My name is Paul Shephard and I have been passionately interested in Astronomy since the age of eight. My interest, like so many people of my generation, was sparked by the first moon landing back in July 1969 and I have been hooked ever since. I believe that Astronomy is accessible and can be enjoyed by everyone and, what is more important, you do not need expensive astronomical equipment such as a large telescope to be able to get started and enjoy it right away.

 

I have been teaching Astronomy publicly since 1999 and I have been mainly teaching for Local Adult Education Services. I have taught Introductory and Intermediate Astronomy courses as well as GCSE. Since 2014 I have also taught GCSE Astronomy both privately and at various local Secondary schools as an extracurricular subject. I also do one-off talks and lectures for various astronomy and interested groups.

 

I am now offering my tutoring services privately to individuals or groups and Astronomy courses are available via this website to the wider public and I offer a range of courses at various levels of the subject. I am also writing a self-published textbook ‘Astronomy – From Beginner to GCSE’ which I plan to have available by summer 2026 in time for the 2026/2027 GCSE Astronomy exam.

 

In terms of official qualifications, I hold a diploma in Astronomy and Planetary Science and a BSc degree in Astronomy. I also hold a certificate of professional development in Teaching Astronomy from John Moores University, Liverpool, and a City & Guilds certificate in Adult Education Teaching. I am also CRB-checked and certified to an enhanced level.

Sadly, teaching Astronomy is not my full-time job. By day I work in the field of I.T. designing databases and business Intelligence applications.