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Is it time to ditch homework?

on Nov 17, 2016

Last  week Inverlochy, a primary school in Scotland, made headlines as it became the latest U.K. establishment to abolish homework. The school argued that neither parents nor pupils wanted it, that it encroached upon precious family time and that it prevented pupils from participating in more enriching after-school activities. The fact that the somewhat innocuous decision made front-pages news reflects the zeitgeist: setting or not setting homework is a question that increasingly haunts headteachers. On the one hand giving “challenging” homework that aims to consolidate classroom learning is a condition of obtaining an “outstanding” or “good” rating from much-feared Ofsted inspectors.  Scrapping it entirely is thus a dangerous proposition that could result in a very public –and costly– slap on the wrist for the school. On the other hand, multiple studies (including a recent...

Parental Expectations: Lessons Learnt from Beyoncé

on Nov 2, 2016

We all know that, despite having as many hours in a day as Beyoncé, the majority of us will never be able to rival her capacity to revolutionise the music industry whilst  slaying it in a rhinestone leotard. But when it comes to parenting, Beyoncé has more in common with us lesser-mortals. She tells her daughter, Blue Ivy, on a daily basis that she can achieve anything she wants: she can become President. Isn’t that what we all want for our children? Not necessarily to become President, especially when we consider the bloodbath that is the current US elections; but we do want our offspring to grow up knowing that the world is very much their oyster. ‘Dream big’ is a daily mantra for this generation. Children achieve highly if you set high expectations for them When we talk about ‘privilege’ and ‘entitlement’ being entrenched in the education system, we are talking not about the fact...

Demystifying the Oxford Interview Process

on Oct 24, 2016

To shake hands or not to shake hands, that is the question. Along with the conundrum of whether you turn up wearing a suit, or go all out Oxford in brogues and cords, clutching a teddy bear named Aloysius under your arm in homage to Sebastian Flyte. Or perhaps all you need is a conspicuously well-thumbed copy of Das Kapital just to show that you’ve been there, done that, and not yet turned eighteen… Oxford had a milestone moment when it recently published a press release detailing sample questions. Good move given that it’s easy for prospective students to feel fazed by the grandeur of a university, whose reputation precedes it by nine solid gold centuries. Libby Purves wrote elegantly in the Times this week about the need for the state sector to encourage more children to have a bash: to understand that they are as entitled to try for a place as anyone else. That said, even students...

Talking Heads: Dr Dunn, headmistress of UCS Pre-Prep

on Oct 12, 2016

Dr Zoe Dunn has been headmistress of UCS Pre-Prep since Sept. 2015. Prior to that, she founded Rimon, a free school in Golders Green, and taught extensively in both the state and independent sectors. What is driving the changes at UCS Pre-Prep? Up to now we have been a co-ed school with a main entry at 3+ until 7. From Sept. 2018 we will admit only boys at 4+ via a playdate assessment. The changes are due to a combination of the school market outside changing, with more and more girls leaving at 4+, and our closer integration within the UCS Foundation. Because the UCS Junior and Senior Schools are boys’ schools, more boys were applying at the Pre-Prep, so it’s a natural evolution. Losing the nursery provision was a sad impact of single sex but will allow us to revolutionise the school space we have and build a bespoke science/technology/art room. One of our strengths is specialist...