Blog | Wilbur and Flops

Rachel

Nov 296 min read

When there's no elf on the shelf...

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” The cakes and mince pies may have been made for a couple of months now (or in the shops if,...

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Rachel

Oct 64 min read

Our Top Bedtime Stories This Autumn

Books for the lower-mid primary years, mid-upper primary years and a wish list to start your Christmas stories collection for this year!...

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SENCo CPD: A lot about a little or a little about a lot?

Rachel

Aug 257 min read

SENCo CPD: A lot about a little or a little about a lot?

To be a good Primary SENCo do you need to know a lot about a little or a little about a lot? This blog was written for Positive Young...

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Rachel

Aug 77 min read

Local Blog Post: Deer Shed Festival

Review commissioned for Ryedale and Thirsk Mumbler, July 2024. The short version: Well organised, great food, good bands, funny comedians...

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VAT on Independent School Fees - is there a way round it?

Rachel

Aug 68 min read

VAT on Independent School Fees - is there a way round it?

Does having an EHCP mean we can avoid paying VAT on school fees? One of the key changes to education proposed by the new Labour...

225 views0 comments

School's out! Top tips to get a head start in the next year in primary school...

Rachel

Jul 1911 min read

School's out! Top tips to get a head start in the next year in primary school...

School's almost out for summer in the UK. Parents have done the last pile of ironing and started throwing away the old shirts, t-shirts...

38 views0 comments

Rachel

Jun 83 min read

What is the Phonic Screening Check?

Alien words - love them or hate them? Why do they exist? In 2012, the Phonic Screening Check was introduced to primary schools for pupils...

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Rachel

Jun 15 min read

Do we need to learn times tables?

With the national Multiplication Tables Check taking place in June for children in year 4 (ages 8-9), we might question the requirement...

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Five little steps to support children’s social, emotional and mental health in a world of big pressures

Rachel

Apr 216 min read

Five little steps to support children’s social, emotional and mental health in a world of big pressures

Written for Positive Young Minds, April 2024: https://positiveyoungmind.com/five-little-steps/ The number of pupils experiencing...

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Local Blog Post: Northallerton, North Yorkshire

Rachel

Apr 215 min read

Local Blog Post: Northallerton, North Yorkshire

‘Discover Northallerton’ through an augmented reality tour! Now there’s a new way to take a look into the past as you explore North...

2 views0 comments

Rachel

Feb 188 min read

The Power of Audiobooks for Children

If there's one small thing a parent or carer can do to help their baby's literacy in future years, it is to provide access to lots of...

146 views0 comments

The Night Before Christmas - with a modern twist!

Rachel

Jan 33 min read

The Night Before Christmas - with a modern twist!

My Grandad was great at creating little rhymes. One of his favourites was 'Rachel 'surname' is no good. Chop her up for firewood!' He...

10 views0 comments

Rachel

Oct 16, 20238 min read

Disneyland Paris - on a budget!

A last-minute trip to Disneyland, on a budget? That's not possible, surely? It was! I usually write about supporting learning, reading,...

1,308 views0 comments

Handwriting hints for supporting young writers

Rachel

May 12, 20236 min read

Handwriting hints for supporting young writers

When I was at primary school, we spent a long time practising handwriting. When I was a new teacher, if children were writing sentences...

91 views0 comments

What are the 'common exception words' that children are learning at primary school?

Rachel

Jan 2, 20236 min read

What are the 'common exception words' that children are learning at primary school?

If you have a child in primary school, you may have heard them talking about the common exception words, tricky words or exception words,...

169 views0 comments

How can we help children to be good spellers? (With or without school spelling tests!)

Rachel

May 30, 20226 min read

How can we help children to be good spellers? (With or without school spelling tests!)

School spelling tests: love them or hate them? Do you remember spelling tests at school? I'm not really sure I do but for some families,...

364 views0 comments

Should parents be worried about Key Stage 1 SATs?

Rachel

Feb 21, 20227 min read

Should parents be worried about Key Stage 1 SATs?

If you have a child in Year 2 at primary school, you may have lots of questions about Key Stage 1 SATs (Standard Attainment Tests) and...

209 views0 comments

It's never too early to start writing to Father Christmas!

Rachel

Nov 20, 20215 min read

It's never too early to start writing to Father Christmas!

It's that time of year again when the Christmas ads appear, lights begin to twinkle, and people we meet ask our children what they would...

44 views0 comments

Why go to a Wilbur and Flops preschool class?

Rachel

Oct 20, 20213 min read

Why go to a Wilbur and Flops preschool class?

Wilbur and Flops classes are no longer running but some of the information in this post might be useful for parents and early educators. ...

26 views0 comments

Rachel

Jun 7, 20212 min read

Good buys for developing readers

As parents and carers, a key responsibility we have is to pave the way for reading, even if we are not keen readers ourselves. Recently,...

435 views0 comments