On Tuesday 4th June, around 300 people from the Barker community gathered in the senior school commons to solve maths challenges and puzzles, over dinner. This celebration of mathematics event highlighted the research into confidence in mathematics at Barker that started in 2022. There was a great buzz, with the space packed to capacity!

A wide age range of students was in attendance from the Junior School and Secondary School. Some of our most enthusiastic participants were aged 4 or 5; solving tangram after tangram! Activities were supplied by "Inquisitive Minds", and Barker staff provided the muscle - marking problems and serving meals.

At 6:45, everyone moved to Leslie Hall and Freddo Frogs were awarded to those who had solved maths puzzles with dinner, i.e. everyone.

The audience tried out some "Mathemagic" led by Graham Hanlon (Head of Mathematics), in his maths wizard's robe. Parents and students then heard from Maths teacher Amy Young about what she has learned through her research around Girls in Mathematics. They were taken on a deep dive into confidence and how it is linked to performance in maths. The focus was to give advice on how to build confidence in yourself, in your child, in your peers, or in your students. Edwin Tomlins, Junior School Mathematics Specialist Teacher, and Graham Hanlon then shared more about how we are doing this at Barker.

The maths faculty looks forward to similar events in the future.