Articles – From the School Gates

Team Aritcles Finance

Why more families — and teachers — are leaving UK schools, and what the departures reveal about the state of independent schools

By the end of every summer term, the list of leavers circulates. It used to be brief and come with a certain amount of ceremony, but more and more staff departure lists are growing, and departures are brushed over. More than that, the number of farewells from families not in leaver years has noticeably grown. Parents who once […]

7 min read 0 comments

Team Aritcles Current Content

‘Academic’ in Practice and CAT4 Explained (With Real Talk for Parents)

'Academic' should show up in everyday school life, not just in a prospectus claim. What an academic culture looks like in real life, how CAT4s (or alternatives) fit into the picture and what scores actually signal, where targets come from, and how set movements are determined can all vary within the independent sector, but this […]

10 min read 0 comments

Team Aritcles Current Content

Private Tutoring: Sometimes You Really Do Get What You Pay For

The best tutor our family ever had wasn’t a tutor at all. He was at the start of a gap year and came to help with the school run while we were still new to the area and new to the independent school world. He offered a bit of history and geography support, including introducing Horrible Histories, […]

13 min read 0 comments

Team Aritcles Current Content

The First Fortnight Done Properly

The first fortnight is when routines settle and expectations become tangible, or at least it should be. At a minimum, families can expect to receive clear contact information, sensible prep (homework) guidance by year, and a date for first feedback. Here’s what to expect and how to proceed if expectations aren’t met or things don't […]

9 min read 0 comments

Team Aritcles

Summer Signals: Where Pressure Came From and What to Do Now

The quiet of August shows what term time hides. Three forces pushed pressure up this year: timetable sprawl, parent-set tutoring, and results chatter. Here’s how to check each with evidence you already have, set it in context, and establish a calmer, more controlled pace for September so effort turns into visible improvement at the first […]

6 min read 0 comments

Team Aritcles GCSE Results

GCSE Results Day 2025: A Practical Guide For Independent-School Families

GCSE results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are released to students on Thursday 21 August 2025. Schools receive a restricted feed on Wednesday, but they must hold back results and grade boundary information until 08:00 BST on Thursday morning, and public national tables publish at 09:30 BST. Timings must be strictly adhered to by schools and failure to do […]

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Team Aritcles

The Gift of a Slower Summer: Why Gentle Days Still Matter

What Unstructured Time Reveals and What That Means for September By late July, the term-time noise has finally faded. Camps may still be running and diaries may not be empty, but the pulse of the school year has quietened. And in this gentler rhythm, something important happens: families begin to see each other more clearly. It’s tempting […]

3 min read 0 comments

Team Aritcles

The Case for a Real Break

Rest, Recovery, and the Right Kind of Summer Work Not every child ends the year with energy to spare. In fact, most children don’t. By the end of summer term many families, children and parents alike, are running on habit and adrenaline. Rather than viewing the holidays as a pause, the instinct is often to […]

4 min read 0 comments

Team Aritcles

The Shape of a Season: Reflections on Endings, Transitions, and the Start of Summer

Not all school years end cleanly. Some unravel. Some linger. Others overstay. And summer doesn’t begin with a feeling — it begins with a shift. As the final bell fades and the blazer is hung (or forgotten on a bench), something quieter begins. Not quite rest and not yet renewal, but a recalibration. For many families, this is […]

6 min read 0 comments

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