A CD-ROM created by a Hampshire primary school to teach its pupils how to do maths at home has been made available nationwide, thanks to an article in The TES, writes Helen Ward.
Take a Teacher Home was developed by Lyndhurst junior in Portsmouth to help pupils practice maths and give parents an insight into how it is taught at school.
Margaret Griffin, the head, gave parents free copies as part of a drive to raise maths results after predictions that only 56 per cent of Year 6 were on track to reach level 4. The school has now seen its key stage 2 maths scores rise from 74 per cent achieving level 4 last year to 80 per cent this year.
The disc, which was created by Ms Griffin’s partner, Mike Beel, includes video clips of deputy head Kathryn Robinson taking lessons.
Ms Griffin said: “The reception from parents has been fantastic. The children and parents have been using it. I think it’s the fact that Kathryn is an exceptional teacher. She does explain maths extremely well, very clearly and concisely.”
Publishers LCP contacted Ms Griffin after reading about the project in The TES in March. Ron Gellert-Binnie, the managing director of LCP, said: “We are all parents here and we know what it’s like to help kids with maths at home. None of us understand how it’s taught in schools these days. We saw what Lyndhurst had done and thought it such a good idea.”
The CD-Rom has been slightly altered from the original, with extra lessons added.
* Take a Teacher Home, pound;4.50- pound;6 each, depending on quantity ordered.
www.lcp.co.uk
