“I have a passion to see those with maths learning difficulties succeed and enjoy effective, creative and relevant maths education.”
SEND Maths by Gail offers a comprehensive range of services:
Gail Van Schalkwyk,
PG Cert. Dyscalculia, Accredited BDA Dyscalculia Teacher,
PG Cert. SEN Co-ordination, PGCE
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Art and the creative process is inherent to Gail's approach to teaching. She graduated in Fine Art and as a creative practitioner, continues to utilise this to inspire and inform her solution focussed methodologies.
Art by Gail was launched at the Alnmouth Arts Festival in June 2019. Gail continues to make fine art, focusing on textile wall hangings at present. She is currently working on a collaborative piece of work with Shilbottle Primary School featuring traditional proggy mat skills.
Gail Van Schalkwyk, BA (Hons) Fine Art
Do you have a child / young person who is struggling with Maths?
Concerned about your child's lack of progress in Maths?
Uncertain how to manage your child's maths anxiety?
Want some specialist advice and support?
Worried that your child may have an additional learning need in mathematics that is being overlooked?
Looking for a private tutor?
Gail can work with you and your child to advise, assess and teach. Support available by phone, via the internet, links to videos and face to face (post-Covid).
Call Gail now or email me to arrange a FREE consultation to discuss your requirements or to find out more.
07984569664
I love your enthusiasm and understanding of maths and I think it really comes across in your training.” (Helen Bruce, Headteacher Amble First School)
“My son LOVES his maths lessons with Mrs Van S!” (Laura, Parent of Y5 child)
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Cambo First School's Story
Gail was a true 'Mary Poppins', what she doesn't know about dyslexia and dyscalculia is unimaginable... A real breath of fresh air. An expert with the knowledge, experience and ability to support others in it's application. .. Staff feel empowered and we can see such an improvement and such success! We are so thankful that Gail was able to support us!
Paula Cummings, Headteacher, Cambo First School, Morpeth (judged by OFSTED to be an Outstanding School)
Rread the full story:
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Mathematics is a complex subject covering a myriad of interrelated skills. A learning disorder in mathematics can be defined as a significant degree of impairment in mathematical skills.
What is dyscalculia?
The literal meaning of ‘dyscalculia’ is disorder in calculation or, counting badly. Generally, the term describes those who have a severe numerosity difficulty, and lack an intuitive grasp of numbers. This means they struggle to understand basic mathematical concepts and number sense, which leads to problems in arithmetic and mathematical problem solving.
Research links dyscalculia to impairments in the two core systems of number. The first is the approximate number system (ANS) that relates to number magnitude. This means a learner is unsure about whether one number is larger or smaller than another, or by how much. They may also struggle to grasp where numbers are placed on a numberline.
The second is the object tracking system (OTS) concerned with immediately knowing the exact number of objects in small sets, the process known as subitising.
Either way, SEND Maths Services by Gail can help!
What causes dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia (also referred to as developmental dyscalculia) is caused by a range of factors, grouped as:
1. Environmental
2. Biological
3. Cognitive
4. Behavioural symptoms
What are Maths Learning Difficulties? (MLD)
The term describes those who find it difficult to cope with age-related maths. A gap of two years or more is a helpful measurement. For example, a child in year 5 who is working below the level of a year 3 child is likely to have some degree of maths learning difficulty in one or more area of mathematics.
Think of MLD on a spectrum with dyscalculia positioned at the more severe end.
Medically speaking, the distinction between dyscalculia (a disorder), and MLD is not considered to be as important as the performance profile of the individual child or adult.
Specific Learning Difficulties in relation to Maths Learning Difficulties
Many specific learning difficulties will present in maths, regardless of whether they appear to be maths related. Neurodevelopmental disorders frequently co-occur, therefore comorbidity is to be expected. For example:
ADHD can affect a learner’s executive function, working memory, cognitive flexibility and deductive reasoning
Dyspraxia / Developmental Co-ordination Disorder may affect aspects of maths involving visual spatial processing such as telling the time, fractions, rotation of axes, recognising symbols (+/x confusion)
Dyslexia may cause problems with mathematical language, mental calculations, coding and sequencing
Dyscalculia affects a learner’s ability to understand number concepts and remember basic number facts
Did you know?
