James Davey Speaker | Lifestyle & Careers & Well-being & Exams & Online Safety & Memory

James Davey

The Exam Coach

Shortly after graduating from the University of Exeter in 2014, James was asked to run a workshop with some underperforming pupils at his secondary school, Bradfield College. On that day he came up with the idea for The Exam Coach. An online resource to help students with their exams supported by in-person workshops.

In these workshops James covers:

best revision techniques,
smartphone management skills,
managing exam stress relief,
memorisation techniques,
building a revision routine suited to each student's commitments outside of school.

James' approach draws parallels between how professional athletes prepare for competition and a student's own exam preparation. The aim is to turn studying into a sport whilst keeping the conversation fun and light-hearted. His workshops are specifically designed to help students with the process of planning, revision, memorisation and exam performance.

James supports each of his sessions with a steady stream of content on the social media channels where students spend their time and attention. This way, the impact of James’ work with your students continues on a consistent basis in the lead up to exams long after the initial workshop.

Testimonials from Teachers

"I just wanted to thank you for your talk last Friday - the year 11 tutors commented on how excellent they thought that your talk was and how it was pitched at the right level for the students. One tutor told me that he thought you were the best speaker that he had seen since he has worked here, so thank you very much."

– Clare Gardiner, WIT Coordinator, Cokethorpe School

"James was a fantastic speaker for our students. He was incredible engaging and built an excellent rapport with them in a very short space of time. Just as importantly, the advice given to students helped them to focus on they need to do over the next few terms to be successful in their A-level exams. I would have no hesitation at hiring him again."

– Jack Mollart-Solity, Widening Participation Officer, Kings College London

"James has worked with Bradfield College pupils to help them focus effectively on making the most of their final year at school as well as their preparations for university or work. He is a highly confident young man, who draws on his own experiences very effectively to challenge pupils’ sometimes casual approach, galvanising them into action. Perhaps most importantly he has the skills to convince pupils that they can achieve their goals. He is a great communicator and can hold an audience of 150 or engage in worthwhile conversation and debate with a small group or with a particular individual. The pupils seem to value his candid approach and the fact that he is relatively close in age to them allows them to believe all the more readily that they can achieve as he has done."

– Caroline Taylor, Head of Career Education & Bradfield Horizons, Bradfield College

"The pupils left feeling highly motivated, praising James’s honest and straight-forward approach and were appreciative of his wealth of experience. Teacher, Mr Kevin Bloor, was impressed with the talk, noting that James’ ‘contribution perfectly managed to strengthen the brand of the Business Department, whose mission objective is ‘learning today for tomorrow’’

– Kevin Bloor, College Business Department Director, Shiplake College

"It’s unusual to have staff and students in complete agreement about the content of a talk. We can’t wait to have you back!"

– Julie Rumble, Head of Sixth Form, Garth Hill College

"Out of 139 students surveyed at Kings College University London, 75% saw the session as very useful, 20% as somewhat useful, and 5% as not useful"

– Staying On Track Student Evaluation System, Kings College London