Keystone Tutors Blog

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Interviews are often considered to be the most intimidating and mysterious elements of the Oxford admissions process. This guide is designed to demystify the Oxford interview process so that you can approach your interview as confidently as possible.

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Advanced Level qualifications, better known as A Levels, help students enter universities or colleges or careers related to the subjects they choose to study. Originally introduced in the UK in 1951, they are also offered in a range of Commonwealth countries, and are normally studied over the course of a 2 year period. Most students will study either 3 or 4 A Levels between the ages of 16 and 19.

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The UK education system can be confusing, especially for international families whose children are being educated elsewhere. This blog aims to give an overview of the system and to define the key terms you might see when conducting research. Before reading the rest of the blog do take a look at our Educational Roadmap linked here, which will allow you to determine which UK school year your child is in. The age cut-off date is September 1st in the UK – e.g.

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Places to study at medical schools in the UK are highly sought after, by both domestic and international students, and require a great degree of commitment from prospective applicants. Understanding just what medical school involves can really help you decide whether it’s right for you and, once you’re sure it is, give you the very best chance of securing a place at the school of your choice.

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UK independent schools tend to have defined entry points and clear processes from registration to assessment and interview.

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Parents often ask us which books their children should be reading. In some respects, it’s the wrong question to ask – are there any books children shouldn't  be reading? – but with children’s free-time seeming ever to shrink, there is certainly merit in searching out the best.

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Keystone's Director of Education, Ed Richardson, is joined by Olly Hopwood (teacher at Westminster School) and Jonny Timms (Deputy Head at Caldicott Prep School) to discuss strategies parents might employ to prevent learning loss over the summer holidays.

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Keystone Director of Education, Ed Richardson and Homeschooling Manager, Poppy Dundas, are joined by Andy Thompson, Education Consultant and Director of Oxford Myrtle. Andy looks after a number of families who are homeschooling their children for a variety of reasons. The panel discuss homeschooling, drawing on their experience at Keystone and answering the common questions that arise.

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Finding the right tutor can be a real game changer for your child, it can help to overcome areas of concern, and to unlock their academic potential. Looking for the right one, though, can be a minefield, and a stressful one for both you and your child. Below we answer some commonly asked questions that should make the whole process much easier.

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For this event Keystone Founder and Director, Will Orr-Ewing is joined by Sophie Wade and James Darley to discuss how the employment world will look after the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Keystone Director of Education, Ed Richardson is joined by Andrew Mackenzie, Managing Director of Africa and Asia Venture – experts in GAP year travel for over 25 years and Dr Jonathan Burbidge, housemaster and teacher at St Edward's School. Here they will be discussing the possibilities of a gap year and how this might be different from the normal in the context of Coronavirus.

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For this event we are delighted to be joined by US university specialists, ESM Prep. Harriet discusses the potential impact of the Covid-19 crisis on higher education in the US as well as broader application strategy.

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Keystone has built its reputation on providing supplementary tutoring: filling in gaps in a child’s education. Using excellent tutors teaching one-on-one, we also provide homeschooling support effectively and efficiently, often teaching years of curriculum content in a few months. There was a time when most education was conducted in this manner.

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In this webinar Keystone Education Consultant, Harriet Blomefield is joined by David Hawkins from The University Guys to discuss applying to universities outside the UK. They discuss a range of options including applying to universities across Europe, Asia and the US.

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Like the rest of the country, we have been rocked by the unfolding crisis caused by COVID-19. We are especially aware of the disruption caused to families across the country by measures such as the closure of UK schools and limits placed on movement outside the home. Scaling up a comprehensive online offering is naturally a huge task for schools.

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Online tutoring is becoming more and more popular with students of all ages. Five years ago, 18% of Keystone’s lessons were delivered online; now this is 60% and we expect it to increase further. Here we answer typical questions we are asked about the phenomenon.

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Our Director of Education, Ed Richardson shares his top 10 tips using the acrostic ONLINE TIPS.

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Keystone's Director of Education, Ed Richardson, joins our lead consultant Harriet Blomefield to discuss their top tips for revising.

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‘What shall I do when I leave school?’ is just one of several important questions students make during their final three years at school. But it is one that they shouldn’t feel daunted by as this is an exciting time and, typically, the final step in their formal education. The most salient point to remember is that there is a spider’s web of people from whom they can seek advice: teachers, parents, friends and even current university students.

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As an avid Podcast listener, the More or Less Podcast has long been a weekly essential. The Podcast looks to explain the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life. I was particularly captivated by a recent episode, in which the Podcast investigated the truth behind claims made by The Times that “48% of A level results are wrong”.

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Unsure about how to monitor your child’s education, or keen to have an unbiased opinion regarding progress and future goals? .

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Maybe you’ve just finished your GCSEs and have decided to enter the brave new world of Philosophy at A Level. It might feel both exciting and a little daunting to be beginning a brand-new subject in Year 12, rather than continuing one, such as Physics or English, that you’ve studied for some years.

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Coaching4Careers deliver coaching for businesses, universities, schools, charities and committees in the UK and internationally. Their experienced consultants help people at all levels to identify their strengths, so that they can build a career based on their natural talents and passions. They also help schools and their students with career planning, including getting the most from work experience assignments. Find out more here.

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Coaching4Careers deliver coaching for businesses, universities, schools, charities and committees in the UK and internationally. Their experienced consultants help people at all levels to identify their strengths, so that they can build a career based on their natural talents and passions. They also help schools and their students with career planning, including getting the most from work experience assignments. Find out more here.

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Keystone's Director of Education, Ed Richardson and senior tutor Jon Gale discuss UK Engineering Degrees.

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What is the MAT? The Maths Admissions Test (MAT) is the admissions test used by Oxford for degrees in Mathematics. If you’re applying for a Maths or Computer Science degree at Oxford or a Maths degree at Imperial College London, you must sit the MAT just after beginning year 13 in late October/early November.

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Any candidate applying to study Modern Languages at Oxford or Cambridge will have to sit a written paper as part of the admissions process: The Modern Languages Aptitude Test (MLAT) at Oxford and the Modern and Medieval Languages Admissions Assessment (MMLAA) at Cambridge. There are big differences between the two tests, from the structure and what they are testing to when they are sat. This blog covers the Cambridge MMLAA. You can read our blog on the Oxford MLAT here.

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The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the first part of the National Curriculum for children aged 3-5, therefore covering both Nursery and Reception. During those years children will be assessed regularly in seven areas of learning: three ‘prime’ areas (Communication, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development) and a further four ‘specific’ areas (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding of the World and Expressive Arts and Design).

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In some areas of London some children as young as 3 are already embarking into the mad and unsettling world of 3+ assessments.  Assessing for nursery entry has long been a feature of prominent Pre-schools in New York but has thankfully been more of a rarity on this side of the pond. Some schools use this assessment to select children for nursery classes, usually linked to sought after independent schools.

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Choosing a nursery is often a daunting experience for new parents as their main frame of reference will be dim memories of their own nursery experience! The increasingly competitive London nursery scene now means that parents in the most sought after areas are forced to make selections on nurseries before their child has turned 1 or even, in some cases, before they have been born.

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In the press

Knight Frank
Ed Richardson
Times Educational Supplement
The West Journal