Thursday, December 12, 2013

Its almost Christmas! Yay!

Unless your child has an exam in January or February then give them a break, let them enjoy Christmas without the weight of testing, homework and all the rest of the stuff its tempting to do whilst they are off from school.

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If you want them to do some work then make it fun; find some videos on You Tube which will teach them something, as with the Chuckra verbal reasoning videos, designed for the 11 plus and still useful for those going for entrance exams in year 7.
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 How about the holiday games on coolmaths4kids which will stretch their minds, get them working logically and sequentially as well as having great fun.
Then there are the puzzle books with spot the difference, word searches, crosswords, maths puzzles; all will stimulate their brains but in a way which doesn't feel like work.
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There will be work to do no doubt, but let them relax and remember, they don't go back until Monday 6th January, so use the time after Christmas and then a couple of days in January to get them back into the swing of it, they will go back to school relaxed and refreshed.
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One major reason children have regular holiday time away from the pressures of school is to forget the stuff they didn't quite get and absorb what they did. Let's give them that period because if they are sitting 11+ in September there wont be that many breaks after Easter!!
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To all my students, past and present, have a great Christmas and fabulous New Year celebrations.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

A scene from The Piano



Whilst watching the animated, Aniboom version of The Piano, a scene caught the imagination of one of my students. Grace went to the computer and produced this piece;

I reached the wall with a sigh of relief. A soldier was near me. My heart was pounding; my spine was shivering. This was a serious moment. We had to fight to save our country. Right this moment I am standing with a soldier, the horrible smell of smoke and dampness fills the air. Stones are all over the ground, I nearly tripped. The soldier was just about to leave. I had to give him the signal.
“Ready, go!” I shouted.
I could hardly hear myself talk. Suddenly, BANG!!!
The soldier on my team had just been shot. I ran to help. “Are you OK? Please be with me, I know you can make it,” I murmured.
His head flopped and I knew what this meant; he didn’t make it. It turned pitch black.

What makes this successful?
Reading it, you will note the style of using statements rather than long, complex sentences; this gives the reader the sudden, jolting, advancing of the action and gives Grace a level 6 for atmospheric creation.
The paragraphing and text organisation is, again, creating the mood as well as the darkness of the whole scene, gaining a level 6.
Her punctuation uses a full range, from full stops to semi-colons and therefore moves her piece into the level 5a/6 range once more.
Where does it not quite hold those levels is in the formatting of the adverbs, adjectives and connectives which are still at level 4, but this piece of work shows such promise and gives us all an idea of what can be achieved by a ten year old, especially when they have worked at developing their own style, language knowledge and of course, accuracy in using punctuation.
Well done Grace, I look forward to the next piece of work from you.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

All children should be able to verbally reason things out

Whether your child is sitting the 11+ or not, for a child to develop as wholly as possible, the skills found in Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning are important skills opening  up as many potential avenues as possible in their brain development.

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Let's think about this using an analogy; in new civic buildings it is becoming customary not to lay in footpaths, apart from the basic few, but to lay the rest to grass. There is a reason behind this, the developers are watching where the short cuts are being taken by the greatest number of feet. Once these well worn tracks are established and muddy, very often the landscapers will come along and insert paths following the lines laid out in the now well worn grass.
Brains are very similar, if the same methods are used over and over again, they too get worn into the 'grass' of the brain and these become the main way of solving the problem. But what if those methods are of no use to solving a particular problem? What happens if the child does not have a pathway established which could open up a possible solution? The child gets stuck, it has to look outside of itself, it learns a new strategy, 'rely on others to solve your problem', a well worn pathway in some. It maybe successful, but will it teach them?> Will it support them later on?
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I suggest the answer to this one is, no.

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So, where can we extend and create a greater network of pathways? That comes form the skills they learn through solving verbal and non-verbal puzzles, and this is where a group of people who have put a You Tube channel together, come into the equation. Their videos on how to do the various types of problems, together with a suitable verbal reasoning book, give the opportunity for the child to learn new ways of thinking and new skills which they can take into the classroom.
Chuckra Verbal Reasoning Practice has 15 videos each covering a different VR skill. The way they present the information is clear and concise and in language which is understandable by years 4, 5 and 6; although I would suggest a parent accompanies them as they learn so as to be able to re-inforce any work they do later.
I mentioned a book, and the best I have ever come across is one by Susan J Daughtrey M.Ed. She has produced a series of 4 books which include, how to do each type [a useful back up for the work they have watched on video] and a page of examples to try. I am not saying you HAVE to buy these books because they do not come cheap [about £5.50 each] but they are well worth exploring and if you can get them from Amazon then all the better.
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OK, that's the verbal but what about the non-verbal?

