What to ask at a school open day in 2021
In-person open days are back up and running (for now, at least) and head teachers are poised to take your questions, hoping that their school fits the bill for young Charlie or Charlotte. But will the usual ‘what are the lunches like?’ or ‘how much homework will they get?’ tick the right boxes in pandemic times?
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COMMENTS | SEPTEMBER 2021
Don’t blame teachers for grade inflation
Controversy over decisions made by the Department for Education should not be allowed to undermine pupils’ GCSE and A level achievements. Last year saw a huge grade inflation of around 10-12 per cent in the wake of the pandemic and it is likely – in fact, inevitable - that this year many pupils will once again attain better grades than they would have received had they sat the traditional round of exams.
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COMMENTS | AUGUST 2021
Moving from HK to UK and need help finding a school?
If you are one of the estimated 200,000 people the Foreign Office has estimated will move from Hong Kong to the UK with a BNO visa following recent political changes, making the decision to repatriate may seem to be the hardest one of many. However, if you have school-aged children, the most challenging decisions are likely to centre around education and schools.
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COMMENTS | JUNE 2021
Is your family eligible for a private school bursary?
More children than ever are receiving financial help to enable them to pay private school fees according to latest data from the Independent Schools Council, the body that represents most UK fee-paying schools. But who is eligible and how much can you get?
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COMMENTS | JUNE 2021
What price an education?
GUEST BLOG: Whether you’re already paying for your child’s education or wondering if you can afford it, you’ll know that it often involves cost cutting elsewhere, and almost always careful planning and budgeting. But these sacrifices can provide children with enviable opportunities and experiences (and who needs a foreign holiday or a new car anyway?). We asked David Quintrell, of wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin, to guest blog for us and answer often-asked questions about financial planning and managing school fees
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COMMENTS | JUNE 2021
Combining state and private education in London
If you live in London, have decided to forego the Covid trend of families upping sticks for the country and are wondering whether you can afford to educate your child privately, read on.
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COMMENTS | MARCH 2021
Londoners on the move
GUEST BLOG: As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many organisations have adapted to make working from home more manageable for staff. This has led to people asking whether leaving London might represent a better deal for their family.
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COMMENTS | MARCH 2021
Ask our experts - January 2021 - School fees and lockdown
This month our expert consultants give answers to a range of questions from parents on the subject of paying school fees while schools are shut during the coronavirus lockdown.
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COMMENTS | JANUARY 2021
School fees in the latest lockdown: what now?
Everyone is affected by the current situation whether or not we, or those close to us, have contracted Covid-19. There will be few whose income has not been negatively impacted by the pandemic and many will continue to suffer a severe drop in financial resources with the uncertainty ahead. Independent schools are in the same position. Many are extremely worried about the consequences of parents being forced to withdraw their children and increasing uncertainty regarding recruitment for September 2021 and beyond.
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COMMENTS | JANUARY 2021
Schools offer fees help during pandemic
If your livelihood has been impacted by the recent Covid crisis and you’re wondering how you’re going to meet the payments for your children’s school fees now, there may be more help available than you think. Many schools are offering help to families with pandemic-hit finances features and we have some thoughts on how to open discussions with school regarding financial support.
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COMMENTS | DECEMBER 2020
Children's books this Christmas: our consultants' top picks
Landfill-bound plastic toys have never been less fashionable. To keep not only the recipient but also their parents happy, we say a book is the way to go for gifting this year. No nasty packaging, no batteries required, and they can open it time and time again.
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COMMENTS | DECEMBER 2020
Ask our experts - December 2020
This month our expert consultants help a family navigate their precocious child’s educational journey and discuss how to mix and match both state and private education.
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COMMENTS | DECEMBER 2020
T levels: what do I need to know?
GUEST BLOG: T levels. What are they and might they suit your child? The government hopes that this new qualification will boost technical skills and productivity in England. Our guest blog from Sue Lovelock, Director of Professional and Technical Education at the Department for Education, lifts the lid on this newcomer to sixth form timetables.