· 20-70% of learners with dyslexia also have dyscalculia (Moll, Kunze, Neuhoff, Bruder, & Schulte-Körne, 2014).
· Reading difficulties and language difficulties can negatively impact performance in maths
· 15-20% of pupils with dyscalculia also have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) (Lindsay, et al., 2001)
· Working memory difficulties are typical features of those with MLD
· Learners with Turner’s Syndrome have a high incidence of dyscalculia
Finding it hard to motivate and support your child at home?
Struggling to understand your child's home-school work?
Wanting a fun alternative to worksheets?
Uncertain about age expectations, levels and how your child is performing in Maths?
Worried about SATs?
As a parent and teacher I understand how difficult home-working can be.
Please, don't suffer alone.
Call me, have a chat and receive FREE advice and support.
I can also suggest resources and provide video clips offering ideas on how to use games and activities to support aspects of maths learning at every level.
Call Gail on: 07984569664
or email me to arrange a telephone appointment: gail@vshub.net
1. Gail provides highly effective person-centred planning, enabling your school to deliver a personalised education for children with Maths SEN and those working below expected levels in Maths
2. Gail is a qualified specialist teacher for learners with dyscalculic and maths learning difficulties, using the latest research to inform methods
3. Gail can step in, assess, teach or advise when other interventions and methods have failed to enable pupil progress
4. Gail offers a thorough assessment service working with your school to drill down and pin-point barriers that impede progress and prevent mathematical success
5. Gail is an experienced SENCO and can help you strategically plan your provision for Maths SEN in your school
6. Gail writes in-depth specialist reports and learning plans to support the child, your staff and the EHCP process
7. Gail delivers bespoke training to upskill your teachers and support staff to meet the needs of those with Maths Learning Difficulties
8. Gail offers training to increase awareness of dyscalculia, maths anxiety, maths learning difficulties and how other difficulties (e.g. ADHD) can impact mathematical learning and development
9. Gail has experience of multi-agency work, partnering with parents / carers and Northumberland’s Early Help process
10. Gail welcomes opportunities to work jointly with families and professionals to support children to fulfil their potential
11. Gail can help you to set realistic and measurable targets for pupils with Maths SEN and those ‘working below expected levels’
12. Gail has developed a Maths Scheme of Work to help you easily set SMART targets for learners with Maths SEND. Great for Individual Learning Plans and supporting EHCP medium-term objectives, enabling you to track and report progress!
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I am very excited to announce that the collaborative work undertaken with the Amble Maths Hub has been recognized nationally and will be shared at the international Inclusion and Supportive Education Conference (ISEC) to be held at UCL London, Aug 3-5 2021.
I will be giving an oral presentation about how knowledge transfer can make a difference. I will discuss how my academic learning in Dyscalculia and Maths Learning Difficulties has been utilized to collaboratively tackle the issue of children who are working consistently below expected attainment levels. I will be outlining the process of introducing a research-based conceptual development model to the Amble Maths HUB and then creating and trialling a skills based SEN scheme of work for them that links to the National Curriculum.
The work will showcase how the scheme is being developed and used to help teachers quickly identify weak areas of mathematical conceptual development and to precisely target their teaching using specific objectives to build knowledge and understanding and thus enable progress.
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Follow this link for further information about the conference :
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/inclusive-supportive-education-conference/
Mathematical competence and success is dependent on: number sense, visual spatial skills, language skills, concentration and memory. A qualified specialist teacher like Gail can examine and assess how each of these specific areas are functioning in a learner through a process of deep, dynamic assessment.
Gail looks at identifying what form the maths learning difficulty takes. She gathers evidence to determine what the barriers are that are preventing an individual from making progress in maths, including an analysis of learning styles, preferences, confidence and motivation. She will pinpoint what the learner can do and their level of conceptual understanding. She will then devise an Individual Learning Plan with a programme of work to enable the learner to achieve the next step and experience success.
