Is nagging about revision ruining your relationship with your teen? Let’s talk about it…
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One of the most horrible things about the GCSE and A-Level years for parents is watching your teen fritter away their time, forcing you into the position where you feel you have to nag them to get on with their revision. It’s so tough because, even though you’re doing it because you care, by nagging […]
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How to stay motivated to study
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So many parents tell me that their teenagers struggle with how to stay motivated to study. Motivation tactics like using biscuits as a reward can incentivise your teen to revise in the short term, but is it the best way to encourage your teen to achieve? I talked to motivation expert Sharath Jeevan to get […]
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Are your good intentions stopping your teen from living their best life?
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I have to say I’m a bit nervous about writing this blog post. But, prompted by some recent very vulnerable (and brave) admissions by parent members of The Extraordinaries Club and interactions with parents of the students we work with over a number of years I feel moved to ask this: Are your good intentions […]
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“Better than school” – Annette and Erin’s Extraordinaries Club Story
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Annette and Erin were some of our founding members of The Extraordinaries Club, from the end of year 10 to year 13, and recently agreed to take part in interview with me. This blog is a summary of my conversation with them about the lessons they learnt about the Club, themselves and what they took […]
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Back to School Mindset reset
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As we head back to school, hot on the heels of the two most difficult academic years ever experienced, it’s worth taking a moment to make sure your mind is the right place to succeed. Let’s review the situation we find ourselves in and think about how we can mentally prepare ourselves for the school […]
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The real achievement behind GCSE and A-Level results
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Would it surprise you to know that I don’t just look at GCSE and A-Level grades as being a reflection of academic ability? To me, they’re not just a measure of how ‘clever’ someone is. Instead, GCSE and A-Level grades tell a story, boiled down into a letter or a number, of two years of […]
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What should you do in the summer holidays 2021?
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With the summer holidays fast approaching, parents have been asking me what their young people should be doing in the summer holidays. In this post, I’ll be sharing the things students in years 7-13 should be doing in the summer holidays to give you some clarity and reassurance. What should you do in the summer […]
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“What’s the point of learning Pythagoras?” A parent’s guide to motivating teens to learn things they ‘don’t need to know’
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“What’s the point of learning Pythagoras’ Theorem? I’m never going to use it in real life.” That’s what one of the members of The Extraordinaries Club was moaning to his mum. If you’re the parent of a teen studying for exams, you may well have heard the same complaint about any number of things they […]
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Choose your hard
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GCSEs are hard. A-Levels are hard. But what’s the alternative? The alternative is even harder. That’s what we’re thinking about today. Choose your hard The other day, my head coach, Helen, sent me a meme that said: Marriage is hard, Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard, Being fit is hard. Choose your […]
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The accidental story of how I became an academic coach
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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 […]
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