Author: Nicola

Though we had been expecting the announcement for some time, it was finally confirmed on 24th July that the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Tests (11+) will be postponed this year. The new test dates are as follows: 27th-30thOctober (out of county children)2nd-5th November (children attending Buckinghamshire primary schools and partner schools) The Bucks Grammar Schools (TGBS)informed parents some time ago that they were planning to delay the tests but they had been waiting for the go ahead from the Department for Education (DfE). This permission has now been granted and the DfE have in fact recommended that all grammar school areas delay their 11+...

With the news that many children will not be returning to school until September, some parents are worried that their child’s long-term absence from the classroom will have consequences on their learning. These concerns are not helped by US experts’ suggestions that pupils aged 8 to 14 may return to school with up to 30% learning loss in reading and 50% in maths, whilst younger pupils could be up to a year behind in their learning. These predictions are stark, but they are extrapolations of the typical learning loss seen after the long summer break. In contrast to the summer holidays,...

Caroline Yolland, Counsellor at The Beacon boys’ school in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, advises how to pastorally prepare your children for a possible return to school  From 1 June, many children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 may be finally returning to their school site after 10 weeks of lockdown and learning from home.  However, this return is not as simple as a ‘normal’ return to school after relaxed weeks of holiday enjoyment. During the crisis, many children will have experienced significant changes and challenges, including the abrupt closure of their school sites and a switch to home schooling or...