9 Ways To Ensure Your Maths Intervention Is Targeted And Effective

In this article, we look at how to deliver an effective maths intervention in primary schools and secondary schools. We’ve drawn together the common threads we hear from talking with hundreds of teachers and school leaders every week, and our own experience as the UK’s largest provider of in-school one to one maths tutoring.

At Third Space Learning, we specialise in one-to-one maths intervention programmes as we believe one to one online maths tutoring is the most effective, efficient and affordable way to make rapid progress in maths. However, we understand that this isn’t always going to suit the needs of every school. Here’s a broad look at all the options available to help you implement an effective maths intervention.

What are effective maths interventions?

Effective maths interventions are periods of extra one to one or small group teaching support for pupils in addition to their daily whole class lessons. 

The purpose of effective maths interventions is to help struggling learners who need additional support to make progress in maths. 

The goal is usually to close the attainment gap in maths, but it can also be to:

• Accelerate the speed of pupils’ learning;
• Develop an understanding of particular mathematical concepts;
• Help pupils catch up after school closures;
• Support Year 6 and Year 11 pupils who are at risk of not meeting the expected standard in maths SATs or GCSEs; or
• Build confidence in maths.

What’s the best solution for maths interventions?  

Unfortunately, as with any intervention, maths interventions are not one-size-fits-all.  A singular maths intervention strategy will not answer the needs of every school or pupil, which is why we are focusing this article on how to implement an effective maths intervention: the ones that work.

From early years to Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4, maths or numeracy interventions can take many forms, from external large-scale programmes to internally resourced extra booster sessions.

For any secondary school or primary school intervention to be effective, it needs to meet the specific needs of the pupils in your school, whether that’s higher SATs or GCSE results, better number sense, improved reasoning or more maths talk.

What makes a maths intervention effective? 

Recently, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) reported on Improving Mathematics In Key Stages Two And Three. They recommended using structured interventions to provide extra support as one of the key strategies. While they suggested pupil assessment of strengths and weaknesses should inform maths interventions, it’s hard for schools to know how to make a maths intervention effective for all pupils. 

9 ways to implement an effective maths intervention

1. Use your data to choose the pupils who will benefit most

Whether it’s a summative assessment at the end of Autumn 1 or a series of formative or diagnostic assessments throughout the term that highlight the need for a maths intervention, use your data. 

Start by looking at your internal assessment data and pupil premium and SEND data to identify the pupils who would benefit most from additional support. Particularly think about which pupils might not otherwise be able to access this kind of support.

In our experience, and perhaps unsurprisingly, schools tend to choose pupils in upper KS2 or KS4:

The diagnostic assessment programme is really great and useful. Although it personalises the lessons to the specific pupil, it still allows us to have input and we really enjoyed that flexibility.

Lindsey Lynd, Deputy Headteacher, St Paul’s Catholic Junior School, Liverpool

2. Define your intervention goals

These are some of the questions you should consider when defining maths intervention goals:

• Are pupils not making enough progress or do you need to support more able pupils to stretch and challenge?
• Is it a short term boost needed for SATs or GCSE or are you looking for long-term gains in confidence and attitudes towards maths?
• Is it a couple of very specific learning gaps that need plugging or is there a general need to develop an understanding of word problems and reasoning skills?
• Are there children with specific mathematical difficulties that need to be addressed with this maths intervention?

3. Plan how you’ll measure intervention effectiveness

Whether you are running interventions in-house or sourcing an external provider, you need to measure the effectiveness of your maths intervention. 

An effective maths intervention provider should be able to offer you a pre-test and post-test on the topics covered so that you can monitor progress in understanding.

If you are evaluating the softer skills of your pupils such as their confidence in maths, or an improved attitude and growth mindset, consider how any numeracy intervention programme can help you prove this.

Will case studies of individual pupils prove the intervention’s impact on pupils to your headteacher and governors?

4. Early, evidence-based interventions

Many schools leave implementing consistent maths intervention programmes until Year 6 or Year 11. Often, this is too late. There are too many gaps that need filling before pupils sit their exams. 

The earlier the intervention starts, the better chance a pupil has of closing the maths attainment gap and catching up with their peers and the curriculum before they sit their exams. 

The opportunity to sit and talk to someone is so valuable. Particularly for kids who are shy in class because they’re scared of getting it wrong. We’ve used it in Year 5 and their confidence has improved massively. It’s great this is happening now as by Year 6 it’s almost too late.

Tim Jackson, Maths Coordinator, Pangbourne Primary School, Reading

5. Personalise learning 

We’ve already established that there’s no one size fits all approach to maths interventions for how you implement them and what you teach. 

Using assessment data will help you understand each pupil’s individual needs and mathematical misconceptions.

Take a granular approach and break down the data by topic and domain and use this data to plan maths intervention lessons to ensure they are targeted. Whether it’s a focus on place value in Key Stage 1, trigonometry in Key Stage 4 or problem solving across a range of year groups, focus on what the data shows. 

