With James Bond about to make another outing in Die Another Day, the arrival of this secret agent times table booklet from BEAM Education is timely.

The specialist maths publisher has packaged the booklet as a highly confidential file that will give undercover agents the “secrets for cheating at tables”.

The file helps to demystify the multiplication process and gives pupils shortcuts to learning their tables.

With the help of a couple of un-named agents and a dog, pupils can read about the strategies that will make their times tables easier to master. Each section has a highlighted multiplication table as well as a brief test section for pupils to put their newly-learned theories into action. It does all this in 14 zippy pages.

There’s nothing new here - most maths teachers will be aware of the tips - but presentation and attitude are everything. This is a lively after-hours resource that should help to boost confidence, re-inforce classroom work and take some of the pain out of the times tables.