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22nd November sees the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The murder of the 35th president of the United States of America shook the world. For a long time, people would ask “Where were you when you heard?”. Now, fifty years on from the tragic events, we can look back and consider […]

One of the problems with Victorian Literature is the sheer quantity, though the good news is the fact that you will probably have come across quite a few texts already in your studies at school and when you were doing your AS Literature work, so don’t panic! Drama is probably the most difficult area for […]

In the papers recently, we were told that only about half of all predictions for A Level grades are correct. According to a survey, some are overoptimistic whilst others underestimate what their students can achieve. Not all teachers are equally incorrect in their predictions: Independent school teachers were the most accurate in predicting the right […]

Tuesday 5th November saw India launch its first spaceship to Mars. This is what some Indians on the streets of Calcutta thought; “Good thing. Why not?” “What if it is a failure?” “I do not feel proud. The money should be spent on the people.” “India is making a name for itself.” William Dalrymple, the […]

Finishing an essay, closing the page of your project book on an assessment, and placing the final full stop against the final sentence on the very last paragraph of your homework is a wonderful feeling… but hang on a minute. Have you really finished? Have you done those few final checks that turn an okay […]

9-10th November marks the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht – night of the broken glass. What happened that night and why is it seen as a turning point in the history of Nazi Germany? On the evening of the 9th November 1938, Jewish people living in Germany found themselves under attack. In a series of co-ordinated […]

Several recent articles on the BBC’s website have focused on what is seen by some as a worrying trend: the disconnection of children from nature. The appearance of the issue in the news is nothing new, but the growing frequency and relevance of its discussion is significant. The words ‘children’, ‘outdoors’ and ‘learning’ have been […]

A significant number of chemists and chemistry students are not in it for the money …. but in it for the explosions (and I am no exception). A secret hankering to be a fireworks engineer bubbles to the surface (or should that be ‘explodes into the atmosphere’?) every November 5th. Well, it’s time for some […]

The centre piece of a Bonfire Night party is, of course, the bonfire:  setting fire to Guy Fawkes’s effigy at the start, warming chilly hands during the evening and toasting marshmallows on the embers at the end.  A bonfire is a wonderful amalgamation of biology, chemistry and physics.  This blog looks at a little of […]

Many of the government’s recent changes in education policy have been greeted with opposition. The coalition’s policy on Free Schools, for example, is strongly opposed by the NASUWT  – and the proposal to replace GCSEs with the English Baccalaureate has already been dropped due to criticism by teachers and unions. Now, proposed changes to the […]