We are delighted to be partnering with White Rose Education to bring schools a new set of Year 6 lessons focused on mathematical reasoning and problem solving. Designed to be taught towards the end of the summer term, the lessons give pupils the opportunity to revisit key concepts of area and perimeter in a rich and engaging context.
Created by teachers, mathematicians and scientists, White Rose Education is dedicated to helping every teacher become a world-class teacher. They provide resources, tools, advice, and guidance for teachers who want to make science and maths teaching amazing, from Reception to GCSE and beyond.
Thinking outside (and inside) the box
Designed to be taught towards the end of the summer term, Thinking outside (and inside) the box provides pupils with the opportunity to revisit key concepts of area and perimeter in a rich and engaging context. Rather than focusing solely on calculation, the lessons encourage pupils to reason, justify, investigate and generalise – developing the habits of thinking that underpin successful mathematicians.
While the resource is structured as a five-lesson sequence, it is intended to be used flexibly. Some classes may move through the investigations quickly, while others may benefit from spending additional time exploring and discussing key ideas. Teachers are encouraged to begin each lesson from where pupils finished previously, rather than simply progressing to the next suggested lesson. This ensures that reasoning, discussion and problem solving remain at the heart of the experience and that pupils have sufficient time to develop secure understanding.
Preparing for Year 7
The project aligns closely with the direction of travel set out in the Curriculum and Assessment Review, with its emphasis on deeper understanding, problem solving, mathematical reasoning and greater opportunities for pupils to explain and justify their thinking.
Through carefully structured investigations and discussion, pupils will explore what happens when shapes are combined, transformed and compared, building confidence in communicating mathematical ideas and tackling unfamiliar problems. It is a fitting way to end Year 6, celebrating the mathematical understanding pupils have developed while preparing them for the challenges ahead.
The lessons also introduce pupils to Axiom Maths and the opportunities available beyond primary school. Many pupils will have the chance to join an Axiom Maths circle in Year 7, continuing to develop their mathematical thinking, curiosity and love of problem solving.