EDUCATION that ‘some people can’t do Maths.’ It instils a belief in pupils that if you work hard at Maths you can succeed. If pupils fail to understand a concept, interventions are put in place quickly, and early intervention ensures the pupil is ready to move forward.
The mastery of Maths! As school lessons continue around the kitchen table, Embley’s Head of Prep, Sheina Wright, provides an understanding of the building blocks that sit behind the mastery of Maths in young children… For children to thrive in Maths in particular, it is important to think about mindset. We sometimes underestimate the impact our own narrative can have on the way our children approach subjects such as Maths. The incidental ‘I was never any good at Maths at school’ comments are ones to be mindful of. It can create a closed mindset, which is then challenging to shift in later years. Thankfully Maths teaching has moved on considerably since I was at school in the 1980s! I cast my mind back to the 100 times tables questions I answered in my weekly tables test. I must admit, when I was 10, my
Godolphin’s Old Girl Network comes together to support current students.
Maths learning was not especially filled with joy or creativity. In modern Maths teaching the foundations and fundamentals are important and have their place, but there is so much more to inspire pupils. From the creativity and curiosity encouraged through problem solving, to playing with and recognising pattern in number. Primary Maths focuses on mastery and then greater depth. It starts with cementing those building blocks and foundations, making sure they aren’t shaky. Significant time is spent focussing on deep knowledge. With firm foundations, problems can be set in different contexts, which rely on pupils to then puzzle out which operations they will use, often, by Year 6, in multi-step problems. Mastering maths means gaining a deep secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. This Maths mastery approach rejects the notion
group of OGs (the name fondly given to Godolphin’s Alumnae) who have supported OGA Connect & Find your Future Friday – two brilliant initiatives which sign-post future opportunities for their students. OGA Connect offers a series of talks by OGs talking about their own experiences since leaving Godolphin and offering advice on taking the next step – whether applying or preparing for university, planning a GAP year, finding work experience or full-time employment or just generally preparing for life after School.
Bright Futures, Godolphin’s Careers Programme has been able to continue during lockdown, thanks to the loyal
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Last year, Godolphin launched “Find Your Future Friday” which is open to all year groups. Each week a different visiting OG speaker comes to talk to the students,
In the words of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM): “What is teaching for mastery?” Mastering Maths means pupils of all ages acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. The phrase ‘teaching for mastery’ describes the elements of classroom practice and school organisation that combine to give pupils the best chances of mastering Maths. Achieving mastery means acquiring a solid enough understanding of the maths that’s been taught to enable pupils to move on to more advanced material.’ And where does it all begin? In Reception, the Maths mastery approach is about deepening understanding of concepts – rather than moving on to more complex numbers. That way concepts can be revisited as children follow their interests and they begin to connect this new learning to previous experiences. So next time you are puzzling over a Maths problem at the kitchen table think about the mantra ‘everyone can do Maths.’ Make that Maths narrative a positive one. September 2021 registrations for Embley’s Nursery and Prep School are still open. To find out more, please visit www.embley.org. uk or email admissions@embley.org.uk
(during Friday lunch break) giving them a chance to find out about a career, university, or training opportunity. Last term Godolphin welcomed a diverse range of speakers from the worlds of fashion, finance, business, and more. Girls spoke online during lockdown when visits to School had been cancelled. Feedback on these sessions has been excellent and one Godolphin Fifth Year parent commented “My daughter came away from a Find your Futures session last week feeling fully charged and geared up to follow a career in banking. She really enjoyed hearing about the benefits of a graduate training programme and the opportunity of moving to London upon leaving School!”
