Information About Catherine - Southsea teacher -
(40 reviews)

Profile Picture

References

This is how 2 referees rated Catherine:

Reliability

Trustworthiness

Professionalism

Badges

Languages Taught

Catherine offers a discount of 50% on their first / introductory lesson!

French	Price Guide
Beginner	£30.00
Intermediate	£30.00
Advanced	£30.00
Expert	£30.00

Map Location

Personal Description:

Personal Description:
A French national, I have been living in Britain since 1989.
I qualified as a teacher in 1998 and I have worked as a teacher of French in secondary schools, in adult education and privately. I teach Spanish up to GCSE also. I studied German at school for 5 years.
I also worked as a GCSE French AQA examiner this year (2018) and a AS French AQA examiner a few years ago and as a GCSE French AQA examiner nowadays
Over the past five years, I have specialised in teaching GCSE and A-Level with all examination boards. I am continuing to adapt with the new GCSE Which require similar knowledge to previous years but is being examined in one go at the end. From a learning or teaching point of view, it still means being rigorous with the process, understanding, memorising and practising. It's all much easier with an experienced tutor.

I am friendly, kind, honest and welcoming. See below for extra feedback received this year by text or email17/05/2017 21:03.
Hello Catherine,
Emma took her French GCSE yesterday and it reminded me that I never thanked you properly for all the hard work you put in to help her. She really enjoyed her sessions with you and tells me that they didn't just help with her French but also helped her to handle exam stress!
Her sister Lucy has 3 years to go before her GCSEs so I might email you nearer the time and see if you're still tutoring!
Thank you also for translating that rather horrid letter from the bank for me. It was so reassuring to have a quick translation so that I knew what I was dealing with!
All the best and thank you once again!
Helen

Sent from my iPhone
2017/05/05 09:47
Megan 'aced' her first oral exam 4 days after seeing him as she felt so well and because of you she has a really good understanding of the literature and grammar etc. I met the oral examiner after Megan sat the AS oral section last Saturday, she was lovely and has already sent her 'predicted grade' for that section of the exam to the private exam centre we are using; they forwarded it on to us yesterday - an 'A*' - so far so good but that was the easy one - I'm not worried though as Megan is actually looking forward to the A2 oral section, she is now so comfortable with the literature and grammar etc - all thanks to you!! I'll let you know her final grade when we get it in August. Have a lovely summer!
Helen

Hi Catherine,

Hope you are well & enjoying Bank Holiday weekend.

We finally got round to writing the review. Here it is:

"Catherine has been an amazing teacher to our son.
A calm and patient teacher who knows how to make lessons fun with an approach that is very attentive to best suite our son's needs.
Catherine is a lovely person who is very passionate about her work.
My son says that "her lessons are fun and interesting".

I would highly recommend Catherine.
Andrew"

We are looking forward to seeing on Monday the 8th May.

jeu. 27/04/2017
Both my daughters have benefited hugely from Catherine, not only is she a native French lady, but she also speaks Spanish and teaches GCSE French and Spanish at a school, so knows exactly what is expected within the curriculum. Both daughters, who had no aptitude for another language, passed GCSE French with excellent grades. Simon and I are now having a lesson each week with Catherine, ready for a belated gap year!
Sorry its taken me so long! let me know if you need something else and speak to you tomorrow.
Thanks very much
Sharon Feedback given: 31/03/2017
Rating: 5/5
Comments: Thank you very much , Ms. Catherine for your lessons. Just in two weeks I have learned some grammar rules, vocabulary and how to introduce myself. I am already happy with my first results and I am looking forward for the future lessons! Valeri
Feedback given: 31/03/2017
Rating: 5/5
Comments: Although we have only had Catherine help my daughter with her French for a short while we have seen a great improvement in my daughters spoken French. Catherine has certainly enabled her to gain confidence and this has paid dividends with grade outcomes.
Nikki
Feedback given: 30/03/2017
Rating: 5/5
Comments: Very helpful teacher who is very patient and supportive. Being a French lady she is able to give information about the culture and traditions of France. Highly recommended
Martin… Feedback given: 06/12/2016
Rating: 5/5
Comments: I am very happy with Catherine, she is so easy to get along with and I am sure with time I will reach my goal of improving the french I have and be able to hold a reasonable conversation in french filling in the casual words that so far I have not mastered. It is important for me to improve on the rather bad french I have and I am sure Catherine will facilitate this. She is so calm and you do not feel intimidated making mistakes or not understanding what she is saying to you and I feel confidant that with effort and revision on my part my french will improve. Thank you Catherine for your patience and understanding. Anne.

