We were fortunate to welcome back James Sherwood from MADE Training to the Upper Academy last week, as he delivered a series of engaging and practical workshops for our Year 10 students to help them prepare for the year ahead.

The sessions focused on three key areas: motivation and goal setting, effective revision techniques, and how making small changes now can lead to significant long-term success — both in studies and beyond.

Students were given the opportunity to try out the revision strategies for themselves and experienced first-hand the difference these techniques can make to learning and recall. These approaches will continue to be a focus in Year 11 and will also be shared with parents and carers in September, so they can support students in the lead-up to their exams.

James set Year 10 a clear challenge: to commit to 20 minutes of revision each day over the summer break. By starting now, students can get ahead of the curve and begin building the positive habits that will support them through Year 11 and beyond.

“I found the workshops really enjoyable. James taught us lots of new techniques to improve the quality of our revision and helped us learn how to memorise information more efficiently.” Boglarka.B

“The sessions have helped a lot. I’ll be using the revision strategies in the lead-up to my GCSEs.” Lee.M

“The workshops improved my understanding of life choices and the importance of taking full responsibility.” Leon.S

“The workshops were interesting and interactive. James shared fun facts and showed us new ways to revise and study — I think they’ll really help me in Year 11.” Madalina.V