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Primary School, A Parent’s Guide – review and giveaway

June 2nd, 2010

Primary School, A Parent’s Guide
Kim Thomas
Published by Need2Know Books

The time when your child first starts school can be a confusing one for many parents. After all, unlike the many pregnancy and baby books currently in print, there haven’t been any manuals for mums and dads to find out what to expect and how to prepare their child for Reception. Until now. Primary School, A Parent’s Guide aims to answer many parents burning questions – be they about parents’ evenings, choosing schools or SATs.

The beauty of this book is that it assumes no prior knowledge. Kim Thomas appreciates that the education system has gone through enormous change since parents themselves were in the classroom, and so she begins with the basics.

The first chapter covers the different types of primary schools available and tips on how to choose one – and then chapter two goes into detail about the admissions process. Then follows the enormous topic of ’starting school’ – such a big source of worry for many parents! The book, however, has plenty of advice on how to prepare your child and what they can expect – with many useful tips, such as the best storybooks to read with your child about starting school and ways to help your child not too feel too overwhelmed during their first weeks at school.

The book also goes into great detail about the academic framework of today’s education system for 4-12 year-olds. If you’ve ever wondered what targets your child will be expected to achieve at each Key Stage, Kim Thomas gives the answers, together with clear information on how various subjects are taught in schools these days. There’s also advice on how you can help your child with their schoolwork, including ways to make it fun. There’s even some invaluable information on the form that SATs at the end of Key Stages 1 & 2 will take – which will be of great help to parents hoping to support their children when the time for these tests come round.

All in all, this is an incredibly useful book, and we wished it had been around when our own children first started school. Having said that, even now, with one child studying at Key Stage 2 level, we still learned a whole host of school ’secrets’ which will help us in the years to come. Click here to read our interview with author Kim Thomas.

You can order a copy of Primary School, A Parent’s Guide from the Need2Know Books website. We’ve also got five copies of the book up for grabs!

To enter the giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment below.

The giveaway will remain open until midnight, 30 June 2010. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below. The winners will comprise of the first five names to be randomly selected after the giveaway has closed. Only one entry per person.

This giveaway is only open to UK residents over 18. For further terms and conditions see below. Good luck!

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
Loquax Competitions

Terms and Conditions -Primary School, A parent’s Guide giveaway
1. To enter leave a comment about this giveaway in the ‘leave a reply’ section below.
2. One entry per person.
3. Duplicate entries will be removed.
4. Winners will be chosen at random using a random number generator.
5. You must supply a valid email address to win.
6. If a winner is drawn and the email address doesn’t work, another winner will be drawn at random.
7. You don’t have to write anything special in the comments but feel free to say hello or tell us why you’d love to win.
8. Read here for Hearditintheplayground.com’s general prize draw terms and conditions.

Posted in Competitions, Reviews | 34 Comments »

Kim Thomas interview

May 31st, 2010

Primary School, A Parent’s Guide, was published by Need2Know Books, on 1 June 2010. The book covers many topics that are often a source of confusion for parents – from how to choose a good school to coping with SATs.

Kim Thomas, author of the book and a freelance journalist specialising, in education, parenting and technology kindly took the time to answer a few questions for us…
1. When researching Primary School, a Parent’s Guide, what did you feel are the topics causing parents most concern at the moment?

Answer: I think parents are hugely anxious about choosing a good school, particularly in cities like London where there is a lot of competition for places in the better schools. Certain schools develop reputations for being good or bad, and they can be difficult to shake off – once a school gets a bad reputation and parents who care about education stop sending their children there, the school becomes subject to a vicious circle.

Similarly, the more people fight to get their child to get into a “good” school, the more its reputation improves. The complexity of admissions rules means that no-one is guaranteed a place at their local school, so you see parents doing things like temporarily renting houses next to the school or starting to attend church, even if they last went 20 years ago. I’d always advise parents to visit schools before making a choice – word-of-mouth isn’t always reliable.

I think once children are in school, there is still a lot to worry about – whether your child is being bullied, whether they’ve made friends, whether they’re progressing quickly enough…I’m a parent myself and very prone to worrying, but a lot of it is unnecessary. There’s an awful lot of target-setting and box-ticking in schools these days, but children develop at very different paces, so it doesn’t have to be a concern that your five-your old hasn’t shown an interest in reading yet. It may be that they’re just not ready.

