Catherine

Experience
I have over 20 years of experience teaching French and Italian across a wide range of curricula, including GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level, IB Language A and Language B, and KS3. My experience spans leading UK independent schools, the state sector and university-level teaching at the University of Cambridge. I have also worked as an examiner for UK and international examination boards.

I hold a PhD and an MPhil (Distinction) in Modern and Medieval Languages and Literature from the University of Cambridge, a PGCE, and a First-Class BA (Hons) in French and Italian from the University of Bristol.

Within schools, I have held senior roles including Head of Italian and Deputy Head of the IB Diploma Programme, with responsibility for student progress, academic enrichment and targeted support. I currently teach French part-time and work as Universities Coordinator and Oxbridge Lead, supporting students preparing for university and highly competitive university applications.

At Cambridge, I taught European literature to first- and second-year undergraduates in the Faculty of English, working across three colleges, and taught translation to second-year undergraduates in the Faculty of Modern Languages. I also examined assessments in these courses. My wider teaching experience includes teaching English in Italian state schools, working with independent language schools, and teaching trainee teachers at the University of Grenoble.

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching languages and working with young people in particular particular genuinely brings me great joy. I am always energised by the fresh perspectives that students bring to our lessons.

Building confidence is central to my teaching, whether I am working with GCSE, IB or A-Level students. I aim to create an active, supportive learning environment in which students take ownership of their learning, develop secure subject knowledge and establish effective, lasting study habits.

My teaching is informed by research into language acquisition and learning. I use approaches including retrieval practice, interleaving (revisiting and mixing topics and grammatical structures), and carefully targeted practice, alongside personalised learning goals and detailed feedback. These help students strengthen their understanding, retain knowledge and develop confidence and independence. At A Level, critical thinking and close textual analysis are integral to my approach, and I support students to develop higher-level thinking skills in preparation for university.

I have extensive experience preparing students for oral examinations at GCSE and A-Level.
Through their own hard work and dedication, my students have achieved a range of very strong outcomes in public examinations and university admissions. These include places on highly competitive courses including Oxford, Cambridge and other Russell Group universities, pursuing doctoral research in languages, linguistics, or related fields, full marks in individual examination components, and significant improvement in A Level, (I)GCSE and IB performance.

I also believe that cultural engagement can make language learning particularly rewarding. Where appropriate, I extend learning beyond the syllabus through activities such as virtual cultural visits, online lectures, documentaries, film screenings, concerts and the exploration of cultural traditions.

My students and colleagues have kindly described me as being deeply caring, personable, and extremely supportive. These qualities help me to build strong connections, ensuring that every student — whatever their starting point — makes meaningful progress and feels highly valued throughout their learning journey.