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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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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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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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Phonics: how to teach Tricky Words

16 February 2023

Phonics: how to teach Tricky Words

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?

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Instil a love of reading with real phonics stories

10 February 2022

Instil a love of reading with real phonics stories

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.

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The new SSP for Letters and Sounds schools

19 January 2022

The new SSP for Letters and Sounds schools

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

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The 11+ journey starts with the Study and Practice Books

02 June 2021

The 11+ journey starts with the Study and Practice Books

Covering English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, our 11+ Study and Practice Books are the ultimate introduction to the 11+ and provide a reliable resource for children and parents to refer to throughout their preparation.

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Encourage a love of reading with Complete Comprehension

08 May 2021

Encourage a love of reading with Complete Comprehension

Developing strong and able readers just got easier thanks to our new publication, Complete Comprehension. Comprising six books to use across Years 1 to 6, this series provides schools with everything needed to model comprehension skills and build pupils’ reading confidence.

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My Spelling Book

28 January 2020

My Spelling Book

Help your pupils to become strong spellers with My Spelling Book, a handy A5 book that allows children to record and learn 15 new spellings each week.

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My Times Tables Book

16 January 2020

My Times Tables Book

Prepare for the new Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check with our handy new times tables resource – perfect for daily maths starters or weekly homework.

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Tailored 11+ practice for CEM and GL

29 August 2019

Tailored 11+ practice for CEM and GL

Meet the newest members of our growing family of 11+ resources, 11+ Practice Papers, providing realistic exam practice for both the CEM and GL tests.

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Free National Poetry Day resource

02 August 2019

Free National Poetry Day resource

Get ready to celebrate National Poetry Day with a free downloadable poetry resource on this year's theme of 'truth' by Schofield & Sims author and poet Celia Warren.

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Build speed, fluency and confidence with SATs 10-Minute Tests

02 June 2019

Build speed, fluency and confidence with SATs 10-Minute Tests

Joining our popular SATs series this June are the brand-new SATs 10-Minute Tests. These rigorous, yet child-friendly, tests enable short, timed practice of exam-style questions – perfect for squeezing into a busy school day or for independent revision sessions at home.  

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New WriteWell Handwriting Programme

31 January 2019

New WriteWell Handwriting Programme

Find out about WriteWell, our brand new handwriting programme designed to guide children from their first steps in mark-making to the development of clear, confident and speedy joined handwriting that can be adapted for a range of purposes.

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Schofield & Sims Primary Catalogue 2019

17 January 2019

Schofield & Sims Primary Catalogue 2019

The world has spun for another year and it is once again time to reveal our shiny new catalogue, packed with exciting resources to support children’s learning.

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National Poetry Day Assembly Plan: A Time to Change

20 September 2018

National Poetry Day Assembly Plan: A Time to Change

Celebrate National Poetry Day with our fantastic A Time to Change Assembly Plan, featuring poems from our A Time To Speak and a Time to Listen poetry anthology.

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Get ready for school with Get Set Early Years

01 May 2018

Get ready for school with Get Set Early Years

This spring sees the publication of Get Set Early Years, a new Reception programme designed to help children master the essential knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in Year 1.

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Prepare to pass the 11+ with Rapid Tests and Progress Papers

18 April 2018

Prepare to pass the 11+ with Rapid Tests and Progress Papers

Preparing for 11+ exams can seem like a daunting process. Schofield & Sims Rapid Tests and Progress Papers build confidence by familiarising children with the key 11+ question types, including those featured in the CEM and GL exams.

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National Poetry Day 2017: A Time to be Free...

08 September 2017

National Poetry Day 2017: A Time to be Free...

Discover poems from the Schofield & Sims A Time to Speak and a Time to Listen poetry anthology that fit with this year's National Poetry Day theme, with suggestions for discussions and poetry writing ideas.

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New Telling the Time

12 July 2017

New Telling the Time

Learning to tell the time is a complex process that many children need help to grasp. Schofield & Sims Telling the Time breaks this process down into a sequence of manageable ideas that young learners can approach at their own pace.

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New Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

19 June 2017

New Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

Discover a brand new maths programme for Years 1 to 6, providing everything you need to teach the National Curriculum requirements for fractions, decimals and percentages, as well as ratio and proportion, while also following a mastery approach.

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Six helpful strategies for learning times tables

20 April 2017

Six helpful strategies for learning times tables

Everyone remembers learning their times tables. Whether you got them straight away or still find yourself reaching for the calculator, here are six practical suggestions for ways that you can help children grasp multiplication and division facts in no time at all.

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Revised edition of Times Tables Tests

10 April 2017

Revised edition of Times Tables Tests

The new Times Tables Tests books have been carefully updated to reflect the National Curriculum requirements for maths and to prepare pupils for the government’s proposed multiplication check, due to be introduced in Spring 2019.

