Gems of Wisdom

Nov. 15, 2022

Why Read the Book if you can Watch the Film?

Why read the book when you can watch the film?

I often ask children this question when they are preparing for school interviews. Everyone knows that it’s a good idea to have a book to speak about at interview or a favourite author at the ready. What was good about the book? How did the author draw you in? Was there anything you didn’t like? For those who enjoy English as a subject, I like to extend this question into the realms of debate. Why read the book when you can watch the film?

Nov. 15, 2022

Documentary Brain Food

TV or Not TV? That is the question.

This week, Katie tells us how selective TV viewing can improve your child's general knowledge and help him or her get to the top of the class.

When screen time should be monitored carefully, it’s a good idea to have a ready made list of alternatives, particularly if your child has the tendency to choose something that you know is probably not a great choice. So, some ideas for you here: some documentaries that your junior school child should see!

Sep. 15, 2022

Taking an Interview From Good to Great

Having conducted numerous online mock interviews for 10 and 11 year old children over the past year, I have been lucky enough to see how a written record of a child’s achievements at school, extracurricular activities and hobbies, AND performance at interview all play an incredibly important part in the school selection process.

Jun. 21, 2022

To Read or Not to Read: Fact or Fiction?

In every class and in every school there are "the readers" - children who effortlessly devour books, one after another, never seeming to lose their love of books - and then there are the "reluctant" readers, those who struggle to find a subject matter of interest or a style that they enjoy. Often the reluctant readers will hook onto a series of books that are not "on the list", but we fail to recognise when they do this, that they have cleared a massive hurdle: to read or not to read.