Our Guests

Meet the diverse range of experts, polyglots, and innovators who have joined us to share their insights on language and communication.

Juliette Claro

Juliette Claro

Lecturer in Education - Secondary PGCE MFL

St Mary's University

Season 8

Juliette has over 20 years of experience in mainstream secondary education, specializing in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). She has held roles such as...

Creativity in language teaching
Culturally sensitive coaching and mentoring
Multilingualism in education
Dr. Elsa Petit

Dr. Elsa Petit

Senior Lecturer and Coordinator in French Language Studies

Queen Mary University of London

Season 8

Dr. Elsa Petit is a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator in French Language Studies at Queen Mary University of London. With over 30 years of experience in...

Sociolinguistics
French Language Studies
Language and Gender/Culture/Identity
Juliet Park

Juliet Park

Director of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

The Share Trust

Season 8

Juliet Park is a languages consultant, trainer and former MFL director. With a rich background in international sales and marketing, she brings an ind...

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
School Improvement
AQA Training and Examination
Dylan Viñales

Dylan Viñales

Teacher and Professional Development Provider

Garden International School

Dylan Viñales is a Spanish teacher and the head of Spanish at Garden International School in Malaysia. He is a co-creator of the Sentence Builder book...

Educational Practices
Metacognition
Teaching Languages through Music
Jane Handley

Jane Handley

Owner and Director

JLH Languages

Jane Handley is the Owner and Director of JLH Languages, specializing in language education. With over 26 years of teaching experience and a strong ba...

Language Education
Immersive Language Experiences
French and German Instruction
Marie Massé

Marie Massé

Consultant for MFL in Secondary Schools

MFL in Action Ltd

Marie Massé is a seasoned French and Spanish teacher with over 20 years of experience in education, including roles as head of languages and specialis...

MFL in Secondary Schools
Mentoring
Coaching
Amy Lennon

Amy Lennon

Language Lead

Colfe's School

Amy Lennon is a London-based primary teacher and languages lead with a background in Primary MFL. She completed a PGCE with an MFL specialism at UCL I...

Primary Education
decolonising the curriculum
decolonising languages
Isla MacEachern

Isla MacEachern

German Specialist

Isla MacEachern is an award-winning German teacher with nearly two decades of experience and a major contributor to national GCSE curriculum resources...

BBC Bitesize Resources
Updated German Resources
Revision activities
Patty Mcgee

Patty Mcgee

National Literacy Consultant

Patty McGee, LLC

Patty McGee is a National Literacy Consultant and the author of 'Not Your Granny's Grammar.' With a focus on innovative grammar instruction, she helps...

Literacy Instruction
Writing and Grammar Teaching Strategies
Professional Development for Educators
Dr. Andy Goldhawk

Dr. Andy Goldhawk

Senior Lecturer & Programme Co-lead MA Education Leadership

University of the West of England, Bristol

Dr. Andy Goldhawk is senior lecturer and co-programme lead of the MA Education Leadership at University of the West of England, Bristol. He was previo...

Pedagogy
Theories of Learning
Professional Learning for Lecturers in Higher and Further Education
Dr Liam Printer

Dr Liam Printer

Leader of Pedagogical Innovation, Spanish and English Teacher, Instructional Coach, Educational Consultant, Author, and Host of The Motivated Classroom Podcast

International School of Lausanne

Dr. Liam Printer is an experienced language educator with over 18 years in teaching, lecturing, and educational consultancy. He currently serves as a ...

Language Education
Instructional Coaching
Educational Consultancy
Megan Crean

Megan Crean

International School Teacher

Megan Crean is an experienced international educator specializing in French and Spanish, currently teaching the International Baccalaureate (IB) curri...

Vincent Everett

Vincent Everett

Head of Department, Blogger, Language Advocate

Vincent Everett is a teacher and Head of Department in a comprehensive school in Norfolk and a former member of the Executive Council of the Associati...

Language Teaching
Education
Curriculum Development
Clare Seccombe

Clare Seccombe

MFL Teacher and Consultant

Ideas Education Ltd

Clare Seccombe is a Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) teacher and consultant based in the north-east of England. She has taught in both primary and secon...

