Classroom Teaching

Maths ideas, insights and inspiration on classroom teaching for primary school teachers and leaders

The Long Multiplication Method: How To Teach Long Multiplication So All Your KS2 Pupils ‘Get It’

If you have taught upper KS2 before, you know how much of a slog it can be to teach the long multiplication method. […]

By Neil Almond 10 min read

Teaching Long Division In KS2: A Quick And Easy Way To Help Year 5 and 6 Learn To Love It!

The formal long division method at KS2 often takes time to teach to both Year 5 and Year 6 and can be difficult […]

By Sophie Bartlett 12 min read

Quality First Teaching Checklist: The 10 Most Effective Strategies For Primary Schools

‘Quality First Teaching’ (QFT) has become one of those phrases that everybody uses, but not everyone agrees on how to define it. Here […]

By Neil Almond 12 min read

Primary Curriculum Design: Planning for Ofsted’s Intent, Implementation and Impact

Ofsted’s new focus on curriculum planning and curriculum design did not take Jon Hutchinson and his colleagues at Reach Academy by surprise. They’ve […]

By Jon Hutchinson 10 min read

Making Maths Lessons Fun – Is It the Best Way to Encourage Learning?

Making maths ‘fun’: we’ve all been there. We’re about to introduce a new concept to our pupils and we really want to make […]

By Russell Pearson 8 min read

8 Differentiation Strategies to Bring Your Primary School Class To ‘Good’

Differentiation and differentiation strategies, of all the teaching approaches we use as primary school subject leaders and teachers to raise up our pupils […]

By Neil Almond 14 min read

What Do The Best Primary Maths Teachers Do?

Ask any educator and they will tell you that teaching primary maths is not an easy thing to do, and for many maths […]

By John Dabell 15 min read

Why You Should Join The 90,000 Teachers and School Leaders Using The Free Resources in Our Maths Hub

Here at Third Space Learning our mission has always been to help schools transform KS2 maths attainment; providing teachers with the tools and […]

By Anantha Anilkumar 7 min read

How Cross-Curricular Learning Can Bring Maths To Life For Primary School Pupils

While schools grapple with their new, fully intentional curriculum, let’s not forget the value that cross curricular learning can bring to the primary […]

By Kerry Dalton 11 min read

Preparing For The Year 6 Transition: How To Make Sure Your Pupils Are Ready For Secondary School

Help prepare your Year 6 pupils for the transition into Year 7 with these top tips and free lesson PowerPoint.

By Emily Weston 9 min read

What Do Third Space Learning Pupils Think Of Their 1-to-1 Sessions? Find Out What They Had To Say!

With the Easter holidays here (or at least fast approaching) for many, we wanted to take this opportunity to look back at what […]

By Connor Whelan 3 min read

EEF Digital Technology Report 2019 [SLT Summary]: Essential Guidance For School Leaders On The Perils And Promises Of EdTech In The UK

Find out everything about the EEF Digital Technology Report 2019, including the 4 recommendations made in the report that you need to see!

By Aidan Severs 14 min read

Do You Know The 33 Mental Maths Strategies (KS1 and KS2) You Should Be Teaching In Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6?

Ultimate checklist of the mental maths strategies you should be teaching in KS2!

By Tim Handley 19 min read

Easter Maths Activities for KS2: Topical Maths [8]

Use these "egg-cellent" KS2 Easter Maths activities in class this week to build reasoning skills

By David Leighton 3 min read

Using The SAMR Method To Do A School Technology Audit & Integrate Technology Ito The Maths Classroom

The experience of integrating technology in the maths classroom is different for every teacher, but one thing that has become clear over recent […]

By Jodie Lopez 12 min read

3 “Flipping” Great Pancake Day Maths Activities for KS2

We've worked "flat" out (geddit?) to bring you our favourite Pancake Day Maths activities - enjoy!

By Sophie Waterman-Smith 1 min read

International Women’s Day Maths Activities: Topical Maths Activities For Your Class

5 fab KS2 Maths activities on female Maths icons for International Women's Day.

By David Leighton 7 min read

The Best Of BETT 2019: Our Review Of This Years Show!

Worried you may have missed something at the show and are now looking for a review of BETT 2019? Fear not, we are […]

By Connor Whelan 8 min read

Five Top Pieces Of NQT Advice To Help You Get Through This Tricky Year

Take a look at these top tips for your NQT year.

By Sophie Bartlett 6 min read

2018 Year In Review: 232,073 Maths Lessons Taught, 214,776 Resources Downloaded And Almost 1,000 New Schools!

2018 was quite a year for TSL, so take a look at what we've been up to!

By Connor Whelan 4 min read

Times Tables Grids In The Classroom: How You Can Use Them To Create Multiplication Masters (Plus 11 Free Printable Times Tables Grids)!

Times tables grids, or multiplication grids as they’re otherwise known, are an essential and omnipresent feature of any primary classroom. But are your […]

By Alexander Athienitis 14 min read

How We Get The Most Out Of Bar Modelling…And How You Can Too!

Now that bar modelling is a staple of classrooms across the UK, we thought it was time to show you how we here […]

By Chris Xerri 9 min read

A Personal History Of Educational Technology – 20 Items That Changed Life In The Classroom Over The Last 50 Years

Take a stroll through memory lane.

By tony.parkin 13 min read

15 Best Teaching Podcasts Every UK Teacher Should Listen To

Teaching podcasts – UK, America or wherever you are in the world – are a great way for teachers to gather some free […]

By Ellie Williams 17 min read

Top 10 Bonfire Night Maths Activities

Use these free Bonfire Night Maths activities with KS2 to make reasoning and problem solving fun!

By David Leighton 6 min read

7 Spooky Halloween Maths Activities For Primary Schools: Terrifying Tasks For Your Class To Solve

7 spooky Halloween maths activities for your school.

By Connor Whelan 5 min read

[FREE] White Rose Maths Resources: Downloadable White Rose PowerPoints

White Rose Maths resources seem to be top of every primary school teacher’s resources wish list. Ever since the Yorkshire based group burst […]

By Alexander Athienitis 15 min read

How To Set Up A Maths Club: Easy Ways Every Teacher Can Make Their Maths Club Ideas Come To Life

If you have always wanted to set up a maths club but haven’t been sure quite how to do it then this blog […]

By John Dabell 11 min read

12 Awesome Autumn Maths Activities For KS2 [Free Download Included]

We’ve put together 12 fabulously fun autumn maths activities for you to use in, and out of, the classroom! If you are looking […]

By Ellie Williams 10 min read

Maths Starters: 15 Free KS2 Starters To Download & Use With Your Class

Learn why maths starters at KS2 are important and download 15 to use with your class.

By Jodie Lopez 7 min read

Formative Vs Summative Assessments: The Differences Explained

Why are both assessment types so important? Learn more in this blog!

By Tim Handley 10 min read

What We’ve Learnt From Teaching Our Long Division Lesson 2,968 times

One of our lessons wasn't achieving the conceptual gains for pupils that it should have been. So we looked at the data, observed several lessons in progress, and found out just three things we needed to change to make it work. Here are the results.