Sam EmanuelTwo city schools are hoping a brand new scheme in which high school students help primary school children with maths will add up to test success for pupils this week.Sam Emanuel

Two city schools are hoping a brand new scheme in which high school students help primary school children with maths will add up to test success for pupils this week.

Year 6 pupils from West Earlham Junior School paid a visit to Year 8 pupils in the top maths set at City Academy, Norwich, to be guided through the SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) paper the older children had taken two years earlier.

The day, which included maths games and quizzes, was designed to help improve the confidence of the younger children and the sense of responsibility of the older pupils, and their teachers are hoping the success of the day will be reflected in the SATs tests which the West Earlham Junior pupils are taking this week.

Advanced skills teacher Dan Jackson, who teaches the year eight maths group, said: 'The aim is to raise standards. We thought that the pupils would be able to empathise with each other, because the Year 8 pupils know how they felt when they had to take the test themselves. My pupils have responded really well to the responsibility and I'm seeing another side to them - they are going about it with so much maturity - and the day also seems to be helping the Year 6 pupils with their confidence.

'We have got a similar thing planned tomorrow for English to improve pupils' literacy skills, and we hope it's an idea that will be used throughout the school from time to time, with pupils helping to teach pupils in the year below them.'

Jake Brown, 13, who was in the Year 8 group, said: 'We've had to mark the Year 6's work and take them through the answers they got wrong to help them understand the paper. We spent four lessons preparing and making resources like flashcards and handouts. It has shown us how much work goes into being a teacher, but it's been really fun.'

Callum Cottrell, 11, pictured left, who was from the West Earlham Junior group, said: 'We have been revising for our SATs and I'm quite nervous. But today has made me feel more confident, because we have been working with people who have physically done the paper and we have learnt how to answer the kind of questions we might get.'

Is your school organising a special event? Call Sam Emanuel on 01603 772438 or email sam.emanuel@archant.co.uk