About
We are a collaborative of educators and researchers who share a vision: international schools that are truly international, linguistically inclusive, culturally aware, and deeply equitable.
We are rooted in decades of research and real practice.
Oxford Collaborative for Multilingualism in Education (OCME) brings together the most experienced and respected experts, researchers and practitioners working with international schools today, specialising in language teaching and learning, the development of bilingualism, language policy development, and language curricula development.
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We believe that every language matters.
Not just in the classroom, but in every corridor, staff meeting, and policy document. In every relationship. In every child’s sense of self. Language is identity, and every student’s identity deserves to be seen, supported, and celebrated.
Because linguistic inclusion is not an add-on. It is a whole-school commitment.
Languages are not just something we do in schools, it's who we are.
Languages are not just something we do in schools, it's who we are.
Why schools choose us
We work in partnership with schools from the inside out - starting with leadership, reaching every teacher, staff member, and family. We embed change that transforms school cultures, not just the classrooms.
Whole-School, Whole-Hearted
Sustainable change starts with leadership and flows through the entire community, from headteacher to support staff.
Research-Informed, Practice-Driven
Our work is grounded in the latest academic insights and shaped by real-world experience.
Collaboration Over Prescription
We co-create with schools, respecting each unique context and working in true partnership.
Meet our team
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Dr Eowyn Crisfield
Dr Eowyn Crisfield is the Founder and Director of Oxford Collaborative for Multilingualism in Education (formerly Crisfield Educational Consulting).
She is an applied linguist and specialist in languages across the curriculum, including EAL/ELL, home languages, host country/world language programming, bilingual and immersion education, and language policy. She has been an ESL/EAL teacher, department head, curriculum developer, and has worked in several universities in teacher development programmes. Her focus is on equal access to learning and language development for all students, and on appropriate and effective language-related professional development for all teachers.
Eowyn is also an Honorary Norham Fellow at the University of Oxford, where she is engaged with the new Post-Graduate Diploma in EAL, alongside other teacher development and research initiatives.
She is an applied linguist and specialist in languages across the curriculum, including EAL/ELL, home languages, host country/world language programming, bilingual and immersion education, and language policy. She has been an ESL/EAL teacher, department head, curriculum developer, and has worked in several universities in teacher development programmes. Her focus is on equal access to learning and language development for all students, and on appropriate and effective language-related professional development for all teachers.
Eowyn is also an Honorary Norham Fellow at the University of Oxford, where she is engaged with the new Post-Graduate Diploma in EAL, alongside other teacher development and research initiatives.
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Niki Cooper-Robbins
Specialisations: Language Audits, MTS-ELA, MTS-LLD, student wellbeing & support, home language programmes,
(Admissions) language profiling,
Creative pedagogy
Niki is British and Dutch, and she’s currently living in the Netherlands. She’s an Educational Development Consultant, an Artist, a PhD candidate and an Art Therapy Student.
Niki’s a keen advocate for multilingualism and student voice, particularly for ESL and refugee background students and those who are neurodivergent, like herself. She’s developed expertise in multilingualism in education, specifically ELL and home/best language maintenance programmes to support emergent multilingual students.
Niki is British and Dutch, and she’s currently living in the Netherlands. She’s an Educational Development Consultant, an Artist, a PhD candidate and an Art Therapy Student.
Niki’s a keen advocate for multilingualism and student voice, particularly for ESL and refugee background students and those who are neurodivergent, like herself. She’s developed expertise in multilingualism in education, specifically ELL and home/best language maintenance programmes to support emergent multilingual students.
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Susan Stewart
Specialisations: Language Audits, MTS-ELA, MTS-LLD, home-school links, language acquisition, language programme leadership, linguistics in education
Susan has lived and worked in South Africa, Thailand, the UAE, Belgium, Oman, Sweden and the UK, and has raised two bilingual children. As a lifelong learner of languages, she speaks, to varying degrees, English, French, Dutch, German, Afrikaans, Swedish, Arabic and BSL.
