Week one: Staying positive

“We should talk about learning new things in mathematics or developing confidence in reading, rather than the scores children are getting. If we focus our energy on children’s learning, the tests scores will take care of themselves.”

Hello, I’m James Clements. For ten years, I worked as a teacher and deputy head at a successful primary school in West London. For seven of those years I taught Year 6. As well as making sure the children I taught achieved their very best, a big part of my job was working with parents so that they could help their children in the final year of primary school. I’m also the parent of two small children.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to share some advice about how you can help your child to do their very best in the KS2 national tests and how these assessments can be approached so that they’re a positive experience for everyone involved.

A positive way to approach the tests

However we might feel about tests in primary school, it makes sense to approach them in a positive way with the children who are going to sit them. As a Year 6 teacher, these were the key messages I would try to share with the children and parents each year:

1. We should concentrate on skills and knowledge, rather than the tests themselves.

For one week in May, Year 6 children will be tested on their reading, mathematics, and grammar, punctuation and spelling. They’ll also have the standard of their writing assessed by teachers. This doesn’t give us a definitive answer about how good a child is at a particular subject or how good they’ll continue to be at it. It doesn’t tell us how accomplished they are in other important areas of the curriculum such as art, sport or music. What it gives is a snapshot of where the children are in these core areas of the curriculum on that particular day.

While we want children to do their best in the SATs, what is more important is whether they can do all of the things the tests are there to assess: do they have the skills and knowledge of English or maths that underpin the tests? As teachers and parents we should focus our efforts on improving children’s learning rather than simply the scores in the tests. We should talk about learning new things in mathematics or developing confidence in reading, rather than the scores children are getting. If we focus our energy on children’s learning, the tests scores will take care of themselves.

2. Children are not in competition with each other, but are trying to make progress from their own past performance.

One of the best things about being a Year 6 teacher is watching children become aware of the progress they are making in their learning. As children learn to do things they couldn’t do before or become faster or more efficient at something, it gives them a real sense of achievement. This sense of moving forward is a great feeling for children to have, especially as they set off for secondary school. I’ve found that it’s helpful to remind children that they’re not in competition with each other – all children have different aptitudes and begin the year from different starting points. Instead we want them to improve on their own performance, trying to learn new things and get better all the time.

3. SATs can provide an opportunity to prepare for secondary school.

As well as a chance to make sure all of the key knowledge is in place ready for secondary school, if approached positively, the national tests can help children to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from working hard at something. Revising gives them the chance to return to any areas of the curriculum they might not have understood at the time. Working towards a target can also help to establish good study habits that will be useful to them at secondary school as they become increasingly independent.

In my Year 6 classroom we didn’t talk about ‘passing the SATs’ or ‘doing well in the tests’; we talked about learning new things and being ready for secondary school, a much more important focus.

Supporting the process as a parent

Anything we can do to help our children to make progress in their learning and see themselves as successful learners is going to hold them in good stead, both in the tests themselves and later at secondary school. The first steps in helping them might be:

1. Learning about the KS2 national tests and assessments.

You can find out more about the content of the tests on Oxford Owl, including support withÌęgrammar, punctuation and spellingÌęČčČÔ»ćÌęmathematics. The Department for Education has produced someÌęÌęthat explain the national tests.

2. Find out the areas of the curriculum in which your child feels confident and where they feel they might need some extra support.

If you haven’t already, you might also want to talk to their class teacher about your child’s progress and how they think you could best support them. It makes sense for the child, parent and school to be working together towards the same aims.

More tips from Oxford Owl

• KS2 SATs advice and help for parents: more detail about each of the tests and tips on supporting your child
• ”ț°ùŽÇ·ÉČő±đÌęBond SATs Skills workbooks and flashcards

Three years ago, my 8 year old daughter came home from school in tears. Between her sobs, I learned that she had been told that her overzealous use of glue stick meant that her kids would die in 2050. As a climate change communicator for over a decade, I realised how urgently our young people needed more support with the climate emergency.

Over the past few years, climate change has become increasingly prominent, with warnings in the news, school strikes, posters warning of a countdown to extinction
 While many UK children, and adults, could until relatively recently hide or be protected from the truth of what we face, this is changing, particularly with increased access to media and smart devices.

