At I Teach UK we realise it is not easy to keep Christmas out of  school classroom management. A teachers temptation to ease off the exam preparation or to simply give up keeping students on target is enormous at this time of year. The season of goodwill to all can act as a solvent to good intentions, as across the North West including schools in Northwich, lessons dissolve into games and reluctant DVD screenings of the latest Twilight film or Ice Age 4.

This can also be same for a private tutor in Northwich keeping a student focused, however at I Teach UK  realise in order to maintain momentum until the last minute, it does not mean they have to turn into Scrooge and ignore the season entirely. If there is a time of the year where it is possible for a tutor to incorporate sentiments of good will and compassion into lessons more, then we have yet to discover it whether in or out of school.

Here are a teachers and private tutors ghosts of Christmas past, present and future…

Students are at school to be educated which does not mean that they can not have a bit of fun too, but a teacher has to consider the consequences of caving in to the pupils festive demands of ease and inactivity. The hardest thing for a teacher to deal with at this time is the knowledge that every other teacher in every other classroom is potentially playing Disney films. Students will howl and yelp at a teacher and then it’s a nightmare keeping them focused and on target. Every year at most schools it seems like a race to see which teacher can pack in the lessons first, sometimes weeks before the end of term. With every little bit of exam preparation being critical at this time of year many parents would be shocked if they knew the battles teachers faced keeping pupils on track.

Teachers need to consider the poor attenders, especially at this time of year some kids struggle with coming to school at all. Coming to school is a clear path to a good education, so what does it look like to them if they know that when they turn up to school all they do is watch the first half of three films, do a word search, and then go back home? It looks very much like a waste of time and even justifies more so the reason why they should not turn up. Keeping the best parts of Christmas within the classroom management strategy, from the sharing to the spirit in school lessons or private tutoring courses in Northwich means that all teachers and tutors can give the best gift of all this Christmas which is a good education wrapped up in a fun and informative lesson.

A shockingly low number of just one in 15 (6.5%)of pupils starting secondary school in England “behind” for their age goes on to get five good GCSEs including GCSE English and GCSE Maths, official data shows. This data was published by the government as part of the secondary school league tables.

GCSE Maths & GCSE English Exam Benchmarks

Nationally 58.2% of pupils reach the five good GCSEs benchmark. Minister Nick Gibb said schools which let pupils down would be tackled.

The data published by the Department for Education covers over 5000 secondary schools in England. Four times as much data has been published about each one, compared with last year.

Much of the information is broken down by pupil type, with scores offered for low, medium and high-attaining pupils, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as non-disadvantaged.

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds (those on free school meals or in local authority care) do less well than those from non-disadvantaged backgrounds. Bottom of Form

Only a third (34%) of these students achieve the government’s benchmark of five GCSEs – or equivalent qualifications – graded A* to C, including English and Maths.

In 909 schools, not one low-attaining pupil (those who did not reach Level 4 at the end of primary school) reached this threshold.

At the other end of the spectrum, 95% of pupils who started school “ahead” for their age (achieving Level 5 at the end of primary school) got five good GCSEs, including English and maths.

And of those who started school at the expected level for their age, (Level 4 at the end of primary school) some 45.6% failed to progress to five good GCSEs.

Overall, 58.2% of pupils in England’s state schools got five good GCSEs including English and maths (including equivalent qualifications).

With these shocking statistics it shows how vital it is to ensure that your child is reaching their full potential at a much younger age.

Many parents turn to private tuition to try and boost GCSE results in the last couple of years of school, but this government report highlights that this may be too late, and early intervention might be a better option.

If students had a private tutor from a younger age, and achieved a higher level when leaving primary school,, then it is statistically shown that they will be more likely to achieve five good grades at GCSE including Maths and English.

This could also impact on the finances of their parents who are paying considerable sums of money for last minute private tutoring, which may be too late.

I Teach-UK Exam Preparation

I Teach-UK can help combat these worrying findings by offering tailored courses for primary age students. This can range from private tutoring in your own home, or at our Northwich study centre away from distractions. I Teach-UK also offers small group sessions as a cost effective way of boosting performance without the cost of private tutoring and exam preparation assistance.

Good English Tuition The Key To Teenage Bliss?

