When your child starts school they won't be able to write much more than their name. Seven years later they will read fluently, write in paragraphs and have a unique but (hopefully!) legible handwriting style.
Find out what your child will learn in EYFS English, KS1 English and KS2 English in this section, plus find lots of advice and worksheets to help you support your child's reading and writing at home. And our worksheets, games and activities will boost your child's confidence and cover phonics, grammar, spelling and comprehension. There also a unique Handwriting Learning Journey programme to discover.
Articles
Primary literacy glossary for parents
From adjectives to writing frames, TheSchoolRun's primary-school literacy glossary offers a complete guide to all the concepts children are taught in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 English. Brush up on your own literacy skills, clear up homework confusion and understand exactly what your child is learning at school by reading our basic definitions (with links to more detailed explanations, teachers' tips and examples).
Handwriting practice makes perfect
Why is handwriting practice so important, and how can you help your child to learn? Find out in our guide.
What is a word bank?
Word banks are useful tools to help improve children's writing in KS1 and KS2. Find out how to create one at home and make expanding vocabulary a whole-family project!
Worksheets
Handwriting practice: joined-up alphabet
Your step-by-step guide to the joined-up alphabet, with worksheets for every letter. Whether your child is new to cursive writing or needs to improve their joined-up style these worksheets will take them through every join and shape to help boost their confidence and ability.
My very first spelling test
Spelling isn’t usually tested in Reception, but your child might really like the idea of doing a ‘grown-up spelling test’ (especially if they’ve seen an older sibling prepare for spelling tests!).
Reading comprehension: An argument for zoos
A zoos a good place for animals to live or not. Here is an argument for zoos. Read it and see if you agree with the writer's viewpoint or not.
Also see:
There are six English Progress checks, one for each school year, including questions on the areas of learning that your child will be covering in literacy during each school term. Just get your child to take the test, then check the answers we provide and you'll see straight away if your child has grasped each of these learning skills.
English Booster packs
Check out our English Booster packs – there is one for each school year – and give your child the chance to revise all the main literacy topics for their current school year. Filled with wordsearches, memory games, word bingo, crosswords and more, each pack is bursting with fun activities to boost literacy skills.
Literacy Homework Helper covers the ins and outs of reading, writing and spelling as they are taught in the primary national curriculum. Whether you are trying to help with a specific piece of homework, your child has a problem with a topic they’ve covered at school, or you just want to give an extra boost at home to their literacy learning, this resource is designed for you to be able to quickly find relevant information for you and practical ideas and activities to help your child from Reception to Year 6, under the three distinct umbrellas of reading, writing and spelling.
Why not check out our unique English Learning Journey programme? Every week, the Learning Journey gives you suggestion for English worksheets that, over the course of the school year, will help your child review and master all the core areas of literacy learning that they’ll be taught in the National Curriculum that year… in just a few short at-home sessions each week. As well as an English Learning Journey progamme for each year of primary school, there is also a Handwriting Learning Journey.