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That comes from puzzles and problems you find in many puzzle books, such as word searches, mazes, spot the difference, what is the next shape in a sequence and so on. They best way to extend their non-verbal skills? Buy some puzzle books and take them away when you go one holiday or get some in so on a wet and cold day when its no good to go outside, get out the puzzles and have a go at cracking them together. As you work with them they will be learning your strategies as well as their own; in the end they will be off on their own, and sometimes, just sometimes, they will be beating you.


Thursday, November 7, 2013

The latest on the 11+ arrangements

Scanning through Google as I do from time to time and keeping an ear open to what parents have gleaned, the following URLs should be of interest to those taking the 11+ this year.
The first article was on another BLOG called Tutors International where they commented on how it would be impossible for any council to make something 'un-tutorable', something I have been saying all along.
The next came in a report found on the KCC website; KCC announces contractor to run Kent Test
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The important sentence here is as follows; There will be two main tests, one assessing reasoning ability and one assessing pupils’ attainment in literacy and numeracy.

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What this will mean is the non-verbal reasoning paper will be dropped in favour of the verbal reasoning and the maths and English (new to Kent) will be incorporated into one exam. There will also be a timed essay and the whole test will be done in one day. 

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In some ways this is returning to how it was many years ago but the maths and English were separate exams then. Now, with the exams combined it means the whole test will be dealt with quickly and the children will get one sleepless night rather than two!

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The other thing which is interesting is the contractor - GL Assessment, the very people who have been producing the test papers up until now. This does give us some idea, therefore of the way in which the questions will be asked and the language the children sitting the exam will be expected to understand. A leap of faith then takes us closer to the way the test papers will be structured and people like me begin to sense what is expected even more than before.

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Escher: self portrait

What do I expect looking into the crystal ball?

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 I will expect maths up to and including level 5 with a lot of Problem Solving type questions which will be aimed at determining how the child thinks, creates strategies, organises the processes and then completes the arithmetic involved. 
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There will be algebra involved so as to determine whether the child has the ability to think abstractly and perform tasks in the language of mathematics. There will also be the standard decimals, percentages, fractions, ratio, shapes, triangles, perimeter, area, co-ordinates, graphs, averages etc.. 
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The English is going to want to be able to extract information from a written piece, know what are various forms of language such as pronouns, adverbs, statements, clauses, verbs, nouns (and the various types) etc as well as being able to create a story or factual passage which has a start a middle and an end, has good use of punctuation, uses languages to a high level, knows how to use the various skills such as paragraphing, speech, inference etc..
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What does that mean for my child?

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The work usually completed here at jobelltutoring will to a large extent remain the same with as strong emphasis on the mathematics through instruction, play and puzzles as well as raising the standards of the English through the Verbal Reasoning Manual AND, and this is a change already in force, an introduction of a stronger English/literacy element which will hopefully support what is being done in schools to raise the standards in this particular area. As you will see from some of the work created by students from last year, standards are high and the use of language, grammar and punctuation very important too.
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If you are worried about your child's standards in English, there are a  few very good books around which can support them. A very good one is by Bond and it is the 10 Minute tests in English. I like this one because it is just 10 minutes and then they are free of it. They could do one every alternate day and 10 minutes wouldn't make a very big hole in their time; I am aware of how hard it is to get children to do these tests especially English when they feel they aren't very good at it, but find a way even if to start with you do it together........some of it will be going in as long as you resist the temptation to do it all. There is a saying,
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"salience times repetition equals learning"
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Sadly when the salience is low, the repetition has to be high and when it comes to English,  this is often the case.
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Thursday, October 31, 2013

