With school entrance exams and GCSE and A Level mocks just around the corner, you may be wondering how to help your child with exam revision over the Christmas break. No student wants to be glued to their books during yuletide activities, so here are a few suggestions to make holiday schoolwork a little less Grinch-like.

Little and often is key

For children taking the 11+ or the 13+ in January, it is sensible to set aside a little time every day, or every other day, for revision. With younger children, it is important to keep things ticking over as tricky mathematical methods and difficult spellings are easily forgotten over the Christmas break. Short, regular revision sessions are likely to be more effective —and more fun —thanlong stints sitting at a desk.

Plan some treats

Whether it is a trip to the ice rink or a visit to some Christmas markets, make sure to intersperse revision with some festive outings. A few rewards will provide more motivation to study and —more importantly —give children the chance to enjoy their well earned school holiday.  

Get the whole family involved

Nothing is worse than hearing everyone having fun together in the kitchen as you sit staring at a page of trigonometry. Revision doesn’t have to a solitary affair, however: take the time to quiz your child on arithmetic and spelling, and encourage other members of the family —older siblings, aunts, grandparents —to do the same. A maths problem shared is a maths problem halved.

Try to inject some yuletide cheer

Although an 11+ past paper may be the least festive thing known to man, do your best to make it fun. Hunt down some Christmas maths quizzes, or find a Noel themed English comprehension passage. Schoolwork will never be as enjoyable as eating mince pies, but it doesn’t have to be chore.

Schedule in some private tuition

If you have decided to hire a tutor, it is a good idea to timetable in a couple of lessons during the Christmas break. Whether your child is struggling with a particular topic, or is experiencing pre-exam nerves, a tutor will boost their confidence and help clear up their confusion before school starts again in January.  

Play games

For young students, sometimes a game of Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit is just as worthwhile as agonising over a non-verbal reasoning test. Anything that keeps children’s brains active over the holiday is sure to be a good thing —plus Christmas is a time for families to spend quality time together.

Draw up a timetable

If your child has GCSE or A Level mocks in January, encourage them to make a timetable. It is hard for teenagers to know how much progress they are making over the holidays, and a timetable will make them feel like they are making real headway. It is important to be realistic — don’t let them schedule in 14 hours of Chemistry revision on Christmas Eve. But scheduling in a few hours in every day — and marking in some work-free days — is a great way for teenagers to make the most of the Christmas break.  

Set some goals

Whether your child is about to sit the 11+ or an A Level exam, think about some key objectives they should aim to achieve over the holiday. These don’t have to be detailed, but it will help to avoid panic later in the day, and fill your child with a real sense of achievement once Christmas comes to an end.

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Wondering how to help your child excel in their exams? Here are some useful exam tips on how to optimise revision time and how to keep stress to a minimum.

1) Core understanding is crucial

Revision is very important, but if your child struggled with a subject the first time around you are fighting a losing battle. Make sure your child has a firm grasp of the basics before they get going with revision exercises. If they are about to take an 11+ exam, for example, test them regularly on each topic. Repetition is key here, so try and factor in a few questions on percentages, fractions and shapes every day, even if it is just in the car on the way to school.

2) Practice makes perfect

Some exams are very formulaic. 11+ exams, for example, test the same skills every year. It is worth investing in a large wad of practice questions, therefore, and helping your child work through them. That way, they become familiar with the format of the test and know exactly what to expect. Innate ability is not everything, and there are plenty of books on sale to give your child the practice they need.

3) Draw up a revision timetable

Nobody wants to feel like they should be working all the time. It is very useful, therefore, to allocate specific times of the day for revision. Many children are most alert and productive in the morning. If it is school holiday time, therefore, put aside an hour or so before lunch for your child to practise their spelling, creative writing or arithmetic. Research has shown we work best in 30 to 40 minute bursts, so bear this in mind when you are designing a schedule. If your child is older, encourage them to make their own revision timetable and to factor in regular breaks. It will help them to manage their time and keep on top of their work.

This BBC Bitesize page is a fantastic resource for all things related to timetabling:

https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/zn3497h

4) Make sure there’s time to relax

Yes, hard work always pays off. However, it is essential your child has some downtime where they can just relax and have fun. Whether they like seeing friends, baking or going to the cinema, encourage them to keep doing what they enjoy. Doing something completely different will help clear their head, ward off stress, and make the time they spend working more productive.

