6 ways to help your child develop early reading skills

The World Literacy Foundation suggests that 'Parents should encourage early reading habits in their children because a learned child can have a bright future and make an impact on society as they grow.' They cite 7 benefits of early reading:

1. Brain development
2. Early vocabulary development
3. Improved reading 
4. Better writing
5. Better communication
6. Creating a hobby
7. Professional..

Secondary Weekly Highlights: Mindful versus Mind Full 🧐🧠📝

At a time when young people are being over-stimulated by screens, the process of examinations and just being a teenager, they are in danger of being overloaded satiated and stressed out! Mindfulness can be a tool that helps young people - all people - find calm in the present, regulate their emotions, self regulate their thoughts and actions and develop compassion for..

Parent workshops Term 2 - Register now!

Our parent workshops are designed to help support your role at home as well as our role at school and we are delighted to share with you this term's programme. The workshops will be face-to-face at our EP campus, meaning we need to manage numbers carefully so places will be limited due to SOPs. If you have signed up and are unable to attend, let us know so we can free up the..

Parent workshops - register now!

Our parent workshops are designed to help support your role at home as well as our role at school. While we are not able yet to bring parents back on campus we will be delivering some of the most popular talks via Zoom over the next few weeks. Here's a selection of the ones you can look forward from the Secondary campus. Don't forget to use the link to sign up!

Parent..

Six ways to help your child develop early maths skills

1. Counting: Understanding numbers will help children in all areas of maths. When children hear adults counting, using numbers and talking about quantity it develops their..

Parent Workshops and Learning Power

During a 'normal' term we are delighted to offer parents a wide range of workshops to help support their role at home as well as our role at school. These workshops run most weeks during 'normal' term time and cover a wide range of subjects.

Some workshops will be age and year group specific, such 'Transition Meetings' for Year 6 parents or 'Early Reading' for Reception..

How to Reduce the Stress of "Homeschooling"

Here's the second of our new posts from the Secondary School Counselling Team with more tips and strategies to help us move from surviving to thriving during these challenging times. Read on to find out about e.S.O.S. - empathy, Simplify, Observe and Structure.

How to Reduce the Stress of "Homeschooling" on Everyone

With school closures in effect, many parents find..

Play is essential

Play is an essential part of every child’s life. During the weeks of lockdown and partial lockdown, play has been particularly important for emotional regulation and the movement in and out of stress states.

It is a joy to be hidden, but a disaster not to be found - D.W. Winnicott

It is not always easy as a parent to sit and engage in uninterrupted play or to connect with our..

The Hot Chocolate (or Milo) Method

Who'd have guessed that one of our favourite drinks can also help calm our children down! Read on to find out more about the 'Hot Chocolate Method' from Dan, our Primary Counsellor.

When children are in the grip of anxiety or anger, we often respond to the cognitive-thinking brain first with rational information such as, ‘there’s nothing to worry about’ or ‘calm down!’

This..

The rollercoaster of life during the MCO

Our Counselling Team at the Secondary School, Mr Ahmed, Ms Lee and Mr Slade, have written a couple of articles to help us make sense of what’s happening and how we’re feeling, with some tips and strategies to help us move from surviving to thriving during these challenging times.

The rollercoaster of life during the MCO and trying to make sense of it

Adjusting to life under..

Spinach is a Superfood!

Student welfare is at the heart of everything we do. We care passionately about individual students and know that happy, healthy, resilient and self-assured students learn better and have more successful lives. That's why 'Happy and Healthy' is one of our KLASS Learner attributes and that includes making great food choices. 

May would have seen one of our special themed days..

Easter Baking

Looking for something to do in the holidays? While not try some of our traditional Easter recipes? Don't forget to tweet us your baking pictures @AliceSmithSch Or send us a new recipe to try!

Easter Millionaire's Shortcake

To make 12 large pieces you will need

For the base:

• 150g plain flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 150g cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tsp..

Even more great resources!

As we enter our third and final week of distance learning before the term break here's another batch of great resources and content to help you get through the MCO.

More Useful Resources

Last week Dan Lawrence, our Primary School Counsellor, shared a list of 'Useful Resources'. Here Dan offers us a few thoughts and updates with even more great content to keep us on track during these difficult times.

"I hope that the first few days at home have gone smoothly enough, despite the inevitable stresses and strains of being suddenly thrown together in a contained..

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”

In today's 'Thought for the Day", Dan Lawrence, our Primary School Counsellor, looks at how we can approach our fear in these uncertain times.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

This much-repeated quote has perhaps lost something of its context as time passes and since first uttered by President Roosevelt during World War II. And yet I..

Some useful resources

"Like it or not, we live in interesting times." Robert F. Kennedy, 1966

Our school campuses are now both closed until the Easter term break commencing on Friday 3 April. Our staff are working hard to deliver teaching to our students through distance learning and online resources but none of us are used to this situation.

To help us through this potentially difficult time, Dan..

Eight ways to help your child revise

How to Raise Kids Who Are Global Citizens: Alice Smith School

Children who are truly global citizens are aware of and understand the world and all of its complexities. They are the ones who look for ways they can help, work with others and stand up and use their voice for the betterment of the world. 

Global citizens are those who fight for universal equality and sustainability. 

In order to become a successful leader of tomorrow, one..

Letting Your Child Lose: Benefits of Natural Consequences

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.”

— J.K. Rowling

Competition is prevalent in a child’s life from a young age. From playing games with their friends to competing on a sports team to writing a test in school, the notion of winning or..

Family Dinner Table Conversation - how’s it going?

Adapted from an article by Tamsin Kelly

Community and connecting are frequently talking and learning points for us in school. This week’s feature article is from Mr David Slade, our Vice Principal for Achievement and Progression, and looks at different ways to connect with our children at home in their teenage (and other!) years.

Teenagers are more likely to get five good..