Climate anxiety is on the rise, with almost half of young people worldwide in a 2021 survey saying that eco-anxiety negatively impacts their everyday life. Climate education remains largely absent from our schools and children are increasingly seeking answers.

And so, it falls to adults like you and me (parents, carers, teachers, scout leaders
) to think carefully about how we engage our children and have the important conversations which will prepare them to survive and thrive.

It can be hard to do this well, and very easy to cause extra anxiety. So, what have I learnt in the last three years about how we should engage, in a way that is honest, but also safe and empowering?

Start with yourself and put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.

Psychotherapist Jo McAndrews describes children as our Bluetooth speaker: whatever state we are in, children are likely to pick up on and amplify it. When we are in an ungrounded state, we find it harder to respond to situations in the clear-headed, creative, and sensitive way that a good climate conversation requires. Creating emotional connection with others is key to discussing difficult things, and to be able to connect effectively, we need to be in a calm and grounded state.

Ways to start:

• • Find ways to look after your own emotional wellbeing, get the support you need and ‘build a village’ of supportive others around you. This might be other parents/carers/teachers in your community, or you might look to wider established networks, like .
  • Find good sources of information to have at your fingertips; you will inevitably be asked questions you cannot answer. Check out , a website created by a nonpartisan group of climate scientists and mothers.
  • And importantly, think through what action you want to take yourself to tackle the climate crisis, so you don’t project your own need to do something onto the young people looking to you for guidance.

If you need professional support, many therapists are aware of eco-anxiety and groups like the offer tailored support.

For under 7s, you don’t need to mention climate change.

Climate Change is a complex idea. Instead, focus on nurturing young children’s innate biophilia, encouraging a love of the natural world around them and lay the important groundwork.

Jump in puddles, feed ducks, make rainbows, collect autumn leaves.

Starting tips:

• • Use books and music to introduce, normalise and inspire. Stories don’t have to be overtly environmental in theme; one of my personal favourites is Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Ugly Five, which teaches the intrinsic value of the world’s less beautiful beasts. In Clean Up!, by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola, we meet feisty and loveable Rocket as she pulls a community together to clean up the litter-strewn island where her grandparents live.Ìę For a list of books which feature lead characters from diverse ethnic backgrounds, key to building the inclusive environmental movement of the future, see . Favourite music includes the songs of and anything by Australian ‘ecological edutainment’ trio, . Make it fun, by having a dance!
  • Lead by example and explain your actions. Small children notice our everyday actions, and we can add to their learning by taking the time to verbalise our intentions. Talk about why you put things in the recycling bin or leave the autumn leaves on the ground in the garden.
  • Start proactively building the skills children will need as they grow up. Build trust, interpersonal skills, emotional literacy. Start with .

For 7-11s, a good message is that ‘lots of adults are working on it, but if you want to help, here are some ideas for how you can’.

As children get older, they are much more likely to start encountering the idea and language of climate change. We cannot protect them from it, but we can accompany them and help them find their own way and build their resilience.

Starting tips:

• • When supporting their learning about the environment, start with what they know already, and build basic knowledge from there.
  • Offer a variety of actions that are relevant to their everyday lives. You can find six areas of action, with accessible and concrete ideas in the . Make sure you also ask THEM for their ideas. They’ll have great ones and be much more engaged if action comes from them.
  • Use the power of stories from all over the world; borrow stories from other struggles of how people overcame great odds. And ask them how they think the story should end. A few books to try include:

1. 1. 1. Dr Mya-Rose Craig’s We have a dream: 30 stories of young indigenous people and people of colour around the world taking action to protect the planet
      2. Tim Allman & Nick Shepherd’s Max takes a stand: the accessible and light-hearted fictional tale of Max, who wakes up one morning and realises BIG CHANGE is needed right now
      3. Georgina Stevens’s Stella and the Seagull: a picture book about one small girl’s campaign to clean up the beach.

