STEM: Exploring Mathematics in Junior School
Even now, at the end of the second decade of the twenty-first century, we still hear how girls remain under-represented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects nationally at A Level, but especially Maths, and in Maths-related careers.
This may seem very distant in relation to where the girls at the Junior School are at in terms of their education, but it is here, beginning in Reception, that a St Mary’s girl’s mathematical journey starts. In Junior School, girls are encouraged to view Maths not as a closed subject made up only of right and wrong answers, but as an exploration of the fascinating world of numbers, an opportunity to investigate and experiment, a time to innovate and for them to build on the shared expertise of teaching staff and their peers.
Our approach to teaching and learning as an accredited HPL (High Performance Learning) school supports this view, underpinning all that we do as educators. The girls are supported to be agile mathematicians, enquiring, creative and keen to take risks in their learning. They understand the importance of collaboration, as well as the many benefits that continued practise and perseverance bring to mathematical knowledge and understanding.
"St Mary’s girls are best placed to play their part in addressing the national imbalance in STEM at A Level and in the workplace."
As the girls begin to master the many different concepts on their educational journey through the year groups in Junior School, our use of White Rose Maths - with reasoning and problem solving at its core - along with a mastery approach to the teaching and learning of Maths, mean that by the end of Year 6, girls have acquired a secure grasp of the subject. This ensures girls are fully prepared and excited for the continuation of their individual journeys in Maths in our Senior School and beyond.
Indeed, from the moment they set out on their journey at the Junior School, St Mary’s girls are best placed to play their part in addressing the national imbalance in STEM at A Level and in the workplace.
St Mary’s girls can, and do, achieve excellence in Maths.
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