Capable Child

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note. This well know Edward Lear poem is quintessentially English, outrageously silly and also, so it turns out, brilliant for a family theatre show. The Old Rep Theatre 45 Station Street Birmingham http://www.oldreptheatre.co.uk As soon as we entered the theatre, we had the opportunity to meet Owly-cat who was greeting the children as they waited for the show to begin. She remained our favourite character and the story revolved around her trying to find out why she was part-owl and part-cat. We all laughed a lot as we watched the show. The funniest character was the pig who wanted his nose-ring back, which, according to the poem, one of his ancestors had sold for a shilling. The pig was, in fact, a clever puppet operated by one of the actors on stage. The show took us into the weird and wonderful world of Edward Lear...

What is The Phonics Screening Check? Year One children in state schools are tested on their phonics knowledge by being asked to read forty words out loud. Half of the words are real words and the other half are ‘alien words.’ All of the words can be sounded out using phonics sounds. Children are told when they are reading real words or ‘alien words’ such as vay or quish. When does it happen? Children will be tested at some point between Monday 11 th June and Friday 15 th June. Any children absent during that week can be tested the week after. Will my child be aware of the check? Schools try their best to keep the check very low key. Most children will be unaware that they are being tested. They are likely to be asked to go to a quiet area with a teacher that they know and read some words. Year One children all over the country will already have been doing this for the last few months as part of preparations for the check. What’s the pass mark? For t...