By text:
Clare 20/08/2015: Thanks so much for the fantastic help you gaveLuke with his French. He got an A! Totally brilliant as he has always struggled with the subject. Thank you. Clare x

By text:
Ella 13/08/2015
Hi, this is Ella, I just found my A level results, and my French was a very high B!! Merci beaucoup pour votre aide. I needed a B, so I was very pleased, and Im hoping it might go up to an A with a remark. Overall, I was predicted a C and in my A2 mock I got an E (so I made rather a lot of progress!)

By text:
Libby 23/08/2015
Hi Catherine!
Yes! I got the A in French!! Yay!! And I have you to thank for so thank you so much!

By email:
Emma 18/08/2015
Emma and her French ALevel‏ - Anna

Dear Catherine,

We hope all is well with you.

I just want dot let you know that Emma has a got her A level results and she got A for French which made her accepted to Warwick University.

We are really over the moon about this and wanted to say a big thank you for you for all the help and guidance you gave to Emma. Without your expert support and encouragement this grade would have been much more difficult.

So thanks again and we hope we will hear from you in the future.
Kind regards,
Anna

Hello Catherine (04/09/2015)
Alice got a "B" GRADE in IGCSE although her mark was close to the A grade boundary so it is being re-marked. Thank you for all your help… Alice would never have achieved this without you.
Kind regards
Christine

Teaching Experience:

Tutoring Experience:
I have been teaching for 18 years to people of all ages, from zero year (my children!) to over eighty.
I have also worked in adult education for five years and privately for nine years. I am friendly and patient, I explain things in different ways as and when necessary and I am used to students learning in different ways.

Many students decide to stay with me for over a year and I also regularly get to teach some of their siblings or acquaintances, which is very encouraging and rewarding.

I have been an examiner for AQA French, AS writing exam for three years.
I have worked for a bilingual club for primary school children part-time for 2 years

Teaching Approach:

My approach consists in finding out what people already know, how they enjoy learning and what they wish to learn. It all starts from there.
Together, we work on the skills that need developing, for example, how to pronounce correctly by learning all the pronunciation tricks, how to memorise vocabulary or how to put words in the correct order. I help students to feel confident about themselves in a professional, yet relaxed and fun atmosphere.
Easy parking access in Southsea - If I travel to you, and it's not close to my home or my school I will ask you for a £10 contribution to travelling costs and time.
Qualifications:
1998: Teaching qualification from 11 to 19 years old (A-level) 1998 - Open university (PGCE)
1996: BA (Hons) French language, culture, politics and literature from a British perspective - Swansea university (Other)

Native Language: French

Tutor Resources: (free to download)

Please login or register to download tutor resources.

Native Language: French
Additional Languages: English (British), German, Spanish
Availability: Weekends / Weekdays (all times)
References Available: Yes (✔ On File)

Qualifications:

Mindfulness qualified trainer (2018) - Mindfulness 1st and 2nd part of a course (Professional) (✘ Not On File)
OFQUAL (2013) - OCR Level 3 Award (Professional) (✔ On File)
Open university (1998) - Teaching qualification from 11 to 19 years old (A-level) 1998 (PGCE) (✔ On File)
Swansea University (1995) - BA Hons (Bachelors) (✔ On File)

Catherine's Feedback

Total Amount Of Feedback:	40
Total Positive Feedback:	37 Av. 4.75/5.00
Total Other Feedback: (not shown)	3

