Polly​

Polly is experienced, highly qualified and passionate about teaching languages. She has a First Class Joint Hons degree in Italian and Spanish and a Double MA in European Studies, half of which she completed in France. She has a Primary PGCE with MFL and has lived, worked and studied in Italy, France and Spain, the latter of which she returns to regularly to visit family.

Polly has been teaching for nearly twenty years and has always had a passion for the vocation, giving piano lessons even before that, when she was a teenager. Teaching must be in her blood as both her parents were teachers, her father having taught music at a leading preparatory school in Suffolk. Polly has given private tuition to GCSE and A Level students, enabling them to achieve much higher grades than they had been predicted. She also has experience of teaching adults and is Trinity TEFL Cert qualified to teach English. In her role as Director of Studies at summer schools, she worked at prestigious establishments such as Sevenoaks School, Pangbourne College and Ardingly College.

Polly has received consistently ‘outstanding’ feedback from lesson observations, pupils and their parents. With extensive experience of teaching pupils with learning difficulties, she is able to differentiate her lessons and adapt her teaching style to the individual needs of each pupil, enabling them to achieve their very best. She strives to make her lessons engaging and is very thorough in her approach; she can explain complex linguistic structures in a comprehensible way, whilst injecting fun with her enthusiasm and sense of humour. Polly firmly believes that every child matters and aims to make the curriculum available to all people, regardless of their ability or background. She is patient, creative and an excellent communicator.

Polly is a linguist and teacher who loves learning, practising her languages at any opportunity. She is interested in current affairs and our global society but also getting to know local people and places. Polly is an avid listener of Radio Four, when she doesn’t have Spanish, Italian or French radio stations on! She enjoys keeping fit, exercising most days, going on walks in the Cambridgeshire countryside and playing cricket with her husband and son. Polly loves reading and playing the piano and values spending time with her family and socialising with friends. 

Qualifications
PGCE, BA Italian/Spanish, MA European Studies

Experience
Pinewood School, Extensive private tuition.