Keystone Tutors Blog
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Children and The Use of Technology
One topic often discussed in my conversations with parents is the impact of technology on family life.
Pre-Preparatory School (Reception – Year 3) Reading List
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.
Primary Level Resources for the Home
In the primary phase of education, it is important that children secure the fundamentals. This truth especially holds for the fundamental topics in English and Maths, without which future academic progress is made significantly more difficult.
How to Succeed at Essay Writing
As a Keystone Professional Tutor I spend a large amount of my time working with students on essay writing. The essay is a constant in the progression between different schools and university. And the skills it inculcates, I suggest, make the ultimate transition to adult life smoother than it might otherwise be.
Oxbridge - Key Application Dates For Oxford and Cambridge
NB: Correct at time of writing. Details may be subject to change. One scheme Oxford and Cambridge use to weed out weaker candidates is their complicated application process! If you don’t want to fall at the first fence, have a read of the below which outlines the most important steps.
Romance, Bloodbaths and Poetic Immortality: A Guide to a GCSE Set Text
This is a striking piece of poetry. Nine books and a good 6,000 lines of poetry into his epic, Virgil breaks from the narrative to address the audience directly and tells us that his work will be read for as long as the Roman Empire lasts.
A Level Results Day
‘What did you get?’ is a simple enough question but it is often loaded with anxiety and uncomfortable to answer. I remember my own A Level Results day well: My closest friends and I decided we’d meet at school to collect our results and then open them together.
Book, Line and Sinker: Fostering a Love of Reading
With the summer holidays in full swing, parents will be wanting to keep their children’s minds active, so as to stop the dreaded ‘summer slide’ in academic ability. However, they may encounter problems. It can be hard to know where to start when choosing a book; some children are reluctant readers; and others do read, but stay away from ‘the classics’. With a little bit of effort from parents and tutors, however, these difficulties can be overcome.
University Applications
The summer ahead presents an excellent opportunity for those who have just finished their AS/A-Levels to think about the next step. UCAS requires applications to be completed by mid-January* and sixth formers will find their first term of the academic year saturated by careers advice and personal statements. University can be a fantastic experience and, in addition to a degree, will likely provide you with lifelong friends and the best environment in which to mature.
The Solution to Hannah's Sweet Question
The internet has once again been abuzz with a tricky Maths question (following the extremely challenging problem set in a Singaporean exam a few weeks ago). Today's question came from the Edexcel GCSE exam paper. The question and solution are below.
Pros and Cons of Boarding School
Boarding schools are exceptionally expensive, but if you are in the lucky position where it is an option, is it the right choice for your child? Each child is different and whilst some children thrive at boarding school, others loathe being away from home. Either outcome could have a lasting effect so sending your child away from home is something to consider carefully.
Why Children Should Read
Scanning the education news last week, I was struck by a headline in the Guardian on reading: "Lost for words? How reading can teach children empathy".
Online Revision Resources
At this time of year, I am often asked where to find decent revision materials. My response is always the same: your child’s rucksack. Parents look at me confused: do I really think that their child has matured enough in the run-up to exams to have finally started making colourful, concise and comprehensive notes? Of course I don’t. Most of them have lost their folders or thrown them into bogs.
The Solution to Albert, Bernard and Cheryl's Birthday Maths Problem
The internet has been abuzz with a Maths problem that has everyone stumped. It was set by the Singapore and Asian School Math Olympiads. The question (and solution) are below.
Easter Holiday Revision Tips
Easter is at a sharp approach and following this weekend students and parents may be feeling daunted by the exams ahead. An organised approach to revision is fundamental to success and I hope the following suggestions will help you in the run up to the summer exams.
Online Tutoring – How Far Can It Go?
Keystone was fortunate enough to be invited to hear the outgoing Headmaster of Eton, Tony Little, speak last week. To a packed house at the Royal Geographic Society, he delivered an excellent paper for the Old Etonian Association titled… “The New Etonian.” You can view a video of the lecture on the Eton website.
