When I first blogged about the reading complexity of solving mathematical problems, I did not imagine that I would return to this topic: but my latest tutoring session has lifted this issue to the surface. Why? Because if reading comprehension remains the crucial key to solving mathematical problems, and therefore passing exams; then the reading…

Language – as written words! When we open the reading box – what lies inside? At my tutoring session with a 19 year old student I have known for many years, the focus was – language. This young man has Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD), and although his use of English is good, he needs help…

‘I taught my kids to read by the age of two,’ a friend of mine said recently. ‘How?’ I asked her. She related to me how the use of Ladybird books had helped her, as a young parent, to teach her child to read; in an age that now seems a lifetime ago. Fifty years?…

A Panorama programme (BBC1,17th March 2025) has highlighted the negative aftermath of Covid 19 on children currently at their Early Years Foundation Stage of education (EYFS): suggesting that, five years on from lockdowns, a significant proportion are not ‘school ready’. In addition, a  considerable number of these children do not have English as their first…

The SEND system in our schools is governed by legal frameworks such as: The Equality Act 2010, Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice. Schools are therefore required to meet children’s individual needs through tailored approaches and resources. The key word here is ‘individual’. Children with SEND do not all belong…