2. What advice would you give parents whose children are currently struggling to keep up at school?

The first thing I would always suggest is to go and talk to the teacher. The teacher should be able to take your child’s problems into account and provide some extra help, perhaps from a teaching assistant. I’d also advise talking to your child to see if they have any particular anxieties that are making it hard for them to concentrate. Finally, I’d offer as much support as possible at home – read books together, do mental maths over the breakfast table and help with homework (while avoiding the temptation to do it yourself!)

3. How can parents help to prepare their child for their first day at primary school?

Try to make sure your child has got the basic skills they’ll need, like being able to get dressed and undressed for PE, going to the toilet by themselves, or holding a knife and fork if they’re having school dinners. If you know any other families whose children will be starting in the same school at the same time, invite them over for a play-date – it helps a lot to see a familiar face on the first day.

There are also some lovely books you can read with your child to help them understand what school is about – my favourite is Starting School by Alan and Janet Ahlberg.

4. If a child’s school receives a bad Ofsted report should parents worry?

This is a really hard one. I regard Ofsted reports as a good rough guide, but you need to take them with a pinch of salt. An Ofsted inspector will only spend a day or two in a school, and to make their judgement they rely partly on schools’ own assessment of how well they’re doing – some schools are very adept at presenting themselves in a good light. A few schools also do sneaky things like making sure the badly-behaved children are on a school trip the day the inspector arrives – though this is getting harder since the advent of short-notice inspections.

I’d read the report carefully, to look at the particular points the inspection has raised. Are there concerns about discipline, for example, and has it specifically said that the quality of teaching is poor? Those would both be cause for concern. Having said that, if your child is happy at the school and you didn’t have any concerns before the inspection, then you probably shouldn’t worry too much. In fact, there is even an advantage to having a poor Ofsted, which is that schools must immediately start working to improve the areas where a weakness has been identified.

5. If a parent has a child with special needs, what advice would you give them to ensure their child receives the support they need at primary school?

Any parent who has a child with special needs has my sympathy – getting the support you need can be very difficult, and provision varies wildly from area to area.

It’s a good idea to get a Statement of Special Educational Needs, which means that your child’s needs are recognized and your child will be given extra support in school. Obtaining a statement can be a long and laborious process, however. You will need to obtain a statutory assessment from your local authority, but it can take up to six weeks for the local authority to let you know whether they will carry out the assessment, and even if they agree, it can take several more weeks for them to carry out the assessment. If you succeed in getting a statement, then you can ask that the statement names a specific school that your child needs to attend – some schools have resources dedicated to catering for particular special needs. If you don’t succeed in getting a statement, then you still need to make sure, when you are choosing a school, that you ask schools what provision they make for children with special needs. Getting your child into a school with appropriate provision is the most important thing you can do, even if it means moving house.

It’s worth reading another book from Need2Know, called Special Educational Needs – A Parent’s Guide, which has plenty of advice and guidance for parents in this situation. Click here for more details.

Read our review of the book and win a copy in our great giveaway!

Tags: kim thomas, parent's guide to primary school, primary school, primary school a parent's guide
Posted in Education | No Comments »

ReadingZone’s latest book reviews

May 27th, 2010

The Mucker’s Tale
By Joan Lennon
Published by Catnip
ISBN 978-1846470936

In a tiny kingdom high in the mountains lives a boy who works as a ‘mucker’, cleaning the stables of the kingdom’s special flying horses. His dream, though, is to become a wizard. When he helps save the horses from being stolen, his wish is granted and his training as a wizard begins.

Written for newly-confident readers, or for sharing with younger children, this story provides just the right amount of adventure, charm and humour to keep readers involved. Children will also easily identify with the feisty central boy and girl characters.

In a market that is flooded with series, it’s good to see strong stand-alone books like this are still around.

Johnny Swanson
By Eleanor Updale
Published by David Fickling Books
978-0385616423

Johnny Swanson, a schoolboy in the 1930s, turns detective when the town’s retired doctor is murdered and his mother is accused of the crime. There are many serious issues reflected in the novel which glances back to the Great War, explores the consequences of TB outbreaks and reflects on ‘mob mentality’.

However there is also humour. When Johnny applies for an ‘immediate cure’ for his lack of stature from the papers, the advice he gets, ‘Stand on a box’, sets him off on his own business offering advice, for example, ‘Make your money go further?’ – Roll it down the hill.

