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Essex Grammar Schools Admissions Guide
Choosing the right school for your child is a pivotal decision, and for parents in Essex, the selection of grammar schools offers a pathway to exceptional education. In this article exploring the best grammar schools in Essex, as well as the admissions process, we aim to equip parents with the knowledge to make an informed decision that aligns with their child's needs and aspirations.
How to get a 9 in GCSE Spanish
Attaining a 9 in GCSE Spanish is achievable with the right strategic preparation. In this guide, you'll find techniques to help you excel in your Spanish exams.
London Grammar Schools Admissions Guide
Grammar schools are a distinctive and significant part of the UK education system, promoting opportunity to those with the ability to perform at the highest standards for their age. They are state-funded secondary schools that select their students based on academic ability. This is assessed through performance in the 11+ exam, which includes assessment in Mathematics, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
A Guide to Oxford Classics Admission Test (CAT)
This guide is for anyone applying to sit Classics or any combination involving Classics at the University of Oxford. In the sections below you can find out if you need to sit the test and how you go about doing that. There is also some advice on how best to prepare for the test and how important the test will be to your application to study at Oxford.
Kent Grammar Schools Admissions Guide
Choosing the right school for your child is a pivotal decision, and for parents in Kent, the selection of grammar schools offers a pathway to exceptional education. In this article exploring the best grammar schools in Kent, as well as the admissions process, we aim to equip parents with the knowledge to make an informed decision that aligns with their child's needs and aspirations.
Languages Super Curricular Activities
Super-curricular activities are intellectually enriching pursuits that extend beyond the standard curriculum. Super-curricular activities are essential for applications to top universities, demonstrating commitment and deeper engagement with a chosen subject.
Sixth-form School Entry and the 16 Plus Exam
Enrolling your child in a new school for the final two years of their secondary education can be a big change, at a critical time in their pathway toward university. It can also be an enormous opportunity as well, if your child gains a place at a school that is a better fit for their needs and goals.
What is the CEM Test?
As a parent looking for information about how best to prepare your child for the 11 Plus exams, you may have encountered the terms CEM and GL and wondered what on earth they refer to! When it comes to the 11 Plus, these terms refer to two of the assessment manufacturers who develop and provide the 11 Plus tests.
A Guide to Francis Holland School Regent’s Park Admissions
Francis Holland Schools comprise two sister schools: the first in Regent’s Park, founded in 1878, and the second in Sloane Square, founded in 1881. These schools aim to provide an outstanding education for girls and have a long-standing reputation for their exceptional pastoral care. With a strong focus on creativity, innovation and enterprise, Francis Holland Schools combine first-class facilities with a rigorous academic programme.
A Guide to Francis Holland School Sloane Square Admissions
Francis Holland Schools comprise two sister schools: the first in Regent’s Park, founded in 1878, and the second in Sloane Square, founded in 1881. These schools aim to provide an outstanding education for girls and have a long-standing reputation for their exceptional pastoral care. With a strong focus on creativity, innovation and enterprise, Francis Holland Schools combine first-class facilities with a rigorous academic programme.
Guide to 11 Plus (11+) Verbal Reasoning
What is verbal reasoning?Verbal reasoning tests a pupil’s ability to solve problems using a combination of letters and words. It assesses the extent of a child’s literacy, their vocabulary, and their critical and constructive thinking skills.
How to get a 9 in GCSE English Literature
How hard is it to get a 9 in GCSE English Literature? It is hard to get a 9 in English Literature and even talented students need to be on top of their game to gain the very highest level in this subject. But it is possible. Part of being successful is cultural and part of it is practical. The successful student of English Literature immerses themselves not just in the texts of the course but in books and reading more generally.
A Guide to A Level English Language
Is English Language a good A Level subject? English Language A Level is a really good choice if you have enjoyed the language aspects of your GCSE English course. Students will recall that study for the GCSE Language qualification is what we might call more ‘programmatic’: this is a more technical discipline, requiring a focus on technical aspects of language, and which looks as ‘texts’ that are sometimes a long way from the highbrow and romantic reading of the Literature qualification.
A Guide to Highgate School Admissions
Highgate School is one of the leading co-ed independent schools in the country. Situated a short distance from central London and adjacent to leafy Hampstead Heath, the school boasts an enviable location and is home to some best-in-class facilities among London schools, including a newly-opened Junior School building and an excellently equipped Art and Design Centre. Founded in 1595, Highgate is a school with a rich history paired with a modern and socially-minded outlook.
Guide to IB Revision Techniques
When to begin IB revision? IB exams begin as early as late April for some subjects, and your revision perhaps begins in earnest with your mock exams, which generally take place early in your final year of IB study. Revising for mocks will give you an opportunity to test what it is like to revise course material you’ve already covered, and rehearse some of the revision techniques that will become so crucial later on in the year.