An interesting website

One of my students alerted me to this site (thanks George) so I am passing it on to you. It seems to have a great deal of learning style games which would be useful for many areas of arithmetic and the beginnings of algebra. It appears to be suitable for all Primary ages, so picking the games is something we need to do before letting your son or daughter loose on it.
The website is American, as so many of them are, and here is the link - Sheppardsoftware 
I have taken you to the Homepage so you are able to see all the areas this website covers and as you can see it is more than just a maths site. I haven't as yet explored all areas but I would suggest you have a look and think of all the areas your children could find it useful, from pre-school up to and including year 6.
As to the maths, some of it is useful to year 4 students whilst others will be useful to years 5 and 6. I will use some of these in the lessons and give an indication of which games to play in the homework so you are aware of what I am picking; this does not stop you from having a look and doing some of the games with them and then let them do it on their own. They are good tools and will support the child well. Think of their school work, are there areas there where a game of this would help consolidate? Remember, like dolphins, they have to be rewarded with play.
Another website which I often recommend, but only to those who are aware it caries a membership fee, is
 IXL, a site which was originally exclusively American but now has an English UK equivalent. At about £60 for the year, it offers a wide range of math support and work, but beware, this can be a bit of  "death by worksheets" and that will drive many children mad, bored and ultimately switched off, so if you do decide to invest in this site, keep the word VARIATION firmly at the front of your mind.
At the moment I am joining SumDog, a teaching tool which will allow me to set work for students which they can access from home. At the moment, I am still learning and inputting details of who does what, and as soon as I have set everything in motion I will let you all know and then give you access.
I have gone in as a school, so we will be known as Jobelltutoring.
Hope you all enjoy the rest of your holiday and I will see you all starting next week.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

It has to be said to you all who have just passed

The results are in and so many have done well again this year; to you all, very well done and good luck in your choice of school, I hope you all get the place you really want.

To the parents of this year's cohort, well we still have to see what it is your children will have to sit, but if the last two years of papers are anything to go by then the hardest will be that maths paper. Again this year, the students found this very stretching and even those who will be going on to gain level 5/6 at the end of year 6 have commented on how hard it was compared with anything they have done in school.
It does give the impression they are pushing for the very elite and for us to have a fair chance we need to stretch our children as far as possible. By that I do not mean hours of sitting doing maths, that would kill any love they have for the subject but we have to challenge them and when they get stuck be careful how much of the, 'finding out for themselves' we do for them.
I will be giving you some ideas and references for good videos and websites to view so as to insure the basics; once these are in place then they can be built upon.
So watch this space and to all of you who have done so well..........
my thanks to Google images as always a mine of good information and fun!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Why games? What do they do for my child?

 

I have often been asked why it is I give a game each week which makes the students go onto a website and play a game I specify.

"Is it mathematical?"
"What's the point of doing this, do they have to?"
"Tell me, why should my child spend time doing this?"
These are all the sort of questions I get asked by parents anxious to make sure their child is geting what they need. In some schools who have heard of coolmath4kids, they have placed a ban on it because they believe it is not mathematical and therefore not relevant.

I beg to differ.

Let me start by telling you a story which is very true and comes from one of the Dolphin Worlds in America.
The trainers had some new dolphins to work with and started to teach them to perform tricks when they gave a give command. The method they used was very much like the clicker method of working with dogs only they used a whistle instead.
They started by getting the dolphins to play and every time they did a back flip, the whistle blew and they were given a fish. Very quickly the dolphins realised if they did a back flip they got a fish so were doing it every time they were asked and for a week they were happy to do it over and over again.
The next week they did the back flip and got nothing, so they kept trying until suddenly one of the dolphins did a back flip and then did a twist. The whistle blew and she was given a fish. The others copied and soon they all were doing the back flip with a twist.
Now, you can probably see where this story is going, the routines grew and every few days, the fish were given only when a new routine was created.
Until one day nothing happened; the dolphins wouldn't do anything, they just swam about. So the trainers just gave them fish, just because they were dolphins. The following day they went back to doing their routines and following the trainers requests.
Why did I tell you this story?
Well, in many ways I am that trainer and although your children are not dolphins there are many parallels which can be drawn. I am asking them to learn new routines with their English and their maths and I am giving them homework on top of the work they are getting from school, so I am asking a lot of them.

They are only young and deserve to be playing and having fun, they are not just learning machines, they are children still physically and mentally growing......... and its that which these games reach.

