Back to school … for mums and dads

Parents and carers of Vallis First School pupils went back to school for a maths class on Tuesday 6th February, as part of the school’s comprehensive family learning programme.

It was a far cry from the dreary rote learning that many remembered from their own school days, as the session was filled with fun activities for all ages, from reception children pairing socks, to older children using colourful board games to practise multiplication and long division.

The morning started with parents doing maths warm-up exercises to stretch their brains (top picture). Then headteacher Naomi Pauley explained the school’s new calculation policy. It teaches the children how to do their calculations, first by using physical objects, then by working with visual representations of numbers, before finally moving on to abstract written calculations (second picture).

Parents then went to their children’s classroom where teachers had been busy setting out a range of activities for the parents and children to work on together. (pictures 3 to 6).

The children loved showing their parents and carers how hard they have been working and the different methods they have learned. For the parents, it was a great opportunity to see the learning in action and to take home ideas to support their child’s learning outside the classroom.

Naomi Pauley said, “There was a real learning buzz as I went from class to class. Parents were commenting about the fun they and their children were having with maths. They were amazed at how the children were prepared to tackle the harder challenges. This is just one example of the types of family learning events we run for parents, which gives them a real insight into how teaching and learning works in Vallis.”