Empowering Parents: Phonics and Maths Workshops at The Mead School

At The Mead School, we believe that children make the best progress when home and school work in partnership. To support this, we recently invited parents to take part in a series of engaging and practical workshops designed to strengthen understanding of key areas in early learning – phonics and maths.

Reception & Year 1: Unlocking Phonics

The phonics session was a great success! We explored the different phases used in school and shared practical games and activities to aid learning at home. We also discussed the importance of cursive writing consistency throughout the school and shared fun ways to practice spelling, such as writing on mirrors! We use a variety of reading books to expose children to all types of text, which is most representative of real life.

We covered a variety of hands-on activities, like using play-dough to form letters and introduced strategies for mastering the first 100 high-frequency words.

Lower Key Stage 2: Making Maths Visual

Parents of children in Years 3 and 4 joined a maths workshop that explored the power of visual learning tools. Teachers modelled strategies for teaching place value using bar models, part-whole models and other visual representations, helping parents see how these methods can support children’s mathematical thinking at home.

The session also looked at strategies for building confidence with times tables, with practical demonstrations of tools for home such as Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS), Hit the Button, and even the classic paper fortune teller game. Parents explored how mathematical vocabulary plays an important role in deepening understanding, and left with simple, effective ways to bring maths to life outside the classroom.

Working Together for Success

Both sessions were warmly received, with parents commenting on how valuable it was to see teaching methods in action. We believe in giving children a real head start – and that means moving with the right foundation! By working together, we can create a supportive learning environment that empowers our children to thrive and ensure consistency between school and home.

At The Mead School, our community is at the heart of everything we do. These workshops are just one way we strengthen the vital partnership between teachers and parents – helping every child flourish.

If you are interested in finding out more about our approach to phonics and maths then email us on office@themeadschool.co.uk