Modern Foreign Languages
Primary Education
Language Teaching Resources
Kedi Simpson

Kedi Simpson

Head of Languages and Doctoral Teaching Fellow

University of Oxford

Dr. Kedi Simpson is the Head of Languages at Princes Risborough School and a Doctoral Teaching Fellow at the University of Oxford. She holds a DPhil i...

Second Language Acquisition
Listening Comprehension
Phonics Instruction
Maud Waret

Maud Waret

MFL Teacher and Radio Chat Hostess

City of London Academy School and Teachers Talk Radio

Maud is a teacher of French, German, and Spanish at the City of London Academy School (COLA), a part of the City of London Academies Trust. She is als...

French language teaching
German language teaching
Spanish language teaching
Declan Baharini and Sarah Edgar

Declan Baharini and Sarah Edgar

Director of International Newcastle

International Newcastle

Declan Baharini is the Chief Executive Officer of International Newcastle and Sarah Edgar is an Education Consultant with Newcastle City Council (Scho...

International Relations
European Law
Cultural Exchange
Ellie Chettle Cully

Ellie Chettle Cully

French Specialist Teacher and Languages and International Dimension Lead

Hazel Community Primary School

Ellie Chettle Cully is a qualified primary teacher with a degree in French and Hispanic Studies. She currently serves as the French Specialist Teacher...

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) education
Primary school language teaching
Curriculum development in languages
Tom Sherrington

Tom Sherrington

Education Consultant and Author

Teacherhead Consulting

Tom Sherrington is an education consultant and author with over 30 years of experience as a physics and maths teacher and school leader. He has worked...

Teacher Development
School Improvement
Assessment
Hannah White

Hannah White

EAL Lead

Montpelier High School

Hannah White is a languages teacher and EAL Lead at Montpelier High School in Bristol, where she oversees provision for pupils learning English as an ...

English as an Additional Language (EAL) education
Peer tutoring programs
Educational program management
Silvia Bastow

Silvia Bastow

Head of Languages and Specialist Leader in Education for MFL

Ercall Wood Academy

Silvia Bastow is an experienced educator with over 18 years in secondary education, currently serving as Head of Languages and Specialist Leader in Ed...

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
German Language Teaching
Educational Leadership
Ryan Smith

Ryan Smith

Ex Pupil

Ryan Smith works in secondary education at Queen Katharine Academy (QKA), with over two years’ experience supporting learning across KS3 and KS4. Alon...

Language Learning
Language Teaching
Living Abroad
Jane Driver

Jane Driver

Principal

North Cambridge Academy

Jane Driver is the Principal of North Cambridge Academy, a role she assumed in September 2023. With over 20 years’ experience in education, she has he...

Educational Leadership
Modern Foreign Languages
Curriculum Development
Ben Levi

Ben Levi

Language Teacher and Podcast Host

Language Sofa Podcast

Ben Levi is the host and creator of The Language Sofa Podcast, a long-running series exploring language learning, linguistics, and education through t...

Language Teaching
Podcast Hosting
Spanish Language Education
Julia Vogado

Julia Vogado

Founder and Educator

All Abroad! Bus

Julia Vogado is the founder of the All Abroad Bus, an immersive language and culture initiative that brings real-world experiences directly into schoo...

Language Education
Cultural Immersion Programs
Youth Engagement
Mr. Jonathan Mumford

Mr. Jonathan Mumford

Professional Tutor in Education

Liverpool Hope University

Mr. Jonathan Mumford is a Professional Tutor in Education at Liverpool Hope University, specializing in Initial Teacher Education. With over 16 years ...

Initial Teacher Education
National Tutoring Programme
Educational Technology
Martin Lapworth

Martin Lapworth

Co-founder

SentenceBuilders.com

Martin Lapworth is a co-founder of SentenceBuilders.com, a platform dedicated to language teaching resources. He collaborated with Dr. Gianfranco Cont...

