A year’s worth of maths activities to help teachers assess understanding and lay foundations for KS3
Getting KS3 students off to a secure start in maths is important for the rest of their time in secondary school, especially after any period where their schooling has been disrupted.
Checkpoints activities
Checkpoints are diagnostic activities that will help teachers assess the understanding students have brought with them from primary school, and suggest ways to address any gaps that become evident.
The Checkpoints—over 250 in all—follow the themes covered in the NCETM sample KS3 curriculum framework. The notes for each Checkpoint give answers, some suggested questions and things to consider. After each Checkpoint, a guidance slide explores suggested adaptations, potential misconceptions and follow-up tasks, making the resource ideal for collaborative professional development.
You can find examples of student-facing Checkpoints activities on the NCETM Website.
You will also find the following activities to download:
Checkpoints professional development
Wrapped around each activity, in each set of PowerPoint slides, is comprehensive guidance and advice for teachers. This guidance has been fully explained in a series of professional development seminars which are available the six video showcase above.
The Checkpoints activities are also used within the Maths Hubs project – Years 5-8 Continuity – which looks at transition and is open to primary and secondary school teachers.
There are also new Departmental Workshops – ready-to-use hour-long sessions designed for those leading maths CPD – which focus on exploring the Checkpoints activities.
