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Literacy through Play Within our classrooms, we aim to provide a literacy rich environment where children are able to develop reading, writing and listening skills. Reading in our infant classes c

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Literacy Pathway of support Primary booklet

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Selection of excellent educational maths and literacy games, organised by topic and age group - Topmarks

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Some critical thinking questions that are linked to Blooms which is used in the classroom.

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The British Dyslexia Association, leading online parenting forum Mumsnet and expert in parenting dyslexia John Hicks have worked together to produce What Is Dyslexia And What Are The Symptoms? - a quick video guide to what is dyslexia, how to support it, and what help is available and how to access it.

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Guidance for parents - British Dyslexia Association

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The British Dyslexia Association, leading online parenting forum Mumsnet and expert in parenting dyslexia John Hicks have worked together to produce What...

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This app can be downloaded on your device at home.

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Family Digital Learning Website - TextHelp Read&Write

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Check out the new SCOTTISH voices on the Read&Write toolbar and Orbitnote (PDF reader)

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A great app for your phone or ipad.

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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Monster Dash loves nothing more than his trusty translator bot Blink. But her language banks are broken and she has been discarded in a pile of broken bots! Help Dash to rescue Blink, flee the MFL offices, and travel through space and time on their interdimensional lift to restore Blink to full operational health!

Select a topic and answer a series of questions testing your knowledge on French nouns, verbs, and phrases. The more you learn, the more information is uploaded into Blink's language banks, in turn restoring her abilities as a language bot!

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French KS2 - Dash and Blink: Forgotten French

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Improve your French skills with Dash and Blink. Construct simple phrases and develop an understanding of vocabulary and grammar. Suitable for primary aged KS2 children.

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A useful resource which gives lots to talk about.

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The home of news and fun facts for kids. Find out what is going on, with stories, pictures and videos. Try a quiz or one of our free games.

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Words for Life | National Literacy Trust

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Activities and support for parents, children and young people to improve language, literacy and communication skills from home.

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Speller was the original Doorway activity, created at the request of Priorsford Primary School in Peebles to run on their network. It was extremely popular as it covered all levels in the Scottish primary curriculum and beyond.

We do recommend you try the new updated version, Speller 2, however if you would like to continue using the original you can download it using the following link:

Speller has been now been superceded by Speller 2, details below.

Speller 2 features:

works on any browser on almost any device including iPads and Android devices.

incorporates synthetic speech to read words out or provide a test.

has a quick search facility. If you do not know which wordlists the words you want are in, you can search for one and will be shown all the lists it occurs in.

The wordlists in Speller 2 are exactly the same as in the old Speller. You may need to get used to the new arrangement. Be assured the lists are still all there.

Where do Speller's wordlists lists come from? Originally, Speller took its exercises from a scheme developed by Mrs Isabel Middleton of Howdenburn Primary School, Jedburgh. She devised it when the 5 - 14 Curriculum was being introduced from 1991 onwards. It gave a rational structure and wordlists to match the (then) new levels. The scheme covered Levels A to D in the Curriculum for Excellence.

Curriculum for Excellence. The same wordlists have been reorganised according to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. If you have been using original Speller for some time, you may have to take some time to get used to the way the lists have been re-arranged. All the lists remain the same.

The original Speller was developed in Flash. This meant that users had to install a Flash module on their computer or network. This is becomingly increasingly restricted by browsers as well as networks and Chrome browser does not allow this at all. It was causing us problems to maintain it.
Therefore, it has been removed from this site.

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Speller was the original Doorway activity, created at the request of Priorsford Primary School in Peebles to run on their network. It was extremely popular as it covered all levels in the Scottish primary curriculum and beyond.

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Some children use IDL in the classroom which supports both their Literacy and Maths skills. We will send home passwords if your child is using it.

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Sumdog also has a programme to help with spelling too and the children can get access through their Sumdog account.

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In order to log in and use this website, you need to enable "cookies" in your browser.

How you enable cookies will depend on your browser. It will generally be found in the Security settings under "Internet Options" or "Preferences".

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In order to log in and use this website, you need to enable "cookies" in your browser. How you enable cookies will depend on your browser. It will generally be found in the Security settings under "Internet Options" or "Preferences".

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Most of us know from experience that some days it can be hard to squeeze in time to help with their homework. Kids are tired, you need to get tea on, or they just don't want to sit still to write down their ABCs.

We've got a few hacks to make spelling a fun and easy thing you can do with them during the day. Why not try out a few of these games from dads and mums?