5) Sport can be beneficial

There’s lots of evidence that suggests physical activity can improve brain functioning. Fresh air is wonderful thing, and sport helps to reduce stress and improve sleep — the ancient saying ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ isn’t still famous for nothing. Plus, if your teenager is spending time exercising, it means they are spending time away from their phone and computer, which can only be a good thing.

6) Look into revision courses

Revision courses are proven to boost exam performance. Hampstead and Frognal Tutors run two day revision courses throughout the year in GCSE English, Maths and Science, along with 11+ English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. 13+ Revision Courses in Maths, Science and English are also available. Fun and focused, these revision courses impart both knowledge and confidence.

For more information, click here: https://hampsteadandfrognaltutors.org.uk/contact-us/

7) Don’t start revision too early

Feeling burnt out is a real risk for diligent students. If teenagers start revising too early for their GCSEs or A Levels, they are likely to peak too soon and not be at their best when exam season finally arrives.

Things are slightly different for younger students. If your child is due to sit the 11+ in the next year so, you might want to consider starting some gentle revision. For more advice on when to begin preparing, take a look at our 11+ blog post: “Can I Tutor My Own Child?”

8) Stress is contagious

Everyone wants their children to do well in school. However, children and teenagers easily sense when their parents are anxious, and often feel more stressed as a result. Sometimes you need to explain that exam results are not the most important thing in the world, and that you will be proud no matter what. Ironically, the soothing effect of these words often leads to children doing better in assessments as they approach them with less apprehension.

9) Mock exams work wonders

Regardless of how old they are, it is likely that your child will be nervous before an exam. It is sensible, therefore, to organise a mock exam before they sit the real thing. GCSE and A Level mocks teach students how to manage their time, how to keep calm under pressure and how to improve their exam technique. Younger children are often fazed by the formal nature of assessments, and a mock gives them time to adjust to the strange new set-up.

It helps if the mock takes place in an unfamiliar place and is invigilated by someone who does not know the child well. That way, the test feels more real. It is also worth noting that mark schemes can be hard to understand. If have hired a tutor, give them the answer paper to look at, as they will probably be able to mark it more accurately.

10) Consider hiring a tutor

If you have decided to employ a tutor — be it a GCSE Maths tutoror an A Level English tutor— you have probably made a good decision. One-to-one teaching is hugely powerful, particularly in the run up to exams. Whether your child needs help in a specific area, or general academic support, tutors can make a real difference.

For more information, take a look at this article which appeared in The Telegraph last year.

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You need only to glance at the shelves of a bookshop, or to skim the surface of Google, to be inundated with exam resources. As you battle your way through AQA textbooks, KS2 worksheets and ISEB syllabi, you would be forgiven for thinking that it’s not just your child who is being tested. Figuring out the acronyms is an exam in itself.

Educational material is abundant and widely available to parents. This raises the question of whether private tuition is really necessary any more. Is it worth expense? Is it worth the time and effort involved in finding someone who can enthuse your child and help them to succeed?

Private tutors have a wealth of knowledge and experience. They can tell their OCRs from their Edexels. They know 11+ examinations back-to-front, and can navigate through the maze of admissions criteria. Not all schools ask for the same thing. Entrance exams for state selective and grammar schools are often different to the tests designed by the independent sector. What is more, you can not even be sure that Westminster, London will ask the same sort of questions as St Paul’s Girls’ School, London.

Many state schools — and even some private schools — fail to adequately prepare students for what to expect. A private tutor in English, maths or other curriculum subject can give children the guidance they need and save parents the arduous and difficult task of resource-hunting.

Tutors also know where pupils commonly slip up. Take an 11+ Maths exam, for example.  ‘If April 4th was a Thursday, on what day was March 17th?’  ‘What two numbers sum to 30 and have a difference of 6?’ ‘Given that 24 76 x 165 = 408540 find 408540 ÷ 16.5’. These types of question are notorious among tutors, who have seen many a student — and the odd parent — flummoxed by date and number problems.

Private tuition in maths, English, or reasoning for example, is not purely goal-orientated, however. Children should not be turned into exam-taking machines, churning out non-verbal reasoning tests with robotic efficiency. There is only so many shape sequences you can stare at before losing the will to live, let alone to learn.

