1. Why are there different 'a's in the Box?

Children come across many forms of letters daily - handwritten, printed in books and on the computer. Children never query the different forms and I have never known a child try to copy the 'a' form when asked to write the keywords.

2. Which age group is the Box suitable for?

All at Reception / Year 1. Ongoing through years 2,3,and 4 for dyslexic children and MLD childen. It is excellent as a quick start for second language children who arrive in school at any age. It has also been used as a complete new start with some secondary age children.
Recently it has been enthusiastically used by the top group pre-Reception children in Nursery.

3. Is it really only five minutes a day?

Yes it can be, and five minutes a day 1:1 is far more valuable and beneficial to a child than 20 minutes a week. The sessions can focus on the sounds board one day and keyword cards the next if there are only a few minutes available - a trained SN teacher may use it for up to 30 minutes.

4. How long does it take to train Teaching Assistants?

Watch the 20 minute CD-Rom, familiarise themselves with the contents, open the Box and go!
Or, Jane Kendall can travel, within reason, to lead 1-1 1/2 hour TA training sessions "the best training session our TAs have ever had".(St Peters, Farnham)

5. Why don't the letters on the handwriting boards have 'lead-in' strokes?

'Lead-ins' are not, in fact, part of the basic letter shape, they merely take you to the start of each letter. Children who need extra practice to form the root shape of the letter accurately, can be distracted by the lead-ins. As the boards are wipeable, the lead-ins can be added with the white board pen by saying "Start on the line and take me to the start point...".

6. Why is there not a magnetic board to use with the magnetic letters?

It was originally magnetic, but children were too easily distracted by dropping the letters to make a nice 'clicking' sound! Also, letters need to be able to be slid quickly between words or back into their position in the rainbow, and using a magnetic board makes this more difficult.

7. We use Jolly Phonics at school - can the Box be used alongside this?

Absolutely Yes. It was designed to work alongside any phonic scheme, or handwriting scheme. It is the basic phonic knowledge but taken at a pace chosen by the individual children, rather than having to keep to the prescribed route through the commercial schemes. It allows for them to continually consolidate what they know and reinforce what they are learning in class lessons, without assuming they will remember everything!

8. How long do children stay on the Box?

Quicker learners, who may have learned early skills at home, can be through and out of the Box in a matter of weeks. It gives an opportunity to ensure that they have accurate phonic knowledge which they can use later as spellings become more difficult and ensures that their handwriting is going to be efficient and fluent. Other children, who find learning difficult, may stay on for anything up to 2 years - and continue to 'open the Box' with as much enthusiasm as when they started.
The majority of children are secure by the end of Reception, 5 or 6 per class going into Year 1, and only 2 or 3 needing it beyond that.

9. How many Boxes do we need?

Ideally, 1 for each Reception and Year 1 class, then 1 availiable for ongoing children into Years 2 and 3.
It works best if each Teaching Assistant is responsible for her own Box, and can take advantage of any time that is available in the class without having to search other classes for it.

10. How long will it last?

For as long as you need to continue to use it! All items can be replaced free of charge if lost or damaged, and there are photocopy rights given for the baseline sheets, recording booklets and inserts, and the word and sounds board for homework use. The original hand made versions have been in use for 7 years now and are still going strong!