Our Blog

How To Support Your Child’s Mental Health

Covid-19 and the lockdown has been a difficult time for all of us and many parents are concerned about the impact the virus will have on their jobs, their health and the economy. In the midst of this chaos, it can be easy to forget that the mental well being of children needs to be a major focus for all families. Children are in an unprecedented situation: they are isolated from their...

The Silver Lining of Lockdown

MORE TIME …. It may feel like a curse but honestly, it could be a blessing! A slower pace of life, more time to think, no exams to stress you out, space and silence between your thoughts – glorious! NO, what was that, I didn’t quite catch what you said? You’re Bored? Really? Well, here at Cardiff and Vale Tutors we have been thinking about how best we can suppor...

The Coronavirus Conundrum

Happy birthday never sounded this sinister. Staring wide-eyed at the latest fear-fuelled headline, it’s like Steven Spielberg has overthrown the system. We’re playing by his rules now. A clammy tremble of the hand, another discarded nail, a deep, mournful sigh. We’re here again. A stern, stone-faced man glares through the television screen as another scary...

Start Early!

You may be wondering why every supermarket you’ve encountered this month is steadily ratcheting up its bunny count whilst cautiously constructing mountainous foothills of discounted Easter eggs. It’d be easy to dismiss this as a premature venture, a corporate ploy designed to appeal to our collective weakness for cocoa… chocolate’s answer to Tibet, swaying and wobbling overhead c...

New Year, New Me?

Now that all of those mince pies have firmly attached themselves to our midriffs, now that all of our pets are certifiably traumatised by the clock striking twelve, now that gym owners nationwide are expectantly rubbing their hands together in anticipation, now is the time we take an optimistic glimpse into the future – or more specifically, 2020, and all of its futuristic mystery. ...

Stay Motivated-It’s Christmas!

So this is Christmas. And what have we done? Nothing.Well… nothing yet. Mariah won’t stop screeching. The sun has disappeared. There is no light. No glimmer except the blinding gleam of those blaring neon lights, beckoning us onto dying, slushy high streets to shop shopshop and save save save. It’s cold. Too cold. There aren’t enough tissues. Or chocolate. Or, it seems, time. Focusing is i...

Beat the University Application Horrors At Halloween And Apply Early

Melanie Hall, 6th form specialist careers adviser & tutor, and ex-university lecturer and admissions tutor, explains why the mid-January UCAS deadlines are misleading and that early Autumn is the season in which to complete and send off your university application. It really is the early-bird applicants who get offered the best courses at the most prestigious universities… Oh de...

What To Do If You Don’t Get The Exam Result You Wanted

When you open that fateful envelope on results day, hopefully all your friends will see a great big smile working its way across your face. You’ll have got the grades you wanted—the ones that guarantee you a place in the sixth form college or university of your choice, studying the courses that you want to study. However, it’s equally important to know that not getting...

Don’t Let Learning Stop For The Summer!

We like to look back on our summer holidays as a time for adventure, travel, and hanging out with friends. And we think that’s absolutely right. Summer holidays should be a break from packed school timetables. They should be a chance for children to relax, unwind and try new things. Without the reinforcement of repetition, however, it’s easy for hard won kno...

Why Assessment Is Important

At Cardiff and Vale Tutors, we believe that by providing initial assessments that help students to identify their strengths and their weaknesses, we can help unlock their true academic potential. We offer free assessments with every first lesson which allow both the students and their parents or guardians to figure out the particular areas they are struggling with. Our tutors are dedicated to rec...