Brandon Learning Centre: British Education - process, preparation and practicalities

The first part of a poem by Vachel Lindsay: The Leaden-Eyed Let not young souls be smothered out before They do quaint deeds and fully flaunt their pride. It is the world's one crime its babes grow dull Its poor are ox-like, limp and leaden-eyed. How will your child do quaint deeds and flaunt their pride this week?

This post is part of an occasional series based on meetings with school registrars. Brandon had a visit from Mr Andrew Shedden, Registrar of Winchester College this week. Winchester is an extraordinary institution and, for a wonderful month a year over five years, I was blessed to be a part of it. To summarise some of Mr Shedden's points: Who thrives at Winchester? Academically curious, engaged boys who are willing to think beyond the classroom. How does the school identify suitable students? The first stage is the ISEB pre-test. Should your son do well in the pre-test, he will be invited to an interview during which he may be given a verbal, non-verbal and logic test and school reference will be requested. What is a Winchester interview like? Unexpected! The purpose of the interview is to try to see what makes the boys 'tick'. Wise words? Boys need to be guided to develop resilience and independence. They should be willing to take risks and to learn how to

Many of our parents will take advantage of the CNY school holidays to visit UK boarding schools. Our schools are strict about children taking taking off but February in Britain can be a bleak time and schools really don’t appeal to children when they are seeing through a veil of rain. Here are a few tips to prepare your children so you avoid the experience of one Brandon parent who told me: “Tim came back from our school visits determined never to go to boarding school!” Preparations: 1: You will need coats. And umbrellas! 2: Wear flat and comfortable shoes. Visiting schools requires a lot of walking: Oundle is a sprawling campus as is Millfield and you don’t want to miss seeing some of the facilities. If you are going to an older school like Winchester College, King’s Canterbury, you will be dealing with cobbles. 3: Talk to your daughter or son about what they will be seeing. Check the forecast together so they are ready for anything that the British weather can throw at them.

Here are my top five rules for interviews, none of which are earth-shattering news to most parents but all of which are worth bearing in mind! 5: Understand the format of the interview: will your child be tested (Eton, Westminster) if so, what style is the test? Is there a group interview?  4: Do you have to bring anything to the interview ? A school exercise book? An item to discuss? If so, spend some time discussing the items with your child. Flick through the work book and ask your child to select the piece of work they are proudest of. Ask them why they chose their special item. Choose your own item and compare. Have fun finding out about your child!  3: Is there a dress code? Some schools (e.g. Downe House) ask girls to bring sports kit as part of the day includes a group exercise activity. If you are unsure, call the school. Wearing school uniform is always a safe bet and may help your son or daughter to put themselves into school-mode. If you opt to buy a suit or new

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth, you will see a collection of mini-magazines and  journals created by the Bronte sisters and their brother. The isolated house is a treasure trove of creativity. Like the Bronte sisters, your child may well go on to be an inspirational writer but even if they only dip into writing as a distraction from their day job, the writing bug is worthwhile catching! One way of inspiring your child to write is to start a holiday journal which can be gifted to an older relative when the family returns from a trip. The journal itself doesn't have to be expensive, an exercise book will do. Decorate the cover - be creative! One of my students used a cheap copy book to describe her recent trip visiting schools (as far North as Fettes College in Edinburgh, and West as Canford!) and decorated the cover with train tickets from the various journeys she took. The journal itself should be a collection of observations, pictures

Entry to schools used to be relative easy: register, interview, get an offer, sit Common Entrance and start in September. All has changed. Why? Simple: the sheer numbers of students applying to UK schools has increased dramatically and schools have elected to use pre-tests in order to identify applicants who will be able to thrive in their classrooms. So what does the pre-test consist of? The test is taken online and there are four sections: Maths (50 mins) English (25 mins) Non-Verbal reasoning (32 mins) Verbal reasoning (36 mins) Students may take breaks between sections but, once started, the test cannot be paused. A timer at the top of the screen shows the student how much time remains and there is an indicator at the bottom of the screen showing which question number the student is on and how many he/she has left to answer. There are no prizes for finishing first! We recommend that our students pace themselves and aim for accuracy rather than racing though the quest

One of the challenges a number of our children appear to be encountering when they are taking the ISEB and other pretests is runnning out of time. The maths section in particular can present problems as students try to extract the problem from the test. Try this: Give you child a sheet of word-based maths problems (e.g. three boys bought a six litre bottle of orange squash which they divided equally amongst them, how much did each boy receive?) and ask your child to write out the resultant sum. As your child becomes faster, increase the complexity of the arithmatic. Include: fractions, percentages, measurements. Allocate time to completing the sheet. Use a large kitchen timer which rings when "time is up" so your child gets used to working to time constraints. Talk to them about how they are going to be dividing his time. You can use the timer technique are you practice verbal/non-verbal reasoning.