It’s also important to understand which type of maths intervention works best for each learner. For example, if learners have similar needs to others and work well with peers then a small group intervention may be best. Others may prefer an interactive intervention and learn best in a one to one environment. Know your pupils and provide a maths intervention tailored to them.  

6. Build links between interventions and the classroom 

While effective maths interventions should target the maths skills and topics each learner needs support with, it helps to link the learning to whole class lesson plans. Whether this is pre or post-teaching of the skills required to access the learning, linking interventions with whole class learning can avoid cognitive overload, support maths progress, and allow learners to build links and retain information. 

Don’t waste the time of staff and pupils implementing interventions that may or may not work. Stick to tried and tested maths interventions that are evidenced based and close the maths attainment gap for at risk pupils.  

7. Use evidence-based interventions 

Maths interventions don’t need to be costly, many tried and tested intervention strategies are low-cost or even free, including feedback and collaborative learning. 

Hundreds of schools are in a similar situation to you and there is a broad range of secondary and primary school tutoring and intervention programmes you can look at, particularly for maths. Not all of them are high-cost and many of them are proven to make the difference you need.

8. Are staff trained to run an effective maths intervention?

Any school looking to implement an effective maths intervention needs to look at its resources.

Do you have HLTAs with exceptional maths skills or maths specialist teaching staff who you can rely on to deliver additional maths support that fulfils different pupils’ needs? Consider whether you can redeploy staff to cover for these expert maths teaching staff or whether you need to provide extra CPD to staff to run a maths intervention.

Using pre-prepared resources and intervention activities such as intervention packs can help support both staff and pupils during a maths intervention.

Some schools find, with a bit of creative timetabling, and increasing use of catch-up, same day interventions they can resource the extra support their pupils need internally.

9. Assess your budget and maths resources for a numeracy intervention

Not all schools have teaching assistants with the necessary skills and training to deliver interventions. The EEF found that interventions run by teaching assistants without appropriate support from a qualified teacher can have little impact on pupil outcomes.

You may decide that teacher workload is already too high to ask staff to plan, manage and monitor a maths intervention programme.

We knew organising and running tutoring in-house was feasible but it’s a big job that would require lots of communication between staff. There was also no guarantee that we would have found enough teachers. That’s why we chose Third Space Learning. It runs so smoothly that I can let a class of 15 pupils get on with the tutoring while I get on with other tasks I need to complete.

Jon Kilbane, Deputy Headteacher and Maths Lead, St Michael’s Primary School, Reading

If this is the case, you’ll need an external provider for your school’s maths intervention programme. Many schools use their pupil premium funding to contribute to the cost of an external maths intervention provider such as Third Space Learning.

Many schools use pupil premium funding for their maths interventions. Often, these are the children who need the help most.

The majority of pupils schools put forward for Third Space Learning’s online one to one maths tutoring are eligible for pupil premium funding.

But if you are targeting non-pupil premium children, you will need to consider how you can fund maths support or support them without spending money. Is there any unspent budget?

Can you make a deal with an intervention provider or join forces with other schools in your cluster or academy trust to improve your purchasing power?

Most providers, including Third Space Learning, are happy to agree a plan that fits an individual school, a group of schools or a multi academy trust budget.

Before you choose your maths intervention, speak to all the relevant staff members (headteachers, maths co-ordinators, other year group teachers, business managers) to establish what additional benefit they might derive from any maths intervention you choose.

Often the cheapest intervention (usually using your own staff to deliver it) may not be either the most effective, or the best value for money if you then have to think about how staff redeployment will affect other classes, and how you will cover or rearrange the timetable.

Once you know your budget you will have a better idea of what’s available to you and what the pros and cons might be.

4 considerations when choosing an effective maths intervention programme

When researching available maths interventions for your school, consider the impact you would like your interventions to have and which maths intervention will best support your pupils.

For example, if an intervention requires laptops or the internet and you know that your wifi connection only works in the morning or a certain area of the school, factor this in when you’re selecting the intervention. Be prepared to be flexible.

Ask questions in Facebook groups or on Twitter. Get a first-hand intervention review from teachers and head teachers. Third Space Learning’s impact report and case studies provide an idea of what to look for from providers.

Talk to other schools, attend maths showcases (such as those that Third Space Learning runs) or even education speed dating sessions. The great advantage of such local events is that often schools near you will have similar contexts and face similar challenges.

And don’t forget to refer to the EEF toolkit for an overview of the effectiveness of intervention strategies in schools.

One to one tuition, for example, is proven to make +5 months’ additional progress but some providers are quite costly. At Third Space Learning, we’ve managed to reduce costs to schools by delivering the maths interventions online so students can still receive the benefits of one-to-one tutoring. We’re proud to be the most affordable DfE-approved one to one maths tutoring provider. 

1. Do they maximise intervention impact?

Any effective maths intervention provider should have enough experience of the different ways schools have interacted with their intervention to be able to highlight how to get the most out of it, or indeed what challenges you might face.

Make sure any maths intervention programme aligns with the teaching strategies and learning strategies pupils experience in their whole-class lessons. Providers should adapt their teaching to match your calculation policy or maths scheme of work.

