My story

I first got into Classics at an after-school Latin club. I attended state schools, but was very lucky to have access to Latin, Greek, and other classical subjects. That said, it wasn’t always easy — I had to teach myself large parts of Greek GCSE, take classes long into the evening, and study with a tutor when Greek wasn’t available at my sixth-form college.

Classics quickly became a passion; one which I had the great joy of exploring in depth for four years at Trinity College, Oxford, where I have recently returned for a Master’s degree in Classical Literature. My research interests include trees in the ancient world, anthropological classics, and the late antique poet Nonnus — the topic of my thesis which was joint winner of the 2024 Gaisford dissertation prize. However, my knowledge base is broad in Greek and Roman literature, language, history, and other areas of classical world, and I make sure to keep current with developments relevant to the GCSE and A-level curricula in all classical subjects.

I have previously worked in a secondary school as a Latin teacher, preparing ab intio students for their GCSE exams. Inspired by this experience, I am currently training as a Classics teacher on a specialist PGCE course, working frequently in schools with students and exploring the best in Classics pedagogy.

(It goes without saying, but to be clear: none of this is to imply that any external organisation endorses my services.)

Why do I tutor?

Tutoring was an essential part of my early journey with Classics, allowing me to learn languages that weren’t available at school. I now do the same for others, because I know that studying these subjects can be life-changing: a genuine encounter with the ancient world and its literature is an incomparable basis for thinking and feeling about ourselves and the world we inhabit.

My tutoring also helps students do their best work in school. At Oxford, I was fortunate to experience the power of one-to-one tuition in engaging deeply with a topic and ensuring thorough, lasting understanding. It is a joy to provide the same depth of personalised learning at school level. My tutoring is carefully designed to complement the school curriculum, and go beyond it.

I started out tutoring as a volunteer, helping students catch up their Classics during the COVID pandemic. To this day, I still offer free Oxbridge preparation sessions as I’m able to students from state schools. I hope that my tutoring helps give all kinds of people the opportunity to access Classics and deepen their love for ancient languages and literature.

As well as my experience as a tutor, I was privileged to work for a year in a state secondary school, as a cover supervisor and Latin teacher, and am now training as a specialist Latin and Classics teacher. My classroom experiences past and present have deeply formed my tutoring practice. I have a lived and evidence-informed understanding of what works for students, but also know what tutoring can do that classwork may not. It is a privilege to be able to provide my tutees with expert, professional teaching.

My areas of interest

While I have experience tutoring the whole range of classical topics taught in schools, my own research interests lie with Greek literature in particular. My postgraduate thesis explored Christological metaphors of yoking in Nonnus of Panopolis’ Paraphrase of the Gospel of St John, and I have also worked on tree violation in classical literature. Other areas of interest include Greek lyric poetry, and the ideology of Classical Athens.

Safety and trust

As an education professional, the safety of the children entrusted to my tutoring is always my first priority. I have extensive training and experience in safeguarding from schools and other organisations, and I keep up to date with the latest guidance and good practice. For your peace of mind, I hold an enhanced DBS certificate for work with children and young people, which I can share on request. References from previous clients can also be arranged.

I also consider it vital to create a safe environment in my sessions, where young people can be inquisitive and expressive without fear of discrimination or harm, and in the knowledge they will be supported by a trusted adult.

I understand it isn’t always easy to know whom to trust online. That’s one reason why I always offer a face-to-face meeting via video conferencing before you book in any sessions. This is your chance to meet me personally and ask any questions, with no payments or commitment required. I encourage parents of students to join in this meeting, and of course you’re always welcome to sit in on tutoring sessions as well. I don’t communicate directly with students outside a lesson except where we’ve discussed this in advance and agreed a safe and open way of doing so — for example, copying you in on emails, or adding you to a chat.

For more information about what my procedure would be in the event that I had a safeguarding concern about a child, please consult the relevant section of my policies page.