Salisbury Primary Tuition

You know you are doing a good job when a child says to you, "I wish I could stay for two hours!"

And that's in the summer holidays!

The “Summer Slide" is a real phenomenon: a significant dip in a child’s learning over the long holiday.

As a tutor, I firmly believe that summer should be about enjoying childhood, not being forced to plough through workbooks.

Here are three simple, stress-free ways to weave learning into your everyday summer activities:

1. Maths is everywhere, no flashcards required! Count shells on a sandcastle or group pebbles to practice early multiplication and sharing. At the ice cream van, ask your child to work out the total cost or calculate the correct change. Knocking up a summer recipe? Let them help you measure out ingredients for baking or cut up sandwiches into equal fractions.

2. Write with purpose. Pick up a postcard and have your child write a message to family. Let them type up and send a quick email to their school friends to swap holiday updates and practice keyboard skills. If you are off on holiday, ask your child to write a list of things they need to pack.

3. Keep reading relaxed. The ultimate goal is to foster a lifelong love for stories, not to make reading feel like a chore. If your child is not a book worm, sitting together and reading aloud at bedtime does wonders for their vocabulary and comprehension. Audiobooks on a long car journey is a brilliant way to pass the time.

Learning shouldn't get in the way of summer fun—it should be part of it!

Who said 11+ has to be boring?!

“You make learning so fun.”

Year 3 pupil

I love seeing those "aha!" moments in my tutoring sessions!
This activity uses place value charts and beads to tackle multiplication and division by 10, 100, and 1,000. By physically sliding the beads, the children aren't just doing maths—they are feeling it. This kinesthetic practice helps move abstract concepts into their long-term memory, building deep mathematical understanding that lasts.

So proud of everyone's hard work and focus this week and it’s only Monday!

This morning, Year 6 pupils across the country are sitting their first SATs test of the week. The sun is shining, and I can’t help wondering… is this really the best way to assess our children?
These are 10 and 11-year-olds. Children who should be enjoying learning, building confidence, and feeling excited about moving on to Year 7. Instead, many are under enormous pressure. As a tutor, I’ve heard stories of tears at breakfast tables, countdowns to SATs, sleepless nights, and genuine anxiety surrounding these tests.
And for what?
The results are largely used to measure school performance, not the child’s future. As a former lead teacher, I never needed a test paper to tell me how a child was progressing. Good teachers already know their pupils — their strengths, their gaps, their potential. Of course schools should be accountable, but surely there’s a better way to do it.
More importantly, are we preparing children for the world they are actually growing up in? We are entering a rapidly changing future where creativity, curiosity, adaptability and emotional intelligence matter more than memorising terminology like fronted adverbials.
We need young people who can think differently, solve problems, communicate well and stay curious about the world around them.
I truly believe there has to be a better way.
I’d love to hear your views, especially if you have a child in Year 6 this year.