Governors, staff and pupils of Walford Primary School were delighted to receive a letter from the Secretary of State for Education and the Minister of State for School Standards congratulating them on their very high standard of achievement in the mathematics key stage 2 assessments.

The school was helped to achieve such outstanding results by being part of the Teaching for Maths Mastery programme for the past two years. They recently hosted two teachers from Shanghai, Song Yanwen and Fu Ping, who were part of the UK Chinese Teacher Research Programme. Eighty-six secondary and primary teachers from Shanghai spent two weeks in schools across England as part of the Teaching for Maths Mastery programme which fosters a deep understanding of maths. The Programme, run by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), in conjunction with the Shropshire and Herefordshire Maths Hub is funded by the Department for Education. “It has been a real privilege to host two extraordinary, inspiring teachers from Shanghai, who have worked alongside staff, demonstrating finely tuned skills and unpicking the vital steps in the learning of mathematics. Over the past two years, through Teaching for Mastery, our results have gone from strength-to-strength,” said Louise George, Headteacher.

During a two week teacher exchange to Shanghai at the end of last year, Deputy Headteacher, Emma Hanham, a Maths Mastery Specialist, had an incredible opportunity to observe and learn from an educational system that boasts outstanding mathematics results and bring back a wealth of knowledge to share with colleagues at Walford. Emma said: “The emphasis on mastery ensures that every child grasps simple mathematical concepts before moving on to more complex ones. This promotes confidence and a deeper understanding to enable every child to succeed.”