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Powering Up: How Power Maths is energising primary learners – and their teachers too!

The energy that can be generated within a maths lesson between a primary teacher and their pupils may well be the most valuable resource the subject has to offer – exciting sparks that inspire engagement, connection and comprehension – but sometimes, even the most passionate teachers need a boost as they move through the school year! That’s where Power Maths comes in…

Maximum curiosity, excitement and fun

Back in 2017, responding to the time pressures, tight budgets and other impactful challenges we were hearing about again and again from UK primary schools, the Pearson team created a whole-class maths mastery programme in partnership with White Rose Maths; one designed to generate maximum curiosity, excitement and fun for maths learners from Reception to Year 6, while lessening the workload of the teachers who deliver it – so they can direct their energy and efforts where they’re needed most.

7 years on, the Power Maths programme is recommended by the Department for Education and supports schools up and down the country to offer maths learning that is not only enjoyable and age-appropriate, but just the right level of challenge for pupils, whatever their unique needs and abilities.

The flexibility of the programme’s resources and structure means extra challenge can be added in for any learners who are working above expected standards for their age, while lower attainers, and pupils who require specialist support, can engage at the pace that suits them best – with extra opportunities for recap and support built in when they need it.

This can be particularly helpful for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). As one headteacher reported after his school embedded Power Maths: “We are delighted this year [as] for the first time, our maths results (which were always good) have now reached a very good/excellent standard with a cohort that had a high percentage of school supported SEND…  [while] our more able [learners’] results were probably the strongest we have ever had.”

Powered up by feedback

Written by mastery experts – a team of world-leading educational experts including experienced maths teachers, authors and coordinators – the programme is continually powered up by ongoing teacher feedback to ensure it meets the needs of pupils year in and year out.

Whoever the pupil, whatever the stage they are in, Power Maths has been designed to energise them with scaffolded learning that builds confidence, nurtures a growth mindset and takes an exciting problem-solving approach, making maths an adventure for every child in line with the UK curriculum.

As one Year 6 teacher explained: “[The structure] all follows on, and they cover all the different aspects and it all leads on… quite nicely… It does build it up, and you can see how things have been built up through the years.”

Every aspect from Reception upwards is designed to be friendly, rewarding, accessible and encouraging – from the characters and cartoons, to the whole-class sessions for sharing and reflection.

That friendliness, accessibility and encouragement is there for teachers too. When signing up with Power Maths, educators receive a whole package of support: that’s interactive teaching tools, digital games, teacher guides, high-quality textbooks, practice books, ongoing PD, assessments and more.

In fact, many teachers say the support they receive is their highlight of the programme. In the words of a maths coordinator: “I genuinely believe Power Maths has done the heavy lifting for us because it’s coherently planned and it supports teachers so much.”

 

Helping pupils help themselves

And what do the learners themselves say about Power Maths? I’ll leave the last words to them…

From one pupil: “I think [working together as a class] is good for you… it helps other people understand different tactics of doing the maths question. Because some people might be struggling with their method, but your method could be a breakthrough and they can help you do it.”

From another: “It helps us do it ourselves. I used to stop when I got stuck but now when I am stuck, I know that I have to check the information again.”

And from a pupil in Year 4: “[Getting a Power Maths question right] just makes me feel good inside.”

Where can I find out more?

Below see the top 5 Power Maths textbooks we sell.
Alternatively you can browse the whole series here which includes textbooks, workbooks, practice books and teacher resources.