From Guy (5/5): Catherine tutored my son for 18 months in the run up to his French GCSE. She was utterly reliable in all her arrangements. She was focused and friendly, understood exactly what areas needed concentrating on, and was a friendly and inspiring tutor. Our son's GCSE grade exceeded our expectations, thanks in large part to Catherine's excellent tuition. I recommend her unhesitatingly.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Guy! Best wishes to you all, Catherine

From Gulbin (5/5): I hired Catherine to help my son who needed help for his French. Catherine is an excellent teacher, right from the beginning she put him at ease. Her gentle approach captured my son’s attention. Her question & answer style made my son focus more and think on what he reads and how he responds. She is very patient and would wait for his answer without putting pressure on him. Overall we were very pleased with the lessons. As a parent I always appreciated her feedback at the end of every lesson on how the lesson went. Her communication with me and my son has always been impeccable. I would recommend Catherine if you need her services. Thank you Catherine.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Gulbin! Sorry I didn't reply earlier… I though I had. It's a pleasure working and communicating with you

From Abigail (5/5): My son has settled into his weekly GCSE level lessons with Catherine easily. Only 3 weeks in, but he seems more confident already.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you very much Abi I really appreciate your kind feedback

From Theagarasa (5/5): Catherine taught my sons for GCSE French. She is very helpful and explained well during lessons. Her lessons were structured to cover both writing and reading, including grammar. It helped them to obtain very good grade in French.
Theaga

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you very much for your lovely feedback Theaga. Best wishes to you all

From Oliver (5/5): Catherine is not only an excellent tutor but a very warm and hospitable person. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough!

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Oliver! It's been lovely to meeting you and working with you and see your progress in French and in your career! Congratulations by the way! And best wishes for the future

From Allison (5/5): My daughter is aged 13. She has had French lessons with another tutor online for the past year or so. She has only had 2 lessons with Catherine but said that things have 'clicked into place' within those two lessons as Catherine was very good at explaining. It's a great start and we hope for her to do her GCSE one year early.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Allison! Your daughter is a real pleasure to teach

From Arran (5/5): A native french speaker who is also a skilled teacher, kind and understanding with structured lessons.

From Louisa (5/5): Catherine is proving to be an invaluable tutor, she really listens to what our son needs and tailors the lessons accordingly. He is thoroughly enjoying the sessions and has grown in confidence and ability with his French speaking. Thank you for all you are doing.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Louisa for your kind comments and for your son to be such a great student to work with!

From Mark (5/5): Catherine is a fantastic teacher!

I am 55 years old and have never had a French lesson in my life therefore I thought I might be a challenge for her. Not so, she is so patient with and relaxed with me and as a result I have been gradually improving and gaining an understanding of the structure of the language.

She uses a variety of teaching styles to get the key learning points across and backs this up with plenty of praise and encouragement where appropriate.

She has given me confidence and belief whereby I am gradually improving my vocabulary and pronounciation and I am now able to structure some simple sentences.

I have thoroughly enjoyed our lessons. I anticipate it will be quite a while before I can speak French fluently however I am determined and motivated to do so and with Catherine's help I'm sure I will succeed.

Merci beaucoup Catherine

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much for your very kind comments Mark!:) It's a real pleasure working with you!
Catherine

From Alison (5/5): Catherine kindly took on the challenge of my daughter studying for Spanish GCSE ab initio. Although my daughter has had to discontinue for health reasons, we were both very impressed with Catherine. She made my daughter feel at ease and was very encouraging. Skype lessons worked well. I would highly recommend Catherine.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Alison. It's been a real joy working with both of you.

From Barrie (5/5): Excellent, really enjoyed the lessons. Pitched the level I was at perfectly. Expaiins the language in very easy friendly terms.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Baz! It's a real pleasure working with you

From Wendy (5/5): Looking forward to starting lessons but excellent communication prior to agreeing lessons

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you very much Wendy. I'm looking forward to meeting you for our lessons too:)

From Bill (5/5): Just the sort of teacher i have been hunting for! She's kind, patient and fun.

Reply from: Catherine: Thanks Bill, that's really kind of you to say so. It's a pleasure to work with you:)

From Valeriya (5/5): Thank you very much , Ms. Catherine for your lessons. Just in two weeks I have learned some grammar rules, vocabulary and how to introduce myself. I am already happy with my first results and I am looking forward for the future lessons!

