Testimonials


Nextdoor:

24 Aug 2023

  • My daughter started lessons with Paty as a reluctant french student, adamant she wanted togive up languages before gcse. She gained a 9 at gcse, and loves french so much she istaking it for A level (and staying with Paty for a further 2 years). Paty helped improve herconfidence, and for that I am extremely grateful.

June 2022

  • Le Petit Centre Français-French Tuition.I highly recommend Paty's classes. I takemy 14year old son for a group French class on a Friday after a long week at school (a tall order);he comes out each week saying it was fun and his French has dramatically improved inone term. Something pretty special is happening here. Paty is an excellent teacher. My sontells me her explanations are crystal clear, her classes are well organised and she makesFrench come alive. She teaches from primary school age to adult. If you want to help yourchild begin secondary school French with confidence, help them prepare for GSCE or Alevel, or you want some classes yourself, I'd definitely recommend Paty. You'd be hardpushed to find a better teacher.

June 2022

  • Can highly recommend Petit Centre Francais at 45 Grove Avenue N10. Group andindividual lessons for all ages, Primary School, Secondary School and Adults.Lessons are pitched at all levels to be interesting and fun. As a native French speaker,Paty provides the necessary authenticity, context and knowledge. She has first-handexperience of all the necessary idioms, pitfalls, top tips and shortcuts needed to ensurethat learning can be practically applied. I am in France regularly, most schoolholidays, and have really appreciated the improvement in my confidence andunderstanding of French.

Nicelocal:

June 2022

  • Paty taught my daughter right through from Primary school to GCSE when she obtained a Grade 9. She is now doing A level French and still attends Paty's classes. Initially, while at Primary, the classes consisted of a lot of role playing and songs which meant they were much more engaging and my daughter always had fun but learnt without it being a chore. Later, due to well planned lessons and a thorough knowledge of the GCSE curriculum Paty gave her the confidence to do well in her GCSE. My daughter has an excellent accent and a good knowledge of life in France as well as a love of the language. Above all Paty has given a level of personal commitment to her success above and beyond the weekly classes. I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking an excellent French teacher.

Netmums:

  • Highly recommended! Paty has worked wonders with my yr 9 son's French, which, to our astonishment has gone from being his weakest subject to his strongest in a bit more than a year. Paty makes the lessons enjoyable and is very organised and clear with all her communication. She gives clear and detailed feedback so students can chart their progress. My son looks forward to lessons and is feeling very positive about doing GCSE French. Five stars from us!

  • My daughter joined Paty's French class with her friends in order to improve her confidence in French (and her GCSE results). They all absolutely loved and looked forward to Paty's classes and did brilliantly at GCSE (my daughter got an 8 which would have been unlikely without the extra class). This year, although no longer studying French for A level, they are still attending the French group - for the joy of it and because they don't want to lose their French (with no pressure from their parents). As a parent I would absolutely recommend Paty's class as a way of improving French in the most encouraging and convivial way.

  • I have been studying with Paty at the Petit Centre Francais for almost two years and am looking forward to continuing in the next term. Paty has an excellent way of teaching French to beginners and intermediates writing all her own materials and recording her own audio sets. Finally after 30 years I can actually understand and speak a language I have been wanting to learn but never been taught correctly. My 7 year old son has also been learning French at the centre. He says it is his favourite after school activity and happily translates words in French.

  • After years of searching for evening classes to build upon my extremely rusty A-Level French, 18 months ago I found Paty. I only wish I'd discovered her and her excellent classes years ago! Paty is a superb teacher who really focuses on the speaking and listening side of French (as opposed to reading and writing) which seems hard to find out there in the world of French evening classes and is exactly what I was looking for. Paty teaches "real life" French - how the French really think and speak - stuff you wouldn't get from a text book. The class I attend is nice and small so in many ways you feel as if you are getting the benefits of one-to-one tuition but then you also have the very useful interaction with other students. Paty is excellent at assessing the level and needs of each of her students and tailoring her lessons accordingly. Her lessons are always extremely well planned / organised and, perhaps more importantly, really fun! I am genuinely gutted if I ever have to miss a class! Paty has an excellent way of explaining things and is incredibly patient. In short, I cannot recommend Paty and her classes highly enough.