The novel gives a colourful portrayal of what life might have been like in the years between the wars and reflects issues that many children then would have had to grapple with.

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School’s Out – Friday’s family entertainment round-up, 21/05/10

May 21st, 2010

Read about the latest books, films, recipes and events for kids and parents – everything you’ll need to plan a fun family weekend.

Books for kids

This week’s children’s books recommendations from ReadingZone.

www.ReadingZone.com is for parents and children who want to know more about children’s books and authors with reviews, recommendations, extracts and competitions.

Stunt Bunny Showbiz Sensation
By Tamsyn Murray
Published by Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-1847387271

Harriet Houdini is a dare-devil bunny with attitude! As she settles into life with her new family, she is discovered by the producer of hit TV show Superpets and so starts her career in showbiz as a Stunt Bunny.

Young readers may recognise the ‘X-Factor’–style auditions for the Superpets television show when Harriet is up against a parrot that says ‘Bogies’ and an opera-singing poodle. But Harriet Houdini will face tougher challenges when a magician tries to ‘bunny-nap’ her.

This book has the classic elements of a good story – a mischievous central character, a very grumpy dad, and an evil magician. There are also some great black and white illustrations. Harriet is bound to go far.

The Train Set of Terror
By Ian Ogilvy, illustrated by Chris Mould
Published by OUP
ISBN 978-0192729705

Measles Stubbs is an unlikely hero. He is small, weedy and hasn’t had a bath in years. Even worse for Measles, he’s been sent to live with his horrible guardian Basil Tramplebone.

Unfortunately for Measles, Tramplebone has some unpleasant plans and one or two nasty tricks up his sleeve – beginning with zapping Measles into his toy train set and setting a giant cockroach on his tail….

The Measles stories are written by the actor who used to play the role of television show The Saint. They are well paced with plenty of action and humour to keep both girls and boys enthralled. Look out for others in the Measles series.

Books for parents

Vegetarian Kids’ Cookbook
Roz Denny
Published by Lorenz Books

Vegetarian parents or those who’ve simply got a vegetarian child in the family, will be delighted to hear that this new title from Lorzenz Books has over 50 veggie recipes to cook for kids. Inside there’s plenty of ideas which are quick and simple to prepare and won’t require a special trip to the health food shop for ingredients to make them.

From ‘Party Pizza’ to ‘Bean Burgers’, there are many recipes that will appeal to even the fussiest eaters. There are also plenty of staples that the whole family will enjoy, such as ‘Sheperdess Pie’, which uses beans and mushrooms instead of mince, and ‘Pumpkin and Pistachio Risotto’. And if you’d like to indulge in a spot of baking, there are some lovely treats that kids will enjoy making with you, such as the yummy looking ‘Carrot Cake’ and ‘Blueberry Muffins.’

As well as a good selection of recipes, the book includes a handy introduction which covers various concerns which parents might have if they are catering for a new veggie family member. The chapter also covers the nutritional aspects of a vegetarian diet, and gives hints and tips on how to get the balance right.

All in all this is a fantastic cookbook, with some truly tempting recipes to choose from, which the whole family, whether they’re vegetarian or not, will enjoy.

Family food

Simple to make, lots of fun and packed with veg – these funny tartlets are a great way to get your kids happily eating tomatoes! This recipe is from The British Tomato Growers’ Association; check out their website at www.britishtomatoes.co.uk for more recipes and information.

Funny Face Tartlets

375g packet of ready-rolled puff pastry
4 British Classic tomatoes
8 thick processed cheese slices
1 small egg, beaten
200g/7oz broccoli florets
16 peas

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/ Gas Mark 5. Stamp out 8 discs of pastry to about 3cm (1 inch) larger than the size of the tomatoes and place on baking sheet. Cut out 8 circles of cheese to the same size as the tomatoes and place centrally on top of the pastry. Cut each tomato in half and place, cut side up, onto the cheese.

Using cheese trimmings, cut out mouth shapes and put onto tomatoes. Brush the pastry edge with beaten egg and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into small florets and cook until soft. Transfer the baked tartlets onto serving plates and arrange peas onto the tomatoes for eyes and arrange the broccoli around the top of the tartlets for hair, before serving.

