A Case Study
Robert Wilkinson Primary School, York

email - 25th Nov 2008
After a successful trial in Year 6 to boost mental skills we're currently implementing a tracking system using BondBuilder and TableTrainer in the rest of the school. We're hoping to have a whole school drive to embed mental skills at an earlier age. During the Year 6 trial I had several parents who expressed an interest in the software. I personally know how effective it has been with our Year 6 at creating a 'want' to get better - to improve their times. We even get Y6 going in the ITroom at playtimes to work in it. Thanks again for a great product. Clint Lees, ICT Coordinator and Year 6 teacher, Robert Wilkinson Primary School, York.

So began a mutually beneficial relationship between ourselves and Robert Wilkinson Primary School. Throughout the next few months we 'grew' a new product: Mental Maths Challenge v2 with lots of input from Clint at Rob Wilks which was then moderated by our Primary Maths Consultant, Ian Sugarman, and the software then developed by me, Melvyn Rust. Each activity was fed back to Clint for testing and his feedback was then used to refine each level.

No feedback was ignored. For example, the ICT Suite at Rob Wilks had sets of headphones available. Clint had noticed that some pupils hung the headphones over the screen while using BondBuilder and the new Mental Maths Challenge. On questioning some pupils about this he discovered that they were using the headphones to hide the on-screen timer which was causing them additional stress while taking the tests. This led to us adding a hide button to the timer.

email - 22nd May 2009
As for the weaker kids - our experience is that apart from the very special needs children everyone can succeed on NumberGym software. There's always a level to step back to if you need to. We have had fantastic results on the very poorest of our children. It's about teacher expectation - they can do it and will if they give them the chance to practice. We've discovered that a lot of the weaker kids suffer because they have mental skills that are like a swiss cheese - full of holes. The software has highlighted where the holes are. I've had Y3 teachers taking the top maths set saying that they hadn't realised that the kids hadn't mastered their number bonds yet! Others trying to teach near doubles without them knowing doubles yet.

I still don't think you've realised that BB and TT[BondBuilder & TableTrainer] and MMC2[Mental Maths Challenge v2] are your strongest products used in the proper way - with home access. I believe they can make a massive difference to maths teaching - if its done properly and coordinated as a whole school with parental involvement. Clint Lees, Robert Wilkinson Primary School, York.

In October 2009 Ian Sugarman and I visited Robert Wilkinson School for the first time and saw our software in action. We were impressed by the discipline of Year 6 pupils who entered the ICT Suite and immendiately started work on BondBuilder & TableTrainer and Mental Maths Challenge in near silence.
Later we were to see pairs of Reception children confidently sorting BondBuilder's dot patterns to their appropriate numbers.

Here's Clint's responses to a questionnaire we'd sent him in preparation for our visit:

Questions for Mr. Clint Lees:

What ICT resources do you have available to support the use of our software?
50 PC's for about 500 pupils

I notice that Y3 to Y6 pupils are set for Numeracy. Can you explain a little about how that works?
We try to go for a top set and 2 parallel maths sets

How did you go about implementing BondBuilder TableTrainer and Mental Maths Challenge throughout the school?
We introduced it to staff and tried to get everyone using it in small doses. We then had training on best practice and how to keep a record of where they were.

Were some teachers reluctant to get involved?
We did try to push it a little hard because we had been successful in Year 6, so there was a bit of a backlash because lower down the school people realised there were gaps (number bonds) in the children’s knowledge, and it was a huge task.  We now have it as a whole school policy that it is done in maths sets, fed back to class teachers and reported back to parents at home. Little and oft is the message.

How often does each child get access to a PC/laptop to use BBTT/MMC?
in the classroom?  Very occasionally
in the ICT Suite?   Once or twice a week and some at playtimes

How often are pupils expected to use BBTT/MMC at home?
Regular use is expected – little and oft. We try to set our numeracy booster a single table a week to keep them focussed.

Are any teachers using The Number Gym?
We use parts of it. We have other interactives too.

How long has your school been using our software throughout the school?
About 12 months

What difference has it made?
It’s made a big difference to our Sats scores particularly the less able children. This year the children arriving in Year 6 are far more advanced in their Tables and mental maths skills. It means tackling the numeracy curriculum is much easier, especially on the number section.

Have some pupils grown tired of using it?
Some have, but we believe it’s a skill that needs to learnt - and we stress that upon them. Without the bricks we can’t build the house!

Are there some pupils who still make little or no progress in maths? If so, how do you manage this?
Some, but we have found that all our children make progress with BondBuilder and TabeTrainer. A traveller I had in school kept wanting to use the program because she said it would be useful in later life!

Roughly what percent of each year group thoroughly know...
their tables?
Y6 (85%)    Y5 (50%)         Y4 (10%)     Y3 (1%)

and Number Bonds?
Y6 (90%)    Y5 (60%)         Y4 (10%)     Y3 (2%)

What other maths software do you use on a regular basis?
Primary Games, Gordon’s Flash programs, Active Maths

How does it compare with NumberGym Software?  Different. There’s nothing else that has the progression of BB and TT
Would you like to see any new products from NGS? If so, please give details.
A pupil tracker for BB and TT and MMC

What improvements would you suggest NGS make to their products?
Keep up the good work

Are there any issues I need to address regarding using our software on netbooks?
Make sure tick pops are big enough