Marie gained an honours degree from The College of St. Mark and St. John in Plymouth and then trained as a secondary school teacher at Chichester University. For seven years, Marie worked as a Primary school teacher in a school with a high proportion of children with EAL. She has been a Lead Practitioner and Specialist Leader in Education and has experience of working in schools both in the city and in Hampshire. Marie regularly delivers training for trainee teachers and existing teachers as well as presenting at local and national conferences.