Keystone Tutors Blog
Sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date about our latest news and offerings.
Webinar: How Do We Best Support School-aged Children with Their Mental Health?
Keystone's Homeschooling and Courses Manager, Poppy Dundas, was joined by Keystone's Director of Education, Ed Richardson, and our guest expert Clare de Lotbiniere, a BACP Accredited Psychotherapist, to discuss how we can support school-aged children with their mental health.
UKiset Non Verbal Reasoning Questions
Non-verbal reasoning is a type of problem-solving centred on shapes, figures and patterns. It tests your ability to think logically and understand the relationships between patterns and numbers.
UKiset Verbal Reasoning Questions
There are three types of reasoning tested within the UKiset: Verbal Reasoning: language questions and problem solving with words Non-Verbal Reasoning: solving problems using shapes, pictures and logic Mathematical Reasoning: looking at number, value, quantity and sequence concepts.
How an Education Consultant Can Help
Common FAQs on Working with an Education Consultant The decision on where your child should go to school or university is a critical one, and can be exciting, complicated, and even a little overwhelming for any parent. It can be the culmination of years of your child’s hard work and careful planning, and can open up avenues for their education and career that enable them to flourish – or close them off.
13 Plus Vocabulary List
Students taking the 13 Plus will be expected to use language effectively in all areas of the English exam, as well as in interviews. For a complete overview of the assessment, see our Guide to the 13 Plus Common Entrance Exams, which outlines formats, key subjects, and preparation strategies.The exam will likely test candidates understanding of an unseen passage from a novel, play, poem or from another genre.
8 Plus Vocabulary List
Vocabulary plays a crucial part in all aspects of communication; listening, speaking, reading and writing. Children taking the 8 Plus exam will need to have a good range of vocabulary to call on in interviews, and when completing the reading, writing and reasoning aspects of the entrance exams.This age group will be developing their use of logic and understanding of cause and effect.
Relocating to the UK: A Guide to Applying to a UK School
Keystone works extensively with families looking to relocate to the UK from abroad or apply to a UK boarding school. Our Consultants use their in-depth knowledge of the British education system and entrance exams to help families all over the world find the right UK school for their child.
Webinar: How to choose a Nursery School - Q & A with a nursery specialist
In this webinar Harriet, Keystone's Director of Education, and Sabine Hook, a specialist nursery consultant, discussed the following key questions: How do you decide what the best option is for your child? When should parents start thinking about nursery schools and when do they need to register? How do you start the search and What do you recommend looking for in a nursery? What questions should parents ask when visiting a nursery? Is the Ofsted report a good place to find out.
How to Choose an Oxbridge College?
Oxford has 39 colleges, Cambridge 31. You can leave it to chance and make an open application, but most people expect to direct their application to one of them. In some ways, it seems an unnecessary distraction. After all, no one presents Formula One drivers on the starting grid with a wine list expecting them to choose which champagne they want to be sprayed with on the podium.
Applying to UK Universities from Hong Kong
UK universities are incredibly popular with students from Hong Kong, and Keystone Tutors has extensive experience in helping these students to gain admission to their desired university. This invaluable guide covers key facts and tips about the application process, how to choose the right university and course, and the costs and fees involved.
Webinar: Applying to UK Universities
Keystone's Head of Consultancy, Harriet Blomefield, was joined by Ed Richardson, our Director of Education and Jenny McGowan, our Director in Asia to discuss the application process to universities in the UK. They also provided some top tips to aid the process.
Webinar: How Do We Best Support School-aged Children with Their Mental Health?
Keystone's Director of Education, Ed Richardson, was joined by guest experts Clare de Lotbiniere, a BACP Accredited Psychotherapist, and Robert Batt, CEO and Clinical Director of The Recovery Centre (TRC), a leading mental health support clinic in London, to discuss supporting school-aged children with their mental health. More Detail on our guest panellists: Clare has worked in state and private education sectors, working with both students and staff.
Where Did the UK’s Most Successful Under 40 Year Olds Study?