Gail will link strategies and resources to match an individual learner’s needs and their pace of learning. A specialist teacher working one to one with a learner can micro-adjust their teaching to scaffold and support the learner and is conversant with multi-sensory teaching. Gail will make recommendations to families and school’s for how best to support the child and can also offer training.
The range of assessments that Gail carries out are primarily used to inform a specialist teaching programme. They can provide evidence to determine if a learner is likely to fulfil the criteria for a diagnosis of dyscalculia and whether there is sufficient evidence to suggest the learner has a persistent difficulty. A definitive diagnosis of dyscalculia can only be given by an Educational Psychologist or specialist assessor. Gail can advise you to this end but cannot formally diagnose. She can however work with the learner to begin to manage and overcome the specific difficulties, supporting them to move forward. Gail can also advise and train other professionals working with the learner both in and out of school.
Please read the testimonies featured on my website to find out more about the impact of SEND Maths Services by Gail on individual learners and schools.
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Gail’s work celebrates the colours and rhythms of the Northumbrian landscape, drawing attention to small details.
She incorporates her Fine Art training with sewing and rag-rugging techniques to create painterly, semi-abstract wall hangings and textile pieces for the home, alongside photographs, drawings and collages.
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Gail Van Schalkwyk is a freelance specialist SEN Maths teacher and practising artist, based in Northumberland. She graduated from Newcastle upon Tyne University with a degree in Fine Art. An experienced primary school teacher, Gail was a first school headteacher before becoming a federation SENCO working with children (3-18years) and th
Gail Van Schalkwyk is a freelance specialist SEN Maths teacher and practising artist, based in Northumberland. She graduated from Newcastle upon Tyne University with a degree in Fine Art. An experienced primary school teacher, Gail was a first school headteacher before becoming a federation SENCO working with children (3-18years) and their families. She recently completed her PG Cert in Dyscalculia and Maths Learning Difficulties at Manchester Metropolitan University and is an accredited British Dyslexia Association dyscalculia teacher.
This is Gail's story:
From artist to teacher, to SEN Maths specialist
I grew up wanting to be an artist. At school, I disliked maths (intensely), found it extremely difficult and would make myself sick to avoid multiplication tests. I slogged my way to grade ‘B’ in maths GCSE. Thinking I had put maths behind me, I went on to study Fine Art .
As a young primary school teacher, I began to develop a deeper understanding of maths whilst delivering the National Numeracy Strategy to 7-11 year olds. To my great surprise, teaching and co-ordinating maths energised me.
I love finding creative ways to teach maths and help children overcome their dislike of the subject.
My challenge was (and still is) always to teach maths in such a way that all children look forward to maths lessons and are fearless about maths tests.
Whilst studying for my SENCO qualification, I researched aspects of maths learning difficulties for my case study. I continue to maintain that this area of education is largely overlooked, misunderstood and under-developed. Later, as a busy Federation SENCO, I was acutely aware of the lack of specialist teacher provision and advice available for schools who are trying to meet the needs of those with maths learning difficulties. Furthermore, I wanted to have the skills as well as the empathy to reach out to those for whom maths is a daily struggle; both the children and their teachers, to help overcome these barriers and enable progress.
Which brings me to the present day, as I pursue my ambition to work as a practising artist and SEN Maths teacher / consultant in Northumberland and the north-east.
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Review written by Gail Van Schalkwyk, 2/05/20
Review of the British Dyslexia Association’s FREE Webinar for Parents: Broadcast 30th April 2020
Creating without language by Qona Rankin, Dyslexic Co-ordinator, Royal College of Art
Review written by Gail Van Schalkwyk, 2/05/20
Review of the British Dyslexia Association’s FREE Webinar for Parents: Broadcast 30th April 2020
Creating without language by Qona Rankin, Dyslexic Co-ordinator, Royal College of Art
“Through nurturing creativity the intention is that self -confidence and aspirations to succeed will be improved.”
