1. Y7&8 INFORMATION EVENING Mathematics
See what you can remember … have a go at the problems on the table!
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2. 5 Year Plan Revision and exam prep Review of number topics
Some algebra / shape
2/3 week topic blocks
Rainbow Number – build
secure foundation in arithmetic
Rainbow Algebra
Algebra required for GCSE
Y7 Y8 Y9 Y10 Y11
What’s the plan for helping students to succeed?
Keep coming back to number topics so that students remember, rather than study for a couple of weeks and then forget
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3. Department results Is the plan working?
Over the last few years we have consistently been in the top 10% national for progress.
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4. Department results but more importantly…
Over the last few years, we have been consistently in the top 10% of maths departments in terms of progress*
This year:
84% of students made national expected progress
56% of students made more than national expected progress.
(National figures from last year are 66% and 30%)
Over the last few years we have consistently been in the top 10% national for progress.
* Put another way, the students have been in the top 10% for progress. This is mainly down to them, rather than us. And they couldn’t do it without your support.
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5. Aims
ensure that all students have a strong understanding of number so that they are well prepared for GCSE
Spend longer on topics so that students get the chance to solve problems
Some details....
These are the key aims for KS3
We’ll take each one in turn, explain why it’s important and what you can do to help.
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6. number basics Why are the basics important? Each dot shows a topic.
Topic on the edge – completely on it’s own
A bigger one. You need to know this before you can understand a few other topics. So it’s more important
A monster! There are lots of topics that depend on this.
If you can’t do it, or it’s unreliable (sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t) you are going to keep “breaking” down when trying work on the topics which depend on it
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7. Why are the basics important? Each dot shows a topic.
Topic on the edge – completely on it’s own
A bigger one. You need to know this before you can understand a few other topics. So it’s more important
A monster! There are lots of topics that depend on this.
If you can’t do it, or it’s unreliable (sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t) you are going to keep “breaking” down when trying work on the topics which depend on it
N O T R E D A M E H I G H S C H O O L S H E F F I E L D

8. number basics Times tables / mental arithmetic
Standard methods that work every time
fractions and place value
multistep questions
worded problems
So what are these things?
And what can I do to help?
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9. Times tables
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10. Times tables
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11. Standard methods
We will be practicing in class, but you can help them get organised so that they do extra practice at home.
By doing it well, it gives us the best chance to help them (we can diagnose exactly what is wrong – analogy that a doctor would run tests to find out what is wrong – this is what clear working does for us!)
As well as encouraging them to set out clearly, you can also:
Helping students to meet deadlines
Encouraging an early start so that there is time to ask for help
Providing a quiet space to do work (perhaps offer to “look after” mobile phones!)
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12. fractions and place value
After it has been explained in class, the best way to remember something is for students to “self quiz”
We have created some resources to help
Research shows that this is much more effective than reading over notes or have someone explain it again.
These will be made available on SMHW. It will cover important topics like place value, fractions, and standard methods for calculation.
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13. multistep questions and problems
The standard methods will help with multistep problems.
It is also important for pupils to explain what they are working out at each stage – this requires them to be able speak how they would write (students who can only say “you times them and add that and half it” are going to struggle)
You can ask them to explain the last question on the rainbow homework
For problems, we need some moral support. This is not easy and it will take some thought to get started.
One thing that does help is some common sense. The answer should be about £2 each.
Common sense can be developed in everyday conversations.
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14. multistep questions and problems
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15. key messages students will improve if they practice
improvement is not predictable
These are less practical, but if between us we can get across these messages, students will be ready to succeed.
Students can improve on their number skills if they practice. This is a growth mindset; they believe they can better instead of thinking that their ability is fixed
Improving your maths skills is not a steady process. You often have to put a lot of work in up front, struggle, make mistakes. But if you stick at it, then suddenly you will take a huge leap forward.
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16. aims
ensure that all students have a strong understanding of number so that they are well prepared for GCSE
Spend longer on topics so that students get the chance to solve problems
N O T R E D A M E H I G H S C H O O L S H E F F I E L D

17. the importance of problems
to be successful with the new gcse, all students need to study topics in more depth and avoid the rush to cover new, “higher level”, content.
5 cm
3 cm
Work out the area
This is particularly an issue with higher attaining students. Levels encouraged a rush to the next topic instead of concentrating on mathematical difficulty
An example, two weeks on area of a rectangle.
We won’t spend two weeks on the first problem, but look at the others...
Answers are £ and 1296
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18. the importance of problems
Google “UKMT Gateway” for a huge collection of problems, with solutions
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19. faq - setting
we try to group students so that they are with others who need to work on similar number skills
Setting is not about ranking students
The set does not determine the grade. IT’s hard word that counts.
This means that students get more attention from the teachers. The continued focus on number work can be targeted very precisely to help students improve
Students mathematical understanding is complicated. Levels or ranking would have you believe that a student who got 5c is better than one who got 4a in every topic. This is not true. Our job is see what they can do and then push them on. For everyone. AND this also means that it is more important to have a teacher that knows you well rather than moving up sets at the first opportunity.
Examples at GCSE. Students in set 2 got Bs, and students in set 6 got As
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20. questions
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22. Why are the basics important? Each dot shows a topic.
Topic on the edge – completely on it’s own
A bigger one. You need to know this before you can understand a few other topics. So it’s more important
A monster! There are lots of topics that depend on this.
If you can’t do it, or it’s unreliable (sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t) you are going to keep “breaking” down when trying work on the topics which depend on it
N O T R E D A M E H I G H S C H O O L S H E F F I E L D

23. questions
to add for 2016
knowledge organisers. Schedule for first half term + one page printed out. Website – via ? SMHW for the whole term to all y7
why the basics? For success later, but also to make more things enjoyable (eg maths problems that are inaccessible if you don’t know anything, but can be stimulating) and to enable students to do more of the work, and get more of the satisfaction, on interesting modelling problems. Give some examples of add / subtract problems which are hard from UKMT. AREA of a rectangle (2 weeks?!)
Handout with Kos, model rainbow work, tt log in details, ukmt handout, etc so that parents can get started straight away. maybe put in a booklet with links to further materials. parents to sign up to list where half-termly information can be sent? and maths is fun links, etc
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