MORE ABOUT ME ...
I was all set to become an academic, before coming to the rather inconvenient realisation that I didn't really enjoy the process of research. By this stage I was already half way through a PhD, which I completed, and had also agreed to publish two academic volumes, which I finished during my first year of teaching. These are published under my maiden name of Emma C Clarke and are highly recommended if you suffer from insomnia!
One of the few things that I did enjoy during my research was the time I spent teaching Latin to Undergraduates. I therefore signed up for teacher training and have never regretted my change of career.
As someone who is passionate about the teaching of Latin, I have devoted my full-time career to increasing the numbers of students studying this valuable subject in the state sector. I spent 9 years working at The Latymer School, a state grammar school in North London, where I recruited so successfully that numbers studying the subject reached record levels; on my departure I left a legacy of 26 students signed up for A Level Latin in Year 12.
In 2008 I moved to Horsell with my husband and took over sole responsibility for the teaching of Latin at Woking High School, an 11-16 comprehensive. There I have increased numbers dramatically from a tiny handful of students to a thriving and viable department. My current record in terms of numbers stands at 36 students sitting GCSE Latin in 2015, but I still hope to beat it one day.
RECENT RESULTS:
My school classes (average class size = 25 students):
2019: 100% Grade 9-4; 12% Grade 9; 32% Grade 8.
2018: 100% Grade 9-4; 20% Grade 9; 35% Grade 8.
2017: 100% Grade A*-C; 63% Grade A*- A.
2016: 100% Grade A*-C; 63% Grade A*- A.
2015: 100% Grade A*-C; 73% Grade A*- A.
Private tutoring: 2019:
Independent GCSE candidate: Grade 6.
CE Level 3: one candidate: Grade A.
CE Level 2: one candidate Grade A*, one candidate Grade A, one candidate Grade B.
CE Level 1: one candidate Grade A*, one candidate Grade A.
Scholarship: three candidates.
Private tutoring: 2018:
Independent GCSE candidate: Grade 7.
CE Level 2: one candidate Grade A*, one candidate Grade A.
TAILORED TO YOU OR YOUR CHILD ...
Many students struggle with Latin; at times, the subject can seem simply overwhelming. I offer a supportive and friendly working relationship that will provide just what you or your child needs to improve; whether a student is swamped in the quagmire of rote learning, struggling with some of the trickiest grammar concepts or simply demotivated and disillusioned with it all, I can help.
In the first session I will assess the situation and explore the best ways to provide support and challenge. If appropriate, I can also share resources and make further suggestions for study at home.
Everyone is different, and the real joy of private tutoring is the opportunity for you or your child to benefit from truly individualised support and encouragement. In terms of the impact that this can have on someone's performance, private tutoring is hard to beat.
Latinists at the Prom 2016
Summary of Relevant Qualifications & Experience:
As a Private Tutor I have recently helped many students to succeed at CE/Scholarship level for entry into schools such as Charterhouse, Eton, Halliford, Reed's and RGS. I have also tutored students from Winston Churchill, a local comprehensive where students tackle Latin GCSE on a very limited timetable. In addition to this experience I have:
- Worked as a small-group tutor at Royal Holloway, University of London and the JACT Latin Summer School.
- Worked as a professional marker for the literature components of A level Latin (OCR) and for the entrance examinations to my previous school (a highly selective grammar-school).
- Fully qualified as a teacher (PGCE Classics, St. John's College, Cambridge), with 19 years' teaching experience in the state sector: The Latymer School in North London and now Woking High School in Surrey.
- A 1st class Honours degree, MA Distinction and PhD in Classics from Royal Holloway, University of London.
As a teacher in a local school, I of course have an enhanced DBS (formerly CRB) check held by my current employer.