• • Emphasise the importance of talking about how they feel, to enable the processing of emotions, and let them know that all feelings are welcome, however messy, contradictory, and changeable they may be. There are a range of tools you can use to encourage and enable emotional literacy, including emotions cards and ‘the anger iceberg’, and modelling this yourself can really help.
  • Be honest and open. Relationships built on trust are key to building resilience in young people. At the same time, it’s important to be mindful of what you expose them to and try to keep information to what they need to know.
  • Emphasise it is okay not to have all the answers, and that it is okay if they don’t want to take action or join the youth strike. Show them how to search for reliable information.

A couple of closing thoughts

It’s OK to get it wrong. None of us will get it right all the time but taking the time to think about how you engage is a great first step.

Don’t go it alone. Having a supportive network to draw on, and for any child to draw on, is priceless.

Google is your friend. Keep learning and accept you will not have all the answers.

Good parenting and teaching is activism.Ìę You do not need to be engaging in any formal climate activism to be doing important work. Building strong and supportive connections matters, and as Jo McAndrews says, just holding a baby is contributing to a better future.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF. The climate crisis is scary, and this is a hard time to care for children. Any engagement with others will be far more effective if you are looking after your own needs too.

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Avoid the Christmas holiday slump with our top tips for keeping you and your family active over the festive season.

We’re probably all familiar with a slump in mood during the Christmas holidays, but did you know Christmas fatigue and the January doldrums are actual real things, driven by hormones? The highs and lows of Christmas preparation, anticipation and participation generate powerful hormones which play an important part in mood and can suppress our immune system. Being tired can affect our confidence, happiness, perspective and ability to focus. Help your children (and yourself) avoid Christmas fatigue and the impending January doldrums to arrive back at school focused and ready for a positive start to the New Year.

This article was first published in 2016 and has been amended to include covid-safe activities.

1. Keep gently busy

• Involve the children in planning, preparing and clearing up after your meals and holiday activities. They’ll feel useful and enjoy working together.
• Ask the kids to organise a family film afternoon – choose the film, agree a time, arrange the room and prepare snacks.
• Build a fort, rocket or out of discarded packaging.
• Ask the children to pick out a couple of toys and books they no longer use (as they make room for their new presents) and take them to the local charity donation point.
• For more inspiration, take a look at the fun activity ideas on our Christmas activity pages.

2. Have a rest

Don’t shy away from a quick power nap during the festive season! Even if your children left afternoon naps behind years ago, some quiet time on their beds with a comic, puzzle or book (no screens) can help rebalance energy levels after a string of late nights. Curling up with the kids and a good book can feel like a real treat.

3. Get moving

Even just five minutes outside in the garden, doing the recycling, or feeding the birds each morning can have a positive impact on energy levels. Follow up with 30 minutes gentle exercise (a walk, scavenger hunt or run) later in the day to release those feel-good endorphins that improve your mood.

4. Get out and get exploring

There are lots of free outdoor activities you can do, local tier guidelines permitting. Create a scavenger hunt, take a walk through the park, woods or along the beach. Remember to socially distance from any other people who have had the same idea.
Watch this video for ideas on how to sneak some learning into a family walk.

5. Organise some family fun

• Organise a virtual family quiz, and involve family members you wouldn’t usually get to see at Christmas.
• Have a family game of to inspire creativity and humour.
• Build a reading den, do some baking, or create your own musical instruments and share some music.

6. Other golden rules to avoid fatigue

• Keep hydrated. It can be difficult, but make sure everyone’s drinking water through the day.
• Get some fresh air – feed the ducks, challenge each other to a race in the park.
• Eat breakfast. Try to include protein in the form of milk, eggs or yoghurt.
• Keep regular sleep patterns – try not to let the kids have more than a couple of really late nights in a row.
• Have a really, really good stretch!

More from Oxford Owl

• • Fun learning ideas for 0–3-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 4-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 5-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 6-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 7-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 8-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 9-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 10-year-olds
  • Fun learning ideas for 11-year-olds

Last year’s 51șÚÁÏÍű report, , looked at why so many children start secondary school without the word skills they need, and how to solve this problem. It reported that students with a limited vocabulary – or word gap – struggle to understand what is being taught at school and that this can mean they do less well in exams. This can affect their job prospects in the future and can also damage their confidence and sense of wellbeing.

