GCSE

Martians from The War of the Worlds tower over a city

Creative approaches to teaching The War of the Worlds

Over 120 years ago Wells’ science fiction novel The War of the Worlds (1898) presented Victorian readers with a frankly terrifying answer to the question of whether there is life on Mars. Now in 2020, with wonderful synchronicity, the team behind the latest NASA Mars space mission have made it… Read More
female students in science classroom wearing goggles and holding a test tube

Ideas for re-engaging students with science this term

It’s always a risk when committing thoughts to paper (or cloud) on education policy and practice; what might seem adventurous or at least perceptive at the time of writing can look predictable or even downright out of date by the time it’s circulated.  Moving from hard print to digital communication… Read More
yes you can cover

Do you think you can revise for GCSE English?

Students regularly tell teacher Mark Roberts that they find it hard to revise for their GCSE English exams. His new book, You Can’t Revise for GCSE English! Yes you can, and Mark Roberts shows you how explores why that common belief is wrong – and how all you really need… Read More

Dealing with Poetryphobia

Students often express negative perceptions about poetry. They feel intimidated; they think it’s difficult; they ‘can’t get on with it’. Such perceptions can be self-fulfilling if we’re not careful. How do we get them to appreciate that poetry might be worth reading or even something from which… Read More

Lessons learnt from the GCSE 9-1 Maths reform

Wow! Where has the time gone.  It only seems like 5 minutes ago that the GCSE reforms were announced, and here we are – 4 sittings later (don’t forget November!) with the 5th just around the corner. Having been through many reforms/changes/tweaks/updates over my 15-year teaching career (that has also… Read More

GCSE 9-1 English: Two Years In

Naomi Hursthouse It is two years into the cycle of teaching and examining the GCSE 9-1 English course, but what have we learned in that time? In education, we are used to a high turnover in specifications. In my 15 years of teaching, this is the third reinvention of GCSE… Read More

GCSE 9-1 English: Two Years In

Naomi Hursthouse It is two years into the cycle of teaching and examining the GCSE 9-1 English course, but what have we learned in that time? In education, we are used to a high turnover in specifications. In my 15 years of teaching, this is the third reinvention of GCSE… Read More

Hot topics from the ASE Science conference

The morning after the night before. This year’s ASE Conference was held in Birmingham in January. Always a good cure for New Year’s blues, it was a lively mix of ideas, projects and sharing of experiences.  A key topic of conversation for many people involved with the secondary phase was… Read More