How can I help your students to succeed in exams?
I lead revision seminar days for Secondary schools. Your day is tailored to the needs of your students and would be planned in partnership with your school.
Days can be planned for Year 11 students working towards GCSE exams or for Year 13 students preparing for A level and other Key Stage 5 qualifications, or a combination of both. Increasingly, schools are inviting me to work with Year 10 students as well.
The day unites the three audiences who are working collaboratively to prepare for exams:
By working with each group, we develop ‘the team around the child’ so that each student can benefit from home and school working in partnership to support them.
Any combination of seminars can be planned.
This example of a revision day is for Year 11, but you can design a day that meets the needs of your students, parents and staff.
| Timings | Activity | Example Content |
|---|---|---|
| Seminars for students | ||
| 90 minutes During school day | Group 1 Student seminar | Getting your head in the right place to succeed Effective revision Managing time *Getting motivated, making it manageable |
| 90 minutes During school day | Group 2 Student seminar | Getting your head in the right place to succeed Effective revision Managing time *Improving resilience and self confidence |
| 90 minutes During school day | Group 3 Student seminar | Getting your head in the right place to succeed Effective revision Managing time *Managing exam stress |
| Professional learning seminar for staff | ||
| 60-90 minutes Twilight | Professional learning seminar for teachers | Evidence informed approaches to teaching and revision support for exam groups |
| Evening seminar for parents (live or remote) | ||
| 60-90 minutes After 6pm | Supporting your child through exam preparation and beyond for parents | Understanding the teenage brain How to keep stress levels down (yours and theirs!) Working in effective partnership with your school |
Each student attends ONE seminar. Students will be allocated to a group tailored to their learning need. Each seminar covers core content on:
- Getting your head in the right place to succeed
- Effective revision
- Managing time
- * content designed to meet the learning need in each group
Seminars are interactive, and students practice the strategies shared, taking home the work that they produce during the seminar as a template to use for all of their subjects.
Feedback about my revision days
Students
I have been using the ideas I learned from Mrs Miller. It made me feel more confident before mocks for all my subjects.
Even though I’d been told about how memory works before, I only really understood how it links to revision after the revision day.
Now I’ve realised that half of what I did for revision was pointless!! I’m so happy that I now know exactly what I need to do.
She spoke to us so honestly, and I now don’t feel bad that I hate revision, but I do know that I have to do it.
The best thing about today is that I feel less stressed now. Michele has made me realise that I can do better things than worry to get ready for my exams, and I have ways of keeping my stress down.
Parents
I wish I had this sooner! Thank you to Michele for spelling out really clearly how students should revise for GCSEs.
Our son came home from school saying how great he had found the revision seminar during the day and told me I had to go to the evening presentation so I could understand all the different revision techniques! He has immediately started putting lots of the ideas into practice which I think says it all.
We really went to town on the Michele Miller revision strategies. This was actually the turning point for our child’s revision. Thank you!
I thought that Michele Miller’s revision session was excellent, loads of practical advice, reassurance, and guidance.
I wanted to thank you for arranging the revision session for parents with Michele Miller last night. It was a thoroughly excellent and professional presentation and so useful. Talking to other parents was also very helpful; just being able to share experiences and knowing you are not alone!
It’s a real game changer, not just for my son and his learning but for my own understanding of how the memory works! Wish I’d had this knowledge years ago!
Teachers
This was definitely the most significant inset in terms of actually making a difference to the quality of our teaching. It is a good sign when you want to go away and plan lessons differently as a result of what you have heard!
I have passed your lovely email on to the students, whose response following your sessions has been nothing short of remarkable. I have had parents thanking me for organising it, students coming up to me to tell me what they are doing now, and teachers asking what miracle has taken place with certain individuals. In short, your session was superb.
I keep meaning to say how brilliant Michele’s session was – as a department we were unanimous that it is some of the most useful CPD we have had. I have already started implementing some of her strategies, and knowing I am using the same language she used with the students is really helpful.
Thank you so much – it was one of the highpoints of the academic year so far.