? How about a back-to-school health check? More education articles on Junior including how to teach your child a second language and tips on surviving your child's homework

Starting school is always an emotional experience. Many children are thrilled by the prospect of uniforms and reading books; others find the whole idea terrifying. And some children simply refuse to go. Last year, my little boy Sam was never going

. There's also the danger that children who start school being able to read will just be bored.What can parents do?Wendy Cooling believes that the emphasis should be on enjoyment and fun. "Parents should instil a love for stories and books," she says. "In

. I found out later that she had written to the Local Education Authority and the Secretary of State for Education, before eventually removing Gemma from the school, rather than resolve the issue.Remember, teachers really do want the best for your

for secondary schools that children sit during their school Year 6. For some Local Education Authorities, the 11 Plus is available for all Year 6 children and the exam is taken during the school day in their primary school.In other parts of the country

The process of learning to read and write is called early literacy and begins way before your child is striding off to school. Educators now know that these skills emerge alongside language development and are intrinsically linked. It doesn't mean

encourages the progression of listening and commnication skills, both vital for their later reading development," says Stuart Wilkinson, Project Director at the National Literacy Trust. Between birth and the time they start school, children are in a stage

Most people think that children learn to read by looking at words and saying them out loud. But the process of learning to read is more complex.Step by stepBy the time your child starts school, she will be beginning to learn to blend letters

reading development," says Stuart Wilkinson, Project Director at the National Literacy Trust. Between birth and the time your child starts school, she is in a stage of development called “emergent literacy.” At this stage, your child is learning

Reading regularly with children can dramatically reduce disruptive behaviour, according to a study carried out at eight primary schools in the London borough of Lambeth by the Institute of Psychiatry. The key to the scheme wasn't reading in itself