Charles F. Broome Primary retains ‘Primary Mental Maths Competition’ title

Teachers and students were at the edge of their seats as three schools took part in the “Primary Mental Maths Competition” on Tuesday. At the end of the thrilling final, Charles F. Broome Primary School took the competition in the heart-pounding tie-breaker.

In the last leg of the competition held at Solidarity House, Charles F. Broome Primary, the defending champions went up against Christ Church Girls’ Primary and Al-Falah Muslim Primary School. After the three rounds, Christ Church Girls’ had 48 points while Al-Falah and Charles F. Broome were tied with 51 points. Charles F. Broome’s Class 4 student Rory Prescod and Al-Falah’s Isa Adam faced off for the top spot.

Of the twenty-six schools participating in the competition, there were twenty-one public and five private schools. This was a significant increase as only sixteen schools competed in 2017.

Parliamentary Secretary in Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Senator Dr. Romel Springer during his feature address noted that based on what he had witnessed so far... the students’ performance was “outstanding”.

Senator Dr. Springer said that in order for Barbadian students to be adequately prepared for the mathematical demands of school, work and everyday life, their mental maths skills must be developed from their primary school years.

He added that Mathematics Education Officer, Wendy Griffith had made observations about the lack of emphasis being placed on mental maths in schools.

“In [Griffith’s] assessment, one reason for this is that the topic of mental maths is not explicitly stated in the mathematics curriculum. However, the situation will be remedied as a review of mathematics on the mathematics syllabus is being undertaken.” said Dr. Springer.

At the end event, Principal of Charles F. Broome Primary School, Dr. Monica Walton said that she felt elated about the school’s success. She highlighted that preparation for the event took about eight weeks with students starting during the summer vacation.