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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.

Parents reveal how they prepared their children for school

Boy writing at desk
Starting school is a major milestone in any child’s (and parent’s) life, and preparing for it can feel like a daunting task. TheSchoolRun’s Amy Schofield looks at ways to prepare your child for school life.

You may feel nervous at the thought of your child entering a place that is full of people bigger than they are and packed with unfamiliar routines, especially if they have spent most of their pre-school time with you.

However, good primary schools understand that it can be an unsettling time in a child’s life. They do all they can to familiarise your child with school before they start.
When both my children started school, their reception teacher visited them at home before the summer holidays, so that the children knew her as a friendly face. She talked to them about the things they liked to do, then asked them to draw her a picture in her book of their favourite activity or toy.
 
Your child’s school will probably arrange for the pre-school children to visit their new classroom once or twice before the summer holidays, which is an excellent way for your child to start to feel confident in the school setting.

What parents can do

It’s a good idea to involve your child in the practical aspects of preparing for school. Take them with you when you go to buy their school uniform and let them choose items themselves, such as their lunchbox or school bag. Speak positively about school, talking about your own good experiences of being at school, perhaps of favourite teachers or favourite playground games.
 
If your child does have fears and is anxious about starting school, let them express those fears, listen, and tell them that they are always loved and supported by you. Reinforce the idea that their school can also be a place where they feel safe, secure and happy.

What did you do?

We asked our TheSchoolRun followers on Twitter for their tips on how they prepared their children for starting school:
 
Pippad – “I gave my daughter a note (in pictures), telling her how much I loved her, a watch so she could see when I would be back, and a bracelet.”
 
Bubblegumbodw – “We read lots of “going to school” themed books and went with friends to collect and take their children to get used to it.”
 
Vmiddleton – “Ask if you can visit the school with your child before classes to get them familiar with the place.”
 
Beccakiwi – “Do something nice for when your wee one gets home – a special dinner or treat etc – until it gets easier for you both.”
 
Brendanixon – “Parents can have separation anxiety too. Best to build up school experience, be positive and let go. Talk after school.”