George Lakin Education

Guys...

I've launched an English revision podcast!

In this first episode of In Plain English, I take you through 10 key quotes from Act 1 of Macbeth, breaking down the language, themes, and ideas that students need to understand for GCSE success. This episode is designed to help you revise effectively, build stronger analysis, and feel more confident with Shakespeare.

This is the first in a full series covering all aspects of Shakespeare's Macbeth, act by act and scene by scene.

Follow the podcast so you do not miss future episodes, and share it with anyone studying Macbeth who wants clear, focused revision support.

I hope you find it useful!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/07KgRWpc8gSKjK4sUN52sW?si=V4MS54zgSbeyK66v391v0w

Macbeth: Act 1 in 10 Key Quotations In Plain English · Episode

Delighted to report that two of my tutees, whom I started working with in January (then at grades 0 and 2), have gone on to achieve grades 4 and 5 respectively in English Language.

Both have now successfully secured places at their chosen colleges, and the next steps on their educational journeys are about to begin!

All that hard work has paid off — I am incredibly proud of their achievements. Congratulations 🎉

What a journey!

I had this group from year 8 onwards. Over the years, they bought in entirely and worked tirelessly. Now they have their just rewards.

8s and 9s aplenty with an overall class average of a 7 (old money 'A'). Their knowledge told.

GCSE English Class of '25, all the very best for the future - it was an absolute pleasure.

Immensely proud to have played my small part in the success of the students at Invictus Sixth Form.

It was an absolute pleasure leading on and delivering the A-Level English Language and Literature programme from January onwards.

And to see a student of mine achieve an A* is just the cherry on top! Hard work pays off — richly deserved, well in!

Here’s to much more of the same next week when the GCSE results are released!

🎉 Outstanding Results for Invictus Sixth Form! 🎓

We’re celebrating another year of exceptional A Level and vocational results across our schools. 🌟 From top grades to exciting next steps in university, apprenticeships and careers our students have done us proud!

👏 Congratulations to every learner and thank you to the parents, carers and staff who supported them along the way.

📖 Read the full story and see our top achievers here: https://www.kinverhigh.co.uk/post/invictus-sixth-form-celebrates-another-year-of-outstanding-exam-results

With A-Level results day coming up on Thursday, and GCSEs the week after, it's important to remember the benefits of tutoring for those who will be in this position next year. It will soon come around!

The truth is no other form of intervention really comes close. Research shows that just a few months of one-to-one tutoring can boost GCSE results by up to two grades. (Education Endowment Foundation, One to One Tuition, 2021).

Give your child the best chance possible.

I'm available from September for both one-to-one and small group tutoring, online or in-person.

Don't hesitate to drop me a message even of you are just in the initial stages of considering a tutor for you child. I'd be happy to give you a few pointers, discuss where your child is at, or just answer any burning questions you might have.

Today I visited Barcelona 🇪🇸

And as I sat on the train watching the Spanish mountains speckled by sun-strained clay rooftops roll on by, I began to realise something...

Education and adventure go hand in hand.

Every day you have an opportunity to go somewhere new either physically or in your mind.

Take it.

Go there and explore.

Be as curious as a child.

Life is endlessly interesting. Nothing is solved, nothing is figured out.

The best teachers help young people truly realise these things; igniting their sense of wonder about the world around them and, in the process, instilling a mindset that sets their pupils up for a lifetime of fulfilment, joy and satisfaction.

They do it by making every lesson an adventure.

Why is English such an important subject?

After all, language is just a model our minds have adapted to isn't it?

But as a species we've doubled down on that. We literally now use it to think. To contemplate. To reason. To articulate. To communicate.

The more of it you have, the more of those things you can do.

The more of those things you can do, the more valuable you are to the world.

And the good news is language is limitless. Therefore so is your potential value.

How do I know this?

As a kid I used to have this ambition to learn every single word in the dictionary.

I learnt the most obscure words known to man.

Then I realised something.

Learning every word was a pointless endeavour.

Why?

Because infinity lies in the combinations of words. Not the words themselves.

Not the words that are all themselves made of a different combination of just 26 letters.

26 letters.

Our entry point to infinity.

Things we can do anything with.

Combinations that have never been placed lie in wait.

Searching for them is the art of good reading.

Finding them is the art of good writing.

There's no mistaking it, Y11 is a MASSIVE year.

But no matter what's gone before, it's all about what students do from RIGHT NOW up until those exams in May.

That's what makes the biggest difference.

And there is time to change course – with the right guidance the results can be extraordinary.

Students value knowledge above all else. What they seek is straightforward communication and direct instruction. They want to know two things:

1. What to do
2. Why they should bother doing it

When they recognise you are telling them something that will benefit them they hang on your every word.

It doesn't always need to be an activity, but often it needs to be signposted i.e. 'this is very very important, do not forgot this. And this is why...'

Schools out. Results season will soon be upon us, and looking back at some messages from last year reminds me what it's all about.

When a student 'locks-in' and spends an hour or two a week with a tutor they trust implicitly – magic happens.

There's no gimmick, no hack, no shortcut.

One-to-one teacher-pupil time is the most valuable and effective tool on the market in education.

And it's at your fingertips.

Children are inherently deeply curious about the world, and seriously selective about who they choose to let shape their developing view of it.

And rightfully so. It’s a big decision. We are all hardwired to seek truth.

Education isn’t complicated. It isn't formulaic. It is messy. It is exploratory.

Being exploratory is being educated.

After all, the word itself originates from the Latin word educere, meaning “to lead out.”

A teacher shows students themselves first, then the subject they teach.

Why?

Because no one wants to be misguided. No-one wants a tour guide who isn't enchanted by their surrounding; who makes them feel this place isn't for them.

Hence relationships are everything. Trust is everything.

When both exist, learning basically happens organically — by default.

How?

Because students simply come to see the subject through the eyes of the teacher, who just so happens to be an expert.