Tween & teen Christmas gift guide

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A Parents' Guide to A-Levels

A-levels are important qualifications, especially if your child is planning to go to higher education. They are also valued by employers because they give an insight into a student’s strengths and weaknesses.

A-level qualifications are achieved through written examinations and coursework. However, with subjects such as performing arts there are also practical examinations. 

Choosing A-level subjects can be a challenging time for students. The choices they make at this point can have a big impact on their future studies and career. 

To help your children make the right A-level choices, an independent boarding college in Cardiff have put together the following advice for parents:

5 Mistakes to avoid at Schoolies

After completing their high-school and before leaping into the jumble of adulting, Schoolies week is that time in any youngster’s life where he or she can live it to the fullest. For Aussie graduates, this week is deemed as the best time of their lives where they are able to let themselves loose to make the most of their time with friends.

Underage drinking survey - Six out of seven parents are unaware that underage drinking is becoming less of a problem.

A recent poll illustrated that parents are misinformed when it comes to predicting the attitudes and behaviours of young people with regards to alcohol.

Although only 5% of 11 – 15 year olds drink alcohol on one or more occasion every week, parents in a recent survey consider this number to be higher than 30%.

When asked to guess the percentage of young teens who had tried alcohol at least once, parents put this figure at 57%. The official number was 39%.

The data reveals that several parents are getting it wrong when it comes to trends of underage drinking.

Although fewer teens are indulging in alcohol than in the last 5 years, many parents predicted that the opposite was true.

The survey, which was conducted at the same time as Global Be(er) Responsible Day, was organised by AB InBev UK, the brewers of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s.

The Alcohol Education Trust has been working in close partnership with AB InBev UK since 2013 to better prepare parents to talk openly and honestly with their children about the dangers of alcohol and responsible drinking.

The results of the survey only show that there is still much work to be done as the majority of parents believe that 11 – 15 year olds drinking alcohol is the norm.