GCSE
A little helping hand for teenagers during exam time
The purpose of my message is to offer a little helping hand, in terms of sharing thoughts with you as a parent. Although I’m also a teacher, I will be speaking more from a parent’s point of view but also using some of the lessons that I’ve learnt as a teacher and curriculum manager in…
Read MoreTaking back control of technology
Final thoughts: Taking back control of technology Whilst I embrace technology and appreciate its importance as a vital learning tool; I also think there are aspects of the traditional learning experience that is irreplaceable. One main one is day to day interaction with printed text – usually books, which I can touch, feel and smell.…
Read MoreIs technology the problem, or the user of it and how they use it?
Like any good thing in life, it is not usually the technology itself but how people choose to use it. I have about 5 smart phone and tablets – iPhones, iPad and Samsung for my personal use and I use about three to four of them every day. Does it mean that I spend a…
Read MoreThe ‘Gromps’ have it! – Grammar Comprehensive Schools are head and shoulders above the rest
A new word, ‘gromp’, has just been introduced into the school vocabulary. Gromp stands for ‘Grammar Comprehensive’ – meaning comprehensive schools with the ethos of grammar schools. It was reported in the TES – Times Educational Supplements on Sunday of 20th August that the New Schools Network had conducted a survey which reveals that pupils…
Read MoreIs A-level Maths worth its weight in gold?
This is the conclusion of a four-part blog post in which I discuss issues associated with the decline in the uptake of A-level Maths by young people. In this final part, I will be continuing my argument as to why young people should not give up on Maths too easily and that we must do…
Read MoreA-level Maths – should I or should I not – will my figures add up?
In my last couple of blog posts, I looked at changes in the Maths curriculum and also highlighted the fact that there has been a significant fall in the number of students who are taking up A-level Maths. The reasons attributed to these are: the harder GCSE Maths, which has made more young people less…
Read MoreThe decoupling of AS from the full A-level means that it no longer counts towards A-level
In my last blog post, the first of a four-series discussion about the changes that are happening to both GCSE and A-level Maths, I explained the key changes to GCSE Maths and why young people and teachers are concerned. Today, I will first of all look at the changes that have been implemented in the…
Read MoreFewer young people taking A-level Maths – a tragedy or a blessing?
It was recently reported in the TES (Times Educational Supplements), among other media, that there has been a significant reduction in the number of young people taking A-level Maths. The TES report showed a table comparing the number of students applying to take A-level Maths in September 2016 to those who are applying to study…
Read MoreYet more confusion about the new GCSE Grade 9 to 1
There is yet more confusion about the new GCSE grade 9 to 1, with the government saying that there will be a different yardstick to measure the success of a school from that used to measure the success of a particular student, based on the new grading system that takes effect this summer. From this…
Read MoreThree Key Components for Exam Success
Achieving highly academically isn’t necessarily about being super bright, as many wrongly assume. I’ve had the advantage of teaching Physics to many bright young people in grammar schools and independent schools over the last couple of decades and I’ve seen young people of average ability, or just above, achieving high examination grades. At the same…
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