This informative and uplifting webinar promotes the notion that dyslexic and dyspraxic brains have the potential to be exceptionally creative. It show cases the work of successful contemporary artists and creators who themselves have diagnosed dyslexia or dyspraxia (development co-ordination disorder). Finally, it offers ideas and support for finding ways of engaging our children in creative activities outside of the rigidity of the school curriculum.
Qona encourages parents, carers and educators to take the opportunity presented by the current lockdown, to pursue creative endeavours with our children and seek ways of helping them to engage in their own visual worlds. This is a place where “words wither away”, diversity of thought can take place and confidence can grow. It is a place where unplanned and incidental associations can lead to innate creativity. The process itself becomes important, offering us an alternative measure of success, one that is in my opinion, sadly neglected and at best under-valued, in the current restrictive, outcome-driven, exam orientated educational climate of most English schools.
The neuro-scientific understanding of how a dyslexic brain works is outlined clearly for the audience. Qona illustrates this using a film depicting two cyclists embarking on a journey. She emphasizes the wonderful creative outcomes that can occur, simply because two brains process information differently. A cyclist with dyslexia may not take the most direct or obvious route and can take longer to find the final destination, but their journey is enriched with a plethora of visual memories or experiences that the rest of us may quite simply miss.
Qona inspires us by showcasing the creative work of some of RCA’s alumni who have successful artistic careers and happen to have dyslexia and / or dyspraxia. I encourage you to take a look at the film describing the fashion designer Julian Roberts’ subtraction pattern cutting technique; a process he has created to overcome his directionality confusion. Also Bethan Mitchell’s witty and functional design work – a whale coat-hanger, quite extraordinary.
There follows a video with lots of suggestions for low or no cost artistic activities that are family friendly and engaging, paper explosions and sculpting with salt dough will soon be featuring in this lockdown home!
Qona offers great suggestions for further reading on the subject and the webinar features a Question and Answer session that parents of dyslexic children may find helpful.
This is a great webinar for parents and primary and secondary teachers alike. Highly informative, it offers some insight into the brains of dyslexic and some dyspraxic learners and their creative thinking potential. The work show-cased might also serve as a starting point for discussions about careers in the creative industry and help inspire a new generation of neuro-diverse learners as they emerge into our altering world with its post-Covid opportunities.
Qona’s recommended books:
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain, by Brock L. and Fernette F. Eide. London: Hay House, 2011 (an audio edition is available)
Positive Dyslexia, by Roderick Nicolson. Sheffield: Rodin Books, 2015
Dyslexia is my Superpower (Most of the Time), by Margaret Rooke. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017
The Illustrated Guide to Dyslexia and Its Amazing by Kate Power and Kathy Iwanczak Forsyth. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017
Recommended websites:
The British Dyslexia Association’s website is full of helpful information and resources. You can also access this and other high quality webinars free of charge via their website. Support and encouragement is at hand. The BDA is a charity and is working hard to reach out during the Covid-19 crisis.
https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/
https://www.creativementors.org/news-creativity-at-home/
https://www.instagram.com/isolationartschool/
Links to some of the artists featured:
https://katemccgwire.com/ (Sculptor)
https://bethanmitchell.com/ (Designer)
https://www.rca.ac.uk/more/staff/julian-roberts/ (Fashion designer and pattern cutting)
https://henryfranks.net/ (Product designer)
https://www.rca.ac.uk/students/mirry-stolzenberg/ (Illustrator)
About the author:
Gail Van Schalkwyk is a freelance specialist SEN Maths teacher and practising artist, based in Northumberland. She graduated from Newcastle upon Tyne University with a degree in Fine Art. An experienced primary school teacher, Gail was a first school headteacher before becoming a federation SENCO working with children (3-18years) and their families. She recently completed her PG Cert in Dyscalculia and Maths Learning Difficulties at Manchester Metropolitan University and is an accredited British Dyslexia Association dyscalculia teacher.