Awards

Reading Badges

Each year, children are challenged to earn their Reading Badge by reading 20 books over the course of the year. Each book needs to be filled in on our Gidea Park Reading Express sheets, and signed off by a parent/carer at home or teacher at school. The sheets also contain information about reading that takes place at school (Books Bands for Early Years/KS1 and Core Texts for KS2) along with a list of recommended books, authors and poets. Copies of the Reading Express sheets can be found here.

Each year a different coloured badge is available - can you collect the whole set of seven over your time at Gidea Park?

Times Tables Badges

One of the ways in which we challenge children to learn their times tables is by competing for badges in the Times Tables Challenge. Children can opt to take the challenge whenever they are ready, and will be tested on the following times tables:

As a rough guide, we would aim for children to earn their Bronze Badge by the end of Year 2, Silver by the end of Year 3 and Gold by the end of Year 4; although children will of course work through these at their own pace. 

In order to earn each badge, children must complete 30 questions correctly in 90 seconds; these include a mixture of multiplication, division and missing number problems. Sample practice tests can be found here.

Once children earn their Gold Badge, they will need to rearn this at the start of each new academic year to show they are maintaining a strong knowledge of their times tables.

Those who do achieve Gold will be invited on a half-termly basis to compete in the Champion of Champions competition; this involves 90 seconds to complete 50 questions which test children on a mixture of all times tables and also challenge children's understanding and application of place value. Children's scores, and the time they take to complete the challenge, place them on a Champions League leaderboard which shows the current Times Tables Champions of Gidea Park; there is healthy competition between staff and children for the top spots! A sample practice test can be found here.