9 minute read
Education
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 Maths learning was not especially filled with joy or creativity.
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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 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.
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
Godolphin’s Old Girl Network comes together to support current students.
Bright Futures, Godolphin’s Careers Programme has been able to continue during lockdown, thanks to the loyal 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.
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, (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!”
EMBLEY NURSERY & PREP SCHOOL
INDEPENDENT DAY & BOARDING SCHOOL FOR BOYS & GIRLS AGED 2 - 18
Embracing Ambition
Behind a joyful atmosphere conceals a meticulous approach to the academic development and personal wellbeing of every child, ensuring our Nursery children are Reception ready with reading, writing, phonics and Mathematics above age-related expectations.
Embley Park, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 6ZE www.embley.org.uk
A leading independent day, weekly and full boarding school for girls aged 11-18
Join us on one of our open days:
Saturday 13 March Friday 7 May Saturday 26 June
It’s who we are.
Please contact us to book your visit: www.stswithuns.com | 01962 835700
A Life Of Two Halves
CHORISTERS LEARN SO MUCH MORE THAN INCREDIBLE MUSIC
alisbury Cathedral is looking for ten new choristers – 5
Sboys and 5 girls – in 2021 to join its professional choir. To audition you need to be aged between 7 and 9, have a musical ear, and love to sing. David Halls, Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral, is very clear that he is not looking for exceptional singers, he is looking for children with the potential to become exceptional singers. The children selected will find themselves in the unique position of being both modern children studying at a leading prep school and professional musicians before their age even hits double figures. In this way, chorister life is one of two distinct halves. Choristers are both everyday school pupils and also working representatives of Britain’s oldest cultural heritage. David Halls explains, ‘we [the choir] are a small slice of a tradition which stretches right back to the 11th Century. I often look at the weight of history and feel proud to play our small, yet significant, part.’ Chorister life is busy and demanding, but the benefits derived really stand the test of time. In this article, we ask how the double-sided childhood experienced by choristers sets them on a path to such enjoyable and accomplished lives. Firstly, to be a professional musician, at any age, takes both discipline and a desire to succeed. The hectic schedule of chorister life quickly builds the necessary discipline, alongside increasingly good ability to prioritise, but the desire to succeed must come from within. That’s why David Halls says he is not only looking for a musical spark but also . . . ‘a sense they [the children] really want to do it and that they want to be taught’. If you have ever heard a professional Cathedral choir sing you will not be surprised to know that choristers rehearse every morning of the school year and into traditional holiday time too. They also sing Evensong multiple times a week as well as participating in formal concerts and recordings. This is all in addition to school. All chorister pupils at Salisbury Cathedral School participate in the same level of academic work and co-curricular activities – including sport, outdoor learning and creative endeavours – as the non-chorister pupils. You may well ask how on earth do they ever manage to fit everything in? ‘The children [choristers] have to learn to prioritise. They do a lot of singing and they need to fit their other responsibilities, such as homework and sport, around it. This means they experience competing priorities at a young age and quickly learn techniques to manage,’ explains David Halls. Furthermore, living as choristers teaches children a number of other lifelong skills. First and foremost, they learn to be integral members of a team. To sing in a choir requires an individual to blend their voice with those of their equals to create music with a life of its own. One of England’s greatest sportsmen, cricket’s Sir Alastair Cook puts it succinctly in his autobiography, ‘Choir school taught me about an individual’s responsibility to the group’. Choristers also learn to stand still for long periods of time in both rehearsal and concerts. As part of a professional choir, they are required to take good care of their appearance at all times even when operating within a tight schedule. As the years go by, natural leadership often emerges. Older boys and girls proactively begin to care for younger children, tying their shoes and turning the music to the right page for them amongst other things. Overall, the high standards required from day one helps every chorister develop a taste for excellence which will guide all future endeavours. This is well illustrated by Sir Alastair Cook who famously credits his cricketing success to his early years as a chorister. He explains that, ‘we were expected to learn quickly about the power of concentration and performing under pressure’. He continues to say, ‘there is absolutely no doubt the experience [of being a chorister] made me the cricketer I became.’ Choosing the path of a chorister is undoubtedly a big commitment, for both the child and their family, but the rewards are equally large. The children chosen are directly compensated in two ways. They benefit from an independent education at the prep school associated with their choir at a reduced rate and are also paid for professional recordings and some concerts. Indirect compensation is less tangible but probably more valuable. For example, the skills developed by choristers include ability to prioritise, concentrate and communicate as well as teamwork, discipline, leadership, and a natural expectation of excellence. To top it all off, choristers often travel extensively in their work and, of course, receive the most outstanding musical education available.
Your child at our heart
VIRTUAL OPEN DAY
FRI 26 FEB 2021
10AM – 12NOON
• MEET THE HEAD MASTER, CLIVE MARRIOTT
• OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH KEY MEMBERS OF STAFF AND YEAR 8 PUPILS
• WATCH OUR VIRTUAL OPEN DAY FILM
To find out more please contact our Registrar, Jojo Orange
orange.j@salisburycathedralschool.com www.salisburycathedralschool.com
CO-EDUCATIONAL PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN AGED 3 TO 13
Making a happy start to school
Insider secrets from the experts at St Swithun’s Thursday 25 March, 7pm
This online mini conference includes:
1. Thriving in preschool and reception 2. Practical tips to practise at home 3. Making the most of the outdoors 4. Promoting a healthy mind and a healthy body 5. Live Q&A session with experts from St Swithun’s preschool and reception
