After studying Classics at Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge, Arlene qualified as a teacher. She taught for more than a decade in a range of schools in the UK and internationally, leading departments and assuming school-wide responsibilities. She holds a doctorate in Classics education and is a specialist in educational research, policy and practice.

At King’s she works with Professor Edith Hall to (1) research the role of Classical Civilisation and Ancient History in UK curricula and, (2) to raise the profile and status of these subjects as viable options for study in UK schools.

In addition to her role at King’s, she is a member of the Classics Faculty in Oxford where she leads the Classics in Communities project which seeks to understand what impact the learning of Latin has on children’s cognitive development.

Arlene has been the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards including a Fulbright scholarship, an Erskine Fellowship, a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship and she received a ‘Teaching Star’ award from the Institute of International Education in New York. She collaborates with international colleagues on a number of education projects in Europe, the USA and Australia.

Arlene has an extensive list of publications in the areas of pedagogy, curriculum policy and international education. She regularly provides training for teachers in the UK and around the world.

• Classics education (Latin, Ancient Greek, Classical Civilisation, Ancient History)
• Pedagogies, policy and assessment in Languages/Humanities/Social Sciences education
• Classical rhetoric, oracy and critical skills
• Citizenship education
• International education
• Critical literacy

Dr Holmes-Henderson would be interested in supervising Masters or PhD students in any of the areas mentioned above.

Dr Holmes-Henderson acts as external examiner for the University of Cambridge’s Master of Studies programme in Advanced Subject Teaching.