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Revised edition of English Skills

20 March 2017

Revised edition of English Skills

Now fully updated to meet the spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary requirements of the new Key Stage 2 English curriculum, the updated English Skills series also includes a new Introductory Book covering topics from the Key Stage 1 programmes of study.

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Conquer colons, vanquish verbs and dominate determiners with new Grammar and Punctuation

15 January 2017

Conquer colons, vanquish verbs and dominate determiners with new Grammar and Punctuation

This January sees the publication of Schofield & Sims Grammar and Punctuation, a structured scheme for teaching grammar and punctuation while also building on vocabulary, reading and writing skills.

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Schofield & Sims Primary Catalogue 2017

13 January 2017

Schofield & Sims Primary Catalogue 2017

Discover a dazzling array of new and forthcoming titles in our 2017 catalogue, as well as the story behind this year's stunning cover design.

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National Poetry Day Quiz

23 September 2016

National Poetry Day Quiz

Celebrate National Poetry Day on the 6th October with Celia Warren's message-themed quiz, featuring selected poems from the A Time to Speak and a Time to Listen poetry anthology.

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New Progress Papers in Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning

10 August 2016

New Progress Papers in Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal Reasoning

Schofield & Sims is delighted to announce the publication of two brand new series: Progress Papers in Verbal Reasoning and Progress Papers in Non-verbal Reasoning

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The Complete Primary Dictionary: the first and last word in primary dictionaries

19 May 2016

The Complete Primary Dictionary: the first and last word in primary dictionaries

Last month saw the publication of our long-awaited Complete Primary Dictionarya five-year labour of love, and one of the first completely new dictionaries of the twenty-first century.

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New Times Tables Practice

14 March 2016

New Times Tables Practice

Ahead of the government's plans to introduce a times tables check for 11 year olds, Schofield & Sims is pleased to announce the publication of Times Tables Practice, a brand new two-book series designed to help children learn their times tables up to 12x12.

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First Mental Arithmetic for the new curriculum

04 March 2016

First Mental Arithmetic for the new curriculum

Hot on the heels of revised Mental Arithmetic comes a new edition of First Mental Arithmetic, fully updated for the new Key Stage 1 maths curriculum.

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New Revision Guides and Practice Papers for the 2016 National Tests

25 February 2016

New Revision Guides and Practice Papers for the 2016 National Tests

Schofield & Sims is pleased to announce the publication of new editions of our popular Revision Guides and Practice Papers – just in time for pupils preparing to sit the new national tests in May.

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Mental Arithmetic for the new curriculum

27 January 2016

Mental Arithmetic for the new curriculum

Schofield & Sims is delighted to announce the publication of a new edition of bestselling Mental Arithmetic, now fully updated to meet the requirements of the new curriculum.

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Schofield & Sims 2016 School and International Catalogues now available

11 January 2016

Schofield & Sims 2016 School and International Catalogues now available

This year’s catalogue features a wide range of new and revised titles to help teachers, parents and tutors get to grips with the new curriculum.

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How to keep your child's mind active over the summer holidays

06 August 2015

How to keep your child's mind active over the summer holidays

Five practical ways to help ensure that your child isn't affected by 'summer learning loss', as featured in our guest blog post for At Home magazine.

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The ultimate diary to ensure effective home–school communication

21 July 2015

The ultimate diary to ensure effective home–school communication

Promote strong links between school and home with Schofield & Sims’ new A5 school diary, combining the best features of a homework diary and reading record in one.

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Progress Papers in English

22 January 2015

Progress Papers in English

Schofield & Sims is delighted to announce the publication of Progress Papers in English, a brand new 11+ resource to supplement the existing Progress Papers in Mathematics series.

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Understanding Maths, English and Science

13 January 2015

Understanding Maths, English and Science

Following the introduction of the new primary curriculum in September last year, Schofield & Sims has published brand new editions of its bestselling Understanding Maths, English and Science study books.

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Teach Primary Written Calculation review

11 November 2014

Teach Primary Written Calculation review

Top marks for Schofield & Sims Written Calculation in a new review by John Dabell for Teach Primary magazine.

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Free National Poetry Day resource

23 September 2014

Free National Poetry Day resource

National Poetry Day is a nationwide annual celebration of poetry held on the first Thursday in October. This year’s event takes place on Thursday 2nd October, and to mark the occasion Schofield & Sims author and poet Celia Warren has written a free downloadable poetry resource for schools on this year’s theme of 'Remember'.

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Written Calculation for the new National Curriculum

08 September 2014

Written Calculation for the new National Curriculum

To help teachers and parents get to grips with the calculation requirements of the new National Curriculum, Schofield & Sims is pleased to announce the publication of Written Calculation, a unique new maths series providing graded practice in the aspects of written calculation that pupils need to master by the end of Key Stage 2.

