Fable Tree Learning

20/08/2026

VERY best of luck to all the GCSE students out there receiving results today! ✨ ✨

28/07/2026

Just finished Pretending by Holly Bourne and couldn’t put it down. Which one is next?! ✨

26/07/2026

Fascinating stuff 👌

Which is the oldest English accent? https://bbc.in/4frjFEO

05/07/2026

A fascinating tale about the word “proper” ✨

There's a small sting in the word 'proper'. We use it for correct, decent, done the right way - a proper meal, a proper apology. But that respectable sense is the newest thing about it: it's only recorded from 1704. Go back far enough and 'proper' just meant 'one's own'. It comes from Latin 'proprius', one's own, characteristic - the thing that belongs to you and nobody else.

What I didn't expect was how differently that one root settled either side of the Channel and the Pyrenees. French 'propre' drifted from 'one's own' all the way to 'clean' by the 17th century. Italian 'proprio' didn't grow that 'clean' meaning itself - it borrowed it off French in the 1700s. And Spanish 'propio' never took it at all; in Spanish, 'clean' is a different word entirely ('limpio'). Same Latin root, three different fates.

I've written the full story of 'proper' as a free Wordhord card, and made word-origin resources for its three cousins - French 'propre', Spanish 'propio' and Italian 'proprio' - each one tracing the meaning stage by stage in pictures, for learners who find rote vocabulary hard to hold. Links in the comments.

The French, by the way, used to say 'propre comme une escuelle à chat' - clean as a cat's bowl. Make of that what you will.

05/06/2026

Bradwell Brontë at aged 11, reading in Greek. His is a sad tale 📖

In June 1829, Branwell Brontë began learning Greek. He is only 11, and still entirely educated at home by his father, Patrick Brontë, rather than attending a formal school.

Greek would have formed part of the classical education Patrick was determined to give his son, alongside Latin and other traditional subjects. It was not just about learning a language, but about shaping a certain kind of mind, one able to read ancient texts and engage with the classical world that underpinned so much of learned study at the time.

It is easy to imagine Branwell at the table or by the fire, trying to make sense of it all while the rest of the house carried on around him. Not quite the image of a schoolroom, more a very determined household experiment in education, with varying levels of enthusiasm depending on the day.

01/06/2026

What an amazing opportunity for our local children 🥰

✨ Stories that spark imaginations. Ideas that start conversations.

The Literature for Schools 2026 programme has arrived.

This October, students can meet bestselling authors including Katherine Rundell, Joseph Coelho, Nathanael Lessore, Sarah Crossan and many more at Cheltenham Literature Festival. 📚

Plus, discover workshops with The Sad Ghost Club creator Lize Meddings, a brand-new Teen Space created by young people for young people, expanded free storytelling and creative writing sessions and plenty of opportunities to fall in love with reading. 📖👻

📚 9–18 October
📍 Montpellier Gardens

Booking opens Tues 16 June at 4pm: cheltenhamfestivals.org/our-projects/schools-at-festivals/literature-for-schools

31/05/2026

🌟 Is your child going through their Year 10 exams right now? 🌟

Has English Language emerged as a target area?

I am delighted to announce our brand new Small Group Study Course for AQA GCSE English Language, starting this September 2026.

As a former Head of English and GCSE examiner with over a decade of classroom experience, I have designed this course to give students the support and structure they need to succeed in their English Language GCSE.

Register your interest today via email at [email protected], or head over to our website at www.fabletreelearning.co.uk

30/05/2026

✨ STAY TUNED ✨

25/05/2026

☀️ Happy sunny May bank holiday! ☀️

For Y11s revising for English Language Paper 2, this weather is tough 😬 It’s hot and sleepy, and there are sounds of ice cream vans and bbqs all around. Not conducive to concentration!

I recommend taking regular breaks, enjoying some time outside with your friends and family, staying well hydrated 💧 and trying to get good sleep overnight. Your exams won’t last forever! 📚

18/05/2026

✨ One last revision push tonight before tomorrow’s English Literature Paper 2 ✨

Tonight, see if you can find a friend or family member and TEACH them what you know. Explaining things out loud really helps, and be prepared to return to your notes to fill any knowledge gaps.

Tomorrow: read the questions carefully, take a deep breath and stay calm. Focus on the paper in front of you, and show them what you’ve got 🧘 ✨