11 essential tips for hearing your Key Stage 1 child read aloud at home

11 essential tips for hearing your Key Stage 1 child read aloud at home

How much should you correct your Key Stage 1 child when you hear them read aloud to you? Should you force them to sound out the word? Do you get them to read every day? If they don't want to, do you insist or just not bother? Here, you'll find our top 10 tips for how to hear your child read aloud. It's a skill in itself that's useful for parents to 'learn' to support their child on their learning-to-read journey!

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How to tell if your child would benefit from special educational needs (SEN) support

How to tell if your child would benefit from special educational needs (SEN) support

Do you wonder if your child might need some SEN support? Listening to what they’re saying about school and not brushing it off, is really important. Make a note of what they may say they dislike or (often) ‘hate’ or find ‘boring’ and you’ll probably have the cause of the problem right there. Your first action is to talk to teachers/specialist teachers or your Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. They’ll direct you to the right professional for help and can signpost ways your child can be supported, whether there’s a specific learning difficulty or not.

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Our top 30 books recommendations for Key Stage 1 children (aged 5 – 7)

  Our top 30 books recommendations for Key Stage 1 children (aged 5 – 7)

Sompting Abbotts’ teachers pooled their knowledge and experience to create this list of top 30 books for Key Stage 1 children. It's across the ages of five and seven – in school terms this is Key Stage one: Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – when most children learn to read. Whether your children are reading alone or you’re reading to them, there’s some inspiring book choices here! 

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How much screen time is too much for your child?

How much screen time is too much for your child?

How much screen time is healthy for your child? Scientists have predicted that use of the Internet exposure may change the way children think. So are we in the middle of an unstoppable experiment with our children? So just what is the impact of screen-based technologies and social media on our children's well-being, attention spans, learning and creative abilities? And how do we balance the recognition that digital skills will be essential to our children’s futures in the workplace? 

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9 easy ways to help get your child ready for 'big school'

9 easy ways to help get your child ready for 'big school'

The transition from nursery to ‘big school’ or Reception can seem huge – both to you as parent and to your child! But with the right preparation, your pre-schooler will be just as able to meet the challenge as the little mouse who took on the Gruffalo. Read on to discover how your little one get ‘big school-ready’ and how to say goodbye on that first day so it’s a happy one your child – and you!

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