The games vary in their content mathematically; some will develop logic and process whilst others working under increasing frustration and pressure. All will increase concentration and single minded determination to see a problem through.
Some will require the development of mental trajectory orientation as well as quite high level calculations of timing and speed, others will work on developing order and routine as well as learning in a progression of steps and remembering those steps to use later.
And some are just for fun, they are the 'fish' thrown just because they are 'dolphins'. Children are just that and every now and then, they need to be given something that is just fun and ridiculousness because they have to want to keep coming back to me week in and week out, they have to want to keep up to date with all the work they are given and they have to create a teacher/student relationship with me, that is held together with our sessions and the audio tracks, videos and pieces of work they are given on their memory sticks.
This weeks problem solving game
So, next time they say, "Jo says the game this week is ********", then let them play it, perhaps not all the time :-) and remember, this could be brain development, synapse formation, mathematical expansion or just plain old fun.

Monday, October 14, 2013

The first piece of written work

Some of the work for the 11 plus students has started coming in and that includes their first piece of written work. This time it was under the title of "A day out with my family" making sure it was something they could write about that was well known to them as well as probably fresh in their minds, especially as the summer weather has held for so long.

So why do they have to write anything? What is the point of all this written work?

When we submit anything to a teacher or a potential employer, we are giving a taster of our skills and our interests; we are saying to the person who is about to read what we have written - this is me, and this is what I can do.

So a child is asked to write something which is about 500 words long, what is the marker looking for? 

Well we want to see what that child is capable of producing when asked. Can that child use punctuation well and can they use paragraphing techniques appropriately? Is there dialogue and has it been expressed correctly? Have they used a good selection of words and are those words used in context so they enhance the work rather than clumsily and detract from it? Is the content interesting such that the reader is really interested by the piece of writing, or does it show a child just going through the motions so as to satisfy the requirements? Is there a style which is obviously the child's? Has this work been 'developed' by an adult thus changing the work standard automatically? [ a parent's helping will distort the child's work and they will be 'caught out' when they have to produce that standard in a classroom or test situation].

So what am I looking for?

Exactly those parameters and as they develop, more and more of these skills will become apparent in their work. To encourage them, to them where the story really works and where it isn't quite so clear, and then let them sort it out. The temptation is to 'show' them how to improve on their work. As soon as that happens two outcomes occur; the work is no longer theirs and this can make them take less ownership of it, and secondly, they will never be able to write in the same way as you so the holes you corrected will show in their work elsewhere.
So tempting to help by doing, its natural as a parent to meant to do things for them, but there are times we need to sit on our hands, and this is when we can advise and then leave it to them to develop or not.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Nearly the first two weeks is completed

The timetable is nearly run for the first time and most people have found the dates and times and are sorted with memory sticks and folders. Those of you who are following work for the 'unknown' 11 plus will have printed off the two PDF manuals and have put them into the folders, whilst the others will have work on the memory stick either to print off or to work on depending upon the type of file it is.

Remember, the EXCEL math work sheets are read only and once you have completed them [do them on the computer so the program can self mark each question] remember you cannot save them and will have to print them off.

Once done, put them in the TO DO section so I can 'do' the checking and then file in the correct place. This way I know what you have completed and can make a mental note if certain things have not come in and possibly need to be re-explained or worked on.

PDF units will have to be run off unless you have PDF Writer installed on your computer, only then can you add text boxes into the spaces and do the work on screen.

I am being asked about what happens at Half term and do I work through or what do I do?

The answer is, I stop just the same as the schools do and allow the children to have a break. As the year progresses then some of the holidays will be used for all those following the 11 plus course, especially June half term and of course the summer. The rest of the time I too will be taking a break so as to re-charge ready for the next term.

There have been so many smiles leaving the house, it is once more a pleasure to be working with so many children. As a present from one of my student's mum's last year said;
A teacher changes the world one child at a time.
If I can support children into realising their potential and give them space in which to excel to whatever level that maybe and have fun at the same time, then I do feel that statement is a fair one indeed.

Monday, September 23, 2013

....and it all starts again this evening

Welcome one and all to another year and to another group of students working towards their own excelling. Let this be a great year for us all.

I realise this is THE night of beginning tutoring but there are a few bits and pieces I would like to tell you about before the term proceeds much further.

