Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Can you help two bright children whose first language is English get back on Track?

One has a NVR score well above average, and the older child ranks as having exceptional ability, and so you will not be teaching dunces.

Being awarded A Grades and gaining exam results over 90% in the North is totally misleading. If you want to see a school that does get results just over the border, and is proud to publish them, as they rank with the very best in the UK, then have a look at this link:
http://www.englishschool.ac.cy/udata/co ... E&GCE).pdf
Take a look at the Maths results and take a look at the percentage overall of grades A* to C, and for the majority of kids their first language is not English either. If only I had known this 2 1/2 years ago, for after Year 1 entry, places are few.


I wonder why the publication of such exam results from fee paying schools in the north are so elusive?

It is laughable. Only it is not funny when a child who is clearly intelligent and highly capable, falls flat on their face and scores only 30% in a mid entry Maths entrance exam because their needs have not been catered for, and neither have they been given the level of material to learn. It is a total and utter disgrace, and reflects very badly on teaching standards in the North. This is a child who has consistently been been awarded A Grades North side, and exam results as high as 98% in Maths.
Feeling totally duped, not for the first time here either.


AND SO TO THE CHALLENGE....

I would like to find an experienced Maths teacher who will be well rewarded if he or she can bring both my children back up to the required advanced UK level in Mathematics for their year group. After the most soul destroying wake up call, we now have 11 months to rectify this situation. The next attempt will be for entry in to Year 3 and Year 4 of Secondary, and so for my older child their last opportunity to benefit from the level of education that they so clearly deserve given their ability, as in Year 4 they will start their GCSEs.

It may also be beneficial to find an English Teacher too, who teaches English as a First Language i.e., does not pronounce "Duvet" as "Duvett" and who knows the different between a "councillor" and "counsellor", having received a letter from one not so fine English school here, stating that my older child should see a person "elected to the local council" in order to address some behavioral issues that were clearly driven by boredom!

Whilst still just about acceptable, the results of the older child certainly did not reflect the fact that they have been consistently top in English in their N Cyprus year group over 3 years. I now suspect that their standard has barely improved since finishing primary school 2 years ago, when they did benefit from an exceptional English teacher whose mother tongue was English, and who did a fine job of teaching! Only she has since moved on elsewhere.

Please PM Me if you can help or know someone that can help.

A disillusioned & sad parent

Think you need to speak to Big Oz, comes on the forum from time to time, or search him out and pm him.

I sympathise, but I am sure there is a maths teacher out there. Not my subject and I got extra maths coaching for my daughter in times past and that was within the Welsh education system. Nothing wrong with the system, but that extra coaching was needed and found. Not so easy here, so I wish you well.

As to English, I fully comprehend the problem here. I sometimes wonder where people trained, but today is what today is. But speaking of Counsel and council, I had great fun at uni translating the Dead Sea Scrolls which was pre-Masoretic Hebrew text (which means no vowels at all) so it was a question of guess work much of the time - and of course council and counsel were two of the biggest 'blighters'. Did the man seek 'counsel' or did he seek the 'council'. But in modern English there is no excuse, just frustration of the 'eats shoots and leaves' variety.

If you want, I can put you in touch with some excellent teachers, so do p.m. me . I am not sure if they would be available, but they know English and not American English or Australian English. I would offer to help, but.......................

Go luck. I am sure there is an answer out there for you. As to comparing to the south, don't forget they are in E.U and have to conform to those rules and regs.

I got my two boys tutors in the UK too to help them with 11 plus and the GCSEs. Mainly exam technique than subject matter but they were invaluable. I hope scubadubaqueen you get what you need with Marions contacts.

I don't have much knowledge/experience of education in the TRNC but what I have seen is a teacher writing out essays and answers for pupils to copy so they get a good mark. This is fine until the pupil actually has to sit down and pass an exam themselves and realise they have insufficient knowledge and education to get through it. This might explain the disparity between course marks and exam marks.