Consider how the intervention impacts pupils’ attitudes to maths. Helping to build confidence and developing a growth mindset in maths will have long term benefits for years to come.

2. Children not receiving numeracy interventions

Try to ensure that your maths intervention has as wide-reaching an effect as possible.

Third Space Learning aims to help raise attainment across the schools we work with, not only for pupils receiving tutoring. In addition to the sessions, schools have access to our toolkit of high-quality teaching resources, assessments and online CPD through the Maths Hub for primary schools and the Secondary Resource Library for KS3 and KS4. 

Schools and teachers can still access our primary and secondary maths resources without being signed up for tutoring, but primary schools signed up for tutoring receive premium Maths Hub access at no additional cost.

3. The maths intervention programme pedagogy

As a teacher or school leader, you’ll know what effective teaching looks like. To help you ascertain if your maths intervention programme is developed and tested appropriately for maximum success, check if it incorporates some of these essential maths strategies:

• Recap prior learning
• Use and share the correct maths vocabulary
• Create opportunities for math talk
• Questioning
• Develop metacognition
• I do, we do, you do 
• Praise and effective feedback (including AfL)

4. Common maths intervention challenges

Organising and running a maths intervention programme that effectively supports pupils isn’t easy. These are some of the most common challenges schools tell us they face:

• Supporting specific groups e.g. SEN and EAL pupils effectively
• Managing and allocating the school’s budget, particularly pupil premium funding, to afford interventions
• Providing a quick, intensive boost for SATs and GCSEs
• Time and resources to plan and deliver interventions
  

Your school may face these or other challenges. They’re normal! The important thing is to be aware of the challenges and risks before you commit to your secondary school or primary school intervention programme. Have a plan in place to combat any foreseeable future problems.

Which sort of maths intervention should you choose?

With the the Covid-19 pandemic still impacting pupil’s education, the DfE is clear that research has found that one to one tutoring is the most effective way to support children who’ve fallen behind. That said, schools have a choice of different maths intervention approaches.

Aside from using intervention teachers (who can be expensive) or TAs (who may not be best qualified), these are the three most popular types of external maths interventions that schools use. 

In each case, you need to carefully consider your cohort’s and your school’s needs to choose the maths intervention programme that’s right for you.

1. Maths websites and online resources

These maths websites are easily accessed and used as a standard “go-to” numeracy intervention when teachers want to provide additional help but don’t have the time to plan structured and individualised learning interventions.

Benefits: 

• They are usually quite cheap
• Often, these interactive websites are fun in the short-term

Disadvantages: 

• Children can become disengaged and their learning may not be maximised
• Generic websites don’t necessarily tackle the root of any maths misconceptions
• Personalisation is often fairly rudimentary and ‘broad brush’ e.g. a child will be offered harder or easier questions to do but they are not necessarily based on the child’s gaps or misconceptions

2. One to one or small group face-to-face maths tutors

Many teachers report to us that one to one specialist maths tutors would be the intervention of their choice if budgets were unlimited. However, for most schools, an intensive personalised numeracy intervention seems out of reach.

Benefits: 

• One to one tuition is a highly effective way to accelerate progress in maths. 
• Lessona are fully personalised to the needs of the pupil 
• Pupils can ask questions and talk through their understanding at their own pace

Disadvantages: 

• Face to face one to one tuition is often expensive

3. Online 1-to-1 maths tuition

At Third Space we recognise that 1-to-1 maths tuition is a great solution for most pupils, but it is often time-consuming and costly. So we’ve used technology to take maths tuition online.

Pupil’s have their own personal maths specialist tutor for the term. They complete a formative diagnostic assessment at the start of the intervention to create their own individualised sequence of maths lessons delivered by personal tutors.

Benefits: 

• All the benefits listed for face-to-face 1-to-1 tuition 
• Diagnostic assessment for personalised, targeted learning and machine learning technology we have implemented
• Lessons pitched at the right level for each child Highly-qualified tutors who know what to say and when to move learning on to the next stage

We put Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development into practice to achieve rapid progress in a short space of time.

In addition to practising math concepts in 1:1 sessions, children have time and encouragement to explain their answers and justify their reasoning, which helps them on their journey to math mastery.

With a large network of maths specialists tutors, we can provide online tuition for up to 15 pupils per school simultaneously. This helps to minimise disruption and making it easy to set up.

Disadvantages: 

• It could be tricky for children below the age of about 6 or 7 as they need to be able to sit and communicate for 45 minutes with a tutor.
• Online one to one maths tuition is not suitable for some children with additional needs 

What next?

Armed with your intervention checklist and some background on the interventions available, you’re now ready to take the necessary steps to improve maths attainment for your pupils.

It is our belief that Third Space Learning’s maths intervention is the most effective way to accelerate KS2 pupils’ progress in maths, and the thousands of schools we work with every year are our evidence.

But you will need to do your own research at this point to decide what is going to work best for your school. A good place to start is by reading reviews from other schools.

When you’re ready, book a 5 minute phone call with one of our extremely friendly schools team and see if Third Space is right for your school.