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.
Best personalised books for children
The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name and The Little Boy Who Lost His Name
(£24.99 and free UK delivery, variable number of pages, Wonderbly).
Two beautifully illustrated books which tell the story of a child who has lost their name and who sets off on a journey to track down the missing letters. Along the way they meet lots of weird, wonderful and wise characters. Each offers the child the first letter of its name. As the sequence of each story is dependent on the name of the child (over 236 illustrations and rhyming stories have been created to cater for every single name), every child receives a perfectly individual book.
For example, if you're giving the book to an Emily, she’ll meet a forgetful Elephant, a rather vain Mermaid, a cold-averse Inuit, a misunderstood Lion and a genial Yeti. Each gives the first letter of their name and – hey presto – EMILY’s name is found!
The Snowman and the Snowdog
(from £24.99, Penwizard.co.uk)
A fantastic festive read, The Snowman and the Snowdog is personalised with your child's name, hairstyle and colour, skin tone and pyjama colour. The beautiful illustrations match the film style perfectly, and your child will love starring in the new classic Snowman story, a perennial Christmas favourite.
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Disney Princess Tales of Friendship
(from £27.99, In the Book)
Short stories starring Princess Tiana from the Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel from Tangled and Pocahontas. The amount of text and personalisation is perfect for new readers, and spotting familiar friends’ names in amongst the castles and ballgowns will offer a great incentive to fluent reading. Different Disney Princess stories and books with a focus on Moana, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and Cars are also available.
Oi! Stop Eating the Roses
(£39, 24 pages, Snapdragon Books)
A magical adventure for boys and girls, Oi! Stop Eating the Roses is packed with personalisation and is handcrafted by two mums in Devon. From the colour of your child’s scooter to their own, inimitable catch-phrases, all the details are expertly woven into the story. Guaranteed to become a repeated-reading choice for bedtime story time!
Personalised Journey With The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book
(£39.99, In the Book)
A personalised story based on Eric Carle's classic picture book, with your child's name featured throughout as they begin their journey into life, making new friends and sampling delicious foods just like the Very Hungry Caterpillar. We love the collage artwork, which mirrors Carle’s iconic pictures.
Alice in Wonderland
(£24.99, Wonderbly)
Follow the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and find yourself in Wonderland with this personalised version of children’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It’s now the story of Abigail’s – or Isabel’s or Katie’s or Tom's – journey through a dreamlike world, and pick your own cover design and personal message.
Peppa Pig Christmas Party
(£24.99, 24 pages, Penwizard.co.uk)
Your child joins the cast of Peppa Pig characters with this series of piggy personalised books – in the Christmas party title they deliver invitations with Peppa and George before before being joined by Suzy Sheep, Danny Dog, Rebecca Rabbit, Pedro Pony, Emily Elephant and Candy Cat for some festive celebrations. Swimming, playgroup and birthday versions are also available, and your child is represented in fantastic Peppa-style illustrations (you specify their hairstyle and colour, skin tone and eye colour) throughout the book.
Night Zookeeper Escape from Conform Prison
(from £18.99, Night Zookeeper)
A very different personalised title where your child can design and draw the hero! Upload a hand-drawn picture or create a character online, then name them and read about their adventures in the book. Written in choose-your-own-adventure style, Night Zookeeper Escape from Conform Prison offers children their first experience of being a published content creator.
The magical journey of…
(£19.90, 30 pages, Unique Editions)
Gorgeous language, artistic illustrations and a fantastical story will transport your child on an unforgettable journey (a friendly genie with magical powers features, too!). Little girls will be transformed into princesses and mermaids; boys will become pirates and knights. Photographs of your child power their imagination, and you can even choose different languages for the text.
The Penguin Party
(From £19.99, Annabee's Books)
The Penguin Party is set on a magical island where a group of Rockhopper penguins throw a wonderful party to celebrate your child’s arrival into the world and offer them a series of special gifts – values like gratitude, forgiveness and self-worth that will help them understand the world and their own place in it. We love the inclusive personalisation options you can choose from: as well as a selection of hair styles and skin colours your child's book can reflect their family and culture perfectly by featuring two mums or two dads, for example, and different clothing styles.
The Golden Key
(from £24.99, Bang On Books)
Does your child love pirate tales and dream of swashbuckling adventures on the seven seas? Make them the star of their own sea-based voyage with Sailor and his crew, Dog and Parrot, in this 42-page story, packed with vibrant illustrations and including a photo of your child as well as a character version of them. Personalisation is fast and easy – order in seconds!
My Golden Ticket
(from £24.99, Wonderbly)
Step into Willy Wonka's factory with a personalised golden ticket and discover your very own Wonka bar design, personalised Oompa Loompa song and Chief Wonkateer certificate. Packed with intriguing factory maps, technical drawings and packaging designs, this is a Chocolate Factory adventure to pore over – and you can even add a chocolate scent to the pages! The perfect gift for Roald Dahl fans aged 8-12.
My Search-and-Find World Trip
(from £24.99, Librio)
As well as a story to read, your child's Where's ...? book offers a Where's Wally-style trip around the world, finding themselves in illustrations of the Great Barrier Reef, Times Square in New York and loads more. We love the customisable, personalised illustration of your globe-trotting child and the book's puzzle elements, which make it a great choice for 3-7 year olds. Happy travels!
A Child of Two Worlds
(from £19.99, 2WRLDS)
If your child is dual-heritage, help them find out more about both parents' culture, language, favourite foods and national customs with this personalised "passport". Packed with illustrations, doodling activities and chunks of information, A Child of Two Worlds is a great way for children with parents from different countries to explore their rich identities.
