Bienvenue!
I am a native French speaker with 25+ years of experience teaching French, and I am qualified as a teacher in the UK (PGCE).
I am based in Stroud, UK, and I offer classes for individuals and groups, from holiday French to GCSE and A-Level support, in Stroud District and Cirencester. I teach online too.
Steph
hello@frenchcentral.co.uk
07455 938682
Group courses & conversation
STROUD French conversation - intermediate level
Fridays 18.00-19.30 in Rodborough. Structured conversation-based group for those who have an intermediate level of French, and want to refresh their knowledge and build their confidence speaking French. All materials are provided by the tutor. £20 per session. Sign up here: hello@frenchcentral.co.uk
CIRENCESTER French conversation
Wednesdays 10:00-11.15 Toro Lounge. French conversation in a friendly setting to help you improve your French whilst having fun. The focus will be on speaking and listening. Expect to develop your fluency, your vocabulary, and grammar. These sessions focus on communication, not heavy grammar instruction. Suitable for those who have a lower intermediate level upwards and prefer a discussion-led format rather than textbook study. Drop-in; £9 per session.
coming soon: new French conversation group in Stroud; details TBC.
Individual classes
I offer 1 to 1 classes in Stroud District and Cirencester. I also teach online. My lessons are designed to suit each student’s learning style and goals, and I use a wide range of materials that are current and up-to-date as part of my teaching. I love teaching and I love languages, and I just love to see my students progress and grow in confidence, it truly is the best thing. I will say that it is never too late to either start learning French from scratch, or to pick it up again after a period of dormancy, and I can help you ease back into it.
Fees: from £32* per one-hour session; a one hour taster session is £25.
* for families that need it, I can offer a discounted fee. Please ask: hello@frenchcentral.co.uk
Events
For all events, please email Steph: bonjour@frenchcentral.co.uk
Past events:
Walk and Talk in French. 12/04/26. Circular walk on Rodborough Common from 10am. Come and practice your French in the open air. Free to attend. All levels welcome!
French conversation and games. Saturday 18/04/26 5.00-6.30pm at the Amberley Inn. £9 per person.
Drinks and chat. Sunday 07/06/2026 at the Old Fleece. Immersive, French-only. Proficient French speakers welcome.
Coming up:
Walk and Talk in French. Sunday 12/07/2026 Woodchester Park; 2pm. Come and practice your French in the open air. Immersive. Free to attend. All welcome!
About me
Originally from Nouvelle-Aquitaine, I now live just outside Stroud, in Rodborough, with my family and our cat, Plum, who is also bilingual. I hold a PGCE in Modern Languages from Exeter University and an MA in Literary Studies. I have a full and up-to-date DBS certificate, and references. Currently I teach privately, and my book club keeps me busy too; I also volunteer with the U3a and at my local primary school, where I run a ‘fun French’ after-school Club for KS2 pupils. I have taught all levels and ages: for many years, I taught French at the university of Bristol and currently my youngest tutees are 8 years old.
What my students say
'I absolutely adore Steph's French lessons and look forward to them every week. She is without doubt the best language teacher I've ever had. Her lessons are engaging, varied, and taught using a range of different methods that make learning both enjoyable and effective. Steph has a wonderful way of making mistakes feel like a natural part of the learning process, which has really helped build my confidence. She is incredibly encouraging and always inspires me to complete my homework and come prepared for the next lesson. What makes her teaching especially special is the effort she puts into tailoring lessons. She often goes out of her way to include topics she knows I'm interested in, which I really appreciate. I'm completely hooked and genuinely love learning French with her. I couldn't recommend her highly enough' Jo M.
'I learned French many years ago with an emphasis on reading and understanding written French. I decided it was the right time to try and improve my spoken French and feel really lucky to have found Steph after seeing some info in a cafe and online. Steph provides excellent resources and a relaxed but somewhat structured approach to our French class along with useful homework. I am finding that my vocabulary is increasing fast and I am getting more confident at speaking as well as steadily improving my understanding of spoken French. I would absolutely recommend Steph as a teacher. Her sessions offer a great balance of confidence boosting interactions along with a little bit of challenge to keep things interesting and stimulate learning’. Melanie.
‘Steph is friendly, helpful, patient and gives us confidence to speak out loud. She also comes up with fun activities to improve our French. A brilliant teacher’. Sue Watts (U3A French Intermediate group)
Community groups
French book club: we are a friendly group who meets once a month at the Amberley Inn; we read - and discuss - books in French, and discover francophone authors from around the world. Every month we read a different book. If you are interested in joining us, then we’d love to hear from you! hello@frenchcentral.co.uk
What our members say about the book club:
‘I really enjoy the French Book Club and I look forward to the meet ups. It’s such a friendly group and Steph encourages everyone to join in. It’s fun and interesting and my French is definitely improving! I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who has an interest in a wide range of French literature.’ Elizabeth.
‘Steph’s “Club de lecture” is fantastic! It’s got me reading in French regularly again, which I was too lazy to do without motivation! We’ve had a wide variety of books and the discussion, led by Steph, is stimulating and fun and not at all heavy. The group is friendly and inclusive with a good proportion of native speakers, which is amazing!’. Liz Collins.
Our next book is Trois by Valérie Perrin.
Le groupe francophone Les P’tits Loups de Stroud a pour but de réunir les parents et les enfants (de 0 à 15 ans) qui communiquent en français à la maison. Le club est ouvert à tous les parents, quelles que soient leur nationalité et leur langue maternelle, qui possèdent une bonne connaissance du français et souhaitent la partager avec leur.s enfant.s en leur parlant en français au quotidien dans le cadre de leur vie familiale. On se retrouve régulièrement pour faire vivre la langue française et encourager les enfants à la parler, dans un contexte ludique. Rejoignez-nous ici: www.facebook.com/groups/lesptitsloupsdestroud/
Le Cercle français de Stroud is a friendly group of proficient non-native French speakers; immersive, French language only. On se réunit une fois par mois pour discuter en français, voir un film etc. Pour plus d’informations, ou pour vous joindre à nous, contactez-moi au: 07455938682
Resources
Here is a list of free online resources that I recommend for language learning.