Language teaching resources
Interactive sentence builders
Educational technology
Carmen Santos

Carmen Santos

Subject Leader Languages

Queen Katharine Academy

Carmen Santos is the Subject Leader for Languages at Queen Katharine Academy in Peterborough, UK. She specializes in Spanish language instruction and ...

Spanish language instruction
Roma student support
Crista Hazell

Crista Hazell

Development Manager

Association for Language Learning (ALL)

Crista Hazell is the Development Manager at the Association for Language Learning (ALL), the UK's major subject association for those involved in teac...

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
Education Consulting
Classroom Language Interaction
Dr Rebecca Mitchell

Dr Rebecca Mitchell

Affiliated Lecturer

University of Cambridge

Dr. Rebecca Mitchell is an Affiliated Lecturer in the departments of French and Linguistics at the University of Cambridge. She has also taught modern...

African sociolinguistics
Language attitudes
Language endangerment
Claire Cuminatto

Claire Cuminatto

Associate Professor of French Language

University of East Anglia

Claire Cuminatto is an Associate Professor of French Language in the School of Media, Language and Communication Studies at the University of East Ang...

Second Language Acquisition
Employability in Higher Education
French Language Teaching
Steve Smith

Steve Smith

Former Head of Modern Languages, Resource Writer, Blogger, and Author

frenchteacher.net

Steve Smith taught French for over 30 years in English secondary schools, including roles at Tiffin School, Hampton School, and Ripon Grammar School. ...

French language teaching
Language acquisition
Educational resources
Darren Paffey

Darren Paffey

Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen

UK Parliament

Darren Paffey is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen since July 2024. Prior to his par...

Education policy
Sociolinguistics
Language policy
Esmeralda Salgado

Esmeralda Salgado

Head of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) and Digital Lead

Princes Risborough School

Esmeralda Salgado is an experienced language educator with over 20 years of teaching experience across various school settings, including both state a...

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) education
Digital integration in teaching
Curriculum development
John Marks

John Marks

Primary School Govenor

John W. Marks is a former company director, a parent, primary school governor, and guided reader, supporting pupils’ reading in school. A linguist, he...

School governing
parents perspective
linguist
Joe Dale

Joe Dale

Independent Languages Consultant

Self-employed

Joe Dale is an independent languages consultant from the UK with over 13 years of classroom experience. He collaborates with organizations such as the...

Technology in language learning
Language education
Teacher training
Gianfranco Conti

Gianfranco Conti

Founder and CEO

The Language Gym

Gianfranco Conti is an applied linguist with a PhD in Applied Linguistics and an MA in TEFL. With nearly 30 years of experience teaching Modern Foreig...

Applied Linguistics
Language Teaching
Metacognitive Strategies
Kate Clifton

Kate Clifton

Founder and Educator

Kate Languages

Kate Clifton, known online as Kate Languages, is a former secondary school Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) teacher who transitioned to private tutoring...

Modern Foreign Languages (French, German, Spanish)
Educational Resource Development
Teacher Professional Development
Jerome Nogues

Jerome Nogues

Founder of Poésíæ and Poésíært's

Poésíæ

Jérôme has taught languages for over 20 years. He is Head of MFL and Digital Learning in a beautiful Prep school in Shropshire. When he’s not busy wor...

Language Teaching
Digital Learning
Educational Technology
Isla McIntosh

Isla McIntosh

Isla McIntosh is a creative professional with experience in secondary education. She holds a degree in Songwriting and Music Production and currently ...

trainee teacher
previous student
Alasdair Harris

Alasdair Harris

Founder

LingoTeach AI

Alasdair Harris is founder of LingoTeach.AI, which creates 60-minute MFL lessons in 90 seconds. With a strong background in language education, Alasda...

Language Education
Educational Technology
AI in Education
Lara Callow

Lara Callow

Lara Callow is an associate tutor in alternative education who brings a firsthand perspective to the importance of student engagement and language acq...

Ex Pupil
TA
David Binns

David Binns

Director of UK Operations

Sanako

Having worked at Sanako UK for over 45 years, I’ve seen our AI enhanced MFL products work. They provide inspirational, enjoyable and effective digita...

Language Education
Educational Technology
Public Speaking