Patrick J - Tutors - Keystone Tutors

• 13+ Latin
• GCSE Classical Greek
• GCSE Latin
• A Level Classical Greek
• A Level Latin
• Undergraduate & Graduate Classics

The majority of my teaching experience comes from my time as a language teacher for the Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford. Since October 2024, I have taught 'reading classes' to undergraduate students who have begun their study of the ancient languages at university. These classes involve guiding students through the translation and grammatical structures of foundational texts in the classical corpus (e.g. Greek tragedy, Greek historians such as Herodotus) as well as enabling them to understand their wider context and impact.

I began one-to-one tutoring in 2025, working with tutees completing their A-Levels. It has been great to work through the different exam board syllabuses with students as well as getting to discuss interesting topics outside of the curriculum with them. The scope for building on the syllabus and keeping a tutee engaged by bringing in knowledge that I have acquired during my degrees is one of the most enjoyable features of teaching in a tutoring setting.

Whilst employed by the Bryanston Greek Summer School in the summers of 2019 and 2021, I had the opportunity to lead some classes for secondary school students who were attending the summer programme to improve their Greek.

In a more specialised teaching context, in 2025, I was employed by the Oxford Intensive School of English where I taught French students who were enrolled in 'Classe Préparatoire aux Grande Écoles' the different tasks that they are required to complete in their concours.

Since January 2026, I have been teaching A-Level Latin and Classical Civilisation (both OCR) at Dr Challoner's High School for Girls in Amersham.

I am currently in the fourth year of my DPhil in Classical Languages & Literature at the University of Oxford. I grew up in South Oxfordshire and went to Abingdon school where I achieved A* grades for all ten of my GCSE subjects. During my time in the sixth form there, I acquired A* grades in both my Latin and Ancient Greek A-Levels and a D3 in my French Pre-U. Upon leaving Abingdon, I was awarded the Randolph prize for excellence in the Classics. I then read Classics at Durham University and achieved a first class degree with honours. In my final year, I was awarded the Forster prize for excellence in ancient languages. Following this, I undertook an MPhil in Classics at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Simon Goldhill. After completing my MPhil, I started my DPhil at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Professors Fiona Macintosh (Classics), Constanze Guthenke (Classics), and Paul Salkovskis (Psychology). My research is an interdisciplinary study examining the interactions between Greek tragedy and Clinical Psychology in the case of the phenomenon of Moral Injury. I have been fortunate enough to have papers published in the Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology and to be part of the publication review process for other papers. During my time at Durham, I fenced for the university, culminating in winning a BUCS gold medal, and I also fenced for the Cambridge blues during my masters.

I think that it is really important to find out a client's personal investment in their studying of a subject. It can be as simple as wanting to do well in an exam or ambitions of further study in the subject. Whatever the motivation, it is great for clients to know that their tutor appreciates their impetus for studying a subject.
At all levels of tutoring, I like to create a balance between recognising and enhancing a client's strengths and building upon their weaknesses. This tandem approach allows students to appreciate their successes and be open to areas which they can work on. Each student will have different strengths and weaknesses, and so a tailored approach is crucial to help them perform to their abilities. I hope to create a supportive environment in which clients are comfortable to ask questions, make mistakes, and appreciate their successes and progress.

I intend to complete my DPhil over the next two academic years. When the weather is warmer, I like to go surfing and generally spend time in nature. Alongside my DPhil work, I am researching potential topics for post-doctoral / early research career projects.