When I think of DHSG, I remember feeling overwhelmed and bewildered when I first arrived at the DSHG sixth form – it was a lot bigger than my previous school and everyone seemed very grown up! People were friendly though and went out of their way to settle me in. I made some incredible friends and I was inspired by my teachers. I remember the embarrassment of life drawing in the art room and having a brilliant time on a school trip to the Minack theatre. The Gregory team made English lessons the highlight of my week and Mrs Wiltshire (“Frau”) gave me the tools and self-belief to pursue a career in Modern Languages teaching.

My school memories

When I think of DHSG, I remember feeling overwhelmed and bewildered when I first arrived at the DSHG sixth form – it was a lot bigger than my previous school and everyone seemed very grown up! People were friendly though and went out of their way to settle me in. I made some incredible friends and I was inspired by my teachers. I remember the embarrassment of life drawing in the art room and having a brilliant time on a school trip to the Minack theatre. The Gregory team made English lessons the highlight of my week and Mrs Wiltshire (“Frau”) gave me the tools and self-belief to pursue a career in Modern Languages teaching.  

What did you do after DHSG?

After DSHG I studied French and German at the University of Oxford and decided to become a teacher.  I completed my PGCE and began to teach languages at The Cherwell School in Oxford. Since then I have studied part time to complete an MSc in Learning and Teaching and I also now work with Oxford University as a tutor for the PGCE in MFL. In my free time I am working on a PhD in Education, focussing on the professional development of languages teachers in the UK.

Tips and advice

To school leavers I would say “Good luck! Remember your most trusted teachers and friends will still always be there for you no matter how much you neglect them or how many new people you will meet in the coming years.”

To a prospective parent/carer I would say “This school really is a centre of opportunity – the teachers here nurtured my ambitions and developed my subject knowledge and my sense of self-confidence in order to help me achieve them”.