How can a SENCo review provision for a pupil who confuses mathematical vocabulary?

Test the word and the concept

Ask the pupil to demonstrate 'difference' with objects, explain a comparison and read a word problem. Compare the same relationship expressed with simpler language. Check terms such as 'more', 'fewer', 'product' and 'equal', including whether the pupil uses them accurately.

Teach contrasting examples

Connect a word to an action, diagram and symbol. Use examples and non-examples, and explain how the meaning changes across contexts. Invite the pupil to complete a sentence about a representation, then use the term in a new problem. A glossary helps only if its entries are understood.

Example: mathematical difference

The pupil compares towers of seven and four cubes. They identify the extra three, link this to a bar diagram and explain 'the difference is three'. A fresh question uses two distances, checking whether the word has meaning beyond the cube activity.

Agree a focused review

Select a few high-use terms from forthcoming lessons and record whether the pupil understands and uses them independently. Ask subject teachers to use consistent explanations while explicitly discussing legitimate differences in meaning. More vocabulary copying is unlikely to help if the mathematical relationship remains unclear.