Celebrating 100 episodes: the 10 most popular episodes of The School Success Formula

There are now 100 episodes of The School Success Formula podcast. The first episode was published on 27th June 2017 so, in case you weren’t listening back then, here are the top ten most popular episodes ever published. Click the links below to listen, or you can find these episodes in your podcast app. Click […]

What to do when your teenager wants you to back off about their studies

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Are you worried about your child’s grades? Have you been nagging them to do more work, only to find them becoming more and more resistant to the point where they’ve told you to back off? If so, all is not lost. There are things that can help – both your relationship with them and their […]

How to boost morale in times of educational uncertainty

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Last week, when schools were closed and GCSE, AS and A-Level exams were cancelled many student’s morale and motivation took a massive hit. We are still asking many questions about how they are going to be assessed and how the powers that be will enable them to get the grades they truly deserve. So, while […]

How to make the best of learning at home – when you haven’t got online lessons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

With the announcement that all schools are closing for X weeks, many secondary school students will be learning at home through online lessons. However, some schools still don’t provide online lessons at all, and some only provide them part of the time. Many students struggle with working through worksheets and work set without any interaction […]

How to make the most of online learning

For most secondary school students, the first two weeks of 2021 will be spent on online learning. We all have experience of this from the first coronavirus lockdown and subsequent isolations and many are dreading going back to it. In this post, I’m going to share some tips to help you get the most out […]

New Year’s Resolutions: You Get Out What You Put In

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s very nearly 2021 and you may well be thinking about new year’s resolutions, or turning over a new leaf. Or, you might just be relieved that 2020 is nearly over! In this short and sweet post, I’m going to remind you of one very important fact that will determine whether your new year’s resolutions […]

The accidental story of how I became an academic coach

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Recently, one of the members of The Extraordinaries Club asked me how I became an academic coach and if I could write a blog post and publish a podcast episode about it. I thought as it’s Christmas week, you might quite like a story rather than a ‘how-to’. It’s not a straightforward story and I […]

Help with achieving your goals this Christmas holiday

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

While it’s the Christmas holiday and your priorities should rightly be pulling crackers, opening presents and eating turkey you or your child might also have some important academic goals to achieve in these two weeks. I’m going to run through some of the academic priorities you might have right now and explain how I can […]

How much should you revise in the Christmas holidays?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

“How much should you revise…?” is one of the most frequent questions I get asked. Today, I’m going to talk about how much you should revise in the Christmas holidays because no-one wants mock exams in January ruining the Christmas holidays. How much should you revise in the Christmas holidays? The number of hours per […]

How to help when your teen is overwhelmed by their studies

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Is your child overwhelmed by their studies? Do they have a stack of homework to do, coursework tasks to complete and also feel like they should be revising? In year 13, on top of all that, students often also have their UCAS personal statement to write, and possibly university admissions tests and interviews as well. […]