Reply from: Catherine: It's always a pleasure to see you and to work with you Valeri:) Besides, you are very motivated, hard working, relaxed and positive: all the right attitude to learn quickly and accurately.
Thank you for your kind comments:)

From Nicki (5/5): Although we have only had Catherine help my daughter with her French for a short while we have seen a great improvement in my daughters spoken French. Catherine has certainly enabled her to gain confidence and this has paid dividends with grade outcomes.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you very much Nicky. You are a delightful family to work with.

From Helen (5/5): Really excellent! We live in France and my daughter is bilingual so we didn't really need Catherine for help with oral fluency. What she has been brilliant at is giving Megan a real understanding and insight into the syllabus literature - and it isn't easy to make Moliere appealing to an 18yr old - she has also helped to make Megan more familiar with the use of written complex grammar and encourages the use of a higher level vocabulary. Learning the skills to answer the exam questions in a way the examiners want is as important as being fluent and writing well, we are hoping that Megan will perform well in her A Levels this year and we know much of her success will be due to Catherine's excellent tutoring.

Reply from: Catherine: Wow! thank you so much Helen. These comments are so helpful to me. It's a joy working with your daughter.
Thank you

From Martin (5/5): Very helpful teacher who is very patient and supportive. Being a French lady she is able to give information about the culture and traditions of France. Highly recommended
Martin

Reply from: Catherine: Many thanks Martin. It's been a pleasure meeting you and helping you to improve on your French.

From Anne (5/5): I am very happy with Catherine, she is so easy to get along with and I am sure with time I will reach my goal of improving the french I have and be able to hold a reasonable conversation in french filling in the casual words that so far I have not mastered. It is important for me to improve on the rather bad french I have and I am sure Catherine will facilitate this. She is so calm and you do not feel intimidated making mistakes or not understanding what she is saying to you and I feel confidant that with effort and revision on my part my french will improve. Thank you Catherine for your patience and understanding. Anne.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Anne, you are very welcome. Thank you for being my student:)
Catherine

From John (5/5): Abigail achieved GCSE A* French and A in Spanish. Thank you so much Catherine, for all your hard work and excellent teaching!

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much both and all the very best for the future you lovely people:) xx

From Marley (5/5): Lovely woman - looking forward to spending some time with her but so far we have both been very busy and so only one session has taken place. She is warm, funny and very engaging - makes one feel very relaxed immediately. A great communicator.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Marley and I return all the compliments to you because I thought exactly the same about you! I'm looking forward to seeing you again

From Robin (5/5): Excellent tutor, very happy with the classes.

From Rob (5/5): Fantastic teacher,really learned a lot,she also emailed my teacher with my permission to know where my french needed more work,really pleased will use again in february/april holidays.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Rob, you have been a lovely student and you have put all the effort and concentration needed to make great progress. All the best for this half term and good luck for your mocks

From Guy (5/5): First class, very friendly native speaker with a natural rapport with her students.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Guy for your generous and kind comments. you and your daughter are are pleasure to work with:)

From Angela (5/5): Catherine has been an amazing teacher with her approach to a very shy 15 year old who had no confidence to speak in French. Catherine was able to get my daughter from a possible C-B to an A. I can begin to tell you how much this has improved her confidence and a whole new approach to her A Levels. Well done Catherine

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Angela. It was great to work with your hard working daughter and you are very supportive which helped a lot also. Congratulations to your daughter for her "A"!

From Andrew (4/5): My son has just 4 lessons with Catherine, so it is impossible to give any kind of proper feedback. So far he is very happy with the way she conducts the lessons. He says her lessons are interesting and entertaining and his general understanding of French improved.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Andrew! Your son has a great attitude to learning and is a joy to work with:)

From Jenny (5/5): I cannot praise and recommend Catherine enough as a tutor. She is such a good tutor and made my A-Level syllabus seem a lot less daunting! Due to the fact that she's french, she was able to correct my accent so that my oral presentations hit the top marks, and she also was able to pick up subtle grammatical errors which an English french teacher would not be able to correct. Thanks to Catherine, I got grade A at A-Level as she was able to give a greater insight into the requirements of the exam and in depth knowledge about the serious A-Level topics which come up in the syllabus, allowing me to use a more sophisticated approach in my exam. Her teaching techniques are great and I can't thank her enough, especially for all of the print outs about La Haine… (A film which I will not be forgetting anytime soon)! Thank you again Catherine!

