AVS Newsletter June 10 2016 | Page 2

MATHS As a really busy year draws to an end, we can look back on the great progress that the vast majority of students have made in maths. I review the mathematical progress of all students at AVS on a regular basis and if you would like to discuss the progress that your child is making, then please do get in touch. This year we have been teaching all students in Years 7-10 in line with the new GCSE. Next year we will be working hard to ensure that all the skills are fully mastered and they are confident using them, in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts; this will be key to success in the new style of examinations. You will notice that all reports show an achievement grade in line with these new criteria. Please do encourage your children to discuss their maths as this will really help them to clarify their understanding. The new maths curriculum has many new topics, so it is becoming more important than ever that every minute of every lesson is utilised. It is really frustrating to us, and other students when time is wasted sorting out equipment for students who have forgotten theirs. We would therefore really appreciate your help in making sure that your child has a good supply of pens, pencils, and a calculator etc. We have been using our new style of homework sheets for almost a year now and the feedback has been really positive. In fact, it is quite disconcerting FEEDBACK From a recent coaching event at Harris, some very positive feedback about our students. Thank you - your leaders have been superb this week. They have been excellent ambassadors for your school. We have seen some excellent coaching going on. Some creativity and a great rapport with the primary pupils who thoroughly enjoyed the events which was very much in part due to your students. Debbie Green Sports, Lettings and Finance Officer Harris CofE Academy School Sports Partnership how positive so many young people can be about doing homework! They really can see the benefits of this constant repetition and practice. We have asked students to keep all of their past homework sheets to help with their revision in the future. Please help them find somewhere safe to do this. As I said at the start most students have made great progress this year but I do worry that large chunks of this progress will be lost over the summer. Whilst it is obviously important for students to relax, unwind and spend some quality time with their family, it would also really help them if they can spend just a small amount of time each week revising their maths skills. All students should have a maths workbook at home, many of you have purchased extra resources from us too, but students could just simply redo some homework sheets. Alternatively there are some great websi tes out there that would help. Please don’t let it become too onerous, but every bit of practice will really help. In order to assess what information has been lost from memory over the break, most students will begin the year with an assessment. We know that students are most likely to do well when home and school work together in partnership, so please get in touch at any time if you have any questions. I can be contacted most easily by email: [email protected] Mrs Tyas Faculty Leader of Mathematics