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How to help kids with their spelling homework

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When the kids are tired, getting them to do their homework can be a battle. We've got some games that can make spelling a fun and easy thing you can do with them during the day. Why not try out a few of these games from dads and mums?]

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A great app to practice letter formation on an ipad.

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Winner of the Education Resources Award

About the App

Learn the letters of the alphabet and how to blend first words. Trace the letter shape onscreen with your finger. For kids ages 4-6 years.

You'll play games to reinforce learning and build letters into simple words, as the Hairy characters and memorable animations make a fun and engaging introduction to literacy.

"My 5 year old, 4 year old and 2 year old are now running around the house like the ant on your App. They are having a blast and love it."

- Gary, Parent

What it includes

Form each letter shape with your finger.

Play games to blend letter sounds into first words.

Learn lower and upper case letter names.

Multi-sensory learning designed by specialist teachers.

Letter sounds are introduced in six colour-coded stages:

Each stage has its own game, using the letters you have learnt to build sounds into words.

Games progress from three letter words to four and five letter words eg. cat, drum, sting.

Multi-sensory learning is more effective by linking images to sounds and actions.

Reviews
"My 3 year old absolutely loves this app. It gives her the opportunity to practise writing letters as well as the phonetic sounds. It is also a good introduction to spelling her first words. Best of all she does it all whilst having fun! Highly recommended. 5 stars"

"Great app, my 3 year old loves it! Well designed app for little ones learning their letters. Progresses in difficulty at just the right pace."

"Absolutely brilliant way to get my 3 year old engaged in writing her letters - really marvellous. Why didn't we know about this before!"

"By far the best app for teaching letters and sounds I have come across."

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Winner of the Education Resources Award Learn the letters of the alphabet and how to blend first words. Trace the letter shape onscreen with your finger. For kids ages 4-6 years. You'll play games to reinforce learning and build letters into simple words, as the Hairy characters and memorable animations make a fun and engaging introduction to literacy.

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An online library.

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Your child is one step away from discovering the joy of reading for pleasure. Our extensive library has been expertly-curated to encourage the development of a passion and voracity for reading that will set your child up for a happier, more productive, and more successful life.

Our books span eight reading levels supported by a detailed framework to ensure that there is something to challenge and develop every young reader; from the book-shy child to the child who stays up all night reading under the covers.

Pickatale is here to support your child in becoming the confident, engaged and enthusiastic independent reader they are destined to be.

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Your child is one step away from discovering the joy of reading for pleasure. Our extensive library has been expertly-curated to encourage the development of a passion and voracity for reading that will set your child up for a happier, more productive, and more successful life.

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Storytime Online on BooksForTopics | Recommended children’s booklists sorted by age or topic...

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Storytime Online - Find the best children’s books for all primary school year groups on BooksForTopics

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Looking for all Articles by Hannah Sycamore?

Whether your child is a keen or reluctant reader, the tips below can help you encourage a lifelong love of reading.

Building a love of reading

Reconnect reading to hobbies and interests

For many young people, as reading becomes linked to exam and school pressures, they can begin to be turned off reading. Refocusing reading as an enjoyable experience, linked to hobbies or interests, will help to counter this.

Find out what your child is currently excited about and if see they might like to read something about that - for example, a 'how to' manual or magazine for a current hobby. It is easier to encourage reading on something that already interests them and they are familiar with. Don't try to force young people to read - that's a sure way to associate reading with pressure.

Allow different formats

Here's the key: reading is a habit, and as long as they're in the habit of picking up something to read, it doesn't really matter what or how they are reading. Allow young people to read on an electronic device. They might prefer this format, and many library services offer e-book loans and e-magazines to borrow. Online options are also great for those who love fan-fiction. Many parents are worried about screen time, but remember that reading is a habit and for many, reading on a device might be a great place to start. For younger readers, remember you can also read together on an electronic device!

Watch Authors Live events

It can be really exciting and interesting for young readers to watch an event with one of their favourite authors. Events give readers an insight into what the author was thinking when they wrote a book, and can also give keen writers some great advice to use in their own writing. They are also enjoyable to watch together, and a great way to start conversations about books and reading.

Scottish Book Trust's brilliant Authors Live series is now available to watch on iPlayer, and features some of the best UK children's authors, from Cressida Cowell to Jaqueline Wilson. So get cosy on the sofa together and select an event to watch!