Firstly, if your child doesn't have access to a memory stick, then they will require one when they come to me. As there is always the possibility of having MP4 files placed onto it, can I suggest they have access to one which is about 8GB rather than the smaller ones; I have found MP4 files can crash smaller memory sticks. Most of the files I use are PDF or MP3/4 but there will be some files which are Windows orientated, and require WORD and/or EXCEL.

Every child, whatever the year, will need to have a folder of some description, and those who are on the 11+ course will really benefit from having a lever arch file instead of the ordinary ring binder. Yes, they will fill one of those and it is, in many ways, a false economy to have a smaller one as they break when they get too full.

Dividers are always useful and a set of say 5 or 6 is perfect. Buy the relatively good ones if you can as the cheaper, paper ones do disintegrate very quickly if they are used much, and in these folders they will get used a great deal.

Dates are displayed at least for the term [in old money, the half term], and I would ask you to keep an eye on when your child is due to come. Although the classes are regular, I do not take into account the holidays when running the two week cycle, so it is important you check the dates across holidays especially.

Any other important information is also displayed in the same place and I would ask you to make sure you check the board on a regular basis so as to be up to date with any changes that occur, or holiday dates you can book in for.

And that is about it. I am hoping everyone is primed as to the dates [ I did contact everyone either by text or by email] and that you find your way to me with out any problems.

To those returning, welcome back, I look forward to catching up on what's been happening since I was last with you, and to those coming for the first time, I look forward to meeting you and getting to know both you and your children.

See you all shortly,
jo

Thursday, July 25, 2013

W! O! W!

What more can I say.......... 

I have just marked a practice 11+ maths paper  and the mark was 100%

Congratulations to you, Ollie, a superb score!!!!!!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Current Year 5 summer studies

many of you are signed up for sessions through the summer and that is good because it means the children will not dip just before sitting the actual papers. If you are hoping to take the exam and have no summer session sorted for your child be aware that you need to create some work to keep them ticking over at the level they require to pass.
Many of you have bought papers from the internet or from the retail stores and that is great as the children need to keep practising but I would suggest you make them do no  more than a couple in a week or they will get so stale and bored by the time they reach the exam proper they will not perform well.
I tend to suggest the following weekly work schedule;
  1. Two test papers; maths and verbal [following week non-verbal and maths or English if your area requires it]
  2. Bond 10 minute test [mixed set] one a day when they are not doing a test paper
  3. games from the website, coolmaths4kids, say two days out of the week
  4. plenty of relaxation and fun and play for the majority of the time
by doing this, they will still be interested and motivated to work when they are expected to, but know they have time to go and have fun for the majority of the day. If you are going abroad take 10 minute tests with you and fit them in first thing after breakfast, that way one is completed every day but they are over and done with whilst parents are organising the day, the swimwear, the picnic.. and the remainder of the day is for the family and the holiday.
For the period of time from August Bank holiday Monday to the first day of term, do nothing, let them have a break, then give them a paper, one from each area and work through it with no time limit, just bringing their brains back into gear again. They will remember it all and it will come back with greater understanding,having been given the opportunity to rest in the head for a while.
So to all parents out there feeling as though they are sitting the exam themselves; its nearly here and nearly over and soon you can sit back and relax.........until the results are due. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

An update

For those who are working towards their 11+ this year; I know we are reaching the end of term and for some of you, you have already finished. If you are going on holiday and want to take some work with you, please let me know and I will place it on the memory stick. 

They will be things you can do for say 15 minutes and then go and have fun so don't panic. I wont give you stuff which will take hours! Promise!


For those of you who are due to come to me in September/October, the dates have gone out to all bar two people [they came last year and know day and time but not date] so can you please get back to me asap and let me know if the days and times are OK. As I have said in the email, the wriggle room is so limited this year, I am really struggling to move anyone, anywhere, but if there are real crisis, then I will do my utmost so solve the problem. Please, let me know quickly so I can confirm as many as possible and attempt to sort the others.

Thanks for your patience, this is always a logistical nightmare and I like to please as many people as I can whilst placing the students with someone who is commensurate with their skills level.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Dates and Times are going out

If you haven't heard from me regarding a slot for next year, then please, be patient, they will all be out by Friday. Some have gone out today and more will go out tomorrow, but today I have run out of available time, sorry.

Almost the end of the year and time to sort the timetable...

