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It is wonderful to see the faces of all these young people, as they are full of joy after they received their examination results. Year in year out improvements we have witnessed in those who are achieve the top grades has now slowed down in the last couple of year or so, since the exam…

In the mid to late 1990’s, I moved schools twice – meaning that within four years I taught in three different schools and the three schools that I taught in were inspected four times over that period.  By the way they were all very good schools and the inspections were not due to any negative…

Questions are being asked recently if the government is right in stating that “headteachers should not be informed before OFSTED inspectors visit a school.” It was the case that schools were informed many months in advance before an inspection was due so that they had plenty of time to prepare for an inspection.  The government…

When I was growing up, one of the phrases that my teachers used and that I have also heard from my own parents is “paddle your own canoe” It’s up to you fellow. In two months’ time – at the end of August – newspapers and television pictures will be full of jubilating teenagers –…

Getting to know more of London – or Berkshire In my late teenage to early adulthood years, one of the things I used to do was to take the bus and walk instead of taking the tube. I lived in North London at the time and I had a student-type job on Oxford Street. At…

After a sense of relief following all the summer examinations, the next key issue on the mind of parents of teenagers is about what the children will do over the summer break. The fact that there are so many possible activities to choose from does not necessarily make it easy to decide – in fact,…

In most families with teenagers who are at key points of their education and who are taking vital examinations the summer, the focus since the start of the year has been on examination preparation and related matters. Now that the exams are coming to an end, I’m sure your sons and daughters can’t wait to just…

I was speaking with a few young people who are in Y11 and also in the sixth form this Saturday and it was good to see that they are still very optimistic and confident. I’m also pleased to see that these young people are not resting on their laurels as they continue to be as…

The last two blogs explore the thinking process behind examination preparation. Below are some practical suggestions for preparing for examinations. Be clear about the grade you to need obtain in each of your subjects Have a plan in place to prepare for your examinations. This may be some sort of study plan that includes when…

In my last article, I highlighted desire and decision, concentration and, asking questions, believing, doing something and having courage as a salient part of the thought process young people need to begin with before getting stuck into the day-to-day activities involved in preparation for the exams. Although, we as parents cannot actually do it for…