To support teachers working with pupils across the KS2 – 3 transition, we’re producing a series of webinars which focus on aspects of maths common to the Primary and KS3 National Curriculum. The areas chosen are those which often feature in discussions of maths at KS2-3 transition and which have been the focus of work in the NCETM’s Year 5 – 8 Continuity Work Groups.

The webinars aim to strengthen teachers’ understanding of what’s in the curriculum for each key stage and to explore the pedagogy common in KS2 practice. It’s important to know not just what has been taught but how it has been taught, the representations used, and the language with which pupils are familiar.

If maths is presented and described in an unfamiliar way, it’s possible that pupils fail to recognise maths which they have experienced through different representations and language.

The webinars seek to support continuity in the way maths is presented and to acknowledge where there’s a change and to manage it well.

The next webinar, on Tuesday 23 March, focuses on Statistics and will look at what’s in the KS2 curriculum and how this relates to the KS3 curriculum. We will consider how this area of the curriculum is perceived by pupils in primary schools and what this means in terms of ensuring continuity and a smooth progression into secondary school.