Maths
Overview of the Department
The Mathematics Department at Hordle Walhampton is fortunate to be staffed throughout the Pre-Prep and Prep schools by caring and dedicated teachers and classroom assistants. Children are stretched and nurtured to meet their individual needs with excellent support from the Learning Support Unit and by a flexible setting system, allowing frequent movement across sets as pupil’s ability and confidence develops. Pupils are set in year three and above and Maths can be taught by maths specialists in years four upwards.
Pupils in the Pre-Prep receive an hour long daily numeracy lesson. In the Prep school, years three and four receive four and a half hours of teaching and this is slowly reduced to make space for other subjects in the upper part of the school. Year eight pupils receive three hours of maths lessons which are supplemented by several after-school activity sessions to give extra support to those approaching examinations. A Maths Club is run to provide challenges for potential scholars and others who simply enjoy the subject.
Pupils are assessed regularly with our carefully designed progress tests. These allow, short term teaching plans to be amended and are very useful for integrating new pupils into the school having identified any gaps in their Knowledge. They are a valuable aid to setting.
Overall Aims of the Department.
The department has several aims. We aim to prepare pupils for the demands of Entrance examinations at 11 and 13 years of age to a variety of schools. These include Common Entrance and the vast variety of scholarship papers set by schools such as Canford, Eton, Harrow, Winchester College, St. Swithun’s, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, King Edward 6th, Clayesmore, Marlborough College, Bryanston, Ballard, Milton Abbey, Radley, The Oratory, Downe House, Wellington College, and others.
We aim to challenge the more able pupils by entering National Competitions including the Primary and Junior Maths Challenges. For those pupils who find maths more difficult the aim is to ensure they leave with a good foundation of basic skills that can be built on as they approach GCSE maths and to give them confidence and fluency in carrying out maths that they will encounter in everyday life. Another important aim is to encourage thinking and reasoning skills. This is done using individual, paired and group practical and investigative work. The increasing use of I.T. helps to make lessons more fun and relevant to a modern way of life. We believe that if Maths is more fun better learning will take place.
What is unique about the way we do things?
The use of IT is becoming increasingly important. At Hordle Walhampton we use Interactive White boards in conjunction with a variety of programmes that allow pupils to share, experiment and learn. Computers in the new maths rooms will mean that there is more individual time to use such programmes. In the future we are planning to use more on-line learning platforms and we will install internationally used packages such as “mathletics” to allow our pupils to compete with others around the globe. We use excellent proven web sites such as nrich maths and others to help children achieve their potential. Some lessons take place outside and we a replanning to develop the use of our extensive 90 acre site for learning in many areas of the curriculum.
Our Staff have received training and differentiate lessons to cope with the needs of individual pupils. This includes provision for those identified as gifted and talented. Our Learning support team come into lessons and also provide help out of class on a one to one basis. Individual extra help from the Maths staff is given when necessary during break times to support the work covered in lessons.
The Department encourages all pupils to take an interest in the history of mathematics. Attention is focused on prominent mathematicians, particularly those such as Pythagoras, Archimedes, Fibonacci and Newton, who have made significant contributions to the development of the subject and hence to cultural development generally.
The Department regards the study of mathematicians and the history of mathematics as a useful medium for engaging the interests of those pupils who are not naturally captivated by the subject as taught for school examinations.
The history of mathematics is pursued through projects and assignments. Pupils are encouraged to use the internet for research, and they use their ICT skills to enhance the presentation of their work.
The Department has both an expanding library and an increasing collection of stimulating videos and DVD’s on the History and Development of Mathematics. Staff try hard to include in their lessons, topics from the History of Mathematics when they can be appropriately related to the schemes of work.
Our department has an excellent track record of CE and Scholarship results. In 2009 Thomas Shakesphere’s A grade in maths helped secue his award to Winchester College and we had 23 pupils achieving awards in the National Junior Maths Challenge, a competition aimed at the top 40% of pupils in year 7 and 8. Eight of our year 6 pupils won certificates including one with a gold award. In the last three years we have had pupils do so well that they qualified for the National Maths Olympiad where the country’s top 1000 Mathematicians in this age group compete. Mathew Truell was awarded one of the few Gold medals in the country.
The department is fortunate to be moving into three new maths rooms which will be developed into a forward looking working environment.
Useful Websites.
nrich.maths.org
This site has a wealth of resources covering the whole of the national curriculum. There are links to monthly problems that pupils and submit solutions to as well as a huge archive of past problems and articles relevant to all ages.
rainforestmaths.com
Aimed at pupils up to year 6, this site is excellent for practising problem solving and basic numeracy in a variety of contexts.
learnpremium.co.uk and primaryresources.co.uk offer alternative good sites.