Instead, tutors can transform a student’s approach to studying. They can restore confidence when anxiety sets in. They can compensate for poor teaching at school. Perhaps most importantly, they can mentor and inspire their pupils, instilling a love of their subject in those that they tutor.

Given the valuable impact of private tuition, you may be wondering when is the best time to hire a tutor. A lot depends on the stage that your child is at.  The 11+ English, Maths and Reasoning examination requires students to have learnt all of the skills included in Key Stage 2. This is important as the exams are scheduled either during the autumn term or in the January of Year 6. As a result, pupils will only have officially completed half of the Year 6 curriculum before they sit the tests.

If you leave 11+ preparation until the start of Year 6 you do not give yourself a lot of time. Panic and stress — on your part or that of your child — is not conducive to thinking. At Hampstead and Frognal Tutors, we recommend that students start to prepare in either Year 4 or Year 5 focusing on English tuition and maths tuition to build solid foundations in number, comprehension and story writing. This does not mean that they should be grappling with verbal reasoning over breakfast or with Venn diagrams before bed from the age of eight. However, regular study sessions can make a huge difference to a child’s ability and confidence.

If the 11+ is looming, however, don’t panic! We recommend that a child who is due to start Year 6 this September should have, on average, three hours of focussed tuition per week. This should compensate for the short time span and equip your child with the skills that they need to achieve their potential.

Preparing for GCSEs and A Levels is slightly different. It is essential for teenagers to build up a rapport with their tutor and to feel supported over the course of their studies. It is often beneficial, therefore, for teenagers to be tutored regularly throughout Year 11, 12 or 13.

Regardless of what year your child is in, however, now is the perfect time to get started. The summer holidays bring free time and long days, along with the inevitable cry of ‘I’m bored!’. The lengthy break can also lead to the phenomena known as the ‘summer slide’. Various studies have concluded that literacy declines over the summer, as children replace books with beaches, computer games and iPhones.

Tuition is not the sole way to beat the summer slump. Reading is also a great way to keep things ticking over. For younger children, initiatives like the Summer Reading Challenge (https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk) showcase the joy of books and are ideal for improving literacy. For teenagers, summer is a good time to read around different subjects in preparation for the coming academic year. A good tutor would be able to draw up reading lists designed to point students in new, exciting directions.

The next time you are grappling with the differences between KS2 and KS3, whilst decoding the meanings of STEP and IB, pause for a moment. As you scan the bookshelves and plunge into the depths of Google, consider whether your energy could be better spent elsewhere. The time may have come to hire a tutor.

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If you already have – well done! If you haven’t, you are missing a trick for a very simple way to rapidly improve your child’s education.

For some it may seem like a strange idea, but it’s actually very common. Over the last few years more and more articles have appeared in national newspapers highlighting this growing trend. The reason for such rapid growth: it makes the difference.

Smart Learning

The key reason for having a tutor with you on holiday is quite simple: it’s about maximising the opportunities you are already giving your children.

Travelling and going abroad is one of the most fascinating experiences a human can have. To see other places is eye opening and exciting. It’s also one of the best ways for children to learn. Another culture, a new way of life, is the perfect intellectual breeding ground. 

Where could a tutor help?

Where a tutor can help is to harness the experiences for effective learning. A tutor can help a child apply what they have learnt in school, and use the exciting environment & experiences to provide the spark to get a child truly into subjects – which will engender a guaranteed improvement in results.

Languages

Languages are the really obvious benefit from going on holiday. Whether it’s picking up some more French walking around markets in Cannes, to getting the hang of spoken Arabic in Morocco, visiting countries provides an easy access into a new language. Seeing the thrill on a child’s face when they successfully have a conversation with a local, the realisation that they have cracked part of a language is truly unique.

This is where a tutor can be extremely effective. A tutor in this situation can teach your child language lessons in the morning. Then, using what they’ve learnt, your child can go out and practice in the real world in the afternoon. This repetition and practice ensures that the knowledge will stick.

Unlike in schools where languages can often seem like a translation exercise, when abroad it makes sense to the child as a way to open up a different culture. The lessons don’t even need to take place indoors – they can be out and about on the streets. This is the ultimate learning tool – and would make for a great holiday. What better benefit on having a holiday than to have acquired the basics of a new language for life, and also being able to tell their friends about it.