With a background in international education, developing and leading multilingual language programmes, Susan has a particular interest in language policy as a driving force in promoting multilingualism within families, schools and on a national level.
Susan has lived and worked in South Africa, Thailand, the UAE, Belgium, Oman, Sweden and the UK, and has raised two bilingual children. As a lifelong learner of languages, she speaks, to varying degrees, English, French, Dutch, German, Afrikaans, Swedish, Arabic and BSL.
With a background in international education, developing and leading multilingual language programmes, Susan has a particular interest in language policy as a driving force in promoting multilingualism within families, schools and on a national level.
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Paul Jacobs
Specialisations: Bilingual development, bi-literacy (English/Japanese), neurodiverse learner support, language integrated teaching pedagogies
Paul lives in Japan, where he works to support multilingual and neurodivergent learners to connect with the world around them through language learning. His focus includes Japanese-English biliteracy, cross-cultural collaboration, and supporting students with special education needs, particularly those with dyslexia.
As the Head Researcher at the Institute of Bilingual Science (IBS), he connects academic research on bilingualism with practical guidance for educators and parents.
Paul also facilitates professional development that brings together Japanese and English-speaking teachers to support their multilingual learners.
He resides in Okinawa, Japan, raising bilingual daughters.
Paul lives in Japan, where he works to support multilingual and neurodivergent learners to connect with the world around them through language learning. His focus includes Japanese-English biliteracy, cross-cultural collaboration, and supporting students with special education needs, particularly those with dyslexia.
As the Head Researcher at the Institute of Bilingual Science (IBS), he connects academic research on bilingualism with practical guidance for educators and parents.
Paul also facilitates professional development that brings together Japanese and English-speaking teachers to support their multilingual learners.
He resides in Okinawa, Japan, raising bilingual daughters.
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Dr Cate Hamilton
Specialisations: Early language learning, language teaching pedagogies, multilingual approaches to language learning
Dr Cate Hamilton began her career teaching English and French in secondary schools in Glasgow.
As a new mother she encouraged her children to explore languages, and spent a decade developing Babel Babies, a multilingual music program for early years settings and parent-and-child groups. This prompted her to wonder what research evidence underpinned the practice of using songs for teaching languages.
She is a keen advocate of multilingual and creative approaches to exploring and learning second/foreign languages, and also of developing research that can inform teaching practice.
She is also a Departmental Lecturer in Quantitative Research Methods and EAL at the University of Oxford.
Dr Cate Hamilton began her career teaching English and French in secondary schools in Glasgow.
As a new mother she encouraged her children to explore languages, and spent a decade developing Babel Babies, a multilingual music program for early years settings and parent-and-child groups. This prompted her to wonder what research evidence underpinned the practice of using songs for teaching languages.
She is a keen advocate of multilingual and creative approaches to exploring and learning second/foreign languages, and also of developing research that can inform teaching practice.
She is also a Departmental Lecturer in Quantitative Research Methods and EAL at the University of Oxford.
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Dr Jo Skelton
Specialisations: Language Audits, multilingualism in mathematics teaching
Dr Jo Skelton is an experienced educator with over 33 years of experience in teaching, consultancy and research. She is a specialist in multilingual mathematics education and works with schools nationally and internationally to develop their multilingual learner pedagogies.
Jo’s PhD is in mathematics education and applied linguistics, focusing on translanguaging in bilingual mathematics classroom contexts. She is passionate about harnessing linguistic diversity and works with teachers internationally on a number of related research projects.
Dr Jo Skelton is an experienced educator with over 33 years of experience in teaching, consultancy and research. She is a specialist in multilingual mathematics education and works with schools nationally and internationally to develop their multilingual learner pedagogies.
