by Hayley | May 27, 2022 | Writing
The first time I heard the term ‘pen licence’ I was listening to Charlie, my eight-year-old, in the back of the car on the way home from school. He wasn’t wildly impressed with the concept. He explained to me that his teacher, Mrs. Barker, awarded...
by Hayley | Apr 27, 2022 | Exams, Front page posts, Non-verbal reasoning, Teach, Verbal Reasoning, Writing
Confession. I’m an absolute Kent Test geek. I’ve been studying the details, and noting down children’s responses to particular questions and timings, for over a decade. Here are some key pieces of information I’m keen to share with you: 1. Timing is everything...
by Hayley | Jan 5, 2022 | Front page posts, Parents, Uncategorized, Writing
When your child first picks up a pencil, their teacher shows them how to hold it, and then off they go. Well that’s what most of us believe… Even as an experienced teacher myself, I too used to presume that once a pencil/pen grip had been put in place in...
by Hayley | Nov 29, 2021 | Front page posts, Overseas parents, Parents, Teach, Writing
Are you concerned about your child’s poor handwriting? Are you afraid that your child will the the last in his or her class to receive their pen licence? If so, you’re not alone. Many school-age children have poor, and sometimes indecipherable, handwriting. It’s a...
by Hayley | Oct 10, 2021 | Front page posts, Parents, Teach, Uncategorized, Writing
Why are some children reluctant writers? Producing a successful piece of creative writing is a complex process. Children have to fully understand the given task, organise their thoughts into sentences, sequence those sentences, consider the spelling of their words and...
by Hayley | Aug 9, 2021 | Parents, Uncategorized, Writing
I have worked closely with several children diagnosed with dysgraphia in my online writing clubs. Dysgraphia is a learning disability which impairs a child’s handwriting and/or spelling abilities—it’s a learning disorder which makes written language challenging....