History

History is an area that could have a profound influence on your child. It’s overlooked by some parents as it doesn’t appear to directly improve a child’s life (in a way that languages do). However, there are parents all over the country that have seen its potential, and are getting their children into schools and universities.

Where history plays a unique role is in its ability to educate on a wider cultural scale – which can cover everything from art to economics, supporting a myriad of subjects. This broad knowledge helps develop a well-rounded child – which is highly valued.

There is no better time to develop this than when on holiday. Getting a tutor that is familiar with the country or area that you are visiting will help your children expand their historical and cultural awareness. A good tutor will focus on the areas that your child is interested in, developing their knowledge, and providing that inspirational spark that will produce results back at school.

But crucially, where historical knowledge can make a huge difference is in a very short moment that can define the rest of their life – the school or University interview. The historical knowledge acquired on holiday could set your child apart from all the others. It could be the knowledge that convinces an establishment of a desire to learn, and convey that they are an interesting, intelligent person.

Summer is the key time to get ahead for the next year, and for life – and the way to do it is with the help of a tutor on your holiday.

Top tip:

Don’t want to take the tutor with you? Book them to spend some time with your children the week before. Although not quite as effective, it could still help them whilst you’re abroad.

By Jonathan Coates @coates_jonathan

The post ‘I took my tutor on holiday!’ – the phrase you’ll hear next September and why it’s making their children better. appeared first on Hampstead and Frognal Tutors.

Exam season is upon us, and parents everywhere are seeing their children struggle with revision.

Revision is really hard to do. It has the pressure of a looming deadline, the requirement to try and remember what seems like an insurmountable stack of information, and the fear having to write it all out in an exam in precisely timed chunks. For younger children it is especially difficult – avoiding distraction, and even understanding why this torture has to be undergone produces the possibility for a constant battleground with parents.

How to revise is a very individual process, based on learning style and various other factors. Some children work well with flash cards, others with reciting the text, and others by putting up paper on every available wall. Although these techniques can be perfected (especially with the help of a tutor), trying to write an all encompassing ‘guide’ in a blog would be at best, useless, and at worst misleading.

However, there are some broad elements of revision that can be adjusted to optimise your child’s revision and learning capacity. I’m confident that parents are already doing many of the points below. However, if the quality of these points can be improved then it could make all the difference.

5 revision tips to help your child succeed in exam season.

1. Revision Space

A child needs a set space, which is free from distractions in which to revise. The continuity will help concentration. If possible, it should be somewhere that is calm, and doesn’t have any distractions nearby (such as computers, or siblings!) Kitchen tables and open spaces are fine as long as there is calm in the room whilst the child is working.

2. Revision Timetable

Put together a revision timetable in advance with your child. Again, continuity is the key – copying the timings of school day is a not a bad approach. Make sure that there is a copy of the timetable somewhere public (kitchen etc) that can be ticked off – giving a sense of achievement. This is very important to stop the overwhelming feeling! The timetable must be rigidly stuck to – no last minute excuses from children (or parents!) This is why drawing it up together is important.

3. Sleep

This is possibly the most important aspect of good revision. Research from Harvard has found that consolidated sleep for a whole night is optimal for memory. In addition, lack of sleep hugely affects attention and concentration. A slightly sleepy 13 year old has been shown to have cognitive function of a child two years younger. One of the key things to avoid is the use of backlit electronic devices before bed. Research has recently shown that using devices an hour before bed suppresses melatonin by 22%. Melatonin controls the body clock – so affecting it can really hurt sleep patterns. Avoiding it may just help improve your child’s sleep.

4. Food

Food is fuel. Ensuring your child is taking on the right type of food is very important. Sugar has been shown to hugely affect memory and concentration, so try to avoid non-natural sugars. A classic example is on cereal in the morning. A good mixed diet will help your child. But remember – something fun once in a while, such as chips can be a good reward.

5. Take breaks & Exercise!

Taking formal time out from revision is crucial. Regular breaks help relieve monotony by having a scenic and mental change, which allows your child to return to the revision task with renewed vigour. They also allow the brain time to process the information. Try doing some ‘brain gym’ exercises in between revision topics. Getting out of the house and doing some exercise during the day can be really beneficial. The activity can range from the easy to the energetic – from taking a walk, to playing tennis, or going for a swim. It’ll allow you to have some time with your child that isn’t as ‘revision schedule enforcer’, and give them some space to take their mind off the revision and exams each day. It’s also a great stress reliever (for both of you!)