Jo’s PhD is in mathematics education and applied linguistics, focusing on translanguaging in bilingual mathematics classroom contexts. She is passionate about harnessing linguistic diversity and works with teachers internationally on a number of related research projects.
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Dr Lorna Caputo-Greenall
Specialisations: Home language programmes, multilingual learning, inquiry language teaching, co-teaching, SpLD and multilingualism
Dr Lorna Caputo-Greenall is an educator, researcher, and consultant who helps international schools support multilingual children. Based in Switzerland, she focuses on how multilingual children learn and use languages in global and transnational settings. She has a special interest in complex multilingual children, particularly in distinguishing between typical language development and less typical patterns that may indicate SpLD.
She works with schools to create programmes that celebrate and strengthen students’ full range of languages, blending inquiry-based learning with support for home languages. She also advises on the new IB Language and Culture course.
Alongside her school work, Lorna is a Research Associate at the University of Bern’s Centre for the Study of Language and Society and leads the International Schools group for the UK’s NALDIC. She has written Using Inquiry-Based Learning to Teach Additional Languages (2014) and has a new book coming soon: Navigating the Multilingual Mosaic.
Dr Lorna Caputo-Greenall is an educator, researcher, and consultant who helps international schools support multilingual children. Based in Switzerland, she focuses on how multilingual children learn and use languages in global and transnational settings. She has a special interest in complex multilingual children, particularly in distinguishing between typical language development and less typical patterns that may indicate SpLD.
She works with schools to create programmes that celebrate and strengthen students’ full range of languages, blending inquiry-based learning with support for home languages. She also advises on the new IB Language and Culture course.
Alongside her school work, Lorna is a Research Associate at the University of Bern’s Centre for the Study of Language and Society and leads the International Schools group for the UK’s NALDIC. She has written Using Inquiry-Based Learning to Teach Additional Languages (2014) and has a new book coming soon: Navigating the Multilingual Mosaic.
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Sarah van Kempen-Cullip
Specialisations: Language Policy, EAL/ELL, bilingualism, multilingual pedagogies
Sarah van Kempen-Cullip is a researcher-practitioner and specialist in multilingualism and teaching English as a second/foreign language. She is also an educational consultant and former Fulbright scholar. Sarah has teaching experience in both international and public school contexts in the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. Much of this experience has been with refugee background students.
Sarah is passionate about inclusive language education policy and practice that fosters student well-being and empowerment and elevates student voice. Sarah resides in the Netherlands and is raising a bilingual son.
Sarah van Kempen-Cullip is a researcher-practitioner and specialist in multilingualism and teaching English as a second/foreign language. She is also an educational consultant and former Fulbright scholar. Sarah has teaching experience in both international and public school contexts in the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. Much of this experience has been with refugee background students.
Sarah is passionate about inclusive language education policy and practice that fosters student well-being and empowerment and elevates student voice. Sarah resides in the Netherlands and is raising a bilingual son.
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Daphne Vlachojannis
Specialisations: Family language planning
Daphne Vlachojannis is a New York-qualified international human rights lawyer. She has lived and worked as an expat since 2006, first in Italy and Bosnia-Herzegovina, followed by the UK (London) the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), and The Hague.
In 2023, she left the field of law to move to Athens, where she currently lives with her husband and three children.
After training with Dr. Eowyn Crisfield, Daphne works as a Language Consultant, helping families create an environment that fosters multilingual development.
Daphne is also an avid writer on expat issues, and her essays have been published in numerous literary journals.
Daphne Vlachojannis is a New York-qualified international human rights lawyer. She has lived and worked as an expat since 2006, first in Italy and Bosnia-Herzegovina, followed by the UK (London) the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), and The Hague.
In 2023, she left the field of law to move to Athens, where she currently lives with her husband and three children.
After training with Dr. Eowyn Crisfield, Daphne works as a Language Consultant, helping families create an environment that fosters multilingual development.
Daphne is also an avid writer on expat issues, and her essays have been published in numerous literary journals.
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