Teenagers should revise for seven hours a day during the Easter holidays to get good exam results a former headmaster and schools chairman has said.

Barnaby Lenon, former Harrow School headmaster and chairman of the Independent Schools Council said those preparing for GCSE examinations this summer should cram 100 hours in two-hour slots over the fortnight break.

He advised studying 50 topics in two-hour bursts, adding good exam results are “made in the Easter holidays”.

Mr Lenon, said: “Plan to work for seven hours a day most days of the Easter break. If you work for 14 days, that will be about 100 hours of revision. If each topic takes two hours to revise, that is 50 topics.


“Your exams will be finished in June and you will then have at least two months’ holiday. The best GCSE and A-level results don’t go to the cleverest students – they go to those who revised in the Easter holidays”.

The former Harrow headmaster added that public exams can determine the course of a person’s life, so it was worthwhile “sacrificing” holidays.

Mr Lenon recommended that study should begin at 9am finishing at 6pm, and he advised against late study, saying “good sleep will help your brain retain information”.

Mr Lenon was appointed headmaster of Harrow School in 1999. He retired in 2011 at which time he was appointed chairman of the Independent Schools Council to oversee research, advice and lobbying.

He helped to start the free school, the London Academy of Excellence in east London, in 2012.