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

We had some wonderful news today: one of our Brandon boys has won an Eton College King's Scholarship award. This has been a particularly good year for our students who seem to be scooping up scholarships and exhibitions in a multitude of schools. The girls have won scholarships at: CLC, Wycombe and exhibitions at Benenden. The boys have aced: Eton, Radley, and Oundle. Brandon has been preparing students for scholarships for over 13 years now.  If you are considering the scholarship route for your son or daughter, the following will help: 1: Understand your child; are they a natural scholar? Some children thrive in academic competitions, others less so. Be honest! 2: Consider a reading list; most prep schools will have a decent list tucked away or the school library is a good place to start. Incorporate fiction, non-fiction and even (gasp) poetry! 3: Be aware of the requirements; do you need to do languages? Cover science? Humanities? What on earth is a General paper? 4:

The lead up to the 2012 Olympics was full of media pundits prophesying doom. What they didn't take into account was the determination of the British in the face of a challenge. The result was an scintillating celebration of the eccentricity of the British Character. Led by the unlikely fusion of a fearsome brain and a frightening haircut which is Mayor Boris Johnson, the Games were a triumph of perseverance with the focus of the spotlight being returned to it's rightful place: the athletes. Pageantry and ceremony are inextricably linked with England and this vibrant extravaganza could not have taken place anywhere other than London. London has inspired poetry for centuries and, around 1501, William Dunbar delivered the following: An extract from To the City of London by William Dunbar London, thou art of townes A per se . Sovraign of cities, semeliest in sight, Of high renoun, riches, and royaltie: Of lordis, barons, and many goodly knyght; Of most delectable lusty l