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

 I've been preparing students for UK studies for over twenty years. Based on my experience, I have put together a parents' workbook as you move towards school and university planning.   You don't have to be considering Eton or an independent school, the main focus of this book is on developing social and cultural capital which your child will be able to use at every stage of their development.  Learn how to:  - identify your child's talents - fill in the gaps!  - develop interests - teach your child to communicate Above all. This preparation will help you to encourage your child to be confident, brave and resilient.    Try this exercise with your child:   Learning how to discuss art and objects - in this exercise, you are not aiming to educate them about an artist, your objective is to start them engaging and finding ways of expressing their thoughts. Go into a museum and find a quiet room.  Imagine that you are allowed to tak...

The days running up to any exam are always a mixture of excitement, anticipation and outright terror. We have the Winchester College exams next week and Common Entrance at the beginning of June. Try following these steps to avoid turning up in a state of nervous exhaustion... Leading up to the exam: Review your notes. Flick through textbooks; sometimes the images they contain can aid memory. Transfer your key notes to flashcards that you can review before the exam. If you really don't understand a topic, speak to a teacher as soon as possible. The topic may not come up on the exam but worrying about it may prevent you from focusing on what you do know. The night before the exam: Get a good night's sleep. Pack your pencilcase. Make sure that you have a couple of pens, pencil, sharpener, rubber, calculator and any mathematical instruments you might need. Put your books away; your goal is to have a relaxed mind. The morning of the exam: Double check your equipment. ...

When I was a child, my Grandfather had an impressive collection of Charles Dickens' novels. Bound in Morocco leather with gold lettering, we were not allowed to touch them. Naturally, the second he was out of the room, we did, and I remember the misery of being caught and not knowing what was going to happen to Little Nell in the Old Curiosity Shop. I mention this because we, at Brandon Learning Centre, have just done a series of classes based on Oliver Twist. It is incredible how fresh the human emotion is after almost 200 years and how relelvant the social commentary is to today's society. Dickens can be daunting but it is worth bearing in mind that he wrote his novels as chapters and reading each one and then pausing is an excellent way to prolong the excitement. Read the chapters outloud, preferably around a roaring fire and feel the characters come to life! "> To hear me reading an extract from Oliver Twist (simplified) "> The real thing - a wonderf...

The Reassurance - Thom Gunn About ten days or so After we saw you dead You came back in a dream. I'm all right now you said. And it was you, although You were fleshed out again: You hugged us all round then, And gave your welcoming beam. How like you to be kind, Seeking to reassure. And, yes, how like my mind To make itself secure.