Keystone Tutors in Brook Green, is one of the country’s foremost tutoring companies. Josh Pull explains what parents can use at home to support their children at primary school.
‘In the primary phase of education it is important that children secure the fundamentals. This truth especially holds for the fundamental topics in English and Maths, without which future academic progress is made significantly more difficult. Experienced primary tutors tell us that they are able to make the most progress when their pupils are expected to work on these fundamentals independently between tutorials.
We recommend starting with some overviews. The new National Curriculum is generally clearer than one might expect. It is full of parent-useful information, for instance spelling recommendations. Local educational guru, Toby Young, has produced a clear-headed guide to the new curriculum, written specifically for parents. And Civitas have produced Core Knowledge textbooks that lay out the – ehm – core knowledge recommended for UK pupils on a year-by-year basis. Check them out online.
Looking at English more closely, the textbooks by Schofield and Sims are affordable, clear and properly sequenced. For English, a great book called “Vocabulary from Classical Roots” by Flowers and Fifer does exactly what you would think and hope best for you child’s education. Bond’s English Books also offer a clear and sequenced programme.
With respect to Maths, Schofield and Sims is again the best place to start. Singapore Maths is a linear, mastery-based approach that has caught the eye of the UK’s Department of Education recently. More Primary Schools are now using its approach, though parents may be interested in buying the books too.’
Keystone Tutors
5 Blythe Mews, W14 0HW
020 76025310
enquiries@keystonetutors.com
www.keystonetutors.com