Springboard 4: Catch-up programme for children in Year 4

In 2000 there was an increase of 9 per cent in the proportion of children obtaining Level 2B or better in the Key Stage 1 national tests for mathematics, a significant improvement in standards since the previous year. However, 17 per cent of children were only awarded Level 2C. A high proportion of these children have the potential to improve on this performance, given a well-planned programme and targeted teaching. Springboard 4 addresses the crucial mathematical knowledge and skills required for these children to reach age-related expectations in the subject.

These materials are based on tried and tested units of work that were originally developed by the Hamilton Maths Project and used successfully in schools in the Oxford Education Action Zone. Some changes have been made to make the programme suitable for use nationwide, but the mathematical content and approach to teaching are essentially the same.

Springboard 4 is designed for teaching in the first half of the school year, and aims to bring children's understanding to a level where they can more easily benefit from the Year 4 teaching programme in the Framework for teaching mathematics from Reception to Year 6. It does not replace this programme, but complements it. The Springboard 4 sessions should be linked carefully to the appropriate teaching units and be done in the same weeks as the topic in the daily mathematics lesson.

This guide is for teachers and teaching assistants working in Year 4 and for mathematics co-ordinators. It is organised in three sections: Section 1 contains introductory notes on the planning and teaching of the programme, including the role of the teaching assistant Section 2 sets out the teaching objectives of the weekly teaching units and their link with the Year 4 teaching programme Section 3 contains the teaching materials: 10 weekly units of work with teaching notes for the sessions, photocopiable activity sheets and resource sheets, and homework tasks.

Aims

Springboard 4 is intended for those children in Year 4 who achieved Level 2C in the Key Stage 1 national tests in mathematics and who, with extra help, are likely to catch up and achieve Level 3 by the end of Year 4. It aims to:

• support the identified children and to remedy particular weaknesses in number so that they are in a better position access and benefit from the teaching programme in Year 4 and beyond
• set the expectation that these children catch up with their peers
• help teachers to prepare a teaching programme enabling children to fully benefit from the main teaching programme for Year 4 as soon as possible.