Easter revision courses for gcse
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Easter revision courses for gcse
Has anyone attended the Easter revision courses bt Harrow and Wellington college? If yes please share your experience especially on their effectiveness.
Re: Easter revision courses for gcse
I have just booked my dd onto the Harrow one, but only for one subject, ie two days. I looked at several, though we were quite restricted with dates as she doesn't break up until 12th April, which ruled out some other courses. What I liked about the Harrow one is that they use mainly their own staff and those from other selected schools, and the fact that if you're doing just one subject it's two very intensive days rather than spread across a whole week with a morning a day. And it's reasonably accessible for us. I spoke to the academic registrar on the phone to get answers to a couple of queries, and he made a good impression on me -- realistic answers rather than telling me what he thought I might want to hear, no hard sell at all.
I was asking about differentiation, as my dd is trying to clear the A/A* boundary, and I wondered whether the course would be more geared to people trying to clear the D/C boundary. I was convinced by what I heard, put it that way.
I was asking about differentiation, as my dd is trying to clear the A/A* boundary, and I wondered whether the course would be more geared to people trying to clear the D/C boundary. I was convinced by what I heard, put it that way.
Re: Easter revision courses for gcse
Hello Froggy, Just out of interest what did the Registrar say to you if you do not mind. 
Re: Easter revision courses for gcse
For the sake of completeness I thought I'd add that my dd did the revision course at Harrow just before Easter, and we were really impressed.
The admin side of it was extremely good, they're obviously very polished and experienced on that front. I spoke to the registrar before booking to clarify some things, and got very good answers to my questions without any kind of hard sell. They send out documentation well in advance, with really all the info you could need, and lots of people on hand on the first day to show you where to go for registration. They also include lunch and stationery in the fees, which is a nice touch, and the dc have access to a snack bar in break times as well.
My dd did the two-day maths GCSE revision course, and thought it was very helpful, although felt two days was possibly not quite long enough to cover all the topics. They had the same teacher for the whole course, not a Harrow teacher but one from another independent school. She liked the tutor, thought he was v. good at explaining things and had a nice way with the dc. It is a very intense two days (9am to 6pm) plus homework, and she said it was a good mixture of explaining content and helping with exam technique. She felt that most of the students were at broadly the same level, certainly there wasn't anyone who was performing at such a low level that it held back the group. There were 10 students in the group.
The admin side of it was extremely good, they're obviously very polished and experienced on that front. I spoke to the registrar before booking to clarify some things, and got very good answers to my questions without any kind of hard sell. They send out documentation well in advance, with really all the info you could need, and lots of people on hand on the first day to show you where to go for registration. They also include lunch and stationery in the fees, which is a nice touch, and the dc have access to a snack bar in break times as well.
My dd did the two-day maths GCSE revision course, and thought it was very helpful, although felt two days was possibly not quite long enough to cover all the topics. They had the same teacher for the whole course, not a Harrow teacher but one from another independent school. She liked the tutor, thought he was v. good at explaining things and had a nice way with the dc. It is a very intense two days (9am to 6pm) plus homework, and she said it was a good mixture of explaining content and helping with exam technique. She felt that most of the students were at broadly the same level, certainly there wasn't anyone who was performing at such a low level that it held back the group. There were 10 students in the group.
Re: Easter revision courses for gcse
Can't comment on these particular revision courses but my daughter has just done a very similar one run by Justin Craig. It was residential at the Liscensed Victuallers' School Ascot. They do both residential and non-residential at various schools over three days - though actually 48 hours (midday to midday) for the residential ones (I think three whole days non-residential because there are no evening classes).
She did A/S French, 5 students a class. Not sure if GCSE classes are bigger- GCSE cover two subjects in the three days. Tution was excellent and she was very enthusiastic. I have to say that as a result I am quite optimistic about her likely exam results now.
I looked at a number of options but chose these because the teaching claimed to be tailored to individual needs (you filled in a questionnarie in advance) - none of the other courses that I could find were doing the same syllabus.
She did A/S French, 5 students a class. Not sure if GCSE classes are bigger- GCSE cover two subjects in the three days. Tution was excellent and she was very enthusiastic. I have to say that as a result I am quite optimistic about her likely exam results now.
I looked at a number of options but chose these because the teaching claimed to be tailored to individual needs (you filled in a questionnarie in advance) - none of the other courses that I could find were doing the same syllabus.
P's mum