School entry used to be relatively straightforward: apply, interview, take a couple of exams and join. No longer... welcome to the world of the pre-test. Why have pre-tests become so prevalent? A couple of reasons: firstly, the increase in applications to UK schools has put already over-worked admissions departments under incredible strain and pre-tests represent a way of filtering students and reducing the number to a manageable size. More importantly though, schools say that they do not want candidates who have no chance of gaining a place going through the stress of an application. Sounds fair enough... There are a number of pre-tests but I am going to focus on the ISEB pre-test as has been adopted by a number of big schools (Eton, Radley, Wellington, Westminster amongst others) and is therefore a hot topic amongst our parents. What is the ISEB Pre-test? The test consists of four sections: English (25 minutes) Maths (50 minutes) Verbal (36 minutes) Non-Verbal reasoning

School entry used to be relatively straightforward: apply, interview, take a couple of exams and join. No longer... welcome to the world of the pre-test. Why have pre-tests become so prevalent? A couple of reasons: firstly, the increase in applications to UK schools has put already over-worked admissions departments under incredible strain and pre-tests represent a way of filtering students and reducing the number to a manageable size. More importantly though, schools say that they do not want candidates who have no chance of gaining a place going through the stress of an application. Sounds fair enough... There are a number of pre-tests but I am going to focus on the ISEB pre-test as has been adopted by a number of big schools (Eton, Radley, Wellington, Westminster amongst others) and is therefore a hot topic amongst our parents. What is the ISEB Pre-test? The test consists of four sections: English (25 minutes) Maths (50 minutes) Verbal (36 minutes) Non-Verbal reasoning

I had a miserable day yesterday which changed dramatically when I found this fabulous picture on my desk. The picture (and flattery, take it where you can!) reminded me that sometimes we need to stop taking life so seriously and live more in the moment. Children have a real gift for spontaneity and we should cherish it. Learning and educating goes both ways! My instant cheer up present from Akuri!

Common wisdom has it that it takes a village to raise a child. With a slight adaptation; it takes a world to create a PhD Candidate! My studies would never have been possible without the support of my family, friends and the blessings of God. I have learned so much and will continue to see that I have much to strive for, In the meantime... thank you, thank you, thank you. 

To all our Brandon 13+ candidates! Tips to ensure that your answer matches the questions 1: Underline the key words in the question. Ask yourself what the question requires of you. 2: Check the marking scheme, don't waste time on a one mark answer 3: Look for recognisable instructions: describe, analyse, compare 4: Is the question asking HOW something happens or WHY? 5: As you are answering, refer back to the question to make sure that you are on track. Read carefully... Don't panic!

At this time of year, on the Feast of Saint Patrick, we should be celebrating everything which is good about our country. My favourites are: our family ties, our incredible contribution to literature and our relish for and resilience to the absurdities of life. Everyone will have their own memories and recollections of growing up in Ireland; running along a beach in the rain and returning home to the scent of the peat fire and warmth. For me, this poem encapsulates our childhood joys and dreams and the experiences I hope to pass on. For children or the diaspora who are living outside Ireland, read this for your parents or grandparents and share in their memories and love of our land. Irish Children - An Dara-Leabhar (Gaelic League) Happy Irish children, In your home below, Sheltered when the rain falls, Safe from winter's snow. Sing your songs of gladness In your grand old speech, Climb the sunny hillside, Race along the beach. Nowhere greener pastures, Nowhere bro

Air rage.. road rage.. and now concert rage?  Last night I attended the wonderful first night of the  43rd Hong Kong Arts Festival . The Arts Festival is an annual treat during which we have the opportunity to experience masterly and challenging performances from the worlds' most talented artists. Last night's performance by  Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden  was exquisite. The programme opened with Strauss's Metamorphosen, a poignant reflection on war and a memorial for a world destroyed during the bombing of Europe in World War Two about which the composer wrote:  “2000 years of cultural evolution had met its doom, and irreplaceable monuments of architecture and works of art were destroyed by a criminal soldiery.” A phenomenal opportunity and an evening which generated reflection on man's ability to create and destory? Yes.. but not provoked by Strauss's music.  In the dying moments of the Metamorphosen, an over-enthusiastic member of the a

