Just before the end of term, three Gravesham primary schools, Kings Farm, Lawn and Whitehill, took over Community Square, the central space outside the Civic Centre, on a Saturday afternoon to present the Gravesham Festival of Mathematics, as part of a sponsorship by The Goldsmiths’ Company of London.
The event was designed to enlighten the local community about mathematics in schools, with children explaining their activities to visitors and engaging them in mathematical games and competitions, following a Mathematics week in each of the three schools.
The three pupils who shared the Goldsmiths Award for Excellence in Maths have been rewarded with a visit to Oxford to take in a tour of the University followed by a maths workshop run by current students and staff at the University. They will be accompanied by ‘bright disadvantaged’ peers across the three schools.
The £200,000 investment by the Goldsmiths Livery Company was featured in a previous article last year, and has already seen a boost in mathematics performance in the three schools. As part of the initiative they have to work on community engagement as well as inside the schools.
I talked with many of those who visited the exhibition, which included a mathematics trail, and displays of the work carried out over the previous week. The most common comment was along the lines of 'I didn't know they did that in primary schools' as visitors looked at problem solving and other more advanced concepts, also being entertained by singing and dance groups.
I must declare my interest in that I was a previous governor at both Kings Farm and Whitehill Infant School, the latter before it joined with the Junior School. I remain active in support of Kings Farm, and celebrated with them, its recent Good Ofsted Inspection Report.
Photographs courtesy of Kent Messenger Group