Wealden Times | WT188 | October 2017 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

Education
ACS Egham International Baccalaureate Art student, Julia
Worden, received the High School Student Council Art
Appreciation Award for her piece ‘All Things Are Possible’.
Last year, ACS Egham also recognised the fundraising
successes of students involved in the school’s Project
Nepal, who raised over £15,000 to support a Nepalese
community. ACS Cobham recently honoured its
athletics teams which reigned victorious at the
International School Sports Tournament, competing
against 75 other students from across Europe.
How do you monitor your pupils’ progress and help those
who are struggling in certain areas? Across our schools
we are using some pretty advanced data analysis to measure
and track students’ progress. Data can be evaluated by year
group, class, and subject, for example, and helps teachers
to see which students are performing beyond expectation,
and which ones may be struggling. It also helps teachers
and students set appropriate goals for future development.
Dedicated counsellors are also assigned to each year
group – Lower, Middle and High School. Counsellors
work closely with class teachers, heads of department and
parents to support students academically and emotionally.
Every counsellor runs an open door policy for students,
ready to talk about any concerns from academic, coping
with personal issues to planning for their educational
futures. In High School, there are additional specialist
university advisors, who are able to assist students in
their UK and worldwide university applications.
ACS Cobham also offers an enrichment programme,
designed for students who require an additional
level of challenge to enable them to reach their full
potential. If parents would like to find out more about
how we support student learning, they can visit us at
one of our open days – acs-schools.com/opendays.
What can be done to ease exam pressure during peak
periods? The exam period can be a challenging time
for students and our counsellors practise mindfulness
with students to combat exam anxiety. Through simple
breathing exercises and meditation, mindfulness training
gives students the tools to remain calm, sustain their
attention and stay focused – all essential exam skills.
The ‘Five Senses Drill’ is one of our students’ favourite
mindfulness exercises, it’s a simple three-minute
breathing exercise and easy to remember in the heat of
the moment. After two deep breaths, meditators silently
note three things they see, hear, feel and note what they
smell and taste before finishing with two more deep
breaths. The drill is designed to help panic-stricken
students focus on their immediate surroundings and
keep calm in the event of an exam stumbling block.
Our counsellors also work with students to develop crucial
time management skills, helping them to establish their own
revision schedule and hone a crucial life skill.
acs-schools.com
BRINGING LEARNING TO LIFE
To arrange a visit, please contact Clare Harrison:
admissions@theprep.org.uk • 01732 762336
www.theprep.org.uk
An independent day school for boys and girls aged 2-13
CHALLENGE • CREATIVITY • COMMUNITY
165 wealdentimes.co.uk
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