We are greatly looking forward to sharing the finished pieces with you at our Open Homework Exhibition on Friday 16 October in the Centenary Hall. The exhibition will be open from 8.15am to 9.15am, and parents are warmly invited to come along and enjoy celebrating the children’s achievements.
This week (5–11 October) is Dyslexia Awareness Week, a national campaign led by the British Dyslexia Association to build understanding of dyslexia and challenge common misconceptions. To mark it, Mrs Cox, Head of Learning Support in Pre Prep, is sharing a short guide to what dyslexia is, how it’s identified in young children, and how we can all support our youngest learners.
What Is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences, affecting around 1 in 10 people. In 2025, a large panel of UK researchers, specialist teachers, educational psychologists and dyslexic people agreed a new definition. It describes dyslexia as a difficulty with learning to read and spell, especially reading fluently and accurately. It is caused by a combination of factors rather than one single cause, and it can range from mild to severe. Importantly, dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. It is seen in children of all abilities and backgrounds, and many dyslexic people have real strengths in creativity, problem-solving and big-picture thinking.
When can it be assessed? In the early years, all children learn to read at different rates, so a formal diagnosis is not usually made in Reception or Year 1. Instead, we watch for early signs. These include difficulty with rhyme or hearing the sounds in words, trouble remembering letter sounds, muddling sequences like the days of the week, and finding it hard to blend sounds even after plenty of good teaching. A full diagnostic assessment is generally carried out from around age 7 or 8, once a child has had time to respond to structured phonics teaching. That doesn’t mean waiting, though. If a child is finding things difficult, we put support in place straight away, so a diagnosis is never needed before help begins.
What else could it be? Several things can look like dyslexia in young children, so these need to be ruled out or addressed first. Eyesight problems and visual difficulties (such as eye tracking or visual discomfort with print) can make reading hard, and so can hearing difficulties such as glue ear. Children often don’t realise they can’t see or hear as well as they should, so these problems can easily go unnoticed. We therefore offer Pre-Prep families an annual vision and hearing screening through the School Screening Programme, carried out in school by a specialist paediatric orthoptist and an audiologist. There is a charge for the screening, and parents can sign up each Spring term. If a concern is found, you’ll be told so you can follow up with an optometrist, your GP or an ENT specialist.
Speech and language difficulties, attention difficulties, being summer-born, learning English as an additional language, or missed learning can all affect early reading too. It is also rare for dyslexia to appear on its own. It very often overlaps with other differences such as developmental language disorder (DLD), ADHD, dyspraxia (DCD) or difficulties with maths. That is why we always look at the whole child rather than a single label.
How we can support at home and at school: In Pre-Prep, the most powerful support is early, little and often. Playful listening games build sound awareness, such as clapping syllables, spotting rhymes, I-spy with sounds, and nursery rhymes and songs. High-quality, systematic phonics, taught in a multisensory way (seeing, saying, hearing and tracing letters), helps sounds stick and some children benefit from the Nessy Reading and Spelling Programme for additional support. Reading with your child every day, letting them enjoy stories you read aloud, and praising effort over accuracy all keep their confidence high.
If you have any concerns, please talk to your child’s class teacher or Mrs Cox. Together we can spot difficulties early and make sure every child gets off to the best possible start.
Pupil voice plays a vital role in school life here at Pre-Prep. Through School Council, children learn that their ideas, opinions and actions can make a meaningful difference. They develop important skills including communication, collaboration, leadership and empathy, while also gaining a greater understanding of how they can contribute positively to both their school and the wider community.
This term, our School Council has carefully considered several worthy causes and has chosen to support First Touch and Kidney Research UK, two charities that hold special significance for members of our school community. We are incredibly proud of the thoughtful discussions and decision-making demonstrated by our School Councillors throughout this process. School Council look forward to sharing greater details of the fundraising activities and initiatives that they will be leading in support of these charities next half term.
This week the Courtesy Cup and Badge went to Zachary (Reception) for his beautiful manners and always following the Golden Rules. A fantastic role model for his peers – thank you!
and Stars of the Week were awarded to:
Year 2: Aric for working methodically during our maths lessons and using excellent reasoning skills to explain his thinking.
Year 1: Archie G for meeting every lesson with a big smile and a great attitude.
Reception: Adam for being a wonderful friend and sharing a love of reading by reading to his friend. We are so proud of you.
More awards followed the above and so our congratulations to:
Year 2: Arnav for being Player of the Day at his weekly football club and Aric for being chosen as Star of the Week for excellent work at his Ninja class today.
Reception: Henry for being awarded with a medal in his tennis class – “he is quite excited about his achievement as it’s just his second lesson in the older group.” Congratulations to Ishaan too, for being selected as Star of the Week at his rugby club TREDS for demonstrating teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!