Galleries in the UK are finally re-opening their doors. Find out why you should make a beeline for your nearest museum with art historian, Issy. Issy leads you through three key examples of masterpieces, which show how art can illuminate everything from Shakespeare, to ancient Greek rituals, to Newton’s colour theory!

Sales of The Plague, a French novel written in 1947 by Albert Camus, rocketed up by 1000% in the UK during the first few weeks of lockdown. Set in Oran, a city on the coast of Algeria, in the 1940s, it tells of a fictional plague that sweeps through the population at astonishing speed. ‘What does it mean, the plague? It’s life, that’s all.” Discover how Camus questions the meaning of existence, giving voice to the new strain of existential philosophy which reached its peak popularity in the decades after the Second World War in a review of the uncannily similar French tale.

The pandemic has led many of us to cancel our holidays. For younger children, this can be especially disappointing, as it takes away their opportunity to see new places, learn about other cultures and experience the thrill of travel. So here is a compilation of five books or series by female writers, which will help younger readers go on adventures and journeys from their own room.

Having strong writing skills becomes more and more crucial as you approach the age of eighteen, since you’ll be preparing a personal statement and honing your essay writing skills in your A-Level courses. For this reason, no matter what you’re planning on studying at university, make sure to make reading a part of your routine. Reading, especially more challenging texts, will allow your written expression to develop in exciting ways. Fluency in constructing your own arguments stems from reading others’ work. Look no further for some examples of exemplary written expression.

Time and again studies have shown that children who read more perform better in examinations in all subjects: reading improves your comprehension and analytical skills, your vocabulary, your written expression and your ability to connect ideas.  These skills are invaluable across the board. With this in mind, have a look at this list of books to read before you turn sixteen; they are challenging, so don’t rush. However, enjoy them! Fiction promises to transport you to another time and place. It can provide solace, intrigue and wonder.

What better way to spend a quiet day than curled up with a book? The following novels promise to whisk you away to another place, world or time. There’s something for everyone, from historical novels to detective stories and fantasy. The best way to get into reading is to discover what really excites you and to indulge that interest, so I’ve given suggestions for follow-up books to read if you enjoy these initial suggestions. Happy reading!

This blog offers a number of suggestions of extracurricular activities and hobbies for students to inadvertently enhance their on-curriculum performance. Extracurriculars provide a great opportunity to hone skills and develop new ones which will enrich your learning in a broad way. Some universities, such as US universities and Ivy League Schools, also rate extra-curricular engagement extremely highly!

BBC’s In Our Time podcast should be a regular feature on all higher education students’ down-time agendas. Crossing multiple subjects, the educational podcast series serves as a perfect introduction to university level discussion, opening young minds to a number of key thinkers and theories they won’t have come across at school. Oxford English student, Sarah, offers her view on why you should tune in.

Over the duration of your A Level courses, you’ll have the opportunity to study fewer subjects in greater depth than before. This is a chance to broaden the scope of your learning beyond what’s covered in lessons: when studying English and foreign languages, the set texts you’ll cover can be extended far beyond the syllabus to enrich your understanding and enjoyment of them. Find out how to broaden your learning with the specific goal of improving the quality of your essays and other written work in Latin, Greek, English and Languages.

The true keys to creative writing for the GCSE exam are imagination, content, and organisation. Find out how to use advanced linguistic devices and structural features to develop and succeed in the creative writing exam. This blog will teach you to enjoy taking the reader on a journey, learn to navigate the realms of description and experiment with tone for English GCSE success.

Whatever the book, non-fiction literature offers a great opportunity to encourage intellectual development and independent thought. By inspiring children to look beyond the curriculum and inviting them to be guided by their personal interests, non-fiction literature encourages a well-rounded education and an informed perspective on life. Oxford English graduate, Sarah, discusses the benefits of non-fiction reading.

Oxford Medical student, Rhea, discusses the benefits of exploring the advancing, fascinating world of science, alongside and beyond the science curricular syllabus through a range of scientific journals, books and magazines.

As we enter into an increasingly compartmentalised approach to education, introducing children to current affairs has never been more vital. To engage with current affairs in our modern era allows a student to become well-informed and broadens their perspectives, developing their critical and analytical thinking skills as well as teaching them the value of free expression of opinion and the importance of debate.

Many able kids continue to read young adult and teen fiction despite its simple level that doesn’t progress much despite the age range being 13-18. Rosie (Cambridge English student) gives book suggestions for teenagers that bridge the gap between YA and adult or classical novels. Check out her excellent recommendations categorised by genre, including fantastic dystopian, romance, coming-of-age and mystery novels.

If you want to apply to Oxbridge or any other high ranking university, it’s incredibly important to read around your chosen subject. Oxford graduate, Ellen, guides you through the kind of research you should be doing to demonstrate a passion and commitment to learning, enhance your personal statement and allow you to dazzle at interview.

Roald Dahl is a well-loved children’s author whose books have excited children and captured their imaginations for decades. There is nothing wrong with teachers and parents endorsing and celebrating the authors, like Dahl, who they read and loved themselves as children. The problem arises when this cycle limits the repertoire of children’s literature that we are exposing our children to. There is a huge diversity of talented authors out there and we are doing a disservice to our children not to introduce them to a whole range of stories.

Many people think that coding is an impossible skill to learn, or that it’s something best left to geeky geniuses. This is just a myth. Anyone can learn to code, and indeed, more people should learn to code. Keep reading to find out the 5 top benefits of learning to code, and the 3 easiest ways to get started.

Despite a decline in language entries at UK schools, building research shows language learning is increasingly important and cognitively beneficial in today’s increasingly global society. Read on to discover some of the numerous cognitive benefits of languages to students’ creativity, confidence and communication.