We are very proud to be participating in a major new initiative between the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) and Maths Hubs known as 'Mastering Number'. This is a year-long programme (starting in Autumn 2021) that aims to strengthen the understanding of number, and fluency with number facts among children in the first three years of school.

Our pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive daily 'Mastering Number' sessions, typically lasting around 15 minutes, and use a range of materials and representations (including a rekenrek pictured above) to support their learning.  The project is lead by the NCETM's Director for Primary Mathmatics, Debbie Morgan, who offered the following insight into the project:

"The rekenrek looks like a simple piece of equipment, but it can be very powerful. Used by skilful, trained teachers, it can help children move away from counting in ones to start doing basic mental calculations. We call this 'number sense', and research tells us that if children develop fluency and flexibility with number facts and relationships early on, they will make much more progress later, in both maths and other subjects."

Overview of the mastering number programme