Teachers for the University Pathways courses

We are proud of the depth, range and expertise of all of our academic staff who teach and support our adult students.They will work hard to help you to unlock your potential and help you to achieve your goals for whatever you want to do in your future. Many of our staff are examiners in their field; many teach at the University of Oxford, Brookes University in Oxford as well as other universities in London.

Anna Castriota

Anna is Italian and came to Oxford in 1994 following her Italian doctoral degree in Philosophy (Summa Cum Laude) and her Research Fellowship at Pembroke College, Oxford. She immediately fell in love with Britain and Oxford and decided to settle here. In 2001, Anna took the decision to undertake a Masters in History of Fascism at Oxford Brookes University with a dissertation on post-fascism in Italy. In 2003, she began her adventure as Politics and Philosophy tutor at some tutorial colleges in Oxford. In 2006, she became member of the academic staff of St Clare’s, as a Politics instructor. Since then, her academic interests have focused mainly on the study of the far right and ideological radicalism as her several publications can testify. Since 2014, Anna has become involved in academic projects like the Radicalism Forum at the University of Northampton where she is concluding her second PhD (Politics) with a thesis on fascist mysticism and neo-fascist terrorism. Since 2014, Anna has been collaborating with the Riga Holocaust Studies Centre and the European Centre for Democracy as political analyst and researcher by monitoring the rise of ultra -nationalism, xenophobia and far-right in Europe. In 2015, Anna became secretary and member of the editorial board of the philosophical society British Personalist Forum on behalf of which in June 2016, she co-organised a conference on the theme of Persons and Personalism at York St John University.

David Chaplin

David Chaplin teaches Theory of Knowledge on the IB, and Photography on our senior courses. He has been working at St Clare’s in various capacities since 1999, becoming a member of the TOK team in 2001. He has attended many workshops and training sessions since then, and helps to run the TOK module for our IB summer school. In addition to this he delivers our popular ‘TOK tours’ of Oxford, and is a regular contributor to the Senior Seminar lecture series. In 2015 he began working as a Personal Tutor, and also works in the library where he recently set up an educational e-video platform for staff and students.
He was awarded his first degree by the University of Wales in the Humanities, and has also studied Art and Design. He has a certificate in teaching basic literacy and numeracy to adults with learning difficulties, which was inspired by his work prior to St Clare’s in the mental health division of the NHS. His main interests are photography and philosophy, and he is hoping to return to postgraduate study in the near future. He has exhibited photographs in Oxford and has taken many of the pictures on this website.

Denise Hopgood

Denise Hopgood has been teaching EFL for almost ten years, including six years’ experience in Barcelona, Spain. She has taught a range of courses since starting at St. Clare’s in 2014 including, Summer English for teenagers, the University Foundation Course, English plus Academic Subjects and Teacher Training. With a first degree in Economics and Politics from the University of Bath, Denise brings with her experience from a previous career in Central Government including a policy role at Her Majesty’s Treasury and project management roles in two of the UK’s economic regulators. Denise holds a PGCE in International Education from the University of Nottingham and has completed the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA English language teaching qualifications. Denise is currently teaching and developing materials for St. Clare’s new Leadership Course. In her free time, you can find Denise travelling and spending as much time as possible with her young daughter.

Edward Clarke

Edward Clarke has taught English literature and art history on the Liberal Arts Study Abroad program at St Clare’s since 2008. He also teaches English literature and creative writing at the Department for Continuing Education, Oxford University, as well as tutoring at various Oxford colleges. He has an MA (Oxon) in English Language and Literature and was awarded a PhD by Trinity College, Dublin, for his work on the American poet, Wallace Stevens, in relation to Shakespeare, Milton, and various Romantic poets. His latest book, The Vagabond Spirit of Poetry, published in 2014, makes claims for the efficacy of poetry in our industrialized world, where we are presented with environmental, political and economic challenges. The Later Affluence ofW.B. Yeats and Wallace Stevens was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2012. He is currently embarked on a cycle of poems in response to his experience of reading the Psalter through once every month according to Cranmer’s divisions in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer.