Guide to A Level English Literature
Is English Literature a good A Level subject? Studying English Literature at A Level is a fantastic option for those who have enjoyed English at GCSE and want to take their study to the next level. But be under no illusions that this is a step up - in terms of the knowledge you will be required to retain and process, the language you will be required to use, and the general ‘seriousness’ of the course. And examinations.
Webinar: Gap Years
In this webinar, Keystone's Managing Director, Ed Richardson, was joined by Helen Hawkins, Head of Marketing at Raleigh International, to discuss options for Gap Years. Their discussion covered some of the pros and cons of taking a gap year, different gap year opportunities and the impact of a gap year on university application.
Webinar: The Graduate Market
In this event Keystone's Managing Director, Ed Richardson, was joined by James Darley, the Founder and CEO of Transform Society, to discuss graduate employment.
A Guide to Cheltenham Ladies’ College Admissions
Cheltenham Ladies’ College has been educating girls for 170 years. Its GCSE and A Level results are consistently excellent and the College is regularly named the top boarding school for IB in the country. Cheltenham Ladies’ College emphasises a well-rounded education, where co-curricular pursuits and contribution to the school community are weighed equally with academic achievement. The College admits a mixture of boarders and day pupils and there are three points of entry: 11+, 13+ and 16+.
A Guide to Latymer Upper School Admissions
Latymer Upper is one of the leading co-ed day schools in the country. Founded in 1624, the Latymer Foundation celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2024. With a proud history of social inclusivity, Latymer Upper educates 1400 girls and boys from a diverse range of backgrounds, offering a rigorous and stimulating education. It prides itself on being a ‘learning school’, with a strong emphasis on innovation and combining the best of the traditional and the modern.
Is single sex education better than co-educational?
One of the key considerations when choosing a school for your child is whether they should be educated in a single sex or co-ed environment. Some schools cater only for boys or girls; others are co-educational throughout or in just the sixth form. Which is more suitable often depends on your own preference, the character of the individual child and the age of entry.
When should you start preparing for the 11 plus?
When should you start preparing for 11+? Starting 11 plus exam preparations in Lower KS2 (Year 3 or Year 4) is highly beneficial, providing ample time for children to thoroughly grasp the 11 plus syllabus within a realistic timeframe. During this stage, children can be introduced to fundamental maths concepts and problem-solving techniques, practice comprehension skills, develop their creative writing and vocabulary and familiarise themselves with various reasoning questions.
11 Plus Independent Schools’ Entrance Exam Guide
If your child is planning to take the 11 plus exam, and is looking for ways to prepare this comprehensive guide is for you! Keystone’s expert tutors have helped students excel at taking the 11 Plus, and the guidance below aims to distil their best practice into a simple, practical set of top tips.
What is a good UKiset score?
What counts as a good UKiset score depends greatly on the school a candidate is applying to attend, and also varies according to the three sections of the test. The following points can act as a rough guide.
Guide to Computerised Pre-tests
In recent years, many independent senior schools that have put pre-tests in place have purposefully designed them with as little transparency as possible. It is for this reason that the tests are often computer generated and no past papers are issued. As such, no tutor can claim to have in depth knowledge or experience of the tests themselves, in their current form.
A Guide to Westminster School Admissions
Westminster School is one of the older independent schools in the UK. It was originally a charity school founded by Benedictine of Westminster Abbey. Its existence ensured its survival during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 and his daughter Elizabeth I re-founded the school in 1560. Today, Westminster educates 750 students and has two entrance points, in Year 9 and Year 12.
A Guide to Rugby School Admissions
Rugby school is a historic, well-established, co-educational school that is steeped in tradition and is probably best known as the birthplace of the sports that shares its name. The school has been educating children since 1567 and went fully co-educational in 1992. Rugby has always been at the forefront of innovation in teaching methods. The popular Extended Project Qualification was developed here, and academic facilities are outstanding, in particular for Languages and Sciences.
Guide to Selective Independent Schools in London
[image1h]What is a selective independent school?A selective school chooses its students on the basis of their academic ability, with a view to maintaining its own standard or reputation as an academic establishment. The best selective independent schools consistently top academic performance tables, when it comes to ranking schools according to GCSE and A Level results, and choose students who will not only perform brilliantly but contribute to the academic atmosphere of the place.
A Guide to Sevenoaks School Admissions
Founded in 1432, Sevenoaks is one of the leading IB schools in the UK and is also the second oldest non-denominational school in the country. Set in a 100-acre campus on the outskirts of Sevenoaks in Kent, the school boasts 30 buildings, 14 sports pitches and 12 lawns. It has a diverse international intake from 45 different countries with 21 per cent of leavers going to overseas universities. Sevenoaks has three main entry points, at 11 plus, 13 plus and 16 plus.
A Guide to the 8 Plus
The 8 Plus – like its cousins the 7 Plus, 11 Plus, and 13 Plus – is an important hurdle to overcome in gaining entry to some of the UK’s best independent schools.In the article below, Keystone Tutors cover the basics of the exam, its format, and the best ways to prepare for and succeed at this competitive assessment.
