These years of your child's time at school are called key stage 1.
At the end of each key stage, each National Curriculum subject has a
target: your child should have reached a particular level of skills,
knowledge and understanding.
Why have targets and tests?
- Children get a sense of achievement from reaching each
milestone in their learning, and going beyond it.
- Schools use them to check on children's progress, so that
they can match their teaching to each child's needs and abilities.
- The government uses them to see how many children are making
the right kind of progress (especially in English and
mathematics, where children take National Curriculum tests and tasks
at age 7).
Of course, some children may not make as much progress as others and
some have special educational needs. Please read the important
information about this in the section on frequently asked questions.
As a parent or carer, you have a very important role to play in
helping your child learn. Some parents are afraid of doing the wrong
thing. (If you are unsure about how to help, you can always ask your
child's teacher.) The most important things you can do are:
- take an interest in what your child is learning at school,
and encourage them to tell you about it
- praise them when they have done well.
There are other things you can do, too: this book also gives ideas
and tips for each subject. Don't feel you have to do all of them, but
any you can do will support your child's learning at school.
