Mathematics Matters #MathsMatters

Kenny FrederickA school perspective

George Green’s School - context

1250 boys & girls aged 11 – 19 Multi-ethnic, multi lingual and multi-faith A fully inclusive school A local community school Humanities specialism - Citizenship, English & Drama An IB World School An International School An active partnership with 7 local primary schools

Inclusion is non-negotiable

A fully inclusive comprehensive school:•100+ pupils with statements of SEND, many with complex & additional needs•40% on inclusion register•140+ on social care lists•30% English, Scottish, Welsh, 30% Bengali, 40% other•48% English as an additional language learners•60% Free School Meals•Many vulnerable pupils & vulnerable families

A community school open to all

Our motto – All different. All equal

Equal Opportunities is not about treating everyone the the same. It is about meeting individual needs and celebrating and appreciating their individual strengths and weaknesses

Our Aims

• To raise achievement within a framework of equality of opportunity and inclusion for all

• To foster a love of learning for life• To develop active global citizens • To develop a community that can support

itself

The Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets, East London

Not an island but poor transport links in the past led to a feeling of isolation & bitterness

Housing policy in early 1990’s led directly to the election of the only British National Party (BNP) Councillor in 1994

Racism was and still still is a big issue Inward looking population – hard to see beyond the

island The new gated communities led to more divisions in

terms of social class

Barriers to raising achievement

Poverty – despite nearness to Canary Wharf development TH is one of the most deprived Boroughs in the country.

Poverty of aspiration & ambition amongst many parents & students Very poor literacy skills A community that distrusts authority &‘sorts things out for themselves’ A community that has very different values from the ones we promote! Endemic racism White indigenous population particularly boys, underachieving Support from home is erratic - little support for homework & learning at

home Attendance has been a huge issue which is now much improved

Facing up to the challenges

Recruiting & retaining the very best teachers Well planned training & development for all staff A whole school approach to literacy Excellent pastoral care Excellent learning support Emphasis on middle leaders & effective teams Emphasis on accountability & sharing good practice Data used effectively to track pupils and to intervene

appropriately Involving pupils - pupils voice & involvement

Challenges in teaching mathematics

Primary transfer- the primary curriculum deals mostly with number and geometry/data handling, very little algebra is covered. Very little investigative work is done therefore pupils do not have the opportunity to explore maths in any depth.

Students arrive with a level 5 from primary school but they are only level 5 in number, geometry and handling data. They lack understanding of links between different maths areas as these are taught in isolation. 

Challenges in teaching mathematics

Transition from GCSE to IB & A Level

The pressure of getting a C grade in maths means schools put most experience teachers with C/D borderline pupils.

Students are taught to pass exams instead of understanding the processes & enjoying& engaging with maths.

A missing stage between GCSE maths and IB & A level. Algebraic concepts are weak and manipulation of algebra needs developing. More emphases needs to be put on problem solving and written communication. 

Challenges in teaching Mathematics

Time allocated to teaching maths - the maths syllabus is very comprehensive but seems to repeat the same concepts year after year. Teaching should be about developing understanding and teaching the topics in depth rather than width.

The exam system - the two tiered exam systems seems unfair to very low ability students as it is very difficult to get C grade but the higher paper seems fair for the middle ability student. Higher ability students are not given enough challenge to manipulate algebra and develop skills they need for A Level or IB maths.

The new National Curriculum & new GCSE exams•The new curriculum seems positive as it has more differentiation and integration - good for students who want to take maths at a higher level but for students who just want to get maths GCSE for Apprenticeships/University entry - there need to be a middle tier exam •More curriculum time will be needed to cover the new syllabus – where will it come from?•All students to study GCSE maths until they achieve a C grade….! GCSE is an inappropriate courses for many at this stage. An alternative programme needed

 

Challenges in teaching mathematicsPrimary school teachers are rarely maths specialist and most will have only taken maths up to GCSE levelIn secondary schools many maths teachers are not confident or expert enough to teach maths at A level or IBThere should be more opportunities for collaboration and a platform to share good pedagogy in teaching of mathematics concepts  CPD for maths teachers should involve planning together and observe teaching and learning & developing rich tasks to develop deeper understanding.

Facing up to the challengesRecruiting the very best teachersWell planned training & development for all staffA whole school approach to literacy Excellent pastoral careExcellent learning support for those in need Emphasis on middle leaders & effective teamsEmphasis on accountability for all – open classrooms, sharing good practiceData used effectively to track pupils and to intervene appropriatelyInvolving pupils - pupils voice & involvementAll teachers are teachers of maths as they are all teachers of literacy….

Facing up to the challenges

IB introduced in 2008 (Only one Applied A level running alongside) IBCC introduced 2011 International School Award Curriculum Pathways suited to the needs of our pupils Those in pathway 3 & 4 & 5 have additional English & Maths time Good Careers education and preparation for work and/or university NEET ((Not in Education of Employment) numbers are very low Well planned interventions for those who are not making expected

progress

An International Perspective – The IB Learner Profile

Where has all this got us?

Judged as a ‘good’ school (Ofsted March 2013) 50% 5A* to C grades (including English & Maths) in Summer 2013 90% 5A* to C grades IB results just above International average Attendance 95% Only one NEET student in 2012 Staff & leadership who are never complacent & always striving to

improve No time to do all the other things we need to do as well as we should

be doing them – no time for fun and experiencing new things

What can we do about it?

Keep calm and carry on Do what is right for the youngsters in your school (remember your

principles & values) Think of all children as ‘your’ children & make sure admission &

exclusion policies are not dumping children elsewhere Do what we can to keep students & teachers & school staff positive

and up-beat. They must feel like they have some control Heads and teachers make things work – perhaps this is why the

government keep changing things on a whim. We always make it work!