Each week I work with 120 children in small Impact Groups that aim to make a real difference to the child’s learning journey. Through highlighting areas that need extra support, in both Maths and Literacy, we work specifically to overcome any areas of weakness. This could be something as simple as gaining confidence with times tables, using punctuation in the correct place or understanding ‘which witch is which?’

The groups, each with no more than 6, allow the children to question their misconceptions in a supporting environment. The sessions last for 30 minutes and the children have one session per week (per subject). Some children go to both the Literacy and Maths sessions, making 2 sessions per week. The children are able to experiment using new words in their written work or try to solve a problem using a new method in Maths. The aim of the Impact Groups is to build confidence that the children are able to demonstrate when they return to the classroom.

The children thrive off the independence they are given within the groups to try new things. We play word games and have a great deal of fun, so much so that the children often don’t realise they are still learning! In Maths, we learn tricks and rhymes to remember times tables, as it is this knowledge that ultimately opens doors to so much more of the child’s overall Maths understanding.

The groups are monitored regularly and communication with class teachers is essential to ensure the correct children are receiving the most appropriate interventions. This flexibility means that children may move in and out of the Impact Groups depending on need, ensuring that we are always matching the work tackled in the groups with the children that most need it.