2 Helpful and 3 Unhelpful Comparisons Your Teen Might Make When Studying For GCSEs and A-Levels

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Over my six years as an academic coach I’ve seen students making some helpful comparisons between themselves and others. However, more often they make unhelpful or misguided comparisons. In this article, I’m going to share with you: The three toxic comparisons that students should avoid making at all costs The two comparisons that will help […]

Getting the Grades in 2021: How to help your child reach their potential in this year’s GCSE and A-Level exams

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It’s been a tough two years for the current year 11s and 13s, but last week we found out how their GCSE and A-Level grades will be awarded. That means we’re into the last few months when they can demonstrate to their teachers what they can do, and therefore what grades they deserve. In this […]

How to stop stressing about surprise tests

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Sometimes, young people will be set ‘surprise’ tests, only being given 24 or 48 hours notice that they’re going to happen. For the most conscientious students this can be a really stressful experience, and that stress will often be transferred onto their parents. In this article, I’m going to help you to feel less stressed […]

5 Common Mistakes Students Make When Studying A-Level Biology

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Is studying for your A-Level biology getting you down? There is so much content to learn, and even if you know your stuff it can often be tricky to get the marks in practice exam questions because the language the examiner is looking for is so specific. In this article, you’ll find a summary of […]

Introducing Academic Coach, Zoe Holland

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In this article I’d like to introduce you to Zoe Holland, who has joined my team as an academic coach, bringing a wealth of teaching and parenting experiences to the role. All about Zoe Holland, Academic Coach Zoe Holland is a recent Head of Sixth Form and senior leader with 21 years’ experience in teaching […]

What I’ve learned from my guests over the last 100 episodes

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This is the 100th episode of The School Success Formula. I couldn’t decide what to share in this episode so I asked members of The Extraordinaries Club and they asked me to talk about the things that I’ve learned from my guests over the last 100 episodes. I’ve learned huge amounts from them as they […]

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

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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

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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

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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 […]