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~"
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.
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.
