At Bosley St Mary’s, we place a daily focus on Strong Foundations because these core skills make the biggest difference to children’s confidence, independence and long-term success in learning.

For children to fully access the wider curriculum, they need secure basics. When reading is fluent, handwriting is automatic, spelling is more accurate and number facts are secure, children can focus their thinking on understanding rather than struggling with the mechanics of learning. This reduces frustration, builds resilience and helps children feel more successful in school.

Strong Foundations is not about rushing ahead. It is about securing the essential skills that underpin all learning.

Each day, children take part in a short Strong Foundations session at the start of the day. These sessions are carefully planned by teachers based on pupils’ needs and focus on practising key skills little and often so they become automatic over time. The six areas we focus on are:

• Holding a pencil correctly

• Forming letters and numbers correctly

• Spelling

• Reading fluently

• Saying sentences out loud before writing

• Recalling number bonds quickly

How to help your child at home

Parent's guide to handwriting

Pencil grip and letter formation

Letter formation rhymes (from RWI)

How to pronounce the phonics sounds

Reading with your child

Spelling games

Hit the Button: number bonds