Early Years

Taking a whole-school approach to wellbeing

Wellbeing is more than just mental health. It encompasses physical wellness, a sense of belonging, social inclusion and basic needs such as food, safety and shelter. If we consider this broader sense of wellbeing it becomes clear we must consider it to for our pupils to achieve and be successful. Read More

Navigating cultural capital in primary music

Most schools in England are aware of the concept of ‘cultural capital’, defined by Ofsted as ‘the essential knowledge pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said’. Taking our pupils on a journey of musical discovery through history’s greatest hits seems… Read More

Simple, fun ideas to help children with phonics

Literacy expert Gill Matthews, shares some simple ideas for how to make phonics learning fun and enjoyable. You may find this helpful to share with your pupils’ parents or you can adapt the ideas for your home learning plan. Phonics is about learning the sounds that individual letters make: singly… Read More

How Parents Can Support Their Child’s Writing At Home

Writing is one of the most challenging things we ask our children to do and it is hard for parents to know what’s expected in each year group and how to help their child. Literacy expert, Rachel Clarke has looked at some of the writing skills taught in each year… Read More

Teaching music through rhymes

Thank you to Get Set! Piano author Karen Marshall for the below guest post. Teaching music through rhymes One of the most successful ways to teach rhythm is through rhyme and if the rhyme has silly words – even better. How often is a tricky rhythm corrected once words… Read More

Dictionaries in the early primary classroom

There is much to be gained by children using dictionaries in the primary classroom. Familiarity with dictionaries will help children with their learning. Read More

A stress-free start to the school year

The summer holidays are coming to an end and it’s time to prepare for your child’s return to school, or for those in year R, their very first day. Here’s how to make this September as stress-free (for you and your child) as possible. Preparing for the start… Read More

Strengthening your child’s skills over the summer holidays

Summer is a time for children to relax and have lots of fun, but six weeks is a long time to be away from the classroom and studies have shown they can take a bit of a step back during the holidays if they’re not putting skills they’ve learnt… Read More

National Tree Week – KS1

It’s National Tree Week and it’s a great time to get younger pupils involved in studying trees to gain a better understanding of the role they play in the world. We’re keeping it simple but the activities we’ve planned for you to get young pupils involved and helps them find… Read More

KS1 Science – Where is Science at Work Around Us?

To many young children, science is an abstract subject, which is why it is included in the world around us topics at EYFS. When pupils get a little older, the concept of science can be introduced as a subject in which we find out about things in our world and… Read More