The Study Sessions Podcast
In each episode listen to an expert, teacher, parent or student talk about an important aspect of the run up to exams. From sleep to revision techniques, we cover topics that will help you to support your teen.
Listen online, or through your favourite podcast player.

Preparing for the GCSE Journey
You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from those of us who’ve now come to the end of the exam period road. Now, all we have to do is wait for the results. But amongst us there are year 10 parents, the next cohort of GCSE studying families, considering the...
On what happens after the GCSE exams
The end of exams brings with it an almost palpable lifting of a weight. The hard work has been done – or not – and now all you have to do is wait. And I say “all” like it’s easy in itself. For some this waiting period can be a little fraught too. So what are the best...
On apprenticeships as an alternative to university- “Get The Jump”
There’s a broad presumption that after school there’s A levels and then onto university for a degree. A lot of young people just seem to get swept along on this fast-flowing river of higher education. But with increasing options and alternatives, are we doing enough...
On answering common questions in the run up to GCSE exams
It’s not long now until the exams. It’s a time when nerves can get frayed, and tensions run high. This is the stage of revision that is most marked by the rhetorical questions like my personal favourite: Shouldn’t you be revising? Wouldn’t it be great if there were...
On revision techniques that work with Kate Jones
“I’ve been revising for ages” is often something that battle weary parents will have heard when asking how it’s going. As if lapsed time, spent near an open book or with a YouTube video playing a good use of time. But to be fair, it’s not just the procrastinators and...
On finding a sense of normality – when things are anything but
Keeping up with the Jones’ was always used as an expression about consumerism, upgrading the washing machine, getting a fancier car, holidaying to the Costa Del Sol – if my Essex childhood was ever in any doubt, this is proof positive! At some point it seemed that...
On supporting anxious and overworking teens with Dr Dominique Thompson
The run-up to exams is an anxious time for all teens – and their parents. A certain amount of stress is not only normal, it can also be a good thing. It shows that the outcome is important. However, some young people feel that pressure to perform much more than...
On creating a revision revolution at home with Helen Howell
There’s a widely recognised link between how well teens do in their exams – and in school generally – and the kind of interest and support they get at home over around their education. At least that’s how I justify any fleeting moments of overbearing nagging to my...
On getting started with a GCSE or A Level revision plan
If you ask any exam facing student whether they want to fail, they will tell you they don’t. Of course. And invariably they’ll know that to not fail (but especially to do well) they have to revise a bit. But strangely this acceptance doesn’t always translate into...
On how teens view time and preparation
“I’ve got loads of time”, “It won’t take me long” or “I’ll do it later” come up time and time again as the top procrastination tactics with our teens. The fact that these things are rarely true does not mean it’s easy to convince them otherwise. So what is behind our...
On encouraging self-sufficiency in our teens
Having children is exhausting. I’m not daft! I guess I would have realised that would be the case when they were babies, toddlers and even growing up. But no one warned me that this was a perpetual thing right up until they fly the nest – and in some cases beyond. A...
On Advance Information and the impact on GCSE and A Level revision with Dawn Cox
It’s been a whole two episodes since we mentioned the impact of COVID on our teen’s education. That was never going to last! There have been two years of interrupted learning, for those sitting exams this year – being year 11 and year 13 students. As a result,...
On Advance Information and the impact on GCSE and A Level revision
It’s been a whole two episodes since we mentioned the impact of COVID on our teen’s education. That was never going to last! There has been two years of interupted learning, for those sitting exams this year – being year 11 and year 13 students. As a result, exam...
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