Do you have any idea what your child is learning in maths?

[silverysea]

My children need help in numeracy not literacy, and I agree parents should be involved in both. But I think reading is most urgent to prioritise if parents have limited resources. My own education has made helping with maths difficult, eleven plus prep has been very character-building for mum!

Due to the strike today, dd1 brought home a page of workings out she did in the library. Y9 simultaneous equations. She had spent over an hour not including the hour in class, and was only halfway through. She was also given a reading list and came home with "the Lovely Bones" and is happily devouring that. So the strike shouldn't be a problem, teachers seem to have planned ahead.

Our washer is broken and won't be replaced for a week so she is also going to get a practical lesson in laundrette use today from Mum. Good time to finish the maths while the socks agitate.

[2hostess]

At our school in Bucks each child have their own "Maths on Target" book for their year, which they keep at school. I've bought these books from Amazon (together with the answer books), as they differentiate by levels (A, B and C). So, if my daughters in years 4 and 6 do level B at school, I ask them to do level C at home. If there is a topic where they struggle with level B, they repeat level B and then do level C. This way they revise what they've done at school, and also do a higher level work.

[mystery]

How do you know what they did to follow it up from the book like that. My school is so mysterious. Yours sounds a dream. And before someone asks again why I might want to know it is because what dd tells me she has done does not sound like it can lead to any progress this year. And the school is very silent when asked.

[VH73]

The same here, they don't tell me anything, I don't even know his levels. I know he's progressing, but I only see this through his homework.

I guess this builds up trust. But all my friends' kids' schools tell them more (nearly everything).

[mystery]

If you see that through homework you have some transparency. We do not see that through school homework.

It could breed a feeling that there must be something to hide rather than trust.

[silverysea]

Next week is the teacher-parent meeting-I shall b bringing pen and asking and writingdown the levels, and asking what are the targets. Admittedly this school talks levels a lot and this y6 dd is into all that, tells me lots, year 6 is a levels kind of year.

I might invest in those "on target" books, great idea.

[Daogroupie]

I have always known exactly what my dd's are learning at Primary school in Maths because I knew it would not be enough to get a place at a selective school. So I would need to top up what they were not being taught. Now they are in Secondary school I track what they are doing so I know about any problems. It is a lot easier now I have access to their books. We also get emails from the school if homework is not given in or they do badly in a topic test. DG

[VH73]

I'm afraid it's a same with Literacy. If they're in the top set in, they might do some Y6 staff, but otherwise I can only hope.

I've got the impression too, that secondary schools tell you a bit more. Or I hope at least.

[sbarnes]

I recap on a Sunday afternoon the maths taught the previous week, call it revision. At present in year 9, DS is doing sequences up to quadratic and now simultaneous equations. Luckily I still remember the maths taught to me by school/father in the 70's so can help till GCSE, A levels may be another matter

I am finding these recap lessons on a Sunday to really help DS. They last anywhere between 30mins to 1hr and cover any subjects DS is finding difficult in the week gone.

Last week we revised chemistry for instance, anions/cations, polyatomic atoms etc.

The teacher has targets for a certain percentage of the syllabus to cover by a set period of time, so little chance to slow down in a class size as that in state school.

These recap lessons also ensure exam revision is not left to the last minute.

[lemon_n_pear]

I do have a good "idea" based on the homework recieved...

My daugher's homework in year 5 (last summer) consisted of very simple maths questions e.g. 2000 divided by ? equals 20. very frustrating.... or even worse quiet a lot of coloring/drawing.

I was also able to determine that she was studying level 3 comprehension from the homework that was sent home as well.

Being of a curious nature I did ask her teacher why the class were given such easy homework.... the response recieved....

"we need to address the needs of the wider class"

...... meant that I changed my approach to completing the work sent home.... as my daugher required slightly more, especially with the 11+ around the corner.