  • I have been attending Paty's Adult Intermediate Class for eighteen months. The classes are interesting, informative and good fun. Paty uses a variety of media, much of which she produces herself, which is tailored to suit the class. I feel she picks up quickly each student's strengths and weaknesses and pitches support at just the right level. Paty is a mine of information regarding the French language, its structure, grammar and origins. I thoroughly enjoy my class - fun and learning at the same time - would highly recommend.

  • Both my daughter and I have been having French lessons with Paty - my daughter loves her classes and says they are great fun as are the adult sessions. Paty is very good at tailoring the classes to each particular group of students while making the content varied and fun. The classes are small so there are lots of opportunities to practice speaking as well as listening to songs and watching videos. Highly recommended.

  • Paty is a superb teacher. My children have both started learning French with her this year and love their classes. I have also been going to lessons with Paty and she is an excellent teacher for adults as well.

  • I have been taking lessons with paty for two years now and have found the course not only educational and interesting but it is also a lot of fun. Who would have thought learning could be so much fun. I had tried a couple of other courses before starting with paty but gave up as I became bored before the first term finished and found I had not learned anything. Learning with paty has allowed me to be able to read most of my books now in French!

  • I have been taking adult intermediate lessons with Paty for about 2 years. I love it. Her sessions are great fun and nothing like learning french at school. We watch videos and discuss current affairs affecting France. There are lots of opportunities to speak in the sessions and because Paty is a native speaker who has lived in the UK for so long she is able to explain pronunciation in a very intuitive way. Since doing the lessons my French and my confidence to speak French has improved enormously. If you want to learn French I truly believe you will not find a better teacher.

  • Paty assisted our 16 year old son with his French GCSE. He is not a natural linguist and lacked confidence, he was also a somewhat reluctant attendee however Paty has great intuition and our son really responded to her efforts and her skill and input. Our son achieved an A with little effort or fuss and indeed most importantly for us with very little stress. He was well prepared for his oral and written exams and felt hugely supported. We would highly recommend Paty particularly if your child is lacking confidence and feels they ' .....Can't do french '.

  • Paty has supported both our sons in the lead up to their GCSEs. Our youngest attained an A* this summer and we are convinced that this is due to Paty’s help. Her lessons are always well planned and efficiently executed. She has an extensive and forensic knowledge of the exam specification, which added to our sons’ feeling that they were in safe hands. She has nurtured a real love of the language and a confidence in their conversational French. Paty’s personal commitment to our sons’ success manifested itself with extra intensive communication at key moments in the run up to the GCSEs: before assessments; before mocks; and actual exams. We would wholeheartedly recommend her services at any stage of a child’s experience of French.

  • Paty taught my son for three years leading up to his GCSE and she did a fantastic job. He enjoyed the group sessions and made fast progress under Paty's expert and conscientious guidance. The result was an A* which he is delighted with, and he is now also going on to study French at A-level, so she has also inspired a longer-term interest in the subject. We thoroughly recommend Paty.

  • Paty has been teaching both my DDs French weekly. My eldest has just attained level 8 in new style GCSEs (A*) and I attribute this largely to Paty who has been methodical, conscientious and thorough in her teaching of the new syllabus. I hope my younger daughter - who is not even learning French at school - will be able to get a good GCSE purely through her lessons with Paty!

  • My dd joined Patys Y10 group 09/16 even though she was not doing French as one of her 10 GCSEs at Fortismere. With teaching input solely from this once weekly group session dd took her GCSE this year and got a grade 7 (A).

  • Our son was tutored by Paty for his 2 GCSE years and achieved an A*and that in no small part was due to the tutoring by Paty. Our son was not particularly confident in French and Paty certainly helped to improve his written and spoken grasp of the language. Paty engages with students and provides feedback and assistance regularly and when needed. She is willing to give individuals the attention they require and will always follow their school progress. We would have absolutely recommend Paty!

