Karen has worked for EMAS since 2006 and has been the team’s Manager and Lead Adviser for the past five years. An English Language and Literature graduate, she has taught in both junior and secondary schools in Portsmouth since completing her PGCE. She has a TEFL background, having taught English in Greece and the UK for several years. Karen also has huge experience in the adult and family learning world and is an accredited trainer for many local and national AFL programmes.
Karen has a Masters in Education from Sussex University, with a particular focus on Assessment for Learning and EAL, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Practice and Pedagogy specifically concerning the teaching English as an additional language (TEAL).
Karen lectures on ITT courses throughout the area, regularly presents at conferences and trains and supports staff in schools as well as continuing to work with children and young people. She also manages the DfE pilot ‘Starting Out’ provision for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children in the city and is an EAL Expert for the DfE.