First Term Report

Jin started school less than a month ago. She came home with a holiday homework book packed with three weeks of learning.

The phonics record stood out the most. During those early weeks, I'd spotted cards pinned around her classroom — each one showing an animal with its name written underneath. Then Jin came home one afternoon chanting: "m, m, Milo the Monkey~" A few days later: "s, s, Sally the Snake~"

Insights into Her Early Learning

Her teacher's end-of-term report confirmed it: Stage 1 of the Little Learners Love Literacy programme, nearly complete. Letters m, s, f, a, p, t, c, and i — all covered. Since learning vowels, the class has started building words, which means the real reading is just beginning.

The individual feedback for Jin was warm and specific: she focuses well, forms her letters carefully, and enjoys the phonics sessions. She's quieter in whole-class discussions — not surprising for a child still finding her footing in a new language — but joins in when she's ready. Her next steps: building confidence to share more, and practising counting from random numbers rather than always starting from one.

School Communication and Next Steps

That last one made me smile. Jin can count fluently — but only if she starts from the beginning. Ask her to start from seven, and she has to think. A good reminder that fluency and flexibility aren't the same thing.

The school also sent home a Learning Update for all Year 0 and Year 1 families — suggested holiday activities, tailored to what each year group has been working on. I've started saving these each term. Jin's first school holiday: a chance to let the letters settle in, and to practise counting from somewhere unexpected.