Category: Big Maths Updates

23rd March 2018

Big Maths Updates 2.3

Big Maths Homepage

When logging in, you will now be greeted with a personal homepage which features a class summary chart. You can your input and how much progress has been made with Big Maths.

We have also added a video area with advice and support presented by Ben Harding. These videos are perfect for teachers getting started with Big Maths or for experienced users who want to refresh on the Big Maths pedagogy.

Data Import

Adding pupils is now easier than ever. School Administrators can easily import all pupils into the website using a csv file after some simple formatting to meet import rules. Guidance is available on the data import page, under the admin heading.

New LessonPowerPoints

As part of our commitment to continue adding new resources to Big Maths, lesson PowerPoints have been added for steps within the Fractions and Shape Progress Drives. There are now over 3,200 bespoke resources now available across Big Maths.

Printed Beat That! Challenges

The process for creating Big Maths Beat That! Challenges has been optimised to make printing Challenges quicker. Teachers can continue to print the weekly challenges or children can complete the CLIC or Learn Its challenges online by logging into Big Maths with their school pin, username and password. 

Curriculum Links

Big Maths breaks down larger curriculum objectives so you don’t have to. The planning area of Big Maths now has the option to show curriculum links for each new learning step so you can see exactly where the steps fit into your programme of study.

Our commitment to continue improving and updating Big Maths extends into 2018 and beyond into the 2018/19 academic year. With over 3,200 resources and counting, Big Maths gives every child the potential to become fully numerate by the end of their primary education.

12th January 2018

Big Maths Updates 2.2

Interactive Learn Its

Children can now complete the weekly Learn Its challenges online by logging into Big Maths with their school pin, username and password. The easy to use interface allows children to quickly input their answers with greater independence using the same timings as with the printed Learn Its challenges. Children can access the challenges on a tablet and enter scores with the on screen number pad or complete the challenges with a keyboard by typing numbers in the answer box and pressing return.

When the time runs out, the system will automatically stop the challenge and record the results, making it even easier for teachers to prepare for and manage the weekly challenges. Scores will be automatically fed into the tracking area so users can see the results and track progress without the need to manually input scores.

Shape Teacher Notes

Detailed teacher notes are now available for all 126 steps in SAFE: Shape. Written by Ben Harding, the creator of Big Maths, these include visual examples and advice on how to teach each step successfully.

This significant addition to SAFE continues to make Big Maths unlike any other mathematical approach, giving teachers complete control.

Average Attainment

From Monday 15^th January, users will be able to access an average attainment graph in the tracking area. Complementing the attainment graph, the average attainment graph will give users the option to see the average scores of classes or groups for CLIC, Learn Its or SAFE over a period of time. Senior leaders will be able to access the average scores for all the classes in school, allowing quick and simple reporting.

Learn Its Scores

From Monday 15^th January,  the Learn Its scores will be shown as a percentage in the tracking area, making comparison much easier for all users. Scores will indicate a child’s progress through a step. For example, if a child scores 19/26 on Learn Its 12, 13 and 14, their score will display as 14.73 – indicating they are currently on Step 14 and have 73% of that step secured.

Other Improvements

Additional changes to the Big Maths website include bug fixes and user interface improvements, with improved icons and imagery for high quality displays.

Our commitment to continue improving and updating Big Maths extends into 2018 and beyond into the 2018/19 academic year. With over 3,200 resources and counting, Big Maths gives every child the potential to become fully numerate by the end of their primary education.

11th December 2017

Big Maths Promote Update

The Big Maths Beat That! Challenges have been an integral part of Big Maths since its launch in 2010. The weekly assessments are essential for tracking each child’s learning journey and pinpointing exactly where they are within CLIC and SAFE.

After receiving feedback from a number of Big Maths schools, the promote button has reverted back to the way it was pre Big Maths 2.0. This means that the promote button will only appear when a child has secured full marks for three consecutive weeks in CLIC or SAFE and one week, within the time limit, for Learn Its.

Teachers still have the option to manually promote children by changing their associated challenge in the admin area. They may also decide to ignore the promote option after three weeks and continue to give a child the same challenge until they feel they are ready to be promoted.

With the launch of Big Maths 2.0 in September, we wanted to give as much flexibility and control to you as we could. Whilst we advised that children should achieve full marks for three consecutive weeks before moving on, we were conscious that you know your children best. So, we changed the website to give you the ability to promote a child when you felt they were ready.

After feedback from users, the promote option will now only appear after getting full marks in CLIC and SAFE challenges for three weeks in a row to match the recommendation of Big Maths. For Learn Its, the promote option will appear after one week of full marks achieved within the time limit.

Users are able to leave weeks completely empty for absences and holidays. The system will continue to ignore those weeks so that full marks before a holiday or absence will count towards the three consecutive full marks.

2017 has been a busy year for Big Maths and we are thankful for your support. Keep an eye out for more developments in 2018 as we continue to support you in raising standards and saving teachers time.