A2 level exams
The summer is an opportunity for the teenager to get fitter and healthier!
The summer is an opportunity for the teenager to get fitter and healthier! For the last three or so months, well before the summer holiday started, my daughter has been pestering us about wanting to join a gym. Although I’m okay with the idea on the whole, there are a couple of things on which…
Read MoreJobs by teenagers over the summer and beyond – paid job or volunteering
Jobs by teenagers over the summer and beyond – paid job or volunteering After my son’s GCSE exams a few weeks ago, he asked me how to compose a CV as he is looking for job so that he can earn some money during the summer weeks. I was actually a little surprised that he…
Read MoreEducation Arms Race – the secret weapon
Just in case you think the title of this blogpost is rather dramatic, here is a headline from The Times website: “The education arms race is out of control”. Actually, The Times is not the only newspaper that uses the phrase “arms race”, so does The Guardian, The Economist, a report by UCL and many…
Read MoreGCSE-&-A-level-examinations-summer- 2022–update
For the third year running the pandemic casts a shadow on traditional GCSE and A-level summer exams. The examinations were cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 and replaced with teacher assessment. The government’s position remains that those examinations will go ahead, albeit with minor adjustments to account for loss of learning time due to the…
Read MoreRepercussion from last year’s A-level grade misallocation being felt by bright young people
A seventeen-year-old, with a national swimming award, and predicted grades of A*A*A has been rejected by Liverpool University and this is just one of many. According to The Guardian newspaper’s education website: “… Eve could have expected a string of top university offers in an ordinary year.” There is nothing ordinary about 2020, as COVID-19…
Read MoreLegal action over A-level grade misallocation
Here is a short story of Charlie, who was awarded A and B in Maths and Further Maths, respectively, in his A-levels by his teachers in 2020. His actual predicted grade in these two subjects was A* A*, so he not only missed out on gaining admission to Warwick University but has to carry these…
Read MoreThere is light at the end of the tunnel for GCSE and A-level students
Many young people who are in their final GCSE and A-level years have been studying diligently over the Easter break, and they are doing this in preparation for teacher assessment in the next couple of weeks or so. In most good schools where students achieve top grades year in year out, the headteacher and staff…
Read MoreIs Online Learning the future for school children?
Is Online Learning the future? Closure of schools, caused by the lockdown as a result of the pandemic has forced society to learn how to utilise technology in solving a very big problem – loss of learning by children. However, before we get too excited about how brilliant online teaching technology is, and start thinking…
Read MoreThe Magic of High Expectations – how some inner-city schools are outperforming top private schools…
There was a rather surprising set of statistics in the Parent Power guide for primary schools that was published by the Sunday Times yesterday. The top state primary school scored 346 out of 360 (96%) in the SATS result for Reading, Writing and Maths. This score by Mayflower School in the East End of London…
Read MoreContinued Academic Progress for Teenagers irrespective of the Pandemic
Dear Caring Parent Re: Continued academic progress for teenagers irrespective of the pandemic I hope you and the family are well and keeping safe. Now that many schools have a mixture of in-person and online learning, I trust your child is managing the transition from the older norm to the new learning environment well. The purpose…
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