Now we have gotten the ball rolling with the school term, I’ve been thinking about how students can have wildly different experiences of school from one another. Why would that be? If they go to school, during the same hours, with the same subjects, the same stresses and pressures - why do some students struggle so much and others don't? There's the student who seems to be too relaxed, suspiciously so. Disinterested even. Your spidey senses are sensing they’re not doing enou

I want you to try something. Ask your teenager these four questions and see how confidently they can answer them. 1. What does your revision plan actually look like? Do they know which topics they need to cover for each subject, or are they just revising whatever comes to mind when they sit down? 2. When, specifically, are you going to get your revision done? Have they worked backwards from their exam dates and broken the content into manageable weekly targets, or are the

Hi there!, how's it going? Have you ever wondered why your teenager can spend hours revising for an exam, only to come out of it with a result that doesn’t reflect the effort they’ve put in? It’s frustrating for them, and for you as a parent, especially when you know they’re capable of achieving more. But there are a few reasons why this happens, and understanding them can make a real difference before prelims and mocks arrive. 1. Sometimes, the assessments themselves are par

Hi there!, hows it going? By this point in the school year, some parents will already have seen the first signs that their teenager’s current approach to studying is not quite producing the results they expected. Perhaps they have brought home a disappointing end-of-unit test result. Perhaps a midterm assessment did not go as well as they had hoped. Or perhaps your teenager came home frustrated because they genuinely felt that they had studied for the assessment, only to find

The workload is getting real, how are we doing? We’re coming to the end of September, and by now most students have had enough time back at school to realise what this academic year is actually going to demand from them. For some, that realisation has been a bit of a shock, particularly for students who have moved into Higher subjects or another more challenging stage of their education. The jump in difficulty can be significant. The content often comes at a faster pace, ther

Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern. The students who go on to achieve their top university choices, feel confident in exams, and manage school without constant stress — they aren’t winging it. They’re two things: Strategic Consistent They're strategic, intentional and have actually put thought into how to study (learning style, thinking style, subject style), when to study (natural energy peaks, nutritional impact on retention/focus, planning out their week), why they

One of the most common misunderstandings I come across when talking to students about their study routines is the assumption that, if they have completed their homework, they have also “done their studying” for the day. It is easy to see why students think this way. They may have spent an hour at their desk, answered questions, completed a worksheet set by their teacher, written an essay or finished a piece of coursework. From their perspective, they have worked hard and spen

September is the time to build the system! We’re a couple of weeks or a month into the new school year now, which means the initial “back to school” feeling is probably starting to wear off. The new timetable has become familiar, the excitement of seeing friends has settled down, and students are beginning to get a much clearer picture of what this year is actually going to demand from them. And this is exactly why I think September is such an important month. Because r

As students are heading back to school, I know there can be a real mixture of excitement, motivation and, for some students, a growing sense of "Oh god… here we go again." A new academic year can feel like a fresh start, but it can also feel like a lot when you look at everything that is coming: new topics, homework, assignments, tests, mid-term exams, prelims or mocks, and eventually the final exams. I remember myself, the jump in difficulty in the syllabi from one year to t

On Tuesday, thousands of students across Scotland will open their exam results. Over the rest of the month, thousands more in Ireland, England and Wales will be opening up their exam notifications too. Some will be celebrating. Some will be disappointed. Many will feel a mixture of relief, pride, frustration and uncertainty all at once. Whatever happens, I want you to remember something important... The results themselves aren't the whole story. They're simply feedback on the

If your teen has ever thought 'I'm not good at X subject'... this is for you... Countless times, in lessons, webinars, consultations, emails, I have heard students admit that they have had thoughts like “ I’m just not very academic” “I’m not good at studying” "When it comes to biology, I just accept my fate that I’ll fail my tests or do really badly." "I'm really bad at Maths." We all know of someone who has verbalised these kinds of thoughts, or maybe even you h

Hey there! I hope you're all having a wonderful summer. It's hard to believe we're already halfway through the holidays(!!). Results Day is just around the corner, and in only a few weeks, we'll be shopping for school uniforms, packing school bags, and settling back into the routines of another academic year. As both a Biology tutor and Study Skills Coach, this time of year always gets me thinking about one thing that I see happen over and over again. Many families un

Last Friday, I welcomed the new cohort of students into the Study Strategy Lab, and we spent our first session exploring a concept that, in my opinion, is makes a huge difference between students who consistently improve little by little and those who feel stuck despite working incredibly hard. It's called metacognition, sprinkled in with some self-awareness. Now lots of people might not know what this means, but the idea behind it is actually very simple. Metacognition i

One thing I've tried really hard to do throughout this launch is not convince you that the Study Strategy Lab is the only answer. Because it isn't. My job isn't to make the decision for you. It's to help you understand your options so you can make an informed decision that's right for your teen and your family. So, if your goal is to help your teen become a more confident, organised and independent student, here are the routes I genuinely think you could take. Option 1: Figur

She didn't just change the way she studied... she changed the way she saw herself. When parents first enroll their teen to join the Study Strategy Lab, they often tell me they hope their teen becomes more organised, more motivated, and less stressed. What they don't usually expect is to see their teen grow up and mature right in front of their eyes, in the matter of months!. I want to introduce you to Grace. Grace was a 16 year old student who joined me for Biology tutoring a

Study Strategy Lab FAQ The last few days I’ve been compiling questions from people that they have about The Study Strategy Lab. Rather than replying to all the individual questions manually, I thought it was a better idea to compile them all and answer them here for everyone! As I mentioned yesterday, I’m not here to claim that the SSL is the answer to your problems or that it's the only, or best solution out there for students. I know it's not! But for some people it may be

Well to start, its a non-negotiable for secondary level teens. You might have heard - but the doors are open to my signature study skills programme for secondary level teens, The Study Strategy Lab! 🧪 Maybe you've seen my email and have been considering enrolling or else you haven't heard and don't know what a 'study strategy' refers to - don't worry, I'm covering that in todays blog post. My job is not to tell you that The Study Strategy Lab is the right programme for your

It’s officially time…Doors To The Study Strategy Lab 🧪 are OPEN again! 🎉 The Study Strategy Lab is my signature study skills programme for secondary level students in the Uk & Ireland which I run just twice a year with limited spots. This programme is the culmination of over 10 years of experience, insight, and lessons learned about what really makes the difference to a student’s academic success. Through first hand experience, looking at the extensive research done by ne

Coming from a tutor this might sound weird, but I have some opinions on this! 😂 Tutoring can be one of the best investments a parent makes in their child's education. A good tutor can explain difficult concepts, fill knowledge gaps, build confidence, and provide the kind of individual support that simply isn't possible in a busy classroom. However, as many parents and students have come to find out, despite all of these benefits ….tutoring doesn't automatically guarantee bet

After working with hundreds of students over the years I can say that revision/retention struggles are rarely caused by just one thing. Sometimes a student is using revision methods that aren’t very effective. Sometimes they’re struggling with focus or distractions. Sometimes the issue is workload overwhelm, stress, inconsistency, poor time management, cramming, lack of confidence… or simply not knowing how to study in a way that actually works for them. And honestly,