At Scholes (Elmet) Primary, we’ve been working hard to juggle two key priorities this year:
- keep making sure we’re as Covid-secure as we possibly can be (despite a few bubbles bursting, we’ve been successful at this compared to other Leeds schools)
- keep making sure we find ways to continually improve teaching and learning (that’s why we ask your views each year in our survey, with specific questions this year about homework, for example, and that’s why we’re making the change to teaching Latin as the statutory foreign language taught in our school)
Linked to the latter, we were keen to invite an advisor in to school recently (all done in a way which followed our risk assessment to make sure we were as Covid-secure as we could be). The advisor – an independent consultant and also a trained Ofsted inspector – carried out an evaluation of how we teach Maths at Scholes (Elmet) Primary.
Here’s some of the feedback:
The teaching of maths is strong overall.
Pupils demonstrate very positive attitudes to their learning and good behaviours. In all lessons visited, pupils were engaged, responding readily to their class teacher’s questions. When working independently they concentrated well.
Pupils make progress through the maths curriculum at both the whole school level and in individual lessons.
Pupils spoke of their enjoyment of maths and the support they received from their class teacher.
There is clear evidence of whole school strategies and approaches in the classrooms to enhance pupils understanding and progress through the maths curriculum. Overall, there is a high level of consistency of practice.
Class teachers are able to lucidly articulate the intent of their lesson, where the lesson fits in a sequence of lessons, including how future lessons will build on learning. Similarly, they are able to explain their thinking behind the chosen pedagogy.
Maths is well-led at Scholes (Elmet) Primary School. The Lead Teacher [Mrs Allaway] has considerable subject and subject pedagogical knowledge. Her passionate commitment to all aspects of the teaching of primary mathematics ensures that the subject is appropriately prioritised and effectively regularly reviewed.
The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND.