In January 2023, we were asked to deliver a morning enrichment event at the Advanced Learning Partnership in Durham. For a change, we asked the member of staff from the trust organising the event to share a write-up of the morning from a teacher’s perspective.
It was our the first (and hopefully annual) ALP Maths Legacy event was held thanks to our guest speakers from the AMSP. The event was a targeted group competition aimed at aspiring mathematicians from Year 9 – in schools throughout the ALP. Whitworth Park Academy hosted the event, which was a huge success thanks to the hosts and the brilliant activities designed by Jeremy Dawson.
The Legacy event consisted of a team competition where students worked in groups of 4 to complete various mathematical challenges. Jeremy and Glyn’s diligent and impressive planning ensured there was a diverse range of tasks. This meant students could showcase their various strengths and work well within a team to ensure they communicated their ideas effectively.
The students’ conduct and engagement on the day were exemplary. Especially due to some mixed teams being put together at short notice, some students displayed fantastic character and strong leadership skills.
I was extremely proud of how well all our students performed and in the way in which they represented our schools.
A quote to sum up the day from one of our pupils “Today was very enjoyable. It was nice to work with people from other schools and look at the other environments that people work in. The other students were lovely, and the staff were incredibly polite and helpful. The activities were engaging, and it was pleasant to see a community form in the collection of schools. The best part of the day was being able to connect with others, and the origami activity. I really appreciate the effort put into the day and am grateful that I was able to attend”.
Thank you again to all schools who participated and to my colleagues who helped to plan the day and make it the fantastic experience that it was for our students.