This report, by Keystone's Head of Education Consultancy, Harriet Blomefield, explores the educational backgrounds (undergraduate degrees and secondary schools) of 'successful' people under the age of 40. To support this research Keystone collated just under 1,000 young people (aged 40 or under) who have been noted for making a recognised impact in their fields of work: business, politics, the arts and so on.
The Limitations of League Tables
In his recent Keystone blog, ‘How to Assess a School’s Academic Performance’, Felix Hamilton provided useful information for parents questioning which academic performance league-tables are the most trustworthy. He also made the point that schools cannot be judged on academic performance alone, a point that I would support wholeheartedly.
What are the education options in the UK for Hong Kong BNO visa holders?
In 2020, the UK Government announced a new visa for Hong Kong residents that have British National (Overseas) status in response to the new security laws being introduced by China.
Online Learning - Ground Rules for Students
To assist teachers and students in making online lessons as productive as possible we have put together this infographic on the ground rules that students should follow for online learning.
How to Set Up a Home School
In light of the Covid-19 school closures we thought it would be helpful to list some of our key recommendations when it comes to making home-schooling a success.
Is Online Tuition for English Right for My Child?
Michael has been working for Keystone for over 3 years, tutoring students online in English. In this short question and answer article, Michael covers some of the key concerns that parents often have about the effectiveness of online tuition, based on his own extensive experience. He also talks about some of the tools and techniques that can be used by tutors and students to get the most out of online tuition.
How Effective is Online Tutoring? A Parent’s Guide
Online tutoring has been a popular option for many years – but how effective is it? What are the key differences between online and in-person tuition? Is it right for your child? In the article below, one of Keystone's most experiened online tutors Alexander, answers parents’ most frequent questions about the advantages of online tutoring.
UKiset Vocabulary List
It is difficult to recommend one vocabulary list for the UKiset, as it can be taken by students at any age between 9-and-a-half to 18 years old. As a profiling assessment, it measures a student’s level of academic English which is then judged against peers of the same age.
UKiset Past Papers and Sample Tests
Past papers are a fantastic way to prepare for any kind of exam - but UKiset do not publish them, sadly! Fortunately there are a number of ways to prepare for the different sections of the test, and any candidate taking the UKiset would be well advised to practice using the resources and tips below. You can also see our UKiset Preparation Guide for more advice on preparing for the UKiset.
Does Alma Still Matter? A Report by Keystone Tutors on The Schools Educating The Nation's Elite
Keystone has today published a report that analyses the education backgrounds of individuals who feature in Who's Who and Who Was Who. Analysing 66,000 datapoints from the Who's Who database we have been able to see some fascinating the trends as to which schools are educating the "nation's elite".
Webinar: “Can Do Better?” Have We Found the Best Way to Assess Schools and How to Select Them?
This webinar, co-hosted by Keystone Tutors and Wild Search, brought together a distinguished panel of experienced educationalists to challenge some of the assumptions which are often made regarding schools.
Webinar: 21st Century Schooling
Keystone's Founder and Director, Will Orr-Ewing, delved into new forms of schooling for the 21st Century. Will was joined by guest speakers, Jonathan Noakes, who is Head of Teaching & Learning at Eton College, Sam Rogerson, Co-Founder and Head of Lexicon School and Hugh Dickinson, Founder of Concept Education.
Homeschooling Pods
What is ‘Pod’ learning and why is it increasingly popular? The Corona Virus Pandemic has changed many people’s views on homeschooling and with the ever-changing advice on schools, it is a path that is of interest to many parents.
Keystone Tutors A Level Guide
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.
Occasional Places (Senior Schools)
UK independent schools tend to have defined entry points and clear processes from registration to assessment and interview.
Prep School (Years 4 to 8) Reading Lists
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.
Webinar: How to Use the Summer Holidays to Prevent Learning Loss
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.
Webinar: Why Homeschooling – A Discuss on the Ins and Outs of Homeschooling
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.
