Molescroft Primary

In Their Own Words

Our Maths – No Problem! Journey

Maths — No Problem! began at Molescroft Primary School following the introduction of the new primary curriculum in 2014. We needed a better way to develop the teaching of mathematics in our school. Our results were good, consistently above the national and local averages but we knew that data wasn’t driving the mathematics curriculum. It was the confidence and enthusiasm of the children and teachers. In order to help our children succeed we wanted to inspire them to love mathematics, to increase their confidence and to teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

After careful consideration and investigation, we chose Maths — No Problem! as the vehicle to achieve this. Centred on mathematical thinking, problem solving and collaboration, it has helped to develop a culture of resilience and perseverance in our children. Mathematics lessons are vibrant and busy spaces, full of rich mathematical language, investigation and exploration.

Maths — No Problem! in our school

Our implementation of Maths — No Problem! was very successful in the first instance. We rolled the programme with all Year Groups 1-6, supported by both Maths — No Problem! and a teaching for mastery specialist with the local maths hub. Our teachers embraced the approach and fully adopted the pedagogy, meaning that the programme became part of our usual practice very quickly.

In our first year, the attainment gap reduced drastically and we saw a phenomenal increase in our greater depth at Year 6 due to the fact that the materials challenge children to think logically, analyse and formulate creative solutions.

For us, the absolute power of the approach is the ongoing support and learning for the teachers. In a world where workload is increasingly under scrutiny, Maths — No Problem! has provided much needed relief. The scaffolds and subject knowledge enable our staff to do the really important work of understanding the children’s learning needs, adapting lessons to support and stretch those that need it. We often say, ‘Maths — No Problem! provides the structure, we sprinkle the magic on top.’

We believe in the scheme of learning so much that as a teaching school, we applied for and were granted £352,000 to develop the same approach in 17 local schools through the Strategic School Improvement Fund (SSIF). Maths — No Problem! provided excellent support and training as part of this project and there has been a lasting legacy of success with the schools that we work with.

School Contact Details

Contact Name:
Richard Atkinson — Assistant Headteacher and Maths Subject Leader

Address:
Molescroft Primary School
St. Leonards Road
Molescroft
Beverley
HU17 7HF

Phone Number:
01482861762

Email:
ratkinson@molescroftprimary.net
molescroft.primary@eastriding.gov.uk

Website:
https://molescroftprimary.net/