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A-Level maths students from St Philip Howard Catholic School in Barnham helped deliver maths masterclasses to students from three primary schools across Sussex as part of a programme trialled by The Royal Institution (Ri).

The classes were designed to push talented primary school students 'beyond the national curriculum', get them engaging with maths and open their eyes to the variety of mathematical careers in the modern world. The first of their kind, they were so well received that all three participating schools - St Marys Catholic Primary School in Worthing, Annecy Catholic Primary School in Seaford, and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Hayward's Heath - are now set to make them a recurring yearly feature.

“I was looking to do something that would be a challenge for those children in the Trust’s primary schools who have shown a high level of engagement with Maths. I had heard about the Ri Masterclasses and realised they would make the perfect opportunity to do just that,” said Dr Rebecca Turvill, Director of Primary Maths for Bosco Catholic Education Trust.

The masterclasses were hailed as 'a triumph'

The primary schools identified 26 students to take part and the masterclasses were delivered across five zoom sessions, with two delivered by specialist speakers from the Royal Institution itself, another delivered by Dr Turvil herself and a fourth by Matt Hind, head of maths at St Philip Howard Catholic School. Two maths students from St Philip Howard Catholic School also got the chance to deliver a masterclass after receiving specialist training from the Royal Institution itself.

The Royal Institution trained the two sixth form students, who then went on to deliver a superb session to the children together,” said Dr Turvill. “It was a real opportunity for the whole trust to work together across the age groups.”

Andrew Clarke, Head of School at St Philip Howard Catholic School added: “It looks like we may well have a few future Maths teachers in our midst."

Alongside impressing staff, the masterclasses were a hit with students: "I was fascinated by the different types of Maths topics," said a student from St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Haywards Heath, with another from the same school saying, "It was fun and I really enjoyed it.” A student from Annecy Catholic Primary School in Seaford was particularly enthusiastic about learning Maths that would not normally be taught at primary level: "I thought it was good because it taught me about stuff I would learn later on."

The next wave of Ri masterclasses are due this Autumn.

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