Talking Points

I've been talking well-nigh 3 things on Twitter this week: written report leave, calculators in addition to contact time. I quest to a greater extent than than 140 characters! All opinions are welcome, either through Twitter or inwards the comments below.

Study Leave
At my previous schoolhouse all Year xi in addition to Year thirteen students would disappear inwards early on May, returning to schoolhouse exclusively to sit down their exams. It was a girls' grammer schoolhouse - the students were difficult working, driven in addition to independent. They made skillful utilization of their written report leave, in addition to the teachers made skillful utilization of gained fourth dimension for projects such system of operate development. I straightaway operate at a boys' comprehensive where students are expected to attend schoolhouse throughout the whole examination period. This 'no written report leave' approach is fairly common. I mean value it raises actually interesting questions well-nigh how schools tin best back upwardly students preparing for populace exams. What practice you lot think? What's best for students - studying at habitation or at school?

My schoolhouse does Linked Pair GCSE in addition to my Year 11s own got ane of their iv maths GCSE exams inwards the afternoon, which is unusual. Three hours of maths revision at schoolhouse has been scheduled for the morning time of that exam. I'm worried that this volition exhaust my students, maybe to the detriment of their examination performance. Five hours of maths inwards ane twenty-four hours doesn't audio similar a smart idea.

I'd rather they remain at home, merely it's non upwardly to me. I volition practice my best to practice a relaxing in addition to encouraging surround at school. We'll practice a piddling chip of maths, merely for sure non 3 hours of intense terminal infinitesimal revision. What would you lot do?

Thanks to all who offered ideas on Twitter - let's promise it's a prissy twenty-four hours then I tin bring them exterior inwards the sunshine!

Calculators
Last Dominicus I attended the absolutely bright 'Maths inwards the Sticks' CPD upshot for H5N1 degree teachers, organised past times Stuart Price. I've already shared my initial views on the changes to H5N1 level, merely inwards that postal service I deliberately didn't cite calculators because I haven't made upwardly my hear well-nigh them yet.

I'm non a luddite, I'm non anti-technology, merely I'm afraid I don't acquire excited well-nigh calculators similar closed to people do. I yet utilization the same estimator that I used at schoolhouse in addition to university.

I similar the fact that C1 is currently non-calculator in addition to I volition miss this chemical cistron of H5N1 level. I'm likewise quite fond of statistical tables. I bring that statistical tables volition eventually drib dead the means of log tables in addition to slide rules, merely I practice experience a chip sorry well-nigh it.

I used to tutor a somebody schoolhouse daughter who was struggling amongst H5N1 degree maths. One twenty-four hours she showed me a snazzy novel estimator that she'd been sold at school. Although she didn't empathize the maths involved, she was real skillful at using the calculator. Clearly her instructor had spent a lot of fourth dimension inwards lessons going through the instructions. I was surprised that this estimator was allowed inwards exams because it seemed to reach her an unfair wages over students who couldn't afford an expensive calculator.

You could debate that learning how to utilization this sort of applied scientific discipline is a useful skill, merely I'm non convinced it's equally of import equally people brand out. I suspect that these skills volition live on forgotten inside weeks of the halt Year 13. Plus applied scientific discipline speedily becomes outdated anyway.

So forgive me for non welcoming the 'use of technology' aspects of the novel H5N1 degree amongst opened upwardly arms. I'm already bored past times it. There are likewise practicalities to consider. And don't fifty-fifty acquire me started on 'large information sets'...

Contact Time
Finally, thank you lot to everyone who replied to this tweet:

It was fascinating to run into how much variation at that spot is betwixt schools.

As expected, it seems that larger schools are to a greater extent than probable to own got a set out of TLRs inwards the maths department. But this is non ever the instance - inwards closed to large schools the Head of Maths has to practice (or delegate) everything (which is a lot!).

Answers regarding contact fourth dimension were inconsistent, ranging from no extra fourth dimension allocated to four hours per week. It seems that most Key Stage Coordinators are allocated between 1 in addition to 3 extra non-contact periods a fortnight.

The chore description of a Key Stage Coordinator likewise varies a lot - roles may involve running assist clubs in addition to interventions, preparing assessments, task lesson observations in addition to surgical operation management, analysing data, processing examination entries, developing schemes of work, organising competitions summation a plethora of other duties.

Key Stage Coordinator roles are a skillful stepping rock to Head of Maths, then for sure worth having a drib dead at. I used to live on a Key Stage five Coordinator in addition to actually enjoyed it. I'm non sure I'd practice it if I wasn't allocated whatever extra fourth dimension though.

Opinions are most welcome!

Please practice allow me know your thoughts.