Are You a Helicopter Parent?

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a helicopter parent! Hovering over their children, these over-zealous parents are filling every available minute with supervised activity. They micromanage their child’s life and bail them out of every tricky situation. Is this perfect parenting or a recipe for disaster? Read More »

WITH 63% OF UK 11-14 YEAR OLDS UNABLE TO EVEN SPELL ‘ACHIEVEMENT’ HOW CAN WE EXPECT OUR NEXT GENERATION TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

The news of the UK’s slipping education standards is worrying: From not knowing who invaded England in 1066 to which century WW2 was in, these shocking statistics gathered over the last 12 months are a bit distressful. Read More »

Top Tips for your School Application

Getting your school application form right and providing the necessary information can be an important part in securing the school of your choice. Read More »

Top tips for filming a Nativity play

As the Christmas season draws upon us, many parents will be gearing up to take on their annual role as ‘Movie Director’ to film their little one’s starring moment in school productions and carol services. Whether they’ve got a leading role as Mary or Joseph, or will be taking a star turn as one of the farm animals around the manger, parents want to do the best job of capturing the precious moment on film. But you don’t have to be the next Scorsese to film a great video, here are some top tips to help you film a video even the Three Kings would be proud of. Read More »

Should kids play chess? Research suggests that they should! Don’t miss the London Chess Classic (1-10 December 2012)

There are studies that suggest that introducing pupils to chess at a young age offers them a host of educational and social benefits that are not engendered by other team and individual sports. Numerous research studies have shown the positive impact chess has on students’ academic performance, especially in maths, reading, problem solving and attendance levels. Chess is a universal game and brings children of different ages, races and genders together in an activity they can all enjoy. Chess can also teach children valuable life lessons such as sportsmanship – how to win graciously, accept defeat, learn from it and persevere. Read More »

UK charity offers help to parents who are worried about the costs of sending their kids back to school

As cuts, salary freezes and childcare fees continue to wipe out family earnings, UK charity Turn2us is urging parents to check their eligibility online to help pay for uniforms, class materials, school trips and lunches. Read More »

Mumpreneur’s testimonial: 10 minutes chat with ‘Every Teacher Matters’ author Kathryn Lovewell

Inspirational chat with ‘Every Teacher Matters’ author Kathryn Lovewell. Read More »

Teachers need to step up as parents’ lax attitude to handwashing could be putting children at risk

Research released today by Initial Hygiene suggests that teachers need to be encourage their pupils to wash their hands, as parents may be endangering their children’s health by taking a ‘laissez-faire’ approach to hand hygiene. A survey of primary school children and their parents has shown kids lag behind their parents when it comes to handwashing, with over 40% of youngsters saying that they don’t always wash their hands with soap after using the toilet, and almost three quarters admitting they didn’t wash before every meal. Read More »

Let me play (Trust me … I’m learning)

A picture speaks a thousand words and this is one of my favourites. A shame it wasn’t around in 1999 when my 4 year old son was being constantly scolded, chastised and persecuted by his teachers. I’ve felt for a long time that children in the UK start school far too early and when this is compounded by being an August born child – the odds for a smooth ride in the early years, dwindle to virtually zero. Read More »

Tween girls pick art as favourite school subject this new term

More than 100,000 girls in the UK, US and France responded to the Back to School survey run by GirlsGoGames social gaming platforms in just a few days! The idea behind was to find out how girls in the UK, US and France are feeling about going back to school after their summer break. It turns out that while some passions are universal (cookies, art and the social side of school), attitudes to school vary between countries. Read More »