Blog

SATs: making the most of the home advantage

30 November 2023

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.

Working with parents and carers on phonics

08 June 2023

Parents and carers play a crucial role in supporting a child’s learning, and evidence from the EEF suggests that effective engagement can make up to three months of positive difference in a child’s learning. In this blog post, phonics trainer Jacqueline Harris discusses ways that schools can leverage this by involving parents and other adults in their children’s phonics learning.

How to get reading back on track after SATs

13 May 2023

The 2023 SATs reading paper featured one of the longest ever booklets used in the KS2 tests, pushing pupils’ stamina to their limits. The longer texts were also criticised for not reflecting the wide range of experiences and backgrounds children have. With the Department for Education signalling that tests are “designed to be challenging”, many teachers will be reflecting on how best to prepare future cohorts.

In this blog post, Complete Comprehension authors Laura Lodge and Jo Gray share their advice on identifying pupil literacy gaps and provide strategies to help children become stronger readers.

Phonics: how to teach Tricky Words

16 February 2023

Phonics trainer Jacqueline Harris shares her advice on one of the most frequently asked topics in early reading. Learning tricky words, or common exception words as they are sometimes known, relies on memory more than spelling rules, so how do you best support children that struggle with them?

Using technical phonics terms with young children

10 February 2023

In this blog post, phonics trainer Jacqueline Harris explains when and why teachers should use technical language when teaching phonics.

My Letters and Sounds receives DfE approval

23 June 2022

Our brand-new phonics programme, My Letters and Sounds, joins the shortlist of SSP teaching programmes that are approved by the Department for Education.

Instil a love of reading with real phonics stories

10 February 2022

Kasia Reay, author of the Reception Phonics Readers for My Letters and Sounds, explains why choosing books that feel like real stories can be the key to unlocking a true passion for reading.

The new SSP for Letters and Sounds schools

19 January 2022

After almost two years in the making, we are delighted to launch our brand-new systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme, Schofield and Sims My Letters and Sounds. 

Survey reveals impact of pandemic on young children’s handwriting

28 June 2021

We reveal the areas of handwriting that most concern teachers, and Michelle van Rooyen, an occupational therapist with a special interest in handwriting, shares her thoughts on the survey findings.

Unlocking handwriting with the WriteWell programme

25 June 2021

Help every child to achieve clear, confident and speedy joined handwriting with WriteWell, a complete course designed to guide children from their first steps in mark-making towards the development of secure, fluent and comfortable joined handwriting.