Blog

Action – the ONLY way for dreams to become reality for your teenager as they face GCSE and A-level exams in the summer Dreams are very nice and, in fact, they are very important as there is no point being alive if you can’t dream. As parents, in our childhood, we dreamed of what we wanted to be when we grew up. Many parents are grateful for what they have achieved, but it is our wish that our children achieve […]

Mindset – mindset is everything in achieving success at GCSE and A-level …. The importance of mindset in the achievement of anything in life cannot be overemphasised as ‘thought’ is where every success starts before manifesting itself into practical reality. GCSEs and A-level are very important, as not only are they the most important real test in life for the vast majority of teenagers, they are also the yardstick that society will use to measure their success for the rest […]

The mock exams are now over and we are approaching the summer GCSE and A-level exams… The best time to plant an oak tree is 25 years ago. The second-best time is NOW! The Spring term – from January to March/April – is the most condensed term of the academic year. Not only is it the shortest, it is only the time when teachers are trying to finish the bulk of the curriculum. For exam groups such as Year 11 […]

Since its introduction almost a decade ago, the EBacc has remained very prominent in political discussion on matters relating to the education of young people and the quality of the GCSE itself.  In its Wednesday 14th November, 2018 edition, BBC Radio 4’s Front Row focused an entire episode on Art Education. Panellists were very critical of the EBacc in its existing form and they argued about whether to either scrap the EBacc or include Art and Music. Historical context behind […]

After the release of GCSE exam results, it is vital to make the right choice in choosing A-level subjects as it can make the difference between going to a top university or a not-so-reputable one. The top universities do discriminate and admission tutors at each department have their own preferences and prejudices!  I’d just like to provide a brief summary in terms of A-level options and also to refer you to other articles that I’ve written about this important subject […]

The university you attend matters, then the course – but make the best of what you’ve got For many 18-year-olds, the one single event last week – the release of the A-level examination results  –  may well be the most important event in their lives, as it could shape their destination in life. This event is a result of thousands of mainly little events since perhaps the age of five. It is my view that the way you live today […]

Review of Greenwich and what Excel offers – Peter Pegnall, 18th Sept 2012 Greenwich has a glittering reputation as a seat of both arts and sciences: the whole world sets its watches by this riverside village; the first performance of The Water Music caused a traffic jam on the Thames; Joseph Conrad planted an imaginary anarchists’ bomb here; you can almost taste the seafarers, criminals, women no better than they should be, ferocious debates, moonlight. We cannot promise all these delights […]

Please note that this was written a while ago but not published at the time. Please see the end of this article for a link to a more up to date article on GCSE and IGCSE Some things in life never change as it has always been the case that society makes judgement about people’s intelligence based on how many subjects they do well in at the age of around 16. In the modern British education system, it is called […]

Is there any logic for private schools to play silly games on GCSEs v IGCSEs? Recent articles have been published in various newspapers, including The Mail, Sunday Times and the Telegraph, alleging that public schools (the top fee-paying independent schools), are gaming the system by entering their students for IGCSEs instead of the new supposedly harder GCSEs. For most independent schools – especially the high performing ones, it does not make sense to say that they have stuck to IGCSEs […]