After a fabulous spring break and some time at home with the family, I enter the final term of this school year. It is a lovely term, and there is much to enjoy, but the workload, as always, is tremendous. Final reports have to be written, notes have to be handed over to the new class teacher, final assessments and teacher judgements have to be collated, and I have to find time to plan ahead for my new class before the summer break arrives. There is always a growing to-do list, and the pressure never declines until we hit the summer break.

I love my job, but the environment has changed exponentially over the last 5 or 6 years. Evidence and quality assurance, which are now a part of everyday teacher life, have increased workload, and since the pandemic, much has changed for our learners. The classroom is a forever-changing environment, and new strategies or educational thinking alter how our rooms are run day-to-day. The job is never stagnant, and there is always a need for further training, whether on the up-to-date theories of learning, more focused play to increase skills and understanding or further training and understanding on brain development and meeting the needs of learners with SEN.

The hardest part is the government’s demands, which rightly want to raise attainment for every learner, not just those with more opportunities or from a more affluent background. Bridging the attainment gap is challenging when every learner is an individual and will learn at their own rate and pace.

I think this was why I developed a range of textbooks for early and first levels of the curriculum. Parents who are engaged and wish to see their child progress, even when there is a stumbling block to their child’s skills and understanding, can have a resource to help and guide them to deliver school-based learning at home.

Each booklet tackles the basics of number and literacy understanding, building those early skills to complement what is being taught in schools. I have said it before, and I will say it again… children require 1:1 guidance, and the time that each child gets with their teacher is less than the teacher would like to give. By having booklets guiding the parent, the child receives the instruction and adult 1:1 they so desire in an environment where they are comfortable and relaxed and hopefully eager to learn.

If you are interested in any of my educational books, please see the link to these texts on my website:

beccastormbook.co.uk