Pearson Schools Blog

There are two high-frequency themes that arise in the engagement of parents/guardians in the development of reading at home: reaching those that you really, really want to reach; and moving others away from thinking that listening to their child read more challenging words is the goal. This latter has a related issue: once the child can read independently, there can be a perception that no more parent-level engagement is required – and we’ll come back to that.

Who do we see in the imagined worlds of literature – do we see ourselves, and do we see others? 

Stop. Just stop whatever you are doing and go and have a look at the book corner in Year 5. What does it look like? What does it tell you about the reading culture in your school? What do the children think of it? Do they want to grab a book? Do they want to immerse themselves in a new world, a new dimension or a story about someone just like them? 

The chicken or the egg. What comes first, reading or writing? In this blog Ben Connor discusses how reading supports successful writing.

Has representation gone far enough? The short answer to that question is no, there’s a way to go yet. Progress has been made, and the issue of representation is firmly on the agenda, but the generally accepted concepts of reality, which are represented in children’s books, need to continue being pushed. The value lies not only in reflecting everyone’s reality, but in the opportunities for natural, explorative, curious dialogue that those representations provide – useful for those children who may need a voice, but also for widening children’s perspectives and understanding more generally. 

It’s said that a picture paints a thousand words and Art Director, Kate Johnson, couldn’t agree more. Kate shares her perspective on the importance of imagery and how you can support pupils to build literacy skills in a creative (and colourful) way.

Angela Hopkins, Head of Contracted Assessments and Research at NFER, looks at the rise of Computer Adaptive Assessment.

Louise Bailey, Researcher at NFER, explores the benefits and challenges of computer-based assessment.

Kate Henshall, Primary Maths Advisor at Trinity MAT, adds to our Role and Value of Assessments blog by reviewing diagnostic assessments.