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COMMENTS | OCTOBER 2020
Back to school in the 'new normal'
With just a few short days or weeks until our children return to school, parents, carers and schools are busy preparing for what is arguably the biggest step back towards normality since schools closed their doors on the 20th of March 2020. Schools have issued their Covid-19 pandemic protocols; new shoes, blazers and pencil cases have been purchased and our children and young people can’t wait to get back to school again. Or can they?
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COMMENTS | AUGUST 2020
Ask our experts - August 2020
Relocating your family requires serious thought and assessing schooling options deserves careful consideration. Here our education consultant gives some key pointers to a family looking to leave Hong Kong and return to the UK.
COMMENTS | AUGUST 2020
UCAS to blame for A level unfairness
UCAS is unsung villain of A levels fiasco, says Ralph Lucas, editor-in-chief of The Good Schools Guide. UCAS know that disadvantaged children are particularly over-predicted – but have not, as far as I know, mounted a large-scale investigation into the reasons for this underperformance – which might have led to ways of reducing it. The government could have, and should have, kicked UCAS into action. They know in what schools for what subjects for what kind of child over-prediction (and indeed under-prediction) happens, and how much, and in what circumstances.
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COMMENTS | AUGUST 2020
Coronavirus: A level & GCSE results
As Covid-19 rumbles on, this week’s spotlight falls on students who should have taken either GCSEs or A levels earlier in the summer. The class of 2020 will go down in history as the cohort either (depending on how you look at it ) from whom the opportunity to prove themselves on exam day was snatched – or alternatively who side stepped onerous exams and got the chance to learn to cook, perfect their golf swing / gaming technique and spend the post lockdown part of summer care-free, hanging out with their friends.
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COMMENTS | AUGUST 2020
What’s the scoop on the covid summer holidays?
We’re all grappling with the prospect of six or more weeks of school holiday. Most of us can forget about sandy beaches and reclining by the pool. Instead, as we approach the indistinct point when term ends and holiday begins, the forecast is for more of the same.
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COMMENTS | JULY 2020
Ask our experts - July 2020
My daughter read avidly from the age of 4 and had finished all the Harry Potter books by the time she was 9. My son is now 9 and I can't get him to read anything other than football magazines. He resists all my attempts to start him on proper books. What can I do?
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COMMENTS | JULY 2020
Ask our experts - May 2020
In this edition we have words of advice for a parent who stuck their head above the parapets to admit that home schooling has been a positive experience for their child. We imagine that there might be quite a few parents out there who have noticed their children coming on in leaps and bounds as a result of being out of the classroom environment. Might keeping their child at home when schools eventually return be the best choice for the child and family?
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COMMENTS | MAY 2020
Special Times for Special Needs
Over seven weeks into lockdown, even the most saintly of parents with wholly straightforward children are likely to be feeling the strain of home schooling whilst juggling jobs, housework and (constant) meal provision for the hungry troops. For families with children who have special educational needs, the pressures of a break in the usual routine may be palpable. The Good Schools Guide SEN editor looks at ways to ease the strain and where to go for help if you need further support
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COMMENTS | MAY 2020
Covid-19: Is this what your school is missing
To say that schools are so much more than buildings with classrooms, staff and pupils is an obvious understatement. They are far greater than a sum of their parts; above all, they are communities, each with their own unique DNA and characteristics. Can such communities be uprooted from their bricks and mortar to eke out an existence on digital platforms? Not easily, that’s for sure..
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COMMENTS | MAY 2020
Ask our experts - April 2020
In this issue we tackle challenges for parents of younger children including juggling roles of full-time mother or father and part-time teacher and choosing between state and independent primaries. For those of you with pupils in secondary education, we look at how to ask for a discount on fees for year 11 pupils and what to do if your child is unlikely to get the grades to enter sixth form. We also share some ideas for at how to keep up the social skills of children with ASD while they’re at home.
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COMMENTS | APRIL 2020
Coronavirus and school fees: your legal questions answered
GUEST BLOG: For many, household income has fallen through the floor during the coronavirus crisis. The need for bean-counting and a keen eye on getting value for money has left parents peering at their latest school fees invoice in disbelief. Contracts were signed and commitments undertaken but now you’re stuck at home, unsatisfied with the school’s remote offering or at great risk of plunging your family into debt.
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COMMENTS | APRIL 2020
