10 Top Tips For A Successful Academic Programme

Last week, in his blog, our Headmaster wrote about fresh beginnings. He also listed 10 top tips for a successful academic programme.

Mrs Maria O'Neill (Head of Spanish) who collated the list of tips says: 'A new academic year is a great opportunity to make a fresh start and implement changes that will help you achieve success in anything that you do. One of the vital components of success is organisation. Organisation is a habit. Are your current habits helping or hindering your organisation? We hope you find our 10 tips, given by Bablake pupils and staff to give you every chance of having a very successful academic year, helpful!'  

1. Pack your bag for school the night before... not first thing in the morning when you are tired!
2. Use files/ folders to organise your work for each subject; glue in/ file all the worksheets so they don’t get lost.
3. Do not rely on your memory! Use your homework diary/ planner: write everything down. Use Outlook/ another online diary to organise your time and to prioritise to-do lists.
4. Be clutter free: sort your locker/ bag out! Don’t let it become a place for mouldy old sandwiches and smelly PE kit. Keep it only for the books you need that day; anything else can stay at home/ in the locker.
5. Do your homework as soon as you get home.
6. Manage your time: use a stopwatch to time activities and set alarms as reminders.
7. Use your classmates! Have a ‘buddy’ that you can rely on in case you forget what the homework is, or when it is due. Make sure you have a way of contacting them, and vice versa.
8. Make sure you have a designated study area at home free from distractions!
9. Leave your phones and iPads downstairs at night; you need your beauty sleep!
10. If you know you struggle with organisation, do something about it: e.g. use little reminder cards for each day of the week with books to bring and homework to hand in, that can go into your blazer pocket/ become a key ring.

We would be interested in hearing your own tips for a successful, organised programme!