Rupert Barker BSc PGCE QTS
Rupert was born to teach. As the son of two teachers, he was brought up at the world renowned Radley College in Oxford and has been entrenched in education ever since. Aged 18, Rupert began his teaching journey working in the Science and Maths departments at one of Australia’s leading independent schools. He then went on to study Chemistry and Physics at university, before working at the excellent Cranford School near Oxford.
At Cranford Rupert quickly rose through the ranks to Head of Science, Director of Science, Director of Studies and finally Deputy Head. During this time he received the honour of being nominated as UK Science Teacher of the Year. In his final six years of teaching, all of his lessons were rated “Outstanding” and he improved pupils’ exam outcomes by an average of 2 grades above expected. A large proportion of his role then became managing teachers, in particular mentoring and developing new teachers in how to become masters at their craft.
At the heart of Rupert’s teaching methodology not only lies in excellent subject knowledge, but also in an inherent ability to inspire confidence in learners regardless of their current grade. He will secure the core understanding in order to link together ideas across topics, not only giving foundation pupils the ability to gain the crucial marks, but also allowing those aiming for the premier grades to access the higher level thinking skills and secure top marks.
Outside education Rupert is a former premier league hockey player and is currently Men’s 1st XI player coach at Wallingford Hockey Club and this year he is representing the South Central Over 40s in the national competition. He also enjoys spending time on the golf course, and when the weather isn’t so good, his passions lie in cooking and board games.
Rebecca Bates BSc PGCE QTS
Rebecca absolutely loves teaching and Science.
Her first teaching job was in a challenging school, where her classes achieved remarkable results. 90% of her GCSE class achieved above a grade C in their GCSE. This was the highest in the school, which was in special measures at the time and had an average of 32%.
Rebecca then moved to the prestigious independent school, St Edwards, where her students thrived and achieved impressive results in Biology A level and Science GCSE. Rebecca progressed to d’Overbroecks, a fantastic international independent school in Oxford. She taught A level Biology and supported many students to achieve A* and go on to study Biology related subjects including biomedical engineering, medicine and natural sciences. She also became an expert in teaching the IGCSE Biology course in one year to international students with English as an additional language (EAL). This is impressive as it requires excellent efficiency to cover such a large course in one year, whilst also supporting students’ language development.
She has always found herself drawn to students who are struggling, no matter their level. She was appointed Learning Development Lead at d’Overbroeck’s International School, for which she used her experience to identify students in need of additional support and coordinate this effectively. She believes in a student-based approach, where the students’ opinions are forefront in the development and application of strategies.
Alongside her classroom teaching, Rebecca has tutored privately for 15 years. As much as she loves managing a buzzy and productive classroom, her favourite way to teach is one-to-one. She is completely motivated to help individuals and enjoys adapting her explanations and resources to the student’s specific requirements.
Rebecca makes the most of living in Oxford by regularly attending lectures in this great city.
Rebecca coached rowing at Headington school, where her team won the National Championships. Three of her team went on to the youth Olympics. She also enjoys paddle boarding and is always on the lookout for interesting species around her. She has a growing collection of fossils, insects, shark eggs etc. which she uses to add interest to lessons. Rebecca is an adventurous soul, and has walked the length of New Zealand and cycled across Europe.
Emma Spreadbury BA PGCE QTS
Emma has 15 years teaching experience. She has held positions on Oxford independent school leadership teams and has recently been Head of Department at the highly regarded St Helen and St Katherine School as well as the excellent Cranford School. In these roles she has launched and developed teaching curricula designed to engage and inspire students regardless of their previous knowledge in the subjects.
Emma is a Computer Science expert with extensive knowledge of several GCSE and A-Level specifications. In addition to examination preparation, Emma also teaches Sixth Form students Coding Skills for University, Essential IT Skills such as spreadsheet development, and Computer Game Design and Development.
Emma is skilled at and passionate about raising the confidence of students where this has become a barrier to learning, and encouraging them to become independent and enthusiastic learners, all within the context of their own education journey.
Rob Tay MChem (Oxon) PGCE QTS
Rob has a masters degree in Chemistry from Oxford University and is a former physics and chemistry teacher. Rob’s outstanding subject knowledge means that he is able to explain complex ideas in accessible ways whilst also going beyond the syllabus to give learners a greater depth of knowledge that can support current and future study. He is able to help students with the core understanding, but his expertise within the field enables Rob to stretch and challenge learners to use the higher level thinking skills that are required to achieve the top grades at every level of education.
Having successfully traversed the University of Oxford entry process and excelled during his degree, Rob is perfectly positioned to help students navigate the challenges of application and also appreciate what is required to thrive at Oxbridge.
Rob has spent his entire career teaching himself new skills, which he puts down to having a strong founding in analytical thought and problem solving. He is enthusiastic about teaching those skills to other people.
Rob has also developed and performed in science shows across the country exploring the scientific method. In addition to this he is an enthusiastic potter and has a vast collection of strategy games.
Dilly Newton BSc PGCE QTS
Dilly has more than 10 years teaching experience, including many at independent schools in Oxfordshire. She also has experience in teaching international students at she has recently returned from a year teaching whilst circumnavigating the Atlantic Ocean.
She is an outstanding teacher of mathematics securing her pupils’ an impressive 2 grades above expected at GCSE. Dilly is able to form strong relationships with students rapidly and quickly builds their confidence in a subject that can feel difficult to many. Through outstanding questioning she enables her tutees to understand the purpose behind the mathematical approach required to solve a specific problem. Rather than just teacher the learner to turn the handle on the mathematical solution, Dilly gives them a far deeper understanding so that they can apply the technique to multiple problems. This serves students who struggle with maths well as it gives them an appreciation of why they are performing the mathematical method, but also enables students who are excelling to apply ideas to previously unseen questions.
Outside education Dilly is a phenomenal hockey player and was one of the youngest ever to represent Great Britain. She is also a keen adventurer who enjoys sailing, camping and paddle boarding.