September 20, 2019 / Ben / 0 Comments
Teachers
don’t always get it easy. It is quite a challenging job to do at times and you
will be expected to work on your “days off” to fit in all your marking and
planning not to mention parents evenings and school trips.
Due to the
pressures and time constraints, many teachers who have recently qualified
actually end up leaving the industry in the first year. This means there is a
constant need for new teachers coming through the system. Some schools are
having to rely heavily on teaching assistants to spend a significant period of
time teaching the class on their own rather than actually assisting the
teacher, which is not ideal. Also many schools are turning to supply teachers
to fill gaps whilst they are looking for replacement teachers to employ.
If you fancy a change in career and are up for a challenge, then why not train to be a teacher. Often the main issue is people not being aware of how much work is involved in being a teacher. You may think it’s a cushy job working 9 -3 and weekends off but this simply isn’t realistic and you will be expected to work a lot more hours than this.
May 28, 2019 / Ben / 0 Comments
Education is
massively important to a child. Not only will it help them progress through
their school life and on to finding a career but it will also help them in
general with many day to day activities that they will have to do.
As a parent you may think that education is for school but you may not realise the impact home life can have on. Children whose parents spend a little bit of time with them on a regular basis, reading, writing and doing maths often excel in these subjects at school.
If you want
to help with your child’s education but do not want them to have to do
worksheets or working out of a book then why not try some games? There are a
number of games on the market which are aimed at being educational as well as
fun.
Orchard
games are a popular choice as they create fun and stimulating games for
children that can be easily set up and are enjoyable. They range from counting
and simple maths to problem solving and spelling.
Find a game
that is age appropriate to your child and have a go. You may be surprised how
much they enjoy it, spending time with you, whilst not really realising they
are actually learning at the same time.
April 30, 2019 / Ben / 0 Comments
Key stage one stats are due to be completed in June and many parents worry about what they need to do in order to help their child prepare for it. Your child should not have to worry about these early assessments but preparing them and talking to them about it can help to give them more confidence when the tests are placed in front of them. You can print off copies of old test papers from the government website that you can go through with your child so they can see what types of questions they may have to answer.
The most important thing is to teach your child to read the questions properly. In the maths SATs paper for example, the questions can change quickly from addition to subtraction to divide etc. If they assume that all the questions are addition they may lose out on marks for questions they knew the answer to.
If your child is really concerned about the SATs, speak to their teacher who will be able to talk to the child or give you advice on what you can do to help. SATs in key stage one are often more a reflection on the teacher than the pupil as it shows how well they have been taught.
September 5, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
If you have children that like to play on computer games or tablets then you may worry about how much educational value there is in that. Recently more and more games that children play are starting to have a more educational theme to them but this is not true for all. Many games on the app stores such as ITunes or Google Play Store are aimed at children who wish to learn in a fun but educational way. You can find games that will require your child to read, use mathematical skills or use their imagination to progress through the levels. Word games are a great way for your child to practise spelling but often it doesn’t seem like work and they may not even realise the educational value of them.
It is sometimes a good idea to download a selection of educational games for your child to play on their smart device and ask them to play one of more of those games for 15 mins. After this time you may want to give them 10-15 mins on another game of their choice. This ensures that they are getting some educational benefit from playing on the device but also have some downtime from learning to play a game of their choice.
January 17, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
Many schools go on about how important it is to hear your child read on a regular basis. As parents, you may feel that it is unnecessary for your child to read to you every night but research has shown that children that do this have an academic advantage later on in their education. Reading can not only help with reading but can also help with spelling and confidence as well as understanding emotions and problem-solving.
When reading a book with your child, take time out to ask them what they think is going to happy or to explain how a particular character is feeling. This will not only help them with their understanding but will break up the book and allow them a chance to understand what is happening rather than just reading the words.
You do not have to go out and spend a fortune on children books, many charity shops have books for as little as five or ten pence or you could enrol in your local library to allow your children to pick their own book to read. You could even get your child to read sentences around the home, such as on the side of food containers or on the back of a DVD case.