Brandon Learning Centre: British Education - process, preparation and practicalities

  This year, only one Hong Kong-based boy was chosen to join College, the prestigious scholars’ house at Winches ter College. He is Brandon and DBS student, Zachary. Only one Hong Kong-based boy was awarded an Exhibition, recognising academic excellence. He is a Brandon and GSIS student, Victor. Both boys are part of our selective Elite Scholars programme which trains our students to excel through lessons in critical thinking, writing, English, science, humanities, maths and even Latin. Our results speak for themselves. We have an incredible seven boys joining Winchester College Commoner houses in September and are very proud of all our boys and their teachers.  Congratulations to all our new Wykhamists!

If your son is holding a conditional 2020 offer for Winchester College, his place is guaranteed and is no longer dependent upon his passing the Commoner exams. So, will the exams take place?  There is not a straight yes or no answer to this question. As with the 13+, the Winchester Commoner exams will be issued for 2020 boys. They will be sent to prep schools as normal. However, we are not in a normal world, so.... schools can use the papers 'at their discretion' and return them to the College for marking.  In September, after their arrival at Wincoll, all the JP (Y9) boys will take setting exams.  So has all your son's work been wasted? Absolutely not. The Commoner exams are designed to test a skill set which is absolutely necessary for boys to thrive at the College.  My suggestion? Relax a bit but work as though your son will be sitting the exams but, rather than panicking about passing, think about the skills he is acquiring and work out where his s

This post is part of an occasional series based on meetings with school registrars. Brandon had a visit from Mr Andrew Shedden, Registrar of Winchester College this week. Winchester is an extraordinary institution and, for a wonderful month a year over five years, I was blessed to be a part of it. To summarise some of Mr Shedden's points: Who thrives at Winchester? Academically curious, engaged boys who are willing to think beyond the classroom. How does the school identify suitable students? The first stage is the ISEB pre-test. Should your son do well in the pre-test, he will be invited to an interview during which he may be given a verbal, non-verbal and logic test and school reference will be requested. What is a Winchester interview like? Unexpected! The purpose of the interview is to try to see what makes the boys 'tick'. Wise words? Boys need to be guided to develop resilience and independence. They should be willing to take risks and to learn how to

Common Entrance and Scholarship exams are almost upon us... Easter is a brilliant time to consolidate all your hard work and make a final push before the Common Entrance or scholarship exams. Try these steps. Get a copy of the Common Entrance syllabus from iseb.co.uk. Print out each subject. Choose three coloured pens. Go through the syllabus and use a different colour to mark each topic depending on your knowledge level (e.g. red - 'I am confident with this topic', green - 'I need to revise', yellow- 'I have no idea!') Plan your revision based on your findings. If you have identified big topics which are confusing (e.g. tectonic plates) start with those. In the next update, I will give you some ideas for planning each study session. In the meantime, and importantly, don't panic! I have had students whose grades have gone from Ds to As after Easter revision sessions. There is still time, you just need to use it wisely.

We had an afternoon of over indulging at Brandon today after Max's family brought in a cake to celebrate his scholarship to Winchester College. Having successful students is reward enough but having cakes is an added bonus!

The days running up to any exam are always a mixture of excitement, anticipation and outright terror. We have the Winchester College exams next week and Common Entrance at the beginning of June. Try following these steps to avoid turning up in a state of nervous exhaustion... Leading up to the exam: Review your notes. Flick through textbooks; sometimes the images they contain can aid memory. Transfer your key notes to flashcards that you can review before the exam. If you really don't understand a topic, speak to a teacher as soon as possible. The topic may not come up on the exam but worrying about it may prevent you from focusing on what you do know. The night before the exam: Get a good night's sleep. Pack your pencilcase. Make sure that you have a couple of pens, pencil, sharpener, rubber, calculator and any mathematical instruments you might need. Put your books away; your goal is to have a relaxed mind. The morning of the exam: Double check your equipment.