MagiKats Blog
Tips and advice for parents
When Lucy came to MagiKats
Beside me sat a solemn little girl. Lucy was eight years old, with huge brown eyes and a frighteningly matter of fact approach to life. “What do you like best about school?” I asked, “Home time!”
Big increase in children receiving private tuition
According to a survey carried out by the Sutton Trust in September 2016, 25% of state educated 11 to 16 years in the UK receive private tuition, with the number much higher in London. This represents a massive increase on 2015 figures when it was only 10%.
Pre-teens: stressed, unhappy and under pressure! Just look at the statistics!
Going to a new school, sitting SATs, being re-assessed in Year 7. Our pre-teens are under more academic pressure than ever.
"My child just doesn't want to do school work with me!"
If I had a penny........ Seriously, this is mentioned in most (if not all) the enquiries I get for MagiKats. So, if you think it makes you abnormal, think again!
Is tutoring your child for entrance exams “abhorrent”? One private school head thinks so!
A recent article in The Telegraph led with the headline, “Private tutoring is abhorrent says private school head.” (read it here) The position taken by the piece was that if a child needs tutoring to get into a school, then the school is probably not for them. I agree – to a point.
Tuition for your child - who to choose?
Are you one of those parents who, without realising it, has been quietly mulling over the comments made either in your child’s report at the end of last term or at the parent teacher meetings you recently attended?
MagiKats at home - a parent's perspective
Find out what it’s like to be a MagiKats parent.
A rough guide to the stages of learning and what it means to you when helping your child succeed in a positive manner.
Some new parents ask that their children be given more homework. This is a natural thought. They can see their child making good progress on 5 or 10 minutes a day so it seems a perfectly logical expectation that they could be ready to go to university by year 7 if only they did half an hour a day! Unfortunately, rather like pensions, what you put in does not necessarily relate to what you get out.
The culture of coaching
I've just read an excellent article by Alice Pung in today's Weekend Australian and The Monthly magazine. My favourite quote from that article is this one: "Even private schools are beginning to acknowledge a coached student may not necessarily have the type of rounded, inquisitive mind that they are after.