Layton Education

KS3 books I recommend

Carrying on this recommendation series, here are some great KS3 books!

Books on real life topics:
The Goldfish Boy - a great transition book for Year 7's. It's thought-provoking and discusses topics such as OCD, but also full of adventure and mystery.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - a personal favourite of mine! This book is from the perspective of a boy with autism, and gives a wonderful insight into life for someone with autism.

Thought-provoking topics
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - a reflective and educational autobiography of Anne Frank's experience.
War Horse - a vivid written description of war from a horse's perspective. Not only perfect for animal lovers, but educational for all.

Classics
Animal Farm - a great book for bridging the gap between KS3 and KS4. It discusses politics, equality and rebellion.
The Sign of Four - To be honest, any of the Sherlock series are brilliant! They're packed full of adventure but also allow access to the style of classic literature.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - a great supernatural book for thinking outside the box!

Books for fun:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - a fun book that is a mix of sci-fi and adventure.
Journey to the River Sea - I read this book as a child, and absolutely loved the vivid descriptions. A great book for adventure!
Northern Lights - a fantasy book with lots of adventure.

All about the FREE initial phone consultation!

As part of my tutoring service, I offer a free 30-minute phone consultation before I book in a trial lesson with a new client.

Why do I offer this service?
I find that it's beneficial to both myself and my clients. Firstly, it gives me the opportunity to learn about my potential pupil, discuss their tutoring needs and gain an understanding of their current areas for improvement. This allows me to start planning lessons straight away and put together a long term tutoring map for the client. I can also provide clients with essential information such as the agreement, terms and conditions, payment details and lesson availability.

How does the client benefit?
My favourite thing about a phone consultation is that it works as a two way process. If my client has any questions and queries, or a particular topic they want to discuss, the consultation provides the ideal time and space to do this.

What's the result?
My goal is that you come away from your phone consultation feeling that all relevant areas have been discussed and that you've gained all the information you need to be able to make a decision about booking in that all important tutoring session.

So, if you would like to book an initial phone consultation, please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Terrific Timeline!

This week I am delighted to celebrate that one of my pupils completed a terrific timeline on a chapter of the book we're analysing - The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The pupil paid attention to the important key details, as well as the smaller details in the text. Well done!

KS2 books I highly recommend:

Carrying on from last week, here are some of my KS2 book recommendations!

Books on real life topics:
The Boy at the Back of the Class - a book that highlights the refugee crisis while also sharing the importance of friendship and kindness.
Wonder - a book about a boy with a facial difference and his struggles with growing up in a world that isn't always accepting. It teaches acceptance, understanding and empathy for others.

Classics:
Michael Morpurgo - often covering war themes, Morpurgo's books are thought-provoking and allow pupils to access more difficult themes such as death, separation and suffering.
Roald Dahl - they're famous for a reason! Wonderfully charming and entertaining, most pupils can't resist a Roald Dahl book.
Enid Blyton - a great way to access older vocabulary but still maintain a child-friendly plot full of magic, engaging characters and complex plot lines.
Classics - Charlotte's Web, Black Beauty and Gulliver's Travels are great for introducing classic literature!

For the reluctant readers:
The Treehouse Collection - there are such an abundance of these books that they'll keep you going forever! Lovely illustrations accompany crazy and inventive plot ideas that keep everyone engaged.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid - these books not only allow pupils to relate to them, but they are also illustrated and therefore more engaging than a book full of text for reluctant readers.
Tom Gates - any book by Tom Gates is a brilliant choice for a reluctant reader. They are comedic and written in a notebook style, making them seem less formal and therefore much more engaging to those who don't enjoy traditional forms of reading.

"Let Nature be your teacher"

As everyone is enjoying the holidays, I feel that these words from William Wordsworth's poem, The Tables Turned, are worth keeping in mind. Nature is a wonderful teacher!

Victorious Verbal Reasoning!

With the 11+ just around the corner, it's great to see one of my pupils feeling very confident with their verbal reasoning questions! I like to use a traffic light system for confidence rating. Red means the pupil wants to stop and have another go, amber means we can proceed but still feel some caution, and green means we feel good to go!

KS1 books I highly recommend

During KS1, pupils excel when exposed to a variety of book types. Here are a few I highly recommend!

Books on real life topics:
1. The Day the Crayons Quit - a brilliant book that leaves readers considering their emotions, empathy and understanding.
2. Gustavo the Shy Ghost - one of my absolute favourites! This book teaches the importance of doing things you love for yourself, not others, and kindness.
3. Look Up! - relevant to technology and teaches pupils about appreciating those around them.

Traditional tales
1. Goldilocks and the Three Bears - teaches boundaries and respect.
2. Little Red Riding Hood - teaches cautiousness and the ability to ask for help when in a troubling situation.
3. The Three Little Pigs - teaches pupils to be hard-working, dedicated and resourceful.

Julia Donaldson
1. The Gruffalo - a super book for encouarging imagination and wit.
2. Zog - encourages resilience, help from others and pride in one's work.
3. Room on the Broom - teamwork, kindness and communication are at the heart of this book.

Current Prices

If you're unsure about where to look for my current prices, they can all be found on my website:
https://www.laytoneducation.co.uk/prices

A 1:1 lesson is currently charged at £35 for 45 minutes and a 2:1 lesson is currently charged at £25 per pupil for 45 minutes.

Prices correct as of July 2026.

Impressive Identification!

Recently, I have been practising language techniques with a pupil. Here, they have accurately identified similes, metaphors, personification and hyperboles! Well done!

How can we encourage learning during the holidays?

There are lots of different ways to engage the brain and continue the learning process during the holiday period - all while keeping everything fun! Here are my favourites:

1. Family Book Club /Audiobooks
Why not run a family/friend book club and encourage everyone to read part of a book each week? It can be any genre and you can host a discussion about what has happened, what you've learnt and what will happen next. It not only encourages reading but also critical discussion!

2. Board Games
Games like Scrabble, Monopoly and Articulate provide an opportunity to grow multiple skills. They expand vocabulary, build logic skill and are adaptable depending on how many people are available to play!

3. Learning on the go
Have a day out planned? Days out are often great opportunities for continued learning. Why not write a diary entry all about the day out, or do a letter pretending to be a famous person that you've learnt about? There are an abundance of options for writing based on locations you visit over summer.