Student K: Year 8 Specialist Provision

When student K started the programme, he had significant gaps in his understanding of number at and above 3-digits and he had made the assumption that he ‘couldn’t do maths’. His confidence and self-esteem were low and he was reluctant to attend maths lessons in school and would often delay getting to lessons or use anti-social behaviours.

Student K was removed from secondary lessons where he was struggling to access the content, and his maths lessons replaced with the SCP programme, following the order of topics and tutorials from his individual Roadmap to build back his understanding and work at his level.

Although he took a few weeks to engage fully in the programme, he is now making progress, believing in himself again and enjoying the feeling of achievement. He is able to understand the place value of numbers up to 4-digits and is becoming more secure in calculation methods for addition and subtraction. He learns at a slow and steady pace with lots of recapping needed and ‘over-learning’ to make sure his understanding is secure. A slow pace works better for K, not only ensuring he is academically secure but also that he maintains his confidence and feeling of achievement whilst still moving forward at his pace.

Initial gap summary

K could read 3-digit numbers but could not consistently write numbers, especially where numbers included a zero place holder. He had limited knowledge of the value of the digits within a 3-digit number.
K had no knowledge of rounding or understanding of negative numbers.
K understood what addition and subtraction meant, but did not have strategies for adding or subtracting (2-digit numbers).
K is not secure in times tables or multiplication and division methods above grouping and sharing.
K can find simple fractions of a shape (half and quarter) but has very limited fraction knowledge above this.
K has lost a lot of confidence in maths and find it difficult to engage in secondary lessons, saying he ‘can’t do it’.

The School Consultancy Tutoring Programme Student K: Year 8 Specialist Provision case study

Summary after two terms using the programme for ‘Specialist’ intervention using the programme to replace all maths lessons:

Progress in more detail (through TA meetings and review of work)

Initial weeks
K was reluctant to engage in lessons and did not want to attend the intervention maths lessons. He needed a lot of support and encouragement to try the programme. However, once he realised that he could ‘do’ the work, he engaged and attended lessons voluntarily, saying to the TA, ‘I can do this maths’.

Term-one review
K learns at a slower pace and needs to make sure he has thoroughly mastered a skill or understanding before moving on in order to maintain confidence and secure his learning. By moving slowly and thoroughly, at his own pace, through the programme, K has been able to make links with his baseline understanding and previous tutorials. The TA recaps the previous day’s learning before moving to the new tutorial. K works well with the TA, first watching the video together and then watching again but pausing at certain points to then practise on a white board. He now understands 3-digit place value and rounding and is starting to understand, and work with, 4-digits.

Term-two review
K has progressed at a methodical pace through the programme, with lots of recapping and repetition needed. However, he can now read, write and understand place value of 4-digit numbers. He has secured rounding and can add using column strategies. He can subtract using the column method using one exchange and is now working on more complex problems with more than one exchange and zeros. His confidence has grown in maths and it is nice to see him enjoying the achievements he has made.

Summary shown in bar chart below:

Next term’s focus

K to:

Secure addition and subtraction column methods for numbers up to 4-digits
Secure times tables and strategies

Secure short multiplication and division methods.
Recap the meaning of fractions, how to write and compare fractions and find a fraction of a number.

View K’s Current Roadmap and Assessment Tracking

Could your school benefit from our programme?
Let’s talk

We’re ready to help you. Our expert consultants are here, just send a message.