VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM


of school at home was difficult to achieve, with barriers to tracking progress, something which Maths of the Day could help with. We also wanted to ensure the Primary PE and


Sport Premium funding from the Government’s ‘sugar tax’ was used on something that would have a sustainable and real impact with regards to activity and whole school improvement. The resources have enabled our school to


instantly access 2000+ lesson and homework plans to inspire, motivate and engage our pupils in active learning. It is mapped to the National curriculum and covers objectives from Foundation to Year 6.


How has the resource been rolled out in your school? The online resource was rolled out in maths lessons initially and not only did the children love the lessons and activities, it also supported children with their learning including problem solving, reasoning and fluency. However, the resources have also inspired us to


think of other creative ways to engage the children in active learning and embed them in other lessons and subjects. We now deliver one or two active maths lessons per week as it is easily incorporated into the curriculum. As a school, we’re really enjoying being able to


select a topic where the resources can be easily accessed and printed. The website saves hours of planning time and ensured that this was a new resource which could easily be introduced. The ease of planning has enabled us to


implement it into our curriculum smoothly, as all resources and plans are there ready to go.


How has teaching maths through active lessons had an impact in your school? Using Maths of the Day has supported pupils who were facing challenges and becoming frustrated when they were unable to solve problems they were met with. Having heard of the impact the resource was having in other schools, we were keen to see our children benefit. We have also run a pedometer experiment


with Year 2 pupils since embedding Maths of the Day. The experiment was designed to assess how


much the children benefit from learning in an active way. There were two classes involved; one class


which did not do any additional activity outside of break times, and one class which took part in physical activity, active lessons and break times by using the resources. The results showed that children who were involved in additional physical activity throughout the school day were achieving 5,000 to 6,000 additional steps per day. From the experiment, we wanted to prove that children were achieving the 30 active minutes because of the active timetable. By using Maths of the Day and taking a


different approach, it has changed the whole mindset of our school and encouraged teachers and pupils to become more mindful of their daily


activity alongside improving children’s mathematical abilities. Now, the children want to do everything actively. The PE department are also trialling orienteering sessions around Maths of the Day to create an aligned approach to learning with the maths department. Overall, we are turning the focus much more towards having a healthier mindset towards physical activity.


What do pupils think of it? Pupils in Year 2 who found maths a challenging subject have been encouraged to challenge themselves as the learning is disguised through the addition of the physical aspect and they are more willing to solve problems they would otherwise struggle with, which has had a significant impact on their overall mathematical skills. It has enabled children, who are usually


disengaged or reluctant to take part in Maths lessons, to take part and take ownership of their own learning. The 'active' part of Maths of the Day means that our children are motivated and engaged, whilst promoting physical activity. The activities enable mathematical skills to be progressed and reinforced through reasoning and problem solving as part of a team. It is a perfect outlet for reasoning, as it provides pupils with the opportunity to discuss and convince others, which consolidates their understanding. One of our Year 5 pupils said: “I really look


forward to maths lessons now because I like moving around to learn and it’s helping me understand what I am learning better.”


The Youth Sport Trust is working with Maths of the Day to upskill more than 4,000 teachers in the next academic year through the 360 Active Maths Challenge by providing research and practical ideas to implement active maths across the curriculum.


uFor more information visit www.youthsporttrust.org/maths-of-the-day


February 2019 www.education-today.co.uk 17


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