by annabel | Feb 10, 2021 | Advice, Bella Learning, Parents, Reading, Support, Tests, Workshops
Since 2005, every child in state education has been taught to decode words through the teaching of phonics, starting in Reception and culminating in a (rather obscure) statutory ‘screening check’ at the end of Year One. In short, children in England are...
by annabel | Jul 5, 2020 | Advice, Bella Learning, Curriculum, Parents, Schools
National lockdown has seen children out of school for months on end. What the full impact of this will be on well-being and educational outcomes is yet to be seen – but there are many lessons that schools and parents have learnt about home learning (the hard...
by annabel | Jan 22, 2019 | Advice, Bella Learning, Curriculum, Parents, Schools, Tests
We live in a testing culture. Before they reach secondary school, state school pupils in England will have undertaken the following assessments: AGE 5/6 – Year 1 phonics screening check AGE 6/7 – Year 2 SATS in Maths, Reading and Grammar, Punctuation and...
by annabel | Jan 18, 2019 | Advice, Bella Learning, Curriculum, maths, Parents, Schools, Support
More than any other subject, maths can induce real anxiety in adults and children alike. ‘I hate maths’ is heard much more often that ‘I hate English’, and given that pupils spend at least an hour a day studying the subject from the ages of...
by annabel | Jan 9, 2019 | Advice, Bella Learning, Curriculum, Events, Parents, Schools, Workshops
Parents are naturally great teachers and we know that their involvement in education makes a huge difference. But we also know that families are stretched for time and that sitting down at a desk with a worksheet together doesn’t always go to plan… So, here are Bella...
by annabel | Dec 24, 2018 | Bella Learning, Christmas, Parents, Schools
Earlier this year, I was handing out leaflets for Bella Learning at an event, when a man with two young children rebuffed my offer with the words ‘No thanks. I don’t believe in education.’ He said it quite politely and moved on but I was rooted to...