Compulsory Post-16 Maths?
I recently came across an article in which Elizabeth Truss, MP for South West Norfolk, claimed ‘Britain is still in denial about its Maths problem.’ Truss is amongst a wealth of other significant figures in government, education and public life, most notably Carol Vorderman, who have, in recent years, paid reference to the fact that UK students are falling behind their international peers when it comes to mathematical competence.
National Tutoring Conference Speech on Trends in Private Tutoring in London
I was delighted to speak at The National Tutoring Conference today. I had been asked to comment on where the demand in UK for private tutoring had come from in the past 10 years, and started by pointing out that the market is now so broad and fragmented that my own observations were bound to be limited and were not necessarily representative of the UK tutoring market as a whole.
The Rise of the IB
The International Baccalaureate is now on offer at 194 schools across the UK, educating over 5000 students. The UK has happily ambled through the last half of a century with dreams that the A-Levels are the best assessment for eighteen year olds. Whilst most of us would have agreed, clearly others have been left wondering if there is a better option.
Keystone Sponsors Event with Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan
Keystone was delighted to sponsor Politeia's Winter Address by Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan. Keystone has been a long standing supporter of Politeia's education programme which has been provoking expert discussion and generating wide ranging opinion on curriculum reform.
Why We Support Kung-Fu Maths
It is a fact of living in a diverse city like London that it is home to both families of privilege and those of more modest means. As a company, we were keen to make sure that we do not ignore those children for whom tutoring was not so easily affordable but who would nonetheless derive much benefit from it.
New Year Update
It has been great to have the whole team back in the office, well rested and eager to get cracking in 2015. We were given an early spur by the launch of our new website, which Josh has been working on since the latter part of last year. As well as updating the site’s appearance and wording, we wanted to make the new site mobile- and tablet- friendly.
Press Release: Keystone Calls for January Exams to be Pushed Back to Avoid Christmas Cramming
Holding crucial entrance exams in early January is causing parents and students unnecessary anxiety over the Christmas period.
Press Release: Tutoring in the Younger Years
Children as young as three are being put under strain because the private schools market is so competitive that parents feel they have no option but to hire tutors, experts have warned. Keystone has warned that parents should approach tutoring for younger children with caution.
Press Release: The Risks of Using Placement Agencies
The global reputations of leading independent schools are being tarnished by unscrupulous education advisors who are charging overseas parents tens of thousands of pounds for poor advice that fails to secure places for their children, a leading tutoring firm has warned.
Summer Reading Recommendations
Whether poem, essay, novel or tome, literature should accompany you wherever you go this summer. We thought we would recommend some summer-themed literature for you, all of which are suitable for pupils older than 14.
Note-Taking when Learning Online
At Keystone we believe that, in the hands of a good teacher, online learning can be a match for learning in-person. However, if there is one concern that our tutors most often voice about their online classes, it is that they find it hard to check on their pupils’ note-taking. Lessons themselves are obviously crucial; without revision from one’s notes, however, their effect is drastically diminished.
Tools to Enhance Online Learning
One of the secrets of Keystone’s online tutoring success is that it relies on the age-old relationship between a teacher and pupil. Facing their pupils head on, Keystone’s teachers use our online platform to convey their knowledge and instructions directly. By placing all our trust in the quality of our teachers, we feel that the geographical distance between the teacher and pupil is more than compensated for by the chance of a genuine intellectual relationship.
The Case for Learning Latin in the 21st Century
It is the lot of every Latin teacher to answer, each and every year, the same tedious question from the class wise guy: “What’s the point of learning a dead language like Latin?” .
Final Pre-Exam Tips
Exams have a way of creeping up on you, don’t they? It was not long ago that you were starting the academic year, and now your final exams are just weeks away! It is easy to get caught up in the stress and panic of the final weeks, but few things more imperil successful exam performance than unnecessary worry. As such, we thought we would share a few final pre-exam tips that our students have found useful in the past.
