approach to learning
Maths in action
Maths is a tricky subject. Ask most parents and they will say that they are either good or bad at maths. There’s rarely an in-between and it’s an opinion that can be hugely damaging to children’s own views of their maths capabilities. Schools are now starting to recognise this [...]Read more
Counting down to 2019 GCSEs
Is your child watching the mounting panic in school as the year above gets ready for their GCSE exams? It may be more than a year before it becomes their reality, but there’s nothing like starting early to make GCSEs less scary. As a parent you want your kids to do well in their [...]Read more
Get ready for the 11-Plus …
Ideally, you should start preparing your child around a year ahead. So if your 9-year old will take 11-Plus in January 2019, it’s now a great time to start helping them to develop the skills needed to take their exam with confidence. It’s time to start your plan. For English [...]Read more
Make homework fun!
Love it or hate it, homework is an inevitable part of school life. If you’re in the privileged position to have a child who likes doing homework it can be a great bonding opportunity and wonderful one-on-one time. However, if your child is less than happy to knuckle down and [...]Read more
Is your child missing essential life skills?
Critical thinking is often a phrase bounced around the broadsheets and education supplements. Every publication has a for or against argument (sometimes both) around the controversial replacement to what used to be called ‘general studies’. However, the funding which schools [...]Read more
5 creative ways to digital learning
It’s not surprising in today’s digital age that recent studies of how children learn today has revealed that they are becoming more and more attuned to digital devices in their learning and from an ever younger age. The University of London research has established that where [...]Read more
7 ways to improve concentration when studying
With an enforced period in hospital just before second year university exams I had 4 weeks to spend revising. I learned a lot about effective studying, which for someone with a low attention span (sound familiar?) was a real godsend. Because I had little else to do I revised for [...]Read more
Education starts at home
It may be easier to say that our children’s education is the responsibility of the teachers – and that’s why we pay taxes – but it’s not how to raise children who love to learn. Look at children in poorer countries like many parts of Africa – going to school is a real privilege [...]Read more
Can you afford schooling?
Teacher shortages, budget cuts, bigger classes – every news bulletin has another piece of alarming education news. Whether your children’s school is directly affected or not it’s got to be worrying. There were Academies, which were developed to improve things, but now there’s a [...]Read more
The art of creativity
If you’re from a certain generation you’ll have heard about Edward De Bono and the concept of lateral thinking. Some people call it creative thinking, some people describe it as right brain activity – but whatever you call it, being able to think creatively is a life skill every [...]Read more
Exams – how to help your child prepare
The year-end exams may be a little way off, but the earlier you start the preparation the better your child will be able to perform well. Exams are a serious stress zone – not only for the youngster who has to sit the exam, but also for the parents. Every parent wants their [...]Read more