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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Expert tips on settling your child into school

Girl in uniform with backpack
Antonia Chitty, author of ‘What To Do When Your Child Hates School’, gives her best advice on settling your child at school.

The early days at school can be stressful for parents and children. Don't despair – there are things you can do to make it easier. Try these six quick tips:

1. Start by chatting about school in general terms. Point out other children on their way to school and read stories about going to school. Your local library will have some if you ask the children’s librarian.

2. Next, get your child involved in choosing their uniform. Take the opportunity to ask them open questions about school – you might get some interesting insights into their hopes and fears.

3. Practise getting the uniform off and on, so that your child can cope when changing for sports. Choose clothes and shoes with simple fastenings.

4. Many children are worried about school lunches. Ask for the menu in advance and talk about how fun it will be eating with your child’s new friends. If your child has packed lunches, pack them together.

5. Most schools settle new children into Reception gradually, offering short days or mornings to start. If you feel your child won’t keep up with the schedule offered, ask the school if you can collect them early.

6. Get to know your child’s teacher well right from the beginning, and let them know if there are any issues that are worrying you.

Dealing with separation anxiety

If your child struggles when you try to leave them at school, there are a couple of options. The simplest one – which may be toughest – is to say goodbye firmly and cheerfully and leave your child at school as planned. The majority of four and five year olds will settle within minutes. You can phone the school later to check.
 
If after the first few days or weeks your child still isn’t happy at being left at school, make an appointment to talk to the teacher. She may have a range of strategies to suggest. For example, some parents and children find it helpful if the parent stays for longer in the mornings.
 
As well as talking to the teacher, listen to your child. When my daughter started school I’d ask her a couple of questions after each session, “What was good at school today?” and “Was there anything not so good about school?” If you find the same issues are coming up every day, mention them to the teacher.

Help for the youngest in the year

Some children are just not ready to start school with their peers. Many local authorities now offer part time nursery places for children from three and Reception places after their fourth birthday. If all children start in September, some of those with summer birthdays may find it hard to keep up. 
 
If you have concerns about your child’s readiness for school, it’s still important to fill in school application forms at the same time as everyone else. Once you have been offered a place, request that your child starts later in the school year, and the local authority should keep their place open for them. Ask for this to be confirmed in writing, and remember that children must start education the term after their fifth birthday.
 
What to Do When Your Child Hates School by Antonia Chitty is published by White Ladder Press, £9.99.