Principal's Weekly Update
Guided Practice, Parental Survey and Our Maths Curriculum
Hello, Uxbridge High School community!
Welcome to the second blog of 2025. This week, we will focus on three key topics:
- Guided practice in the classroom
- Parental survey on student well-being
- Our amazing maths curriculum
Let’s dive into these exciting updates!
Guided Practice in the Classroom
At Uxbridge High School, we prioritise effective teaching strategies that help students learn successfully. This week, we are highlighting guided practice, a teaching method that ensures students fully understand tasks through structured modelling and collaborative learning.
In a recent observation, I watched Mrs Ahmad demonstrate an excellent example of guided practice. During the “I do” phase, she modelled a task for her students, showing them step-by-step how to complete it. This was followed by a collaborative practice session, the “We do” phase, where students worked together to solidify their understanding. Finally, students transitioned to independent work, applying what they learned.
Guided practice helps students transfer knowledge into their long-term memory, this is crucial, especially for Year 11 students preparing for their GCSEs. Our staff received focused training on guided practice during our January training day and they are now implementing it in every lesson to support student success.
Parents, you can play an important role in reinforcing these efforts at home by encouraging your children to review and practice what they learn in school.
Parental Survey: Supporting Student Well-Being
We have launched a parental survey to gather your valuable feedback on how we support student well-being at Uxbridge High School. By now, you should have received a text message with a link to the survey.
This survey will help us understand how well our guidance, facilities, and activities are helping your children thrive beyond the classroom. Your input is vital as we continue to support our students in becoming confident, well-rounded individuals ready to excel in the wider world.
Please take a moment to complete the survey. Your feedback matters! https://participate.schoolsurveys.com/ht8DCS60fciitiu7
Spotlight on the Maths Curriculum
We are excited to share insights from our curriculum leader for maths, Ms Zohra Ahmad.
“Our maths curriculum is designed to align with the school’s ambitious goals, creating resilient, independent problem-solvers who can apply their learning beyond the classroom,” says Ms Ahmad.
Key highlights of our maths programme include:
- A Gold Standard Curriculum: Based on the national curriculum, we go above and beyond to challenge students and extend their learning.
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Enrichment Opportunities: We run clubs like problem-solving puzzles, maths in real life (focusing on forex and money exchange) and Monopoly club (covering finance and budgeting). We also organise trips, such as visits to Bletchley Park to explore coding and maths applications.
- National Competitions: Our students participate in competitions like the UKMT, showcasing their talent on a national stage.
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MathsWatch Platform: This versatile tool is used for weekly homework, revision, and feedback. Students receive individualised feedback after assessments, with tailored MathsWatch video codes to support their improvement.
Through these initiatives, we aim to inspire a love for maths and equip students with the skills they need to succeed.
Looking Ahead
As we reach the midpoint of January, we hope you and your children are rising to new challenges and staying on track with your goals. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to sharing more updates next week!
Warm regards,
Louisa Seymour