Fiona Cornell

Fiona is a teacher of English and has taught at St Clare’s since 2016. She has been teaching English for seven years and is CELTA qualified. Before that, she worked in publishing and educational marketing; writing and editing for a food magazine, project managing the editorial of text books and marketing the Oxford and Cambridge exam board to schools. She has graduated with a BA Hons in English Literature and has a post graduate diploma in publishing. She grew up in Oxford, but has travelled a lot, and has lived in Sydney and in London. After she got married, she came back to Oxford with her husband, and now has two teenage boys and Amber, the dog.

Francesca Shakespeare

Francesca Shakespeare is a practising artist and Art teacher. She has worked part time for St Clare’s for nearly a decade and teaches on the Pre IB program, the senior courses and the summer schools. Francesca did a Fine Art and Italian degree at Exeter University, living and working in Italy before and during her course. Before moving to Oxford over twenty years ago, she ran a mural and decorative Art business in London with a studio in Notting Hill and commissions all around the country. She then started painting and teaching and exhibits both locally and further afield.

Francesca is an active member of the local art community. She co-ordinates Summertown Artweeks (part of the big Oxfordshire Art Festival) and is a founding committee member of Young Art Oxford, a county-wide children’s art competition that exhibits at The Ashmolean Museum. She also works regularly with the Ashmolean’s education department to create interactive artworks for the galleries.

As an illustrator, she has produced the decorative map of St Clare’s as well as ones of the River Thames and Cherwell. Francesca is married with three children in their twenties.
Website: www.francescashakespeare.com

Geoff Taylor

Geoff Taylor teaches English as a foreign language (EFL). He has a BA (Hons) in Fine Arts from StMartin’s School of Art, London, an MEd (English language teaching and educational technology) from the University of Manchester and the RSA Diploma (TEFLA). After almost10 years teaching abroad, mainly at International House affiliated schools, on three different continents, he returned to Oxford and has taught at the 18 Bardwell Road site since 1992. He was lead writer of“Keep Going 2”, a text book for the German-speaking market, and more recently published “Sounds IELTS”, an interactive pronunciation tutorial app. He has presented at the IATEFL annual conference and, over the years, led many teacher development seminars. For a number of years, he served as IATEFL Computer SIG webmaster and then as International Baccalaureate Schools and Colleges Association (IBSCA) webmaster. Hehas worked as CALL Co-ordinator, Senior Teacher, ADOS, Summer School DOS, and freelance asan Apple Demonstrator and technology consultant. He is site contact person for the University and College Union (UCU), Secretary of his Labour Party branch, and an active campaigner for a fairer more tolerant Britain

Helen Forey

Helen Forey has been the Careers and Higher Education Adviser at St Clare’s International College since 2015, supporting students in all aspects of application to university (outside the USA), careers and job search, assessment centres and interviews. She loves helping students to prepare to navigate the changing world of work and develop lifelong career learning skills. Helen studied modern languages at the Universities of Cardiff, Passau and Reims and became a member of the Institute of Linguists in 2003. After a brief stint teaching English in France and working in curriculum development for the IB, she was able to combine her love of classical music, languages, photography and design in her dream roles over the following decade at Decca Records, EMI Classics and a media agency where she managed a team of young product managers working on DVD production for international opera houses. The death of the CD, a growing interest in education and young people’s entry into working life and an eventual welcome move to Oxford led Helen to a change of career and a Postgraduate Diploma in Career Development and Coaching Studies at the University of Warwick. She has a particular professional interest in international education and social justice and is a member of the Career Development Institute. In her free time she is the chair of a local primary school’s governing body, plays the tenor horn with a traditional British brass band and spends most Sunday mornings on a wet touchline cheering on her goalkeeping son.

Jadwiga Wanelik

Jadwiga studied Literature and French at Jagiellonian University in Kraków and at Sorbonne IV in Paris. In 1986 she was awarded a Master’s degree in Romance Philology from Jagiellonian University, which included a Polish equivalent of PGCE. Between 1986 and 1989 she taught French at the French Institute in Kraków, after which she moved to Oxford. During her first three years in England she worked for Oxfam as a part-time translator, translating monthly bulletins from English into French. Jadwiga has been working at St Clare’s since 1993, teaching both Polish and French. She has also been working as a residential warden, duty manager and library assistant.
Jadwiga loves literature, films, art and has a keen interest in Japanese literature and culture. She also very much enjoys her voluntary work for Mind, the mental health charity.