  • Paty is a wonderful teacher. She makes the lessons very informative but fun. She is very patient and has a good mixture of topics and interests for us to focus on. The lessons are varied so never get boring and her enthusiasm is very infectious. Although I'm an adult I can imagine she is excellent with kids. She is very good at tailoring the lessons for whatever level you are and I like the fact that she teaches French as it's spoken colloquially as well as focusing on grammar. I recommend her highly.

  • I have been going to adult classes with paty for many years-she is a native french speaker and always makes the classes interesting and enjoyable by giving 100%. Highly recommended.

  • Paty will try and get the very best out of a pupil. A single weekly lesson with perhaps some extra time close to exams will definitely be beneficial and as Paty is a native French speaker, the students accents are fantastic! Small group teaching is also very productive as they learn from each other and it also improves confidence in speaking. I would highly recommend Paty for all the age groups.

  • Our son started taking group French lessons with Paty halfway through Year 10. He was generally doing very well at school, but French was his least-favourite subject and he was in the bottom set. We were searching for a tutor to build his confidence in GCSE French but we also wanted to encourage him to speak French in France, where we often travel as a family. Paty was recommended by a friend and our son immediately took to the group lessons which he enjoyed sharing with other students. He became more confident and the lessons seemed to give him the impetus to put more into French at school. After continued group lessons through Year 10 and 11, including short revision assignments that complemented the work he was doing at school, he ended up with an A* at GCSE, which was great! Also, he’s started speaking more French in France, which is so nice to see :) Paty is a talented, natural teacher bursting with enthusiasm and positivity. Her lessons are relaxed (which suits my son, for sure) but also well-planned, relevant, focussed and effective. She has an intricate knowledge of the GCSE specification and its requirements. She evidently cares about her students’ progress and communicated very well with me as a parent, providing progress reports and informal updates, which I found really helpful. I can recommend her wholeheartedly.

  • Students’ progress and communicated very well with me as a parent, providing progress reports and informal updates, which I found really helpful. I can recommend her wholeheartedly.

  • Paty helped both my Sons get an A in French GCSE 's 2015 and 2017 . She is super organised, conscientious, dedicated and cares about each individual child's progress. My children both found French difficult in the beginning at their school, so having Paty made it easier and much more enjoyable. If you want your child to get a good grade in French , and sadly that what it comes down to - I would absolutely recommend Paty. Not only will they get the grade , they will enjoy her classes and enjoy learning French, which was very important to me. Thank you once again Paty for all your help and support with my boys.

  • My 9 year old daughter has been attending Patty's classes for a few years and has thoroughly enjoyed them. She says the classes are fun with lots of games, songs and acting. Paty keeps the classes small so the children progress quickly and we are pleased with our daughters progress (and accent!)

  • If only I had found Paty when my eldest daughter was taking French GCSE. My son in Year 9 at Mill Hill now has the benefit of her superb teaching - he's just received an A star for his mock exams and he certainly could not have achieved this without her. His command of French and particularly his accent is all down to Paty. If you have a son or daughter taking French for GCSE/A Level, I cannot recommend Paty highly enough. Oh and she's great fun too!

  • What a gem of a school!!! I highly recommend it. My daughter left primary with zero confidence in French, so when when she started as a Y7 at Fortismere 2014 she felt totally out of her depth. It was awful to think of her so upset at school. Even though term had already started, Paty very kindly offered my daughter a place at Le Petit Centre Francais. The classroom is absolutely lovely, not stuffy in any way. From the moment we walked in we felt comfortable and welcome. Well that was in September 2014. By December my daughter was TOP SET at Fortismere and in the top 40% enabling my daughter to chose a second language at school. I am delighted with my daughters progress and new found confidence. Thank you Paty!!!!

  • My 10 year old daughter has been attending Patti's weekly classes and has not only thoroughly enjoyed them but also hugely benefited from them. Patti's classes are always great fun, with lots of games, songs, interactive activities and fun, creative things to bring home. The classes are small so my daughter has really learned a lot in a short space of time. I can highly recommend Patti and her classes...