I will enjoy it when I get there. I really will because this year we’ve targeted Level 4s to 5s and as a result I have just ten of the sweetest children in Year 9 to myself for the day. I know I shouldn’t, but I always call them nice but dim. Having said that, if they all get Level 5s then I won’t be able to anymore!
I’m focusing on 3 topics – fractions, solving equations and area and perimeter. In some of my best-planned lessons this year we’re going to be using quite a lot of mymaths as my school has a subscription and it has lots of topic-oriented games as well as teaching tools. We’re also going to be using topic-focused SATs papers printed from testbase (as posted on Decimal Points).
Only English, Maths and Science have this particular privilege, and we’re getting paid. Guess how much for one day’s teaching plus full preparation? Okay, that’s naughty but let me ask a more serious, related question.
Does Easter revision (three weeks before the exams start) make any difference to the students’ results? We do basic tracking on kids who have attended after-school revision sessions, but not the ones who attend the holiday session only. Is it too close? Is a whole day per subject too intense? What does your school do?