# James — RGS Year 3 (7+) Preparation Working folder for tracking James's progress and building a tutoring plan toward the **Royal Grammar School (RGS) Newcastle Year 3 entry assessment (the "7+")**. James currently attends **Newcastle School for Boys (NSB)** and is finishing **Reception** (2025/26). He is 5.5 (as of June 2026). --- ## What is where ``` . ├── index.html ← the plan as a presented web page (open in a browser) ├── CONTENTS.md ← this file: map + current snapshot ├── PLAN.md ← the 18-month tutoring plan (markdown source) ├── HUB-PLAN.md ← blueprint for expanding this into a full lesson & resource hub ├── hub/ ← the lesson & resource hub (open hub/index.html in a browser) ├── reports/ NSB termly reports (PDF, from the parent portal) ├── assessments/ NSB internal baseline/progress booklets (photos) ├── reading/ reading-level notes ├── notes/ other subject notes (currently music) └── log/ session-by-session practice log (template + how-to inside) ``` > **Timeline (confirmed):** James born **Dec 2020** → Reception 2025/26 → Year 1 2026/27 → > Year 2 2027/28. RGS 7+ assessment **~January 2028**, application **~early Dec 2027**. > ~18 months of runway. See `PLAN.md`. ### `reports/` — NSB school reports (most authoritative source on James) | File | Term / Year | Highlights | |------|-------------|-----------| | `2024-07-01 - Summer PN Progress Update ...pdf` | Pre-Nursery, Summer '24 | Settled in, sociable; not yet "hearing" phonics sounds; dagger pencil grip; recognises numbers 1–10. | | `2024-12-06 Progress Update (Autumn 2024:25).pdf` | Nursery, Autumn '24 | Recognises most letter sounds + numbers to 20; mastered tripod grip; hearing rhyme. | | `2025-06-28 EYFS Full Report (Summer 2024:25).pdf` | Nursery, full EYFS report | Per-area report (CL, Lit, Maths, Music, PE, PSED, PD, UW). Segments/blends CVC; pre-cursive name; numbers to 20; "ready to learn to read." | | `2025-12-05 Progress Update (Autumn 2025:26).pdf` | **Reception, Autumn '25 (latest)** | Reads CVC + some sight words, discusses what he reads; numbers to 20+, one more/less to 5, subitises to 5; concentrates well, follows multi-step instructions. | ### `assessments/` — NSB baseline/progress booklets (photos) Internal NSB tracking sheets, repeated each term. Each shows a self-portrait drawing (fine-motor/handwriting), an **Alphabet Screen** (letter recognition), a **Number Screen** (number recognition), and shape/counting tasks. | File | Date | Notes | |------|------|-------| | `2024-09-25.png` | 25 Sep 2024 | Start of Nursery. Early self-portrait; many letters/numbers still blank. | | `2024-12-10.png` | 10 Dec 2024 | Writing "J A M"; more letters/numbers ticked. | | `2025-04-01.png` | 01 Apr 2025 | Writes "James"; most letters/numbers ticked. | | `2025-06-23 part 1.png` | 23 Jun 2025 | End of Nursery; nearly all letters/numbers correct. | | `2025-06-23 part 2.png` | 23 Jun 2025 | Collage showing self-portrait progression across the year. | | `2025-10-08.png` | 08 Oct 2025 | **Reception Baseline Book** cover + cat drawing + alphabet/number screens + frog counting/matching to 10. | ### `reading/status.md` As of June 2026: reading at **phonics level 7** (typical Year 2 target). Strong decoding. ### `notes/music.md` Piano: *Tunes for Ten Fingers* book 2; sight-reads two notes together (one per hand); knows piano/forte/staccato/legato; no scales yet; just met sharps. (Enrichment — not part of the 7+, but useful for the assessment-day "well-rounded" impression.) --- ## The target: RGS Newcastle 7+ (Year 3 entry) - **Format:** a **full assessment day** in groups (~16 children, ~4 staff). Not just a paper — they assess academics *plus* cooperation, persistence, conduct and communication. **NSB's report on James is also requested by RGS**, so his strong school profile matters. - **English:** reading **comprehension incl. inference**, **writing** (composition + punctuation, grammar, spelling), and **listening**. - **Maths:** arithmetic, **times tables**, problem-solving / word problems, plus topics like fractions, measurement, money, time, geometry. - **Level:** questions drawn from the **Year 2 syllabus**, with some Year 3 extension. - **Timeline:** RGS runs assessment days in **January**. James (born Dec 2020; Reception now → Year 1 2026/27 → Year 2 2027/28) is assessed **~January 2028**, application by **~early December 2027** — roughly **18 months** of runway. *(Worth confirming exact 2028 dates directly with RGS admissions.)* Sources: [RGS Junior School admissions](https://www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/prospective-families/admissions/junior-school) · [Exam Papers Plus — RGS 7+ key details](https://exampapersplus.co.uk/advice/7-plus-year-2/royal-grammar-school-newcastle-7-plus-entrance-exam-information-key-details/) --- ## Quick gap snapshot (Reception now → 7+ target) - **Ahead / strong:** decoding (phonics L7), handwriting, confidence, concentration, cooperation — all of which the assessment day and the NSB report reward. - **To build over the next ~18 months:** - Reading **comprehension & inference** (beyond decoding). - **Independent writing** — sentences then short stories with capitals/full stops/spelling. - **Maths breadth** — number bonds, addition/subtraction facts, place value, times tables, money, time, fractions, measure, word problems. - Light exposure to **reasoning / puzzles** and, nearer the time, working calmly under gentle time limits. --- ## The hub The **lesson & resource hub** lives in **`hub/`** — open `hub/index.html` in a browser. It's a self-contained static site (no install/server). Currently built: the home dashboard, a skills map, a glossary, a games index, a reference library, an assessment-day stub, five summer "starter" lessons (capitals, letter sizing, reading inference, bonds to 20, 3×/4× tables), and matching **printables** in `hub/printables/` (guided handwriting paper, bonds & tables flashcards, and a worksheet per lesson — open one and click "Print / Save as PDF"). There are also two **interactive games** (phone/tablet friendly): `hub/games/maths-game.html` (tap-to-play +, −, ×, ÷ with picture/sharing questions) and `hub/games/capitals-game.html` ("Capital Detective" — spot, judge and fix capital letters). To add a lesson, copy `hub/_lesson-template.html`. Blueprint: `HUB-PLAN.md`. ## The plan The full 18-month tutoring plan — phases, the concrete summer 8-week rhythm, reasoning games, the non-academic strand, and resources — lives in **`PLAN.md`**. Day-to-day practice is recorded in **`log/`** — one short note per session (date, what you did, how it went). Copy `log/_TEMPLATE.md` to `log/YYYY-MM-DD.md` each time; see `log/README.md` for the (very light) conventions and `log/2026-07-06.md` for an example.