At secondary school students face up to four times as much language as they did at primary school. While new words which are part of the subject being taught (such as maths or science terms) are explained by teachers, it is the general academic vocabulary – sometimes referred to as Tier 2 vocabulary – which is trickier. This is a general background vocabulary often used in educational settings and in many workplaces. Adults working in these environments instinctively use this type of vocabulary, often assuming that young people understand more of it than they do.

In the report, OUP asked leading educational experts and teachers to share their ideas for ways to help students at this crucial transition time. It also highlights how parents and carers can help build up their children’s vocabulary to make the move from primary to secondary school that bit easier. Here are some ideas to try at home:

1. Talk to each other

The more talking we do with children at home, the more language and vocabulary they come across. Encourage lively conversations about things that interest them, what is going on in their world, and in the world around us. Try watching a documentary together or listen to the news in the car, or point out a newspaper headline and then encourage them to express their opinions and ideas about it. Even if you disagree, let them speak and show that you appreciate hearing their views!

2. Try using different words

One way to expose your child to more general academic vocabulary is to try to use it yourself. For example, instead of, ‘Tell me what you think’, try ‘Can you explain your opinion?’ Instead of saying ‘I don’t know why’, say ‘I’m uncertain of the reason’.

While you don’t want to sound like a dictionary, using different words from time to time will help embed them into your child’s own vocabulary and make the language of secondary education less daunting.

Here are some everyday words with their alternatives to try using instead:

• next to/adjacent
• the same as/equivalent
• mistake/error
• facts/evidence
• look into/examine
• tidy/organize
• suggest/imply
• show/indicate
• think about/consider

Good luck!

3. Encourage reading

Reading is brilliant because it introduces far more words than we ever use in general conversation. The key is finding something to read that is interesting. Try giving your child different books or magazines, borrow library books, or friends’ books, or send them links to online articles, websites and blogs. Make sure they have a bit of time and space to read at home and it really helps if you show how much you like reading too.

4. Support your school’s efforts to increase students’ confidence with vocabulary and language

Take an interest in your child’s homework and try to help with tasks such as spellings or looking up definitions. Having a dictionary and a thesaurus at home will make it easier for both of you when unfamiliar words come up. If you need help in finding resources at a suitable level, use the age filters on Oxford Owl’s dictionary book finder.

5. Show them how to work out what new words mean

Encourage your child to enjoy the challenge of unfamiliar words. When you come across a new word being used, talk about what it might mean together. Share your thinking – what is the rest of the sentence about? What is the topic? Are there any other clues you can pick up to help you work out the meaning, or at least to gain the gist of the meaning?

It’s worth remembering that some words have different meanings in different contexts. For example, a ‘solution’ to a problem is very different from making a ‘solution’ by dissolving something in a liquid!

6. Talk about different types of language

Talk about how we use certain types of language when we are in different situations. Your child probably uses particular words with their friends that you won’t understand and sharing these can be fun. Point out the formal language used by news reporters and in documentaries, and the informal, conversational language used in dramas. Students who learn to ‘code switch’ between different styles of language will find it easier to fit into different working and social environments.

Moving from primary school to secondary school can be daunting and it’s easy for children (and parents!) to feel out of their depth sometimes. Trying any of these ideas will help to build your child’s confidence with words and even the most everyday conversations can make all the difference!

More vocabulary and reading support from Oxford Owl

• Blog: Why the word gap matters: information about OUP’s 2018 report and what you can do at home to close the word gap.
• Blog: Building a strong vocabulary: tips and ideas from headteacher Tracey Smith.
• Blog: The wonder of words: how learning new words can help your child.
• Activity sheets: free activities from Oxford Children’s Dictionaries.
• Reading comprehension: how to help your child understand what they’re reading.
• Bookfinder: Oxford Children’s Dictionaries: find an age-appropriate dictionary or thesaurus for your child.
• Bookfinder: Oxford Children’s Fiction: our children’s fiction range has been created to inspire a life-long love of reading.

Books from 51șÚÁÏÍű

Browse more language books in our bookshop.