I had a wonderful piece of news from one of my students today: she had won first place in one of the poetry reading categories of the HK Schools Speech festival. Here are some of the reasons why: 1: She knew her poem. This sounds basic but it is easy to forget words under stress unless you know them back to front, inside out and upside down! Choose a poem which offers you scope. 2: We talked about the meaning of the poem. Unless you understand the theme and story of the poem, it is almost impossible to convey the meaning. 3: We worked and worked to add variety of pace, pitch and volume. A poem is a conversation between the poet and the audience which is interpreted by the reader. Make your listeners want to happen by adding colour. Most importantly, she practiced! A lot. A wonderful student who worked incredibly hard and received an excellent reward. Even if you don't win, entering the competition with the three key steps in mind will ensure that you have learned a va

We have had a few requests for lessons at Brandon this week which have reminded me that the HK Schools' Speech Festival is on the horizon again! I did my first speech festival a LONG time ago but the general concept hasn't changed. Here are a few things to be thinking about: Classes - there are so many options to consider. I particularly like teaching Bible Speaking as I feel that, to excel in this area, the speaker really needs to understand the verses in question. The HKSMSA website has the syllabus up already:  Have a look here for the different classes Get the right piece! It sounds obvious but last year at Brandon Learning Centre, we had five students who came in with incorrect versions of their poems. The source of the poem is specified in the HKSMSA syllabus. If you choose prose reading classes, you will also need to get hold of a copy of the book. Memorisation - once you have your piece, the first step is to understand the texts. The second step is to memorise i

Parades... green rivers... flashing shamrocks... Saint Patrick's day is unrecognisable today!   New Orleans becomes Irish! I am in New Orleans which is packed with people wearing green. It is wonderful to see people celebrating Ireland and the diaspora. Rather than buying the Made in China Leprechaun's hat, how about reviving the Irish custom of entertaining family and friends with a dance, a song or a poem? The following is the first stanza of The Exile's Return , by John Locke which tells the story of an exile returning from Texas after longing for his homeland for so long. The entire poem is eight stanzas long and does teeter on the Plastic Paddy territory but St Pat's is a day to be as sentimental as you like! Read proudly and remember the generations who gave up so much for us. The Exile's Return Glory to God, but there it is- The dawn on the hills of Ireland! God's angels lifting the night's black veil From the fair, sweet face of my s

The exam content may differ but the basic premise is the same; you study for a period of time, assemble the facts and techniques and attempt to distill your learning into a few short hours. One of the common consequences of this situation is a month of blind panic during which you know that you should be revising and can't think where to start. So here is an idea: 1; Acquire a copy of your syllabus 2; Go through the above, dividing content into three columns marked "confident I know this," "need to go over it," "not the faintest clue" 3; At this point, you will need to seek help with anything that falls into the latter category 4; For the remaining topics, start allocating revision time. Clearly, your focus is on updating your knowledge of the familiar but consecrating more time to the unfamiliar 5; Break down your time into realistic blocks (seriously, are you going to cane through a topic a night?) Factor in time-cushions for unexpected del

We are all safe at home as the typhoon batters Hong Kong. Instead of spending the day square-eyed in front on the television or immersed in computer games, how about creating some family memories? Ideas... Bake! Scones, biscuits, nothing too complicated. The scent of baking filling the house easily compensates for the greyness outside. Create a scrap book of family pictures, memories and in-jokes. Something to look back on or use as black-mail when boy/girl friends meet the parents. Create a family magazine for Grandparents. Write up news, add holiday pictures, recipes or plans for the new term. Play a board game (avoid Monopoly, the source of explosive arguments in houses across the nation!) Give younger children magazines and blunt scissors. Ask them to cut out animal pictures and stick them all together to make a zoo, fashion pictures to create a show or just anything that catches their eye. Create a family quiz. Everyone makes up 20 questions which can be general kno

School interviews? At any age, the idea of being grilled by a stranger can be daunting. And therein lies the problem; we need to adjust the way that we perceive interviews. An interview is a two way process. Your interviewer wants to find out more about you to see if you are suitable for their school or company. You want to present your skills in a way which is attractive and also want to find out whether the school or company is an environment in which you can thrive. Interviews are conversations: both sides need to take part! Planning ideas. Speak to friends who are currently studying at the school. They are the experts! 1: Think about what you really want to get out of the interview. Why do you want to join this school? 2: Think about what skills and talents the school is looking for 3: Think about what you have to offer 4: Ask yourself: what don't I know about this school? Some questions you will be able to research online or find answers through asking friends.