Our Blog

Learning Opportunities at Home

Children and adults alike can learn something new everyday, and that learning doesn't always need to happen in a classroom. Some most memorable lessons can be taught through loved experience and everyday activities. Parents and carers play a vital role in helping children develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive. In this blog we will explore the different ways in which you can help yo...

Supporting Parents of Children with Additional Learning Needs

Are you a parent of a child with Additional Learning Needs? Or are you someone who works with children or young people with ALN? There is constantly new information and research about the best practice and ways of supporting those with ALNs, and while this is a positive thing, it can also often be overwhelming. In this blog post we will cover some practical, simple ways of showing support to those...

AI Tools for Children and Adults with Dyslexia

As a specialist SpLD (specific learning difficulties) teacher and assessor, I am often looking for tools that help individuals with additional learning needs access learning in a fun and engaging way, tailored to their strengths. One of the most useful (and free!) tools is Google's NotebookLM (notebooklm.google.com). It is an AI-powered research and note-taking tool that can be especially helpf...

How to Effectively Revise During the Easter Break

The exam season is almost upon us, and students all over the UK are doing their final preparations. Within the classroom, this will be planning and practicing exam style questions with lessons on key topics which a majority of students struggled with during January mock exams, but what should this season look like at home for students? In this blog, we will explore the different ways in which Year...

How to Meaningfully Support Students with ALN

What is ALN? ALN stands for Additional Learning Needs. According to The Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021, ‘A person has additional learning needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability (whether the learning difficulty or disability arises from a medical condition or otherwise) which calls for additional learning provision.’ [1] There are various conditions which ...

Learning vs AI?

AI seems to have taken the world by storm. Just a few years ago, the idea of an artificial assistant seemed like Science Fiction – but now it permeates every aspect of society. The UK Government signed a deal in July to integrate OpenAI’s services, such as ChatGPT, into public services and ministries (OpenAI and UK sign deal to use AI in public services - BBC News). AI has become seen as the �...

Understanding Bullying: How We Support Students

Bullying remains one of the most challenging issues young people face, and its impact can reach far beyond the classroom. For many parents, recognising when a child is struggling -and knowing how to help -can feel overwhelming. Changes in behaviour, reluctance to attend school, or sudden drops in confidence can all be signs that something deeper is going on. It’s important to remember that these...

Online vs In-Person Teaching

With the pandemic in the rearview mirror, we often reflect on how it has changed society. One of the biggest changes was the rise of online learning and collaborative platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. This revolutionised the world of work – leading to the rise of “remote” and “hybrid” work environments. Naturally this has influenced tutoring including here at Cardiff & Vale...

Is a degree worth the money?

The rate of students going to university has massively increased throughout the first quarter of the 21st century. In 2006, around 24.7% of state school students went to university – but this peaked at 38.2% in 2021before settling to 36.4% in 2024 (https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7857/). By 2023 just under half of English people aged 25 had gone to university at some ...

A New Era for Welsh Education: What the Curriculum Changes Mean for Students

The new academic year is upon us, and with it a new Welsh curriculum. The Welsh Government has overhauled the education system in an effort to create a more integrated learning experience (for further details see - https://hwb.gov.wales/curriculum-for-wales/assessment-arrangements/what-s-changing-in-assessment/ and https://hwb.gov.wales/api/storage/0f85def4-81a2-4a30-887c-df07b5cacb08/guide-to-cur...