Selecting reading material

Look for books based films and games

Many young people find it challenging to select texts, they can find it hard to know which genre or type of book they would enjoy. If your child has a favourite film, game or television show, look for books based on those. Using books based on existing interests can really help young people identify what they might like to read and gain confidence in selecting books for themselves. Direct them, but ultimately, let them choose what they would like to read themselves.

Download Bookzilla

Bookzilla is an app for upper primary and early secondary school students in Scotland. Young people can receive tailored book recommendations, see what's popular among their classmates and challenge themselves to try something new with a reading dare. The app will also promote different featured collections every month.

Speak to your local librarian or bookseller

Children's librarians and bookseller are hugely enthusiastic and they are fountains of knowledge about the world of children's and teen books. Go and visit your local library, or pop into your nearest bookshop and see if they can point you in the direction of something your child will like.

Celebrate reading as a social activity

Talk about books and reading

Many people believe that reading is a solo activity, but reading can be a social activity. Letting your child see you reading and talking together about what you are currently reading shows them that you find reading enjoyable and worthwhile and makes it a social activity. Be open about your reading life and the benefits you get from reading. Sharing books and reading experiences can make reading enjoyable and entertaining.

Help them find places to discuss books

As well as speaking together about reading, help them find their own spaces to talk about books, such as Goodread or #BookTok on TikTok.

If they feel comfortable doing so, encourage your child to speak to their friends or peers about what they are reading. Support them to find spaces such as book groups in your local library where they can get reading recommendations from other young people, and chat about their reading.

Be patient, the right book is out there!

Remember that the right book is out there. Whether its graphic novels, non-fiction, choose your own adventure books, how-to books, magazines or something else, there really is something for everyone in the world of books. Be patient, don't force it, and your children will find something that interests them.

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Advice for parents to encourage children and teens reading

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Looking for all Articles by Hannah Sycamore? Whether your child is a keen or reluctant reader, the tips below can help you encourage a lifelong love of reading. For many young people, as reading becomes linked to exam and school pressures, they can begin to be turned off reading.

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Watch and interact with fun stories for babies, toddlers and young children from your favourite CBeebies shows.

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A fun collection of clips to help support phonics.

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Watch as the letters of the alphabet tell stories and make words using phonics. Play the learning game, watch clips and print colouring pages.

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Hear all the letter sounds. Listen or download all the 42 letter sounds.

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The video below goes through all of these sounds, in British English, or you can view the American English version of this video by clicking here. Alternatively, you can listen to any of the letter sounds by clicking on the icons below the video.
Click the icons below to hear each letter sound in British English. Alternatively, you can download all 42 letter sounds by clicking here. Click the icons below to hear each letter sound in American English . Alternatively, you can download all 42 letter sounds by clicking here.

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Hear all the letter sounds. Listen or download all the 42 letter sounds. Available in British or American English.

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This is free to register and works well on the ipad.

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Learning to read with phonics

If you live in England, your child will learn to read using phonics. Their school is very likely to use either the Letters and Sounds phonics framework or the Read Write Inc. programme. Check with your school if you're not sure which one they use.

Using Letters and Sounds?

If your child is using Letters and Sounds, you can find books suitable for them by clicking on the 'Levels' menu below and using the 'Letters and Sounds Phase' filter to select the right Phase. Bear in mind the following:

If you don't know your child's Phase, you can check with your school. As a guide, most Reception children will be on Phases 1-4 and most Year 1 children will be on Phases 4-5. Beyond Phase 5, your child will be able to decode most books.

In Letters and Sounds, there are 'sets' within the Phases - so your child might not know all the sounds in every book within their Phase.

Some series contain occasional 'tricky words' that your child can't decode using phonics. Use the inside front cover notes to teach your child these words before they start the book.

Find out more about Letters and Sounds >

Using Read Write Inc. Phonics?
If your child is being taught to read using the Read Write Inc. programme, you can find books suitable for them by clicking on the 'Levels' menu below and using the 'Read Write Inc.' filter to select the right level.

We recommend children read each eBook three times, as they would at school: once to read the words correctly, a second time with more fluency, and a third time in a 'storyteller voice' that shows their understanding of the story.

Find more support and resources for Read Write Inc. in our parents' guide to Read Write Inc. >

Looking for printed books for phonics practice at home?

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Free eBook library | Oxford Owl from Oxford University Press

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Learning to read with phonics If you live in England, your child will learn to read using phonics. Their school is very likely to use either the Letters and Sounds phonics framework or the Read Write Inc. programme. Check with your school if you're not sure which one they use.