Background
Rebecca read Geography at the University of Cambridge (Newnham College), before specialising in Management Studies at the Cambridge Judge Business School. She later completed an MSc in Educational Assessment at the University of Oxford, graduating with Distinction.
Alongside her academic study, she completed postgraduate training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and worked professionally as an actor.
This combination of academic study and performance informs a distinctive perspective on learning, assessment and communication.
VALUES & APPROACH
Educational Assessment
Rebecca has a specialist interest in educational assessment, shaped by both research and practice. At the University of Oxford, she studied under Professor Jo-Anne Baird, Associate Professor Michelle Meadows, Dr Josh McGrane and Professor Therese N. Hopfenbeck, developing a strong grounding in assessment theory.
Her postgraduate research examined how the UK university admissions process functions as a form of assessment and how it influences student aspirations, motivation, and self-efficacy. She presented her research at the Cambridge Assessment Horizons Conference (2026), and it remains a defining strand of her work, particularly through her university admissions advisory practice.
She contributes to the field of educational assessment more broadly as an:
Academic Supervisor at the University of Cambridge
Ambassador for the Assessment Network at Cambridge
Education Consultant (Curriculum & Assessment)
Her practice focuses on how assessment design shapes learner experience, engagement and wellbeing. She is interested in assessment not only as a mechanism for measuring attainment, but as a central driver of learning.
Rebecca also develops bespoke educational resources and writes on educational assessment, including forthcoming work with Springer.
Professional Practice
Private tuition and mentoring form the core of Rebecca’s professional practice, which began after graduating from the University of Cambridge in 2006. Her work is evidence-informed, combining in-depth subject knowledge with expertise in curriculum design and assessment.
She is committed to the principle that academic achievement and additional learning needs are not mutually exclusive. Teaching is carefully tailored to individual learners, with a strong emphasis on clarity, progression and student wellbeing.
Her experience includes:
Designing bespoke programmes for home-educated students
Advising on SEN support and access arrangements
Supporting students through key transitions, particularly into university, including competitive admissions
Alongside this, Rebecca works with schools and organisations to develop inclusive and research-informed approaches to curriculum and assessment design and validation.
Her work focuses on ensuring strong curriculum intent and meaningful alignment between teaching and assessment.
Arts-Informed Approach
Rebecca advocates for the role of the arts within education, particularly in relation to curriculum and assessment design, informed by her work in education and her professional training in theatre.
Her practice draws on extensive experience preparing students for high-stakes, summative written examinations, alongside a broader engagement with diverse assessment design, including performance-based, portfolio-based and authentic approaches. She explores how different assessment formats influence what students are able to demonstrate and how they engage with learning. At the Cambridge Assessment Horizons Conference 2025, she examined what might be learned from the arts in relation to student wellbeing, with particular attention to inclusive assessment.
She is professionally trained in theatre and has worked as an actor for stage and screen, with performance credits including Anne Brontë in We Are Three Sisters (The Independent) and the title role in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (The Guardian). This informs her understanding of assessment as a practice-based process, shaped by iterative rehearsal, feedback, performance and reflective development.