Ensuring that these points are being adhered to can really help your child’s revision. However, how to apply them is down to you!

How to apply this information now:

1. Share and comment on this post. By sharing you can gain other insights by parents on how they improve their child’s revision session Hearing other people’s experience can really help your confidence and give you tried and tested techniques.
2. Contact Hampstead & Frognal Tutors. We are happy to talk through any information about your child’s academic development, without any pressure. We believe in helping children grow, and want to help you achieve that with your child.

By Jonathan Coates @coates_jonathan

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ICT (including computing, or computer science) would appear to be a perfect choice for those looking to provide themselves with a skill that holds some currency on the job market. More and more jobs require more than a basic grounding in computer programmes, and technology start-ups and businesses form a vibrant part of the economy. Furthermore, IT has come to form the backbone of many more established industries, including, notably, finance.

Despite this, only 10% of students sitting their GCSEs in 2013 chose ICT as a subject. While this number is a huge increase (of 38%) from 2012, this explosion is from a frightfully low base. What explains the low uptake?

The answer may lie in the fact that technology moves incredibly quickly, making it hard for the exam boards that develop curricula to keep up. Even those designed in conjunction with tech giants (such as AQA’s collaboration with Microsoft) run the risk of giving students a thorough grounding in technologies that may be too narrow, or may soon be obsolete.
Ronan, an IT professional with 12 years’ experience working in the industry, points out that a crucial problem is that there are simply too many different technologies, coding languages, and frameworks in use. Moving from one IT job to another, even within a company, may require entirely different sets of skills, a breadth that is hard to condense into an exam-based curriculum. This is not just a challenge faced by schools, universities are just as prone to creating computer science degrees that are effectively worthless.

Exam boards have set about addressing this problem by focusing on the fundamentals, such as how computers interpret and use data, but, at GCSE level, many courses still feature too much of the ‘how to use Powerpoint’ material, leaving students bored senseless. Newer course materials feature some introductions to coding, and problem-solving using advanced technologies, but this doesn’t solve the obsolescence problem.

To further compound this issue, there is a distinct scarcity of highly-qualified computer science teachers at GCSE and A-Level. This is largely due to the fact that those with the relevant knowledge are working in the field, rather than teaching. Of those who have entered the teaching profession, many graduated with their degrees in computer science too long ago, making the information and technologies that they studied out-of-date.

What we are left with is a seemingly impossible task: to create a curriculum that provides a strong foundation in the key technologies, whilst simultaneously providing the skills for an ever-changing field; a curriculum that anticipates a changing jobs landscape without being too in hock to trends; a programme that helps students develop skills to a reasonable degree of proficiency, whilst acknowledging that focusing on one or two sets of skills or technologies ignores the sheer volume of other systems in operation.

The answer to this dilemma may very well be to treat ICT qualifications almost like a vocational course. IT resources and materials are available in large quantities online, and are often free to use. The relative abundance of ‘self-help’ materials encourages students who are passionate about computer science to strike out on their own and develop skills they find interesting or relevant. Additionally, job placements are very often the best way to develop IT skills.

Ronan confirms that entering the workforce with any amount of real-world experience is more valuable than any qualification or degree. ‘You may start out doing menial tasks, like migrating data or fixing minor bugs, but eventually you move on to bigger or more complicated tasks, and grow your skill set from there.’

Working with companies to create internship-type placements for GCSE or A-Level students could be a promising way to create an environment in which fundamentals (however those are defined) are learned in the classroom, and the ‘nitty-gritty’ of coding, systems, and frameworks is learned in real-world situations, thus also encouraging students to learn crucial job-market skills and teaching them to adapt to new challenges, think on their feet, and study independently.

Exam boards are right to review skills such as creating documents and spreadsheets and using databases, but their focus needs to be beyond this; on programming for mobile technologies, web-based technologies and programming, and coding languages and frameworks. Only with an emphasis in these areas will British students emerge with a qualification that would ever mean something to an employer. Many examiners are moving decidedly in the right direction, but encouraging practical skill development in the workplace would better serve students.

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