I think this is the most topsy turvy time of year; at one end there is the exhilaration of the successes I am watching around me as students pass into the zone of success and reaching their potential and the worry of getting the new timetable to suit as many parents and children as possible for next year...... and it's never easy. Bear with me, the constraints this year are greater than ever, especially as so many students wished to stay with me as they go into their secondary school, or are embarking upon their GCSE courses and want that extra bit of something as they work through.
So the tests you all did are in and the results will be sent out to you asap, but what I can give you is the averages in all four areas so when you get the results for your child you can review it against something.
As you will see, the range is wide and for those of you whose scores have come in low, it could mean many things (not being familiar with the question types, having a melt down at the tests themselves, or just not really able to do them because they were 'hard'). I will use the scores and any of you who have CATs scores (most recent if possible) to balance up the pairs.
As a warning, there could be some of you who will not get onto the timetable unless I can persuade you to take times later than requested. It is VERY tight this year.













Maths VR nonVR
English
highest score 76% 83% 78% 90%
lowest score 26% 19%  23% 26%
median average 48% 53% 52% 56%







To pass the 11+  78% in all areas
levels required 5c or above by end of year 6*





* expect to see students at level 5c in time for the 11+ exam at start of their Year 6 and then progress on from there as the year progresses










Thursday, July 4, 2013

Baking

Another example of what a year 5 student can produce by themselves. This was edited and re-drafted by the girl herself and you can see , very well structured and written.



BAKING!!!!!!

            My favourite hobby is baking. I have been doing it since a very young age. I especially enjoy licking the bowl at the end!

          I love baking cakes, because I love stirring the mixture together, decorating and of course eating them! There is a large variety of cakes. Large cakes, small cakes, and lots more. My favourite cake is the Victoria sponge, which I make from my favourite recipe book – Mary Berry. I make it every two to three weeks!  I think I like this type of cake the most because it is a plain sponge, with nice jam and is just so nice!!!!

          The second thing I love making is bread. My favourite part in the process of bread making is making and then rolling the dough out.  Bread smells so yummy when cooking and makes me feel quite hungry!

          Now weighing the ingredients is fun, but the best part about it is that it can help with your maths as you can soon learn how many ml in a litre and so on.

          Another thing I enjoy when baking is the mixing stage.  I enjoy this part because it makes me feel relaxed and calm.  It can also be exciting as, as you mix different ingredients together, the mixture can change and after a while it can get incredible hard or soft, depending what you add! 

I cannot resist the temptation of a cheesecake with a raspberry on the top.  Cheesecakes are really the only desserts I make, but I love the whole process- especially when I crush all the biscuits to make the base.

          Baking for Children in Need has got to be one thing I am extremely proud of. This is because, firstly I really enjoy making the biscuits and secondly because I really love to see the faces of people when they try my biscuits!

Another time when I was proud was when I make biscuits and cakes for the teachers at Christmas as their presents.  I made cup cakes and lovely  crystallized stem ginger biscuits.  I felt very happy, as the teachers liked them so much.

Lastly, I recently did some baking for Comic Relief.   My mum took the cookies I made to work and sold them to raise some money .  In total I raised £32.00 !

So baking is lots of fun, you can make so many different nice things and also you can raise money for Charity.





By Sasha ******
 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

I am now full for September 2013

I just want to thank everyone for their prompt returns with regards the 11+ practice papers for next year's intake and I am delighted to be able to say all who have submitted their papers have a place with me and I will begin to sort the timetable out over the next two weeks.

If you haven't finished or haven't sent the papers back I have to say I am now full and can offer no more spaces.

I will be setting up elearning classes this year and will notify people about the connection via this blog so if people are interested in gaining help and support via the internet then there will be classes made available. These will be pre-recorded with information on how to do various skills in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths specifically.
If you didn't make the cut then I am very sorry but there has been an unprecedented demand this year and I am unable to cater for all inquiries.
To those who didn't make it may I suggest you take a look at the website 11+ swot which I have a very great regard for. It will support your child in much of what is likely to come up in the exam and maybe another route worth exploring.

To those already registered with me, I would suggest this is a good support to the work you will do with me as they give plenty of opportunity to explore and develop the various skills demanded in verbal and non-verbal reasoning as well as some of the maths skills which often catch them out.