KS1 and KS2 Maths 'Smart Strategies' - 76 Ways to Boost Arithmetic Accuracy, Speed and Success!

Dear colleagues,

If this is of interest, I wrote this back in 2017 and it’s called the Smart Strategies.

What is it and how does it work?

To give context, I was covering a mat leave at in Year 6 and we undertook the 2016 SATs as a warm up for the real thing. We had a 40% pass rate and everything on this programme is a skill the pupils could not consistently demonstrate in either an accurate or a timely manner with their 2016 papers.

The premise here is very simple and accessible for anybody:

1. A tricky skill is identified on the left (identify).
2. A child-friendly method is explained to master this skill (tell).
3. An example is given using the method to apply the skill (show).
4. Models and images are suggested that may help mastery (retain).

What impact has this had in terms of results?

We worked relentlessly on these strategies for around five weeks and the 2017 SATs maths results came back at 63% making age-related.

That’s an increase of 23 percentage points or slightly over 50% in terms of numbers of pupils making the grade at ARE.

We later cascaded this through staff CPD and teachers divided the skills up into cohort delegations between themselves.

I have known a lot of success with this resource in classes I have covered and taught but also with NQT and RQT colleagues I have coached over the years.

In addition, I have been contacted by former pupils, parents, colleagues whose children are struggling at secondary school etc and over the years this resource has been very valuable across a variety of contexts.

If it is anything you feel could add value to the outcomes for your pupils, families or colleagues then it’s my pleasure to share what has been a very handy resource throughout my career.

Will