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Welcome to the Schofield & Sims blog, featuring news, information and advice about primary education in the UK.

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Fidelity vs. Flexibility: striking the right balance in your phonics programme

17 July 2024

Fidelity vs. Flexibility: striking the right balance in your phonics programme

As many schools move towards adopting a systematic synthetic phonics programme, we unpick the challenges of balancing fidelity to a phonics programme with the needs of a diverse classroom.

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A four-step guide to reusing your existing phonics books

20 June 2024

A four-step guide to reusing your existing phonics books

Choosing a new systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme doesn’t mean clearing out all of your existing phonics books. More often than not, your decodable books, flashcards and other materials can be reused after an audit against your new phonics teaching progression. In this guide, we explain how you can save these resources and your budget.

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Newly-matched readers for Red Rose Letters and Sounds schools

28 March 2024

Newly-matched readers for Red Rose Letters and Sounds schools

Over 100 decodable phonics readers from the My Letters and Sounds phonics readers have been aligned to the Red Rose Letters and Sounds teaching progression, providing schools with a wide choice of fiction and non-fiction stories to use at home and in the classroom.

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Tutor vs. home learning: how to prepare for the 11+

01 February 2024

Tutor vs. home learning: how to prepare for the 11+

Are you preparing your child for the 11+ exam? In this blog post, we’ll be exploring the importance of feeling ready for the 11+ and the different ways to prepare.

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How the four P checks can help your pupils master handwriting

22 January 2024

How the four P checks can help your pupils master handwriting

Handwriting is a complex skill for children to learn. The physical nature of it can lead to some children taking longer to develop fine motor skills than others, making the teaching of handwriting a challenge. Problems with handwriting often stem from the physical side of writing, but these can be limited by laying secure foundations and instilling good habits early on.

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Our short guide to understanding the 11+ exam

21 December 2023

Our short guide to understanding the 11+ exam

Is your child due to take the 11+? Find out more about the process and learn how you can help your child feel confident and ready with Our short guide to understanding the 11+ exam.

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Save time while teaching phonics with our Classroom Kits

14 December 2023

Save time while teaching phonics with our Classroom Kits

In 2022, we launched My Letters and Sounds, a systematic synthetic phonics programme to guide teachers through the challenges of teaching phonics from Reception to Year 1. Now, we’re thrilled to introduce the all-new Classroom Kits.

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How to set impactful primary school homework

01 December 2023

How to set impactful primary school homework

In this blog post, we explore how manageable homework tasks can nurture positive mindsets, develop good habits and reinforce the practice of basic skills learnt at school.

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SATs: making the most of the home advantage

30 November 2023

SATs: making the most of the home advantage

In this blog post, we delve into the connection between passionate football fans and effective parental engagement. We’ll uncover how schools can leverage a ‘home advantage’ and outline what parents need to support their children.

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Enhance your phonics library with 10 brand-new readers

15 September 2023

Enhance your phonics library with 10 brand-new readers

Arriving this autumn, 10 new Phase Two decodable books will provide some much-needed additional coverage of GPCs in the first nine weeks of phonics teaching.

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