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Preparing for exam questions on science practicals

Students often love the idea of practical work in science. They have the chance to work in small groups as they experiment with new equipment and see the science come to life, rather than taking notes from the board or answering questions in their books. When it… Read More

Practising SATs-style questions

To help prepare pupils for SATs, we can build their confidence by revising topics and making sure they know what to expect. Here are some ways to make sure pupils are familiar with the style of the SATs papers and questions. General principles Always start any SATs practice work with… Read More

Homework to prepare for the SATs: KS2 Maths

To make sure pupils get the SATs practice they need, it makes sense to set homework that also involves parents/carers. Here are some things to consider. Set short, focused activities, following on from work in school While children need practice in tackling a mixture of problems on different topics,… 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

Five ways to manage exam stress

If your child is revising for GCSE exams, this can seem stressful for them and for you. This is a brand new experience and their results really do have an impact on their future. That’s pretty intense pressure. So how can we help them through this time and make it as stress free as possible? Read More

Preparing for SATs

This May, thousands of Year 2 and Year 6 children will sit their SATs and your child may be one of them. KS1 children may be unaware they are taking tests but at KS2 teachers will spend quite a lot of time preparing children for them at school. Many children will care that they do well in these tests and will do want to do their best. Read More

Chemical Anniversaries: 1766 – John Dalton and the Atom

John Dalton was born two hundred and fifty years ago. During his lifetime he saw many changes to chemistry, many the result of his own work. His contributions are an important part of school science today. John was born in the village of Eaglesfield, Cumbria in north-west England,… Read More

Exam blog 7 – Sleep and exams – by Nicola Morgan

Sleep is such a tricky issue. We know how important it is to health, mood and function, but we know that worrying about it makes people more likely to have sleeping troubles. Add the fact that teenagers commonly have biologically different sleeping patterns (needing more sleep and not feeling sleepy till later) and the fact that exam stress is likely to hinder easy sleep, and you have a major potential problem. Luckily, most young people are so keen to get better sleep that they are open to advice about it. Sleep education becomes a valuable part of helping them prepare for exams. Read More