Open For The Best
Thursday, 12 January 2012 15:19
Choosing the right school for your child is an incredibly important decision, but how do you know if you are making the right choice for you and your child’s needs? Emily Cole finds out whether a visit to a school’s open day can make all the difference. You have narrowed it down to five schools, you have met the criteria for three of those five and you still can’t decide what to put as your first choice. Confusing isn’t it? We can read the school’s prospectus, look at their website or check their position in the league tables from the last ten years,…
Confidence to succeed
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 12:23
What does the future hold for our children? If recent unpredictable news and events are anything to go by, then the answer is ‘change’ and ‘challenge’. As a parent, how do you decide which school will equip your child with the essential skills, knowledge and qualifications to meet unexpected challenges? Moreover, which environment will nurture your child’s lasting attitudes and values, allowing them to thrive and contribute positively to society, whatever path they choose to take? A big question for the big society!
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Appetite for Learning
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 12:10
Why…?’ That one word provides the soundtrack to every parent’s life. Learning is as natural as breathing in the very young, yet, as Jamie Oliver’s Dream School TV series demonstrated, the appetite for learning can all too easily be lost. In this constantly changing world of ours, what is the secret to ensuring our children want to learn and know how to learn?
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Are our children ready for life beyond school? Featured
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 09:46
Are our children just taught to get through tests and exams at the expense of preparing them for life in the workforce? Sarah de Souza asks some of our region’s top teaching experts for their thoughts. It’s one of the most commonly debated issues of our time- getting the education system right for our children. In the past ten years there have been countless changes, initiatives, white and green papers, reviews and policies made. Schools have had to adapt quickly and have had little choice in the matter, but has all this constant change resulted in schools becoming inadequate in one of their…
Independently Minded
Monday, 09 January 2012 15:59
It’s that time of year again when our local schools open their doors to prospective new parents and pupils. Whether it is really possible in a single mass visit to experience the true spirit of a school is open to debate, meaning that school inspection reports, websites, reviews and school league tables are increasingly referred to as indicators of whether one school is more likely to benefit your child’s progress than another.
On the Wings of Love
Monday, 09 January 2012 15:45
Rosie Cope talks to Lesley Johnstone, mother of Caroline – whose sudden death was the inspiration behind Cazfest – and discovers a fairy story Lesley Johnstone walks in to the room having just got back from holiday in Tenerife. She looks well and rested. It’s taken Lesley a long time to get to this point, two years of mourning in fact. Two years of trying to come to terms with the sudden death of her daughter, and my most special friend, Caroline. I grew up with Caroline. We played in the park together when we were in Year 3, and she hugged it all better when my best friend left school in year 9. On…