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New Rapid Reasoning Tests

29 August 2014

New Rapid Reasoning Tests

Schofield & Sims is delighted to announce the publication of Rapid Reasoning Tests, a new 12-book reasoning series to help children prepare for the 11+ and other school selection tests.

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Free World Cup comprehension resource

12 June 2014

Free World Cup comprehension resource

Mark the start of the 2014 World Cup in your classroom with this free 'London goes wild' comprehension resource on England’s memorable 1966 World Cup victory, taken from KS2 Comprehension Book 2.

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New Sound Phonics resources to support Letters and Sounds

28 January 2014

New Sound Phonics resources to support Letters and Sounds

Following the success of the Sound Phonics activity books, Schofield & Sims has added three new books for teachers to the series, turning it into a complete phonics teaching programme for use alongside Letters and Sounds.

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Schofield & Sims publishes new whole-school Spelling series

29 July 2013

Schofield & Sims publishes new whole-school Spelling series

Schofield & Sims is delighted to announce the publication of a brand new spelling series for the 2014 National Curriculum. Ideal for both whole-school use and independent learning, Schofield & Sims Spelling is a structured and rigorous programme designed for Key Stages 1 and 2 that helps pupils become accurate and confident spellers.

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New - A Time to Speak and A Time to Listen

20 March 2013

New - A Time to Speak and A Time to Listen

Our new school poetry anthology A Time to Speak and A Time to Listen and accompanying Teacher’s Guide are now available online, providing teachers with an ideal opportunity to introduce pupils to the richness and variety of poetry.

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New Understanding English Practice for the English punctuation, grammar and spelling tests

01 February 2013

New Understanding English Practice for the English punctuation, grammar and spelling tests

Help pupils to revise topics covered by the other seven books in the Understanding English series, keeping their skills sharp and preparing them for the new English grammar, punctuation and spelling national tests at Key Stage 2.

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New – Mental Arithmetic and First Mental Arithmetic Teacher’s Guides

17 January 2013

New – Mental Arithmetic and First Mental Arithmetic Teacher’s Guides

Maximise the benefits of First Mental Arithmetic and Mental Arithmetic with our new Teacher’s Guides. Full of useful information and practical assessment material, they are the essential resource for both new and experienced users.

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New - Understanding Reasoning

27 April 2012

New - Understanding Reasoning

Schofield & Sims is pleased to announce that, in addition to maths, English and science materials, we now also publish resources for reasoning, in the form of two new learning workbooks: Understanding Verbal Reasoning and Understanding Non-verbal Reasoning. Both books provide step-by-step explanations to help pupils get to grips with the reasoning questions that are used in the 11+, 12+, 13+ and other school selection tests.

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New - Handwriting Practice

04 January 2012

New - Handwriting Practice

Two new books from Schofield & Sims will significantly improve children’s handwriting when used regularly. The Handwriting Practice books are compatible with the handwriting schemes most commonly used in schools and encourage children to write neatly, fluently, legibly and fast.

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New - British History Timeline poster

30 March 2011

New - British History Timeline poster

 Supporting the history curriculum from Key Stage 2 onwards, the stunning and highly informative British History Timeline poster helps pupils to understand the sequence of events that have shaped Britain as we know it today. It also helps them to view contemporary events and concerns in a wider perspective.

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New - Essential English Skills

03 March 2011

New - Essential English Skills

For functional English and literacy intervention at Key Stage 3 and beyond, Schofield & Sims has published a separate edition of the English Skills workbooks. Essential English Skills has exactly the same content as the Key Stage 2 series, with more sophisticated covers designed for older students.

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New - English Skills

01 March 2011

New - English Skills

English Skills is a series of six workbooks providing graded questions that develop literacy skills from Key Stage 2 onwards, embedding and securing learning. In a similar format to the bestselling Mental Arithmetic series, English Skills is all set to bring impressive results.

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New - First Mental Arithmetic

01 March 2011

New - First Mental Arithmetic

A downwards extension of Schofield & Sims Mental Arithmetic, First Mental Arithmetic helps children to master basic maths through intensive practice at Key Stage 1 and beyond. The series promotes personalised learning and prepares children for full numeracy.

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New - Essential Mental Arithmetic

04 October 2010

New - Essential Mental Arithmetic

For Key Stage 3 maths recovery and a boost in functional maths skills, the Essential Mental Arithmetic series provides differentiated maths questions - approximately 900 per book - that give students the intensive practice they need to achieve numeracy.

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New - Key Stage 2 Comprehension

27 May 2010

New - Key Stage 2 Comprehension

Inspire and motivate young readers with this new and exceptionally stimulating collection of texts - each one accompanied by questions that build comprehension skills and widen vocabulary.

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New - My homework diary

27 May 2010

New -  My homework diary

A new Schofield & Sims record book, My homework diary, promotes a professional and businesslike approach to homework. From the same stable as My reading record, this book improves the school's learning culture and encourages children to take pride in their own work.

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