Makes 8

Tomato tips for kids

Finding it hard to get your kids to eat tomatoes? Gerry Hayman from British Tomato Growers’ Association has some advice for parents;

‘We have worked a lot on tomatoes in the diet for youngsters, and one thing we are pretty decided on is that you can’t persuade kids to eat tomatoes by telling them they’re good for them – that’s like giving them medicine. They have to enjoy eating them. Regrettably around 80% of tomatoes eaten here are now imported and many are pretty unpalatable in our view.

There are now a wide range of tomato types grown in the UK however and we find that many youngsters who profess not to like tomatoes do like the cherry and baby plum types now available, if they can be persuaded to try them. My five year old grandson eats them like sweets.

Our research has also established that many of the speciality types grown here, when fully ripe (and ripened on the plant, as we do) also contain much higher levels of nutrients than imported, long-life varieties. See the Miracle Fruit Report on www.britishtomatoes.co.uk”

NB- As with many other types of fruit and veg, make sure you cut your tomatoes up before serving to younger children, as the smaller varieties could possible present a choking hazard.

Cinema

Kids’ films currently showing;

1. Furry Vengeance, PG
2. Robin Hood, 12A
3. Prince of Persia, 12A
4. Street Dance, PG
5. The Tooth Fairy, PG

Family days out – our pick:

What Tai Chi on the Lawn. Back by popular demand, relish a truly unique experience on the lawn of a Victorian country mansion. Enjoy an impressive display from the Bristol School of T’ai Chi and have a go yourself!
When 23 May 2pm – 3pm
Where Tyntesfield(in North Somerset)
Price Normal admission charges apply
Booking Booking not needed.

What Walk London, Spring into Summer Weekend. There are 54 free guided walks taking place across the capital, funded by Transport for London, For times and starting points visit the Walk London website.
When 22 & 23 May
Where London
Price Free
Booking No booking required.

What Birds of Prey. Marvel at birds of prey in flight during the displays at 12.30pm and 3pm, given by our expert falconers from ‘The Hawking Centre’
When 22 & 23 May
Where Bodiam Castle (in East Sussex)
Price Normal admission charges apply
Booking Bodiam Castle, 01580 830196, bodiamcastle@nationaltrust.org.uk

Posted in Entertainment, News, Reviews | No Comments »

Alfie The Werewolf, Full Moon – review

May 18th, 2010

Full Moon
Paul van Loon
Hodder Children’s Books

Alfie was an ordinary little boy, until he found out his true nature on his seventh birthday. Now he carries a dark secret, known only to his eccentric adopted family and his grandfather, Alfie turns into a werewolf every full moon.

All Alfie wants to do is live a normal life, but the beast lurking inside him compels him to run amok in the woods and steal chickens. The School trip to the forest is coming up, but with his brother and protector, Tim, off sick with the flu, Alfie has to look after himself. Surely he’ll be safe, because the full moon isn’t until next week?

Little does he know that a mix up with the calendar means that he could be changing into a wolf in the midst of his school friends, one of whom is the sweet-natured Noura, who Alfie has a soft spot for. Things go from bad to worse as their guide through the forest turns out to be a gun-mad hunter obsessed with shooting wolves.

Paul van Loon does a good job of racking up the tension as Alfie nears the time of transformation from wolf into boy. Can he find a way to disguise the changes he’s going through? How can he slip away from his teachers and school friends? And what of the mysterious boy he meets in the forest?

There’s plenty of peril, but van Loon serves up a good amount of comedy moments too, not least of which is an amusing subplot involving the budding romance of the two teachers. Although Alfie’s predicament is purely in the realms of fantasy, I’m sure many seven to nine-year-olds will relate to his desire to fit in with his friends, the excitement and nervousness of being away from the security of his family on a trip, and the feelings he has for Noura.

Plot twists are thrown in liberally, particularly in the final third of the book as the pace of the narrative increases dramatically when Alfie has to simultaneously deal with his transformation, the stranger in the forest, keeping his secret from Noura, and the attentions of the hunter.

My boys loved it, wanting me to read ‘just one more chapter then we can finish for the night’ (Van Loon does a great job of finishing chapters with real cliff-hangers), and they really felt for Alfie.

Although this is the second book in the Alfie the Werewolf series, we found that it was perfectly possible to read and understand the story and characters without any knowledge of the first story. We’re going to read the other books in the series, the boys are really looking forward to them.

Reviewed by David Evans

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