Jeanne Marie Ryan

Jeanne Marie Ryan is an instructor of Comparative and International Education, having started at St. Clare’s in 2017. She is currently in the final year of her DPhil in Education at the University of Oxford, in which she is conducting a comparison of international and national literacy assessments. As well as working towards her DPhil, Jeanne Marie holds a BA in Classical Languages from Bryn Mawr College, an MPhil in Classical Philology and General Linguistics and an MSc in Comparative and International Education, both from the University of Oxford. In 2017, she received an Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Previously, she has also taught Latin and Spanish at the secondary level in the United States before moving to Oxford. Her hobbies include rowing at Oxford, performing classical piano for events at St Edmund Hall and elsewhere, and volunteering for mental health and women’s support charities.

Jing Ping Fan

Jing is a teacher of Chinese who joined St Clare’s in 2003. She currently teaches Chinese A: Literature, Chinese B, Mandarin ab initio and Pre-IB World Literature. She is also a personal tutor and has worked as an IB examiner.
Trained as a teacher, Jing graduated from Central China Normal University with a BA in English Language and Literature, and she then did a postgraduate certificate in Comparative Literature in Wuhan, China. She also holds a PhD in Education and PGCE in Language Teaching from Goldsmith’s College, London. During her PGCE work placement, Jing spent one academic term at the prestigious Eton College, where she had an interesting and memorable experience. Before moving to the UK, she worked as a university lecturer, teaching English as well as Chinese to undergraduate students.
In her spare time, Jing enjoys yoga, swimming and playing the piano. She also enjoys travelling with her family, exploring exotic places and authentic foods.

John Baron

John Baron is a teacher of English. He has been teaching for over ten years and started at St. Clare’s in 2015 where he has already taught on every English-related course in the college as well as leading teacher development sessions.He has taught at a number of schools in this country as well as in Ireland and Italy. He has a Law degree from the University of Sheffield where he later also taught on the Foundation course. John is originally from Manchester and has spent the last ten years reminding people that there are two football teams in Manchester (he supports Manchester City). Before becoming a teacher he worked in the public transport sector and later for a major oil company.In his younger days, he played Cricket and Lacrosse but now prefers slightly less athletic pursuits in his spare time, particularly amateur dramatics. He is currently rehearsing for a production of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost to be performed in Trinity College gardens in the summer following on from a very successful run of Twelfth Night last year.

Julia Gutierrez

Julia has been teaching EFL for over 16 years, working in schools in Uganda, Australia, China and Austria, as well as the UK. She currently teaches on the University Foundation Course and teacher training programmes at St Clare’s. At the beginning of her career, Julia worked as a volunteer in rural Uganda where she taught pupils from underprivileged backgrounds. She later went on to become Head of Foreign Teachers at the renowned Sun Yat Sen Memorial Middle School in China, where her responsibilities included designing and administering bespoke teacher training sessions. She gained her Trinity Diploma in 2006 and became a Trinity approved Teacher Trainer in 2012. Furthermore, she has held positions as EFL Programme Co-ordinator andAcademic Manager at busy and prestigious schools. She has been an author and editor for the ELT Division of Oxford University Press since 2012. During this time, her work has included writing for their online testing system and the recent ‘Navigate’ course book, as well as preparing CEFR mapping documents for publications such as ‘New Headway’. Julia loves travelling to new countries to learn about their culture and language. She also has a keen appreciation of the beauty of nature and enjoys spending time outdoors.

Karen Heath

Karen Patricia Heath is a historian and she has been with St. Clare’s since 2012. She has taught for the University of Oxford and for Queen Mary, University of London. Her research specialism is 20th Century US history, whilst her teaching interests extend to 20th Century Europe and Britain, all with a focus on politics, policy, culture, and the arts. Before coming to Oxford, Karen worked in the fine arts world and in the museum sector, and also spent time in local government and lobbying in Westminster. She has a 1st class BA (Hons) in Modern History from London Guildhall University, an MPhil in Historical Studies from the University of Cambridge, and a DPhil in Modern History from the University of Oxford. Karen has written journal articles on the origins of the National Endowment for the Artsand on US federal architectural policy.Other publications include chapters on conservative artists in the US in the 1950s and on the Broadway theatre producer Roger L. Stevens. Karen is currently writing her first monograph, provisionally entitled Conservatives and the Politics of Federal Arts Funding, from the Great Society to the Culture Wars.In her free time, she enjoys visiting art exhibitions and collecting contemporary ceramics.

