Education

What Do We Say to the School about our Separation?

By Rebecca Giraud & Bob Greig

Coping with Back to School Stress

Any parent who has been through a separation will understand the massive stress it involves and the anxiety around co-parenting. One of the important issues that can get overlooked in the mix is what to tell your child’s school. READ MORE

Starting a new school year after Covid-19 may mean both parents and children feel more anxious than usual. So what can we do to help our children go back to school feeling more happy and relaxed? Claire Winter speaks to some experts.

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Education Call/Text: 07793 020 666 hannahpekary@hotmail.co.uk

Passionate about education, Hannah is a qualied maths and English teacher who o‚ers one-to-one tuition through her company Level Up Education. Her mission is to help children enjoy learning and to understand the power it has to change their lives. Since the Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah has successfully taken her classes online to support her students and their parents alike during these unprecedented times.

18 Top New Children’s Books for Autumn

Mermaid School: Ready, Steady, Swim!

Lucy Courtenay/Sheena Dempsey. An underwater school story. Ages 7+.

Noah Wild and the Floating Zoo

Alexander Mccall Smith. An ordinary boy’s heartwarming/extraordinary feat. Ages 7+.

Beneath the Cloud of Doom Louis Sachar/Aleksei Bitskoff. Brilliantly illustrated story of mixedup mayhem. Ages 7+.

My Name is River Emma Rea. Thrilling, ecological adventure in the Amazon jungle. Ages 9+.

Turtle Boy M. Evan Wolkenstein. A story offering hope/ new perspectives to life’s outsiders. Ages 9+.

Health Heroes Emily Sharratt. ‘Health heroes’ talk about their working lives. Ages 9+.

The Virus Ben Martynoga/Moose Allain. Explores the science behind viruses/Covid-19 pandemic. Ages 11+.

Return to Wonderland

Wonderland-inspired stories from top contemporary authors. Ages 11+.

The Unadoptables

Hana Tooke/Ayesha L.Rubio. Adventure set in oldworld Amsterdam/ surrounds. Ages 11+.

18 Top New Children’s Books for Autumn

Duck and Penguin Do Not Like Sleepovers Julia Woolf. Night time adventure for babies/toddlers.

That Dog! Emma Lazell. Will smart dog outwit the dog-nappers? For babies/toddlers.

Things I Love by Bear Susie Linn/Alex Willmore. Scenes and activities little ones will recognise. For babies/toddlers.

The Diddle That Dummed Kes Gray/Fred Blunt. Laughter, music, word play & silliness. Ages 3+.

It’s OK to Cry Molly Potter/Sarah Jennings. Great intro to emotions. Ages 3+.

I’m Sticking with You Smriti Halls/Steve Small. A story about friendship. Ages 3+.

Moth By Isabel Thomas/Daniel Egneus. Powerful/ visually spectacular evolution story. Ages 5+.

The Blue Giant

By Katie Cottle. Poignant story about pollution in our oceans. Ages 5+.

Super Milly and the Super School Day

By Owen Millward. Upbeat/funny picture book about kindness. Ages 5+.

Supporting a Dyslexic Child

By Ellie Malt “Do you think she might have dyslexia or something like that?” I asked.

I was standing in the playground with one of the teaching assistants, watching my 4 year old climb into her buggy, eager for her after-school snack. Although it was only her second term in Reception, I’d noticed she seemed uninterested in the alphabet, while other children could already write their names. But I was only really thinking out loud. Even to me, it seemed ridiculously early to be jumping to any conclusions. “Probably” she shot back over the general hubbub. I admit, I was shocked. But looking back years later, finally in possession of a formal diagnosis, I appreciate her honesty. I only wish I had acted sooner; it could have saved so much struggle and frustration. READ MORE

Dyslexia Features

Your child may:

Talk well but write little; Be a slow/reluctant reader; Struggle with spelling; Have difficulties with writing; Not always remember/ understand what he/she has just read; Seem inattentive and unable to concentrate/remember instructions; Have difficulty organising himself/herself; Struggle to remember the order of things, eg days of the week.

Sources of Help

British Dyslexia Association Advice and assessments. Find your local association. The Dyslexia Association Screening, assessment, tuition, assistive technology training. Dyslexia Assist Find local support. Achieve Now Works with dyslexic pupils and IT. All services online. IPSEA Free, independent legal information, advice and support. Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre Influential regional centre.

Top Homework Tips

Where, When and How

Create space. If possible, this should be a communal space but one with minimal distractions. This enables parental supervision/input without it feeling like an intrusion.

Establish a routine. Some children prefer to do homework straight after school; others need to ‘unwind’ or eat first. Whatever is decided, stick to it.

Get organised. Have your child do the hard work first when they are most alert. Help them make a “Done/To Do” list.

What YOU Can Offer

Discuss homework. Even if you know nothing about a subject, you can still help just by talking, listening and helping them to find the right answer. Use a timer. Challenge your child to estimate how long an assignment might take. Suggest setting a timer for that amount of time, or less. Encourage. Praise effort not achievement. Focus on hard work or improved concentration, handwriting or presentation. Make it positive. Tell them how important school is. Your attitude to homework will influence their attitude.

Let THEM Do the Work

Provide guidance, not answers. Use questioning to help them get as close to the answer as they can but don’t tell them. Let them make mistakes. Giving answers means they will not learn the material and their teacher will not know how much they understand it. Step in only when progress comes to a halt. Encourage them to set small positive targets promoting independent working and self

sufficiency.

Could your child be our next cover star?

We’re looking for your best school uniform photos for the cover of our next issue! With your little ones safely back in school, we want to see all those fabulous photographs of them on their first days back — the gorgeous shots, the funny ones and even the random ones! The winner could end up on the cover of our November/December issue, and runners up will be featured inside the magazine.

How to enter

You can post your photographs on our Facebook page @FamiliesCardiff using the hashtag #FamiliesCardiffCoverKids, along with your child’s name, school and class name. Or you can email your images and details to competitions@familiescardiff.co.uk with ‘Cover Kids’ in the subject line. Photographs must be in portrait format, and cannot contain any text, branding or watermarks. Bear in mind that images work best on the cover if there’s some space at the top where our Families Cardiff & Vale logo can sit. The deadline for entries is midday 1st November 2020.

Terms and conditions Don’t forget By entering, you give permission for to subscribe to Families Cardiff & Vale to publish your Families Cardiff & image and details in our November/ Vale to get your December 2020 issue. free copy direct Families Cardiff & Vale’s editorial team will to your inbox. create a shortlist of entries and publish these on our Facebook page @FamiliesCardiff for a public vote. By entering either via Facebook or email, you give permission for us to publish your images on our Facebook page for voting. The Families Cardiff & Vale team will make the final decision on the winning entry.