A new study published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science has revealed that curiosity plays a significant role in academic performance, and traits like curiosity are as important as intelligence in determining how well a student will perform. Intelligence is important to academic performance, but is not the whole story. Brilliant students sometimes fail…
Many children are leaving primary school every year in the UK with inadequate reading skills. The ability to read well is a fundamental life skill. To read well means not only to be able to recognise words on a page but also to be able to read independently and effectively for meaning. One of the…
It was recently reported in The Telegraph that schools are being issued with checklists designed to root out the worst behaviour offenders and ensure staff reward well-behaved children. Inconsistency is certainly the main cause of behaviour difficulties in children. This is the case with parenting and is no different in schools. Children know exactly what…
You don’t have to be a sports enthusiast to have heard or be interested in the recent debates about racism in football or the lack of black coaches and managers causing concern. Of course being married to a football coach who has worked with children for many years I have heard it loud and clear!…
I was not the brightest pupil in secondary school. I always got E and F grades in my assignments. At the time it felt as though the tutors only cared about those who were going to boost their ratings, and that did not include me. A careers advisor once told me to drop my ambition…
This week Oxford dons passed a vote of no confidence in higher education minister David Willetts for the first time in history and The Public Accounts Committee rebuked the coalition for its staggering miscalculation over tuition fees that will leave a massive funding gap. It’s hardly surprising that the UCU has accused the coalition of…
The irony of a private university specialising in the humanities with fees of £18,000 a year being launched just weeks after London Metropolitan University announced plans to slash its own arts and humanities courses, has not been lost on critics who have already attacked the plans. But sadly, many of London Met’s students who will…