Page 14 - link magazine

14 swindonlink.com • October 2010
Aspiring times for tutored pupils

Pupils as young as seven years attending Aspire Tuition at Basepoint Business Centre were thrilled recently to receive their Times-table
Champions Awards in the presence of Swindon MPs Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson.
Aspire Director of Education ing of times-tables, which can cause to do maths in my head a great way David added, “we offer honest
David Parkinson said, “to win problems later on,” said David. of catching fraudsters out. Being assessments of children in terms
an award the children needed to “At Aspire we use various tutor- quick with numbers helped me to of whether they are at the level
answer 12 times-tables correctly ing methods including computers stay ahead of the bad guys in court they should be. This is important
in 30 seconds. They were all very to help the children build up their on several occasions.” information for parents to give them
keen to succeed.” speed. A great way to learn tables Since the Key Stage 3 assessments greater choice about how to support
Many teachers believe that is to go through them in your head for Year 9 pupils were scrapped in their child through the next stages
knowing tables are an essential before you go to sleep - then fi re July 2009, many parents are left of their education.
building block for mathematics, questions at yourself, though by without any indication of how well “Our tuition supplements school
and thorough knowledge of them the time you get to this stage you’re their children are achieving towards to give children confi dence and the
improves a child’s general abil- probably fast asleep anyway.” their GCSEs. In Swindon last year extra help they might need to grasp
ity and understanding of maths. Robert Buckland said, “I was a less than 50 per cent of pupils specifi c aspects of the curriculum.”
“Unfortunately modern teaching barrister before being elected as an achieved 5 A-C grades at GCSE. See the advert on page 38.
methods shy away from rote learn- MP and I always found being able
Times-table champs with David and Andrea Parkinson,
with Robert Buckland MP, centre, and Justin Tomlinson MP, right

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