A report in to the riots last summer highlights poor literacy skills as a potential trigger. Around one fifth of school leavers have the literacy skills of an 11 year old or younger. The report suggested introducing fines for schools who fail to educate their students to the required standards of good English tuition. The report added:

‘Every child should be able to read and write to an age-appropriate standard by the time they leave primary and then secondary school.

If they cannot, the school should face a financial penalty equivalent to the cost of funding remedial support to take the child to the appropriate standard.’

Schools responded to this through the NAHT.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said:

‘Almost nobody leaves school unable to read. We want them to be able to read better, of course, but even 11-year-old reading skills are sufficient for many jobs and certainly no excuse for rioting.

Fining schools for pupils who can’t read is a ridiculous idea: you are effectively fining the other pupils in the school, as it is money that can’t be spent on them. We should be giving schools extra money to help them invest in reading recovery.’

Is this relevant to English Education in Northwich?

It was less than a year ago when a mob of around 100 youths terrorised staff in McDonalds in Standishgate Northwich.

Do the riots have anything to do with poor English skills? Should schools be blamed? Everyone will have their own opinion. However, just to be on the safe side, I would want my child to have good English skills. If this isn’t happening in their school, then maybe it’s time to find them a good English tutor in Northwich. At I Teach-UK we run a range of English tuition classes in Northwich for both adults and children of all ages. These English tuition classes in Northwich focus on the basics of reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar. These English skills are vitally important at all stages of a persons life. Whether it’s filling in application forms or simply reading restaurant menus, Private English tutoring at I Teach-UK can be tailored to suit your individual needs. Owned and run by an experienced, qualified teacher, at I Teach-UK you can be certain of a quality learning experience.

Traditional educators were over joyed last week with the announcement by the government that they plan to ban the use of calculators at Key Stage 2. Maths tests taken by 11 year olds at the end of primary school will have to be completed purely by using mental arithmetic or by using a pen and paper. Education minister Elizabeth Truss believes that the use of calculators have bred a reliance on technology to complete basic sums.

This move has been challenged by National Numeracy, who believe that although children should be taught the basics of mental arithmetic, banning calculators completely, riks turning children off maths altogether as it limits the extent of interest that can be put in to maths questions.

The current maths curriculum suggests the use of calculators from Year 4, and highlights that students should be helped to decide when it is appropriate to use a calcular, but the proposed new curriculum suggests that calculators should only be used after primary school, and only then, if the basics are secure.

Maths Tuition Courses in Northwich

With this new introduction, it is vitally important that parents ensure that their children are fully equipped with the necessary skills to meet the demands of the new curriculum. I Teach-UK offers maths tuition in Northwich for both students and if required for parents. The use of levelled, timed worksheets used during drop in sessions encourages understanding and application of mental arithmetic, whilst private maths tuition can help students to deepen their understanding. During our maths tuition courses in Northwich we encourage students to attempt all mathematical problems using a logical approach. All students are encouraged to use mental arithmetic/pen and paper, and are taught techniques to use to make these processes simple and understandable. Answers may then be checked with a calculator so that corrections can be completed.

I Teach-UK Maths Tuition

I Teach-UK are currently investigating the use of QAMA calculators for use in our maths tuition courses. These calculators require students to enter an estimation of the answer and will only give them the correct answer if their estimation is close to the true value. This offers students who undertake a maths tuition course at our I Teach-UK centre in Northwich the best of both worlds by being able to use a calculator to assist them with the more interesting questions, but does not lead to a reliance on a calculator thus meeting the requirements of the new curriculum without losing interest.

To register your interest in a maths tuition course in Northwich visit our website by clicking here.

Saturday School Northwich Launching January 2013

What’s your New Years Resolution? Have you got Science and Maths exams coming up? Do you just want to learn something new?

I Teach-UK is launching a new Saturday School in Northwich starting January 2013.

I Teach-UK currently offers  private tuition in Northwich, in a range of subjects, but predominantly focuses on Science, Maths, ICT and English. Due to the high demand, this private tutoring service in Northwich is now being expanded to incorporate a Saturday School. This will be run by an experienced and qualified teacher and will offer both private tuition and small group (max 6 students) tuition at our tutoring centre in Northwich.

Groups will be made up of students studying the same subject at a similar level.  Places are limited and will be offered on a first come first served basis. Call/text today on 07986 041271 or email info@iteach-uk.co.uk to secure your place now!