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Showing posts from June, 2017

Documenting your summer - the art of the journal

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

To improve exam grades... Get some sleep!

We have just had boys sitting Common Entrance for Marlborough College and Radley and ISEB Pre-tests for a whole host of schools. The students sometimes drag themselves in, bleary eyed, desperately trying to cram facts into their tired brains before the exams start. Every year, I give parents the same advice; the night before the exam, the best thing your child can do is to get an early night and try to relax. This year, I have been passing out a research report which backs up the suggestion! Researchers at the University of Ghent and of KU Leuven  have found that students who get between six to seven hours' sleep the night before an exam increase their scores by an average of 1.7 points on a scale of 20. That might not sound like much but as a percentage, it could make the difference between an A and B grade. Sitting down to an exam when your brain is exhausted leads to half-processed ideas and panic. A good night's sleep will allow your child to walk into the exam room b