Primary Maths 2 A resource for school CPD leaders

This presentation is for school CPD leaders. It’s a resource for structuring a 45-minute CPD session on maths. It contains six clips from programmes shot in primary schools, and each clip is 3-4 minutes long. To accompany the clips there are short programme summaries and discussion starters. Clips do not need to be watched in any particular order, and the presentation can be adapted to suit the priorities of individual schools. The discussion starters are included as suggestions only. Click on the weblinks to view the full programmes and additional resources. (All programmes covered by the Creative Archive Licence can be viewed on the Teachers TV website and downloaded by registered users of the site.)

Overview These six clips, with their accompanying discussion starters, look at different aspects of maths practice from Year 1 to Year 6: Years 1 and 2 – Moving from SATs to active assessment (clip 1) Years 1 and 2 – Tracking pupil progress (clip 2) Year 3 – Effective questioning and the role of the TA (clip 3) Year 4 – The role of the times tables (clip 4) Year 6 – Confidence with subtraction (clip 5) Years 5 and 6 – Real contexts for maths (clip 6)

1. Key Stage 1 KS1/2 Maths – Goodbye SATs, Hello Assessment Having said goodbye to SATs, Aston Tower Primary School is busy designing active assessment opportunities to build a clear picture of children’s achievements at the end of Key Stage 1. In this clip a Year 2 teacher assesses her children on calculation.

What are the benefits of practical assessment? Why is it important to give choice to pupils here? What whole class assessment activities could you invent to test pupils’ calculation skills?

2. Key Stage 1 Progression in Primary Maths – Managing the Process At Great Barr Primary School an advanced system of tracking pupil progress has impacted on standards in maths. The headteacher pays close attention to school performance data using the RAISEonline system.

How can assessment data be used to support planning? What are the benefits and drawbacks of this approach? Data is used here to identify pupils’ progression. How can it be used in class to support planning for the progression of individual pupils?

3. Key Stage 2 Progression in Primary Maths – Year 3 Pupils at Eleanor Palmer Primary School achieve well above average in national maths tests. What is the headteacher’s role in maintaining standards in maths? Here the headteacher observes a Year 3 lesson on number fact families.

What strategies can be used to boost the independence and confidence of children who are routinely supported by a teaching assistant? The headteacher believes that high quality questioning techniques are the key to good practice in maths teaching. Is she right?

4. Key Stage 2 Progression in Primary Maths – Year 4 Pupils at Eleanor Palmer Primary School in north London achieve well above average in national maths tests. A solid grasp of times tables is key in Year 4. In this clip pupils explore the four-times table.

How could you use this lesson to assess pupils’ knowledge of the four-times table and their ability to understand and work with multiples of four? How could you develop these pupils’ ability to identify patterns and to work confidently with multiples? When it comes to teaching times tables, what makes good practice?

5. Key Stage 2 Progression in Primary Maths – Year 6 Security and confidence with mathematical knowledge is the key to success in Year 6 at Eleanor Palmer Primary School. Here the class teacher consolidates her pupils’ understanding of subtraction.

From what you have seen, how would you rate this lesson on subtraction? Why? The teacher says that she wants her pupils to leave primary school with a strong sense of self when it comes to maths. How can this sense of self be developed? How could you use this lesson to assess pupils’ attainment in written methods of subtraction? What would be the best ways of ensuring that you collected meaningful information?

6. Key Stage 2 KS2 Maths – Knitting A Year 5/6 teacher decides to use knitting as a basis for teaching measurement, estimation and prediction. Editor of Primary Mathematics, Lynne McLure, comments.

Knitting provides a real context for a range of mathematical problems. What other cross-curricular activities could support teaching and learning in maths? Identify aspects of mathematics that you could assess through this activity. What are the advantages and challenges of assessing maths in context? What further ‘simmering activities’ could be used with Year 5 and Year 6 pupils?