A PILOT teaching project at Chipping Campden School has proved beneficial to both teachers and pupils following a six-week series of after-school sessions.

Sixth form students received training from members of the masterclass team at the Royal Institution to help them lead a series of primary mathematics masterclasses to primary school children.

The programme aims to open young people’s eyes to the excitement and real-world value of maths. Each session was designed to stretch the most able young mathematicians by giving them the opportunity to use existing skills in challenging and unfamiliar contexts through investigation and problem solving.

The afterschool sessions have been declared an invaluable mathematical experience for the pupils, giving them the opportunity to see it as an exciting discipline, driven by asking questions and with relevance to particular contexts and the world around them.

The 'teachers' were also taught a lot about the experience of leading classes.

The series, started in November, involved 28 ten and eleven-year old pupils from four local primary schools. Feedback from their teachers, the pupils themselves and their parents has been positive.

The classes were led by sixth formers Jacob Greenslade, Jake Campbell, Eve Smith-Lomas, Theo Ebutt, Henry Binfield and James Peace have learnt a lot from leading the classes.

Seventeen-year old Jacob Greenslade devised a physics practical session using calculations to work out the momentum of objects. The Year 12 student, who is considering a career in teaching said: “The whole experience has given me a real insight into the life of a teacher. It has also given me a greater understanding of the subject matter, as in order to be able to teach it effectively, I had to go back to the very basics of the topic. It was a really useful experience and one that I have really gained a lot from being a part of.”

Zoe Griffiths, primary mathematics masterclasses coordinator at the Royal Institution added: “It has been exciting for us to be involved in the set up of the masterclass series at Chipping Campden School. The project is hugely beneficial for both the primary school students and the sixth formers involved. We are keen to use this successful model in the future, working with secondary schools and their teachers to start primary mathematics masterclass series in other areas of the country.”

The initiative also received funding from The Ogden Trust.