Kay Alty

Kay Alty is a marketing professional with over 30 years’ corporate experience in Publishing, IT and Marketing Services. She has been teaching Marketing courses on the Liberal Arts programme since 2008 and joined the University Foundation Course as Business Studies teacher in 2012. She advocates applying business theory to actual business case studies and creative assignments and encourages interactive learning. From 1996 to 2015 Kay was founder and MD of Data Print & Mail Ltd, a marketing services agency specialising in consultancy; database management; telemarketing and desk research; event management and CRM. Prior to setting up in business Kay was Client Services Director at ABC Promotional Services and Special Projects Manager at Pergamon Press. She graduated in 1982 from the École Supérieure de Commerce, Reims (linked then to Middlesex Polytechnic) with the Diplôme des Etudes Européennes de Management and BA (Hons) European Business Administration. Kay is a volunteerRiding for the Disabled Association Coach, teaching riders with physical or learning disabilities at New Yatt Riding for the Disabled Group where she is also a Trustee.

Keith Hopper

Keith Hopper teaches Literature and Film Studies for St Clare’s International College and for Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education. He also works as a residential warden at St Clare’s, where he looks after IB students. Keith has a BA and MA from the National University of Ireland (Galway), and an MSt and DPhil in English Literature from the University of Oxford.

Keith is the author of Flann O’Brien: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Post-modernist (revised edition, 2009); general editor of the twelve-volume Ireland into Film series (2001-2007); and co-editor of Flann O’Brien: Centenary Essays (2011) and The Short Fiction of Flann O’Brien (2013). Recent work includes co-editing a series of four books by and about the Irish writer Dermot Healy, which were published in 2016. He is a regular contributor to the Times Literary Supplement, and is currently completing a book on the writer and filmmaker Neil Jordan. His hobbies and interests include walking in the countryside, practising Tai Chi, and arguing about movies.

Kumari Vandana Singh

Kumari Vandana Singh (Vandie) is an academic instructor with over eight years’ experience. She teaches UFC Economics at St. Clare’s and has worked with other colleges in Oxford teaching Economics, Business, Management Studies and Sociology. Prior to teaching, Vandie has worked with multinational companies such as Dell on various telecommunication projects such as BT, Bell Canada, AT&T. She holds an MBA in Human Resources and Marketing, BA (Honours) in Political Science, Certificate in Journalism, Diploma in Translation. She achieved top position in the North zone (India) during her BA degree and received a scholarship to pursue her Master’s degree. She has successfully completed the Foundations of Teaching for Learning awarded by Cambridge University. Vandie has delivered guest lectures to group of teachers from Nigeria on Time and Stress Management, and is working on a proposal to pursue doctoral research in Human Resources and Technology. Vandie’s hobbies are creative writing and painting and she is planning to exhibit her paintings to raise funds for an international animal charity.

Lawrie Coupland

Lawrie Coupland is part of the Senior Management team at St Clare’s and currently Director of the International College. With an MA from Cambridge and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Oxford, he has been in education all his working life. He began as a classroom teacher and has happy memories of teaching the full age-range in three comprehensive schools over the next 14 years. Then came his dream job – Education Officer at the World Heritage site, Avebury Stone Circle – although this lasted only a year! Lawrie’s next move was to the British Council in Venezuela, with his family, for a couple of years before returning to the UK. He came back to set up an international language college in Cambridge for adults before moving to the company Head Office. He finally took responsibility for managing their summer schools and chain of year-round colleges in London, Cambridge, Oxford, Paris, Madrid, Sydney, and Boston. His move to St Clare’s in 2005 was a welcome return to a college where everyone, staff and students, is known as an individual. In his spare time, Lawrie enjoys meeting people, visiting galleries and heritage sites, cycling, and adapting to the challenges of the modern world!

