Insights
Short, practical notes for parents of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children. Written from fifteen years of watching where KS1 children get stuck, and what actually helps at home.
What the Year 1 phonics screening check actually asks
What the check is, why it uses nonsense words, and the three things worth practising at home in the term before it.
Read the note →Maths3 minute readNumber bonds: the ten minutes a week that changes Year 2
Why bonds to 10 and 20 sit underneath almost every KS1 maths worry, and how to practise them without it feeling like homework.
Read the note →Reading5 minute readChoosing books your child can nearly read
The nine in ten rule, what to do with the tenth word, and why rereading the same page is not a waste of time.
Read the note →Handwriting4 minute readGrip, posture and why neat writing is not about trying harder
Untidy writing is usually mechanical. Here is what to look at before you ask a six year old to slow down again.
Read the note →Not sure where to start?
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