Parents learn maths at Brimsdown

Parents at Brimsdown Primary School went back to class for the morning so they could learn maths techniques to support their children at home.

Around 25 mums and dads attended the class, led by Primary Maths Consultant Peter Warwick, to understand the numeracy methods now being taught at primary school. 

Matthew Clifford, headteacher at Brimsdown, explains: “We invited parents in to do maths activities with a very experienced maths adviser, which mirror the calculations and activities that are going on in the school. Children learn maths in a different way now than many of us learned when we were at school. It’s really important for our parents to understand how their children are learning so they can help them at home.”

Matthew adds: “We had a really good turnout and we’re going to be doing this every half term because pupils succeed best when parents, teachers and children work together.”

After the class one mum said it had given her a confidence boost. She explained: “I wanted to have a better understanding of how the school teaches maths so I can support my son as he goes through the years. The workshop was super helpful. Just by breaking down numbers into tens and ones makes addition and subtraction so much easier. I wish that they had done that when I was at school!”

Another mum said: “I came to the workshop because I was struggling with my daughter’s maths and I didn’t know how to explain it to her. I found it very helpful and I now know how to teach my daughter how to add and subtract.”

It’s not the first time that Brimsdown has offered free lessons to families. Last year a group of parents attended a six-week maths course, run by Capital City College Group and funded by the government’s Multiply programme. The school will be hosting another course in February to teach parents the skills they need to confidently tackle everyday tasks, like managing their money, while also helping to strengthen their skills in the workplace and access more job opportunities.

All Ivy parents are welcome to attend this course. Please contact the school for more information.