Megan Loumagne

Megan Loumagne teaches Religion and Philosophy at St. Clare’s and is a DPhil (PhD) student in Theology and Religion, a Clarendon scholar, and a SCIO (Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford) scholar in Science and Religion at Christ Church, University of Oxford. Before coming to Oxford, Megan studied education, Scripture, and English Literature at Biola University in California for her undergraduate years, and was a member of the Torrey Honors Institute. After graduating from Biola, Megan attained a teaching credential in California and taught high school English and Theology for five years. In 2012, Megan moved to Boston in order to complete a Masters of Divinity at Boston College as a Baker-Arrupe Fellow at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Megan’s current work on her doctoral thesis examines the intersection of theologies of sin and the evolution of sexual difference. Besides studying, Megan enjoys travelling, hiking, and striving to become her nephew’s favourite family member.

Paul Sinclair

Paul Sinclair is the Director of Studies for the Academic Programmes at the International College and enjoys both working with our university partners in the USA and advising students who apply to American Universities, a role he has fulfilled since 2007. He studied Medieval History at the University of St Andrews and also completed a year of study abroad at Queen’s University, Canada, and an MA in History at the University of Washington in Seattle before moving to Oxford to research thirteenth century England on a British Academic Scholarship at St John’s College, especially kingship, knighthood and the reign of King Henry III. Paul teaches Liberal Arts courses on history and art history and gives seminars on a range of medieval topics, J.R.R. Tolkien and Victorian medievalism; he is currently researching the utopian writings of William Morris. In his spare time, he likes to explore eighteenth century English landscape gardens and listen to 1960s American soul music – although rarely at the same time. He is also a residential warden at St. Clare’s and lives on site with his wife and young son.

Richard Walton

Richard Walton has been the Director of Studies for English Language Courses at St Clare’s since 1996. He previously worked in both the private and state (Higher Education) sectors in Italy (Verona, Trento, Riva del Garda, Bologna), Spain (Lugo, Córdoba) and the UK (Bristol, Worthing) as an English language teacher, teacher-trainer, oral examiner for the Cambridge exams and course book writer. Richard has a degree in Spanish and French from the University of Exeter and a PGCE in TES/FL from Bangor University. He has written seven commercially published ELT books including Correction (LTP), Initiative (CUP), and two Cambridge exams grammar practice books (both Longman). His most recent books Think Englishand Venture (both OUP) are aimed at the Italian secondary school market. He also creates content for St Clare’s courses, for example the new Leadership Course and bespoke teacher training courses. Richard will be attending this year’s IATEFL Conference to gauge developments in Content and Language Integrated Learning and English Medium Instruction. He lives in Oxford with his Italian wife and, in challenging times for millennials, their two grown-up sons. Outside work, he enjoys attempting to keep fit, appreciating good art, films and wine, and travelling to culturally interesting places.

Victoria Staveley

Victoria Staveley works at St Clare’s in various capacities. In addition to teaching Theory of Knowledge, she is a residential warden, a duty manager, and the Academic Office manager. She also teaches Liberal Arts courses in Renaissance Studies, European Crime Fiction, and Jane Austen. She studied English and French at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada before coming to do postgraduate research at St. John’s College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada doctoral fellow. She lives on site with her husband and small son (and many, many tiny pieces of Lego).

William Powlett Smith

William has been an accounting, corporate finance and investments Instructor at St Clare’s since 2009. This followed retirement from EY LLP after 25 years as a partner where he led the firm’s Anglo-German business practice and subsequently the health sciences team. He established EY’s Corporate Advisory Service in the Thames Valley. He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and an Associate of the Institute of Taxation. Since retiring from EY, William held two private company non-executive appointments. He served as Chair of Cecily’s Fund, which helps educate orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. He is a founding trustee of Charity Mentors Oxfordshire, offering strategy mentoring for non-profit organisations. He is Chair of Northern House School Academy Trust, which manages a group of schools for children with special needs, and Deputy Chair of Prior’s Court Foundation, a residential school for severely autistic young people. William lives in Oxford with his wife, Fiona. Family hobbies are gardening, walking and opera. William is also a keen fly fisherman, plays inconsistent tennis and runs the odd half marathon. Since retiring from EY he has bred two litters of labrador retrievers and learned to play the bagpipes.