GCSE
The Christmas break – getting more out of the Festive period
The school Christmas holiday period is a critical time for parents and their children – particular teenagers who are at a key stage of their education. Teenagers may not be as excited about Christmas as they were when they were younger children, but, nevertheless, there are still plenty of emotions flying around. Whilst it is…
Read MoreGCSE Science – Core (single), Additional (double) and Triple (separate) explained
Please note that the content of this page is no more completely valid, as the GCSE Science curriculum has now changed – so there is no more such thing as Additional and Core Science. It is a requirement of the national curriculum that every student studies Science at GCSE level, and that the Science…
Read MoreEBacc will be more challenging – higher goal post for measuring success at GCSE
The goal post for measuring success at GCSE moved – the EBacc will be more challenging I saw an article about the new yardstick for measuring success at GCSE level. The article was a little alarming as it highlights that the government has raised the barrier for measuring success for 16 year olds. It…
Read MoreRelax, Reflect and Renew – that’s what teenagers do in the summer!
Relax, Reflect and Renew – that’s what teenagers do in the summer! Thinking about it, I don’t know which arouses the highest level of excitement: the anticipation of the summer break or the actual experience! Every year – after all the highs and lows of Christmas, as soon as all the credit card bills have…
Read MoreA shocking set of statistics – Resit of GCSE examinations ‘does not work’
It is rather depressing to see that most young people who sit their GCSE in Maths examinations for the second time fail to achieve any improvement. For English, over 60% of those who resit do not improve on the grade they achieved when they sat the exam for the first time. The figure is…
Read MoreWill the new GCSE of grades 9 to 1 lead to new Elitism?
An article in the TES (The Times Educational Supplements – a magazine widely read by teachers) recently carried the headline “Why GCSE Reform may lead to a new ‘elitism’. The article raised concern felt in some quarters about the newly introduced numerical grading of 9-1 by OFQUAL (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation –…
Read MoreZen and the Art of Social Media
A new sub-species has just been discovered on Earth…..Homo sapiens facebookensis. This creature looks for all intents and purposes like a humanoid, but with a mobile phone (most often a Samsung or an Apple) surgically fused to their hand. If for any reason, the phone is separated from the rest of the body, Homo sapiens…
Read MoreLearning Light Bulb – Revision Advice for Parents: How to Support your Teenager’s Revision
With GCSE and A-Level exams approaching successful revision techniques become even more paramount. Huge proportions of students have not been taught how to revise effectively and are unaware of the strategies that will help them to succeed. Action points that will support your teenager include the following: Establishing your Teenager’s Learning Style Learning styles are…
Read MoreThe culture of low expectation in schools; are teachers too tolerant of bad behaviour?
The standard of behaviour by young people is so bad such that what is acceptable as the norm is well below the level that will create an environment conducive to learning. Some may want to argue that: how come the examinations results are getting better and more people are achieving A and double A* –…
Read MoreCan I afford private tuition for my child?
When considering whether to get private tuition for their child, one of the questions that many parents face is: “can I afford private tuition?” It is the case that most children, whilst going up through the education system have received some sort of private tuition at some point in their lives. It could be for…
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