MyMaths

MyMaths is an online subscription service that can be used for delivering lessons, working through virtual worksheets and providing challenging games both in school and at home. It has material suitable from key stage 1 up to and beyond GCSE and outlines the level at which each skill is set.

The content is helpfully divided into key numeracy areas and navigation is made even easier with the option to restrict the activities on display to a particular level.

When selecting a theme – shape, for example – you are presented with a series of subtopics to choose from. Each one has a range of whiteboard lessons that can be shared with a class; many of these screens include puzzles and games to keep your maths lessons interactive and fun.

An on-screen calculator and other handy maths kit is available when needed. And when a challenging maths investigation is displayed to the class on the whiteboard, this is often accompanied by extra hints to help guide children through the task.

Perhaps most useful of all, pupils can access the material from home, allowing them to revisit class work, or catch up on lessons missed. The children will no doubt enjoy the opportunity to complete their maths homework online in the form of virtual worksheets and games. Some of the games will be very familiar to children such as ‘Beat the Clock!’ and ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire?’ and are sure to motivate children to improve upon previous performances, especially as some of the game scores are published online. Some may require a public health warning: watch out – maths may become addictive!

Provided that they sign in, pupils’ online activity and achievements are recorded and can be accessed by the teacher – no need to photocopy and mark endless worksheets.

For this to be even better, I wish there were more task-specific help screens for the pupils to access when they are at home – I can imagine that ‘no, try again’ will begin to grate on a child struggling with a tricky concept, particularly as you can’t always move on until the question is answered correctly.

From my school’s point-of-view, I think one of the most useful sections of this online resource would be the booster packs. These provide detailed revision notes, lessons and a wide array of practice activities and games that focus on the trickier concepts that need to be understood to move to the next grade boundary, and are available for pupils working towards levels 3, 4 and 6.