.

Today, Rachel applies this expertise through careful tutor selection and thoughtful matching, connecting families with educators whose teaching reflects strong academic foundations, clarity of expectation, and the standards associated with leading British independent schools — all delivered with warmth and thoughtful pastoral care. 

Each Primrose Prep tutor is personally chosen by Rachel for professional judgement, subject expertise, and the ability to deliver thoughtful, high-quality one-to-one tuition that builds confidence, independence and intellectual maturity.

Our Approach to Tutor Selection

At Primrose Prep, tutors are not listed publicly or selected at random.

Each educator is personally chosen and matched by Rachel Couffignals — former Head of Lower School and Head of Gifted & Talented at a leading London preparatory school — based not only on subject expertise, but on professional judgement, academic rigour, clarity of teaching, and the ability to develop confidence, independence and intellectual maturity.

Primrose Prep works with a deliberately small network of exceptional UK-trained educators, drawn primarily from the British independent-school sector. Many specialise in selective-entry preparation (including 7+, 11+, 13+ and scholarship pathways), while others bring expertise in GCSE, A Level, SEN support, gifted education, and broader academic mentoring.

The Tutors We Work With

The Primrose Prep network includes educators such as:

• former teachers from leading British independent and preparatory schools
• specialist 11+, 13+ and scholarship educators
• GCSE and A Level subject experts
• SEN and learning-support specialists
• gifted and talented educators
• Oxbridge graduates and academically distinguished subject specialists, where appropriate