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Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6

The Parent

In this phase your role remains to teach, guide and assist your child in their educational, physical, emotional and social development. You should also still work with the teacher so that your child progresses confidently through school. It is advised to continue checking homework and assisting when necessary. If your child is battling with concepts, you should work with them until they understand the concepts, independently.

Intermediate phase (Grades 4-6)

This phase is about using foundational concepts to build their knowledge and learn new concepts. A child with strong foundational skills is more likely to succeed in this phase, and to develop a sense of independent learning. Your role as a parent in this phase is to guide and instruct your child and for them to attempt the work individually without your continuous involvement. This does not mean your child is expected to work unassisted, but that they are required to work for periods independently, knowing that you are available should they get stuck.
This phase teaches them how to use their previous knowledge to learn new concepts. Your child is now at a stage where they are learning to work independently and develop their skills, but they are still reliant on the teacher and yourself to teach, instruct, and help them.

The parent and the teacher

The teacher’s role remains to introduce and practice new concepts at school. Your child then comes home and attempts to perform the concepts and tasks independently. It is your role to assist your child as needed at home and to continue to bring the teachers attention to any concepts your child cannot grasp. The teacher will advise you on how to assist your child with school work at home. Assistance may include organising extra lessons or getting extra work to do at home. Time management may play a role here as your child will need to spend more time on school work – but be careful not to overload your child.

The way forward

In the Intermediate Phase, children are introduced to new concepts like time management, study/revision timetables and more advanced assessments. The use of goal setting and time management (homework books, daily activities and calendars) are essential. It is vital to teach your child how to do these. A positive starting point is goal setting. Remember to assist your child so that they will be able to use these skills independently. It will be less stressful in the high school years!
Preschool, Grade R, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3
Getting ready for the first day of school Your child’s first day of school is a big step. However, there are plenty of practical things that you can do to prepare them for their big day. Practical tips Tell your child what you enjoyed about your school days and talk positively about starting school. Involve your child in choosing things... Read the full article
Grade R
Story sums
Story sums, problem solving sums and detective sums all refer to the same thing.  These sums are language based.  It is imperative that you start exploring, investigating and playing with these kinds of sums as early as possible.  Many children who find the written word a challenge, find story sums very tricky when... Read the full article
Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7
Understanding question words
It is important to look for the question words (the words that tell you what to do) to correctly understand what the examiner is asking. Once you have read the question once circle the question word and then underline any other important key words. The combination of the circled and underlined words will tell... Read the full article
Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7


So you’re ready. You’ve done your revision and practised thousands of exam questions. Now it’s time to face the exam paper. Here are some tips for surviving in the exam room:

Keep calm

Try not to panic – after all, you are well prepared! Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and count... Read the full article
Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7
John Bransby is a former principal and examiner and is currently a Maths and Science Educational consultant


Studying Maths and Science, and other subjects that involve calculations, require a slightly different approach to studying other subjects. Here are some tips for doing well in these subjects:


1.... Read the full article

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