Category Archives: Top tips

How to Create a Reading-Friendly Home

A reading-friendly home is one in which reading material in many forms is enjoyed by every member of the family. You don’t need hundreds of books, a Kindle or the Complete Works of Shakespeare to create a reading-friendly home. As … Continue reading

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Posted in English, Reading, Top tips | Tagged | 1 Comment

Saving money on tuition: Why Better Tuition may be more affordable than you realise

Tuition is undeniably popular, with one Ipsos MORI poll finding that more than one in five children outside of London have a private tutor.  Here at Better Tuition, we have seen an increase in student numbers every year since 2008. … Continue reading

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Summer Learning Loss and the Four ‘R’s of Out-of-School Learning

Learning loss is always a hot topic (excuse the pun) over the summer holidays. Some education professionals believe that the summer break is too long and there are occasional calls to reduce it. I disagree. Routine, rules and formal learning … Continue reading

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Six Books for Summer

If your child is in Years 4 or 5, you may be looking for some nice books to share with them over the summer break. Here are six books that will provide innumerate adventures for both of you, helping your … Continue reading

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Posted in Key Stage 2, literacy, Reading, Top tips | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Entrance Exams: What to Say if Your Child Fails

Did you know that entrance exams for Trafford’s grammar schools have a success rate of just 25% (approximately)?  This gloomy statistic means that disappointment looms for three quarters of all the hundreds of children awaiting their results.  Facing up to … Continue reading

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Entrance Exam Results: Getting it in Perspective

Results for Trafford’s grammar school exams will be arriving through letter boxes from this weekend.  It’s a nerve-wracking, scary, exciting time and it’s only natural to feel that the results envelope opens the door to your child’s entire future: but … Continue reading

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Entrance Exam Preparation: What Should I Be Doing Now?

If your child is currently in Year 5 you will ideally have begun to help them prepare for Trafford’s grammar school entrance exams.  If you haven’t already begun then you really need to do so as soon as possible.  If … Continue reading

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The Secrets of Independent Readers: Opening the Window

Whether your child wants to be an astro-physicist, a nurse, a lawyer or an entrepreneur, independent reading is the key to achieving his/ her ambitions.  Encouraging your child to develop the habit of independent reading from an early age is … Continue reading

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Entrance exam pointers from Better Tuition for Year 5 and 6 children

Whilst many Year 6 children in Greater Manchester are busily preparing for independent school entrance exams/ 11 plus, lots of Year 5 students are just beginning to get to grips with verbal and non-verbal reasoning.  Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are … Continue reading

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The Simultaneous Oral Spelling Method in Ten Easy Steps at Home

The Simultaneous Oral Spelling method can be highly effective in improving spelling scores.  This technique combines audio (hearing), visual (seeing) and kinaesthetic (touch/ doing) methods, helping children remember how to spell the words they practise.  It’s a very easy method … Continue reading

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Posted in Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, literacy, Special Education Needs, Top tips | Tagged , , | 3 Comments