ParentEd NI

29/08/2026

26/08/2026

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A short story by Holistic Therapist & Relax Kids Coach Joanne Calla...

26/08/2026

𝙒𝒆𝙙𝒏𝙚𝒔𝙙𝒂𝙮 𝙒𝒐𝙧𝒅 𝒐𝙛 𝙩𝒉𝙚 𝙒𝒆𝙚𝒌: 𝙍𝑯𝙔𝑻𝙃𝑴

The word RHYTHM is a classic examiner favourite because it defies standard spelling rules:

- Not a single traditional vowel (A, E, I, O, U)

- A silent H right near the start

- A tricky THM ending that trips up even confident spellers

Under exam pressure, children spell by ear—leading to common slips like rythm, rhythm, or adding a non-existent e (rhythim).

The Memory Trick:

𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘱 𝘔𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴. (𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳!)

We break down the trickiest exam hurdles every Wednesday into quick, bite-sized wins.

📌 SAVE this post to build your child’s digital spelling bank.

📲 FOLLOW so you never miss next week’s word!

Ready to boost your child’s SEAG prep? Head to www.parentedni.co.uk to explore our interactive revision packs and practice materials. 🌟

25/08/2026

✏️ TEACHER TIP TUESDAY: Watch out for double letters!

Double letters are often used as a little trick in SEAG spelling questions. Children may be shown a word with an extra letter added—or one missing—and asked to spot the mistake.

Rather than relying on what a word “looks like”, knowing the spelling rules helps children understand exactly what to check.

🔍 Double the final consonant

If a short word ends in a consonant–vowel–consonant pattern and we add a suffix beginning with a vowel, we usually double the final consonant:

stop + ing = stopping
run + ing = running
hop + ed = hopped

🔍 Don’t double after two vowels

rain + ing = raining
appeal + ing = appealing

So appealling is one of those very believable SEAG distractors!

🔍 Drop the silent e

When a word ends in silent e and we add a suffix beginning with a vowel, the suffix usually replaces the e:

hope + ing = hoping
make + ing = making
arrive + ed = arrived

Encourage your child to ask:

➡️ What is the base word?
➡️ What suffix has been added?
➡️ Should I double, drop the e or leave it alone?

Knowing the reason why helps children spot spelling mistakes more confidently—and teaches them to be especially wary of those sneaky double letters!

🎯 Ready to practise?

Try our free SEAG Spelling Kahoot here:

https://www.parentedni.co.uk/seag-kahoots

24/08/2026

🎒 𝐀 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 🎒

With the summer nearly over and the kids starting to back to school this week. We thought we would share a wee thought with you.

Whether your little one is stepping into Primary 1 for the very first time, settling into a new classroom, or moving up a key stage, these transition days bring such a mix of excitement, nerves and big emotions (for parents included!).

Wishing all the boys and girls the absolute best of luck as they settle in, make new friends and shine! 🤍

21/08/2026

Getting ready for P1 or Nursery next month? 🎒🍎

Before you spend the summer stressing over flashcards and counting to 100, read this first!

As teachers, we often get asked, "Is my child ready for school?" The truth might surprise you: academic readiness matters far less than simple everyday independence!

𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐶𝑎𝑜𝑖𝑚ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑡 , 𝑤𝑒’𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 8 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟—𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 "𝑦𝑜𝑔ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑡 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒" 🥣 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑡 𝑧𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠!

✨ Inside the blog post:

The simple lunch skill that saves massive classroom tears (plus Caoimhe's top water bottle & lunchbox picks!)

Why reading isn't a race

What stationery to avoid ✏️

How to make drop-offs easier for both of you

Click the link below to read the full post and give your child the ultimate confidence boost before day one! 👇

🔗 Visit Blog here: www.parentedni.co.uk/blog/-what-teachers-wish-parents-knew-about-starting-school

19/08/2026

🚨 LAST CHANCE TO BOOK: SEAG Mock Exam This Friday! 🚨

Booking officially closes tomorrow (Thursday) at 9 PM! ⏰

If you want your child to walk into the real SEAG transfer test feeling calm, familiar with the room, and confident in their pacing, a mock exam is the absolute best trial run.

✨ What your child gets:

Practice sitting a paper under authentic exam conditions.

Experience managing time pressure in a supportive environment.

Detailed results & personalised feedback sent straight to you after the test so you know exactly what to polish up!

Don't miss the deadline to give them that final boost of confidence!

🎟️ Booking Closes: Thursday @ 9:00 PM

🗓️ Mock Exam: This Friday

👉 Secure your child's spot now: www.parentedni.co.uk/store/p/seag-mock-exam (or DM us )

19/08/2026

𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝕂𝕟𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖

In the SEAG transfer test, precision is everything. A single misplaced letter can be the difference between gaining a mark or missing out.

The word KNUCKLE is a classic examiner favourite because it is packed with tricky spelling patterns—a silent letter at the start, a double-consonant 'ck' sound in the middle, and a silent 'e' at the end!

When writing it under exam pressure, children often spell it phonetically, resulting in common errors like "nuckle" or missing the 'c' before the 'k' ("knukle").

𝑇𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑘: KNUCKLES KNOCK SILENTLY—remember the silent 'K' at the start!

𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑊𝑒𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑠.

Hit FOLLOW to catch next week's word.

Click SAVE to start building your child’s ultimate digital spelling bank!

Want to unlock your child's full potential this summer? Visit our website to explore our interactive SEAG preparation packs: www.parentedni.co.uk

18/08/2026

🔢 TEACHER TIP TUESDAY: Between 0 and 1

If your child is preparing for SEAG, strong links between fractions, decimals and percentages are essential.

Here’s a simple activity I used with children this week:

How many numbers can you find between 0 and 1?

Give your child sticky notes or small pieces of card and ask them to record as many fractions, decimals and percentages as they can. Then challenge them to:

⭐ Arrange the numbers in order
⭐ Group equivalent values together
⭐ Explain where each number belongs
⭐ Spot and correct any mistakes
⭐ Find different ways to represent the same amount

For example:

½ = 0.5 = 50%

This reinforces that fractions, decimals and percentages can all represent parts of one whole. It also develops the flexible number sense children need for SEAG questions involving equivalence, comparison and ordering.

To make it more challenging, ask:

💭 Can you find three different representations of the same value?
💭 What belongs halfway between two of your numbers?
💭 Can you find a number that nobody else has?
💭 Which number is closest to 1?

Very little preparation, plenty of mathematical discussion—and technically, there are infinitely many numbers between 0 and 1, so it should keep them going for a while! 😄

16/08/2026

✨📚Want your child to feel calm and confident on the day of the test? 📚✨

The best way to take away exam nerves is familiarity! Our SEAG Mock Exam this Friday gives your child the opportunity to experience exam conditions in a supportive and low-pressure environment.

What’s included?

- Timed mock test in exam conditions

- Clear results & detailed feedback sent directly to you after the test (spot strengths and what you need to work on)

We still have a few spaces remaining for Friday's session! Don't miss out on giving your child that extra boost of confidence.

DM us now to book a place or book on the link:

Timed practice that builds confidence and shows strengths and gaps!