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Jenny! and congratulations for your "A" at A-level. You worked very hard and deserve it 100%. You have been a wonderful student to work with. Best wishes for the future:)

From Karen (5/5): very helpful, has made understanding French so much easier

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Karen

From Alice (5/5): Catherine is very familiar with the syllabus for IGSE French and is very thorough with her approach. I would thoroughly recommend her . She is a delightful person who relates well to teenagers.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Alice and Alice's mum for your generous and kind comments. It's a pleasure to work with kind , considerate and hard working Alice

From Ella (5/5): Catherine is an excellent tutor, making our tutorials fun and interesting, and I always look forward to them eagerly. After just a few sessions I now have a much better grasp of grammar and my vocabulary is expanding. My confidence in speaking is growing each session.
I would heartily recommend Catherine to anyone who wishes to improve their French.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much for your generous feedback Ella. It's always a real pleasure to work with you, and even more because your attitude to learning is so right. Thank you for being my student.

From Beth (5/5): Catherine is teaching my two girls Spanish. She is very friendly, and put them at their ease immediately at the first lesson. She goes at their pace whilst encouraging them to do more and they look forward to the lesson every week. Very happy with their progress and they really enjoy the lesson and seeing Catherine each week.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Beth! Your daughters are a joy to teach as they behave in such a polite and studious way. I'm looking forward to continuing working with them both.

From Darren (5/5): I have only had one lesson so far but I found Catherine to be polite, friendly and sensitive to my learning needs. I feel confident that she will be able to improve my French further and am looking forward to our next lesson.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much for your generous feedback Darren. I'll endeavour to deserve it fully. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to
continue working with you until you meet your objective.

From Peter (5/5): As a Spanish student wanting to develop further the English I had learned at school, Catherine provided an excellent intensive English course specifically designed to meet my needs. It was clear from the beginning that Catherine is passionate about her work and determined to give students all the help she can in a structured and tailored way.
I highly recommend her.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you very much Peter and Belen for your kind comments.
It was a real pleasure working with Belen who is a very friendly and extremely talented student.

From Jane (5/5): Catherine taught my daughter for an intensive period in the Easter break before her GCSE’s. Her whole approach was wonderful, she listened to the concerns my daughter had and gave her particular attention to those areas to build up confidence while considering the entire course and making sure sound general revision was carried out. I would thoroughly recommend her as a friendly, kind and inspiring teacher who executes her trade with compassion and skill. As a native of France she not only knows the language but can teach – what more could you ask for?

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Jane for for your generous and kind comments. I have really enjoyed working with your lovely daughter who is a dream student. I wish you and your family all the best and especially good luck to your daughter with all of her exams

From Diana (5/5): I approached Catherine for help in improving my conversational French. She is friendly, organised and approachable. I have no doubt that she will make me fluent and I wholeheartedly recommend her.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you very much Diana for your kind comments. It is a real pleasure working with you.

From Lucy (5/5): Have only had one session but been very impressed so far.

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you Lucy. I am looking forward to continuing working with you.

From Michael (5/5): We have had a few lessons with Catherine, she has a great teaching style and takes us at our own pace. Highly recommended

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you very much Michael and B. You are great students to work with also :)

From Penelope (5/5): Catherine was a super teacher for my daughters who are studying French and Italian IGCSE. They really liked her and I thought she really tried to get the best out of them. Only wish I had found her earlier!

Reply from: Catherine: Thank you so much Penelope! You and your family have been lovely to work for:) Best of luck with all the exams and the future

Tags: Southsea French teacher, Southsea Beginner French teacher, Southsea Intermediate French teacher, Southsea Advanced French teacher, Southsea Expert French teacher