The Classics Classroom
Classics Tutoring and Resources
Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation
Common Entrance, Scholarship, GCSE, A Level and Oxbridge
Online, or in person near Sherborne.
28 years in the classroom
I have taught Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation at three prestigious independent schools in England: The King’s School, Canterbury, King’s Ely and, most recently, Sherborne School.
18 years as Head of Classics
I have been Head of Classics for 15 years at Sherborne School, during which time examination results have been consistently strong and an encouraging number have gained places to study Classics at top universities, including Oxbridge; and for 3 years at King’s Ely, where I successfully rebuilt and expanded the department, increasing pupil numbers and raising its profile within the school.
Trained to teach
I hold a 2:1 in Classics from Exeter University and a PGCE from King’s College London. I am an experienced teacher and Head of Department, and know the OCR specifications line by line. Throughout my career I have taught Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation from Year 7 through to A Level and Oxbridge preparation, including for the Classics Admissions Test and Oxbridge interviews.
An experienced Classics teacher and tutor
I have spent twenty-eight years teaching Classics in schools, the last fifteen as Head of Classics at Sherborne School. In that time I have taken several hundred pupils through GCSE and A Level and written the courses they were taught from, stretching the most able and supporting those who find it hard.
That is the difference between knowing a subject and knowing how it is examined. Within a lesson or two I can quickly tell where a student is, what they need help with, where they can be stretched, and whether they are stuck on grammar, on vocabulary, or simply on confidence. Most importantly, I tailor my teaching to their needs.
Most recently I taught a sixth-former whose school did not offer Latin A Level. On four hours a week we covered the syllabus and beyond, and he finished with an A grade and a place to read Classics at Cambridge.
haec studia adulescentiam alunt, senectutem oblectant, secundas res ornant, adversis perfugium ac solacium praebent, delectant domi, non impediunt foris, pernoctant nobiscum, peregrinantur, rusticantur.
These studies nourish youth, delight old age, adorn success, and offer refuge and comfort in hardship; they are a pleasure at home, no hindrance abroad, and stay with us through the night, when travelling, and in the countryside.
A tutor of all three classical subjects, Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation, at any level
Whether you would like help with Latin grammar, your Greek set text, or the foundation stories of Athens or Rome, I can help you; the first lesson begins where you actually are.
Classics for adults
Not everyone who wants to read Homer is sitting an exam. I teach adults too, individually or in small groups, and put together short courses before a trip abroad.
- Lessons Beginners’ Latin or Greek, or a text you have always meant to read properly. On your own or with a few friends.
- Before you travel Classical Athens before a week in Greece; Pompeii before the Bay of Naples. One session or a short series.
A pupil who can translate the sentence but cannot yet see why it is worth translating has done only half the work.
The theatre at Epidaurus.
Resources
Revision guides, practice exam-style questions, topic tests, and games and starter activities — the same or similar materials I write for my own classes, that you can put in front of a pupil today. PDFs to download and print.
What pupils and parents say
Start with a conversation
Tell me the subject, the level, what you enjoy and what you find difficult. The first twenty minutes are free, and there is nothing to sign.