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Our School

ACE Maths Focus Day

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16th June 2022

We met Year 5 teacher, Mrs Anderson in April of last year when we put ACE Maths Focus Day 2021 in the ACE Spotlight! This year Mrs Anderson has new plans for pupils in ACE Maths Focus Day 2022.

Children have been asked to come in to school wearing an item of clothing with a number on or even make a Maths themed outfit! Read on to find out more about what's in store....

ANDERSON FreyaEarlier this year, Mrs Anderson was appointed as Primary Maths Lead across Synergy Trust. We caught up with her to find out more about this role.


Mrs Anderson, congratulations on your appointment as Trust Primary Maths Lead! Please explain what this role involves and how many primary schools there are now in the Trust?

Thank you! I'm excited about my new Trust Primary Maths Lead role starting in September and am looking forward to gaining a wider understanding of the different schools across the trust and working with them to strengthen provision for school improvement.

This new role will work across all the twelve primary phase schools within the Trust to further raise standards and develop excellent classroom practice. This will include a collaborative approach with the different schools and developing a shared vision of Maths across the Trust.


ACE Maths Focus day 2022 is all about Outdoor Active Learning. Could you explain how Active Maths is used on a daily basis and why learning Maths outside is of benefit to pupils at Astley

During our ACE Maths Focus Day children will have the opportunity to build on their fluency, problem solving and reasoning whilst completing active maths activities outdoors. The varying active maths activities will focus on a range of different areas of Maths including measurement, geometry and algebra, with particular emphasis this focus day on statistics for all Astley year groups. For example, pupils may gather information about living things that they find outdoors, such as flowers, trees, mini-beasts, insect and birds, or collect data about traffic passing school using tally charts. They will look to record their findings using graphs such as bar charts.

Children will also complete a Maths orienteering activity around our beautiful school grounds using maps which will help improve their skills in Geography.  In other activities, pupils will use a range of resources balls, chalk, hoops and bean-bags to take part in target games which use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and be given the opportunity to choose which method of calculation to use.

As a school we value active learning and provide the children with different opportunities to learn outdoors. Each class has at least one Maths of the Day (Teach Active) lesson which is an active Maths lesson, this builds on the learning and area of maths taught that week. We have found that these Maths of the Day lessons have helped raise the profile of Maths at Astley and children continue to comment that they enjoy these active lessons. Active learning provides a fantastic opportunity for children to work collaboratively in pairs or small groups.


Tell us about the ways in which Active Maths links with other ACE curriculum subjects?

This year our Maths ACE Day links to a number of other curriculum areas. Geography uses mapping skills when orienteering. P.E.skills are developed through both fine and gross motor skills. Science is another curriculum area which our Maths ACE Focus Day incorporates greatly this year, as we will be using wildlife to create mathematical problems or gathering items to create data to interpret. Life Skills will also be incorporated as children will develop their social interactions and have the opportunity share ideas and problem solve with peers. Active learning promotes the development of children's social and emotional well-being too!


What would you like pupils to reflect on from ACE Maths Focus Day 2022?

I would wish for children at Astley to reflect on a day of active fun, which enabled them to work collaboratively with various children in their class developing a number of maths skills. I would like children to see Maths as creative and how it can incorporate a number of other curriculum areas. I hope the outdoors inspires us to further develop our Maths skills and children continue this learning following our ACE Focus Day.


Thank you, Mrs Anderson for jumping back into our ACE Spotlight! to tell us about the many ways in which Maths is marvellous at Astley Primary School!


Our Ace Roving Reporters, Hunie and Kiran from Sharks gathered feedback from pupils all over the school on ACE Maths Focus Day and took some fantastic pictures of some of the action!!

‘We made fortune-tellers and went on a hunt for some number cards. My favourite activity was the hunt because we got to go outside.’   Rory, Turtles

‘We did a scavenger hunt, a quiz and finding shapes. My favourite part was the scavenger hunt.’ Freddie, Dolphins

‘I did two Treasure Hunts and we also did coloured cars. My favourite part of the day was making a map.’ Kaspar, Bears

‘I did activities where you had to find answers in a Treasure Hunt. I enjoyed making hats because I like to colour and do things to do with art.’ Stanley, Tigers

‘We used as stick to make a pattern. We did a hunt for words. My favourite part of the day was making the pattern, because I like to be outside.’  George, Lions

‘I did a Scavenger Hunt and we made angles to measure. We did a Maths quiz and finding shapes.  I liked the Scavenger Hunt because is was fun running around.’ Chloe, Dolphins

‘We did Treasure Hunts and finding pictures and voting on our favourite colours. We watched coloured cars and my favourite thing was finding the coloured cars and making a map.’ Amelia Brown, Bears

‘We got sticks and made a pattern and did a hunt for words. I liked connecting the sticks to make a pattern.’ Aaliya, Lions

‘We did a Treasure Hunt and found flowers and made hats. You got to decorate the hats however you liked.’ Marla, Tigers

‘We did a game and then we made fortune-tellers. I loved making fortune tellers. It was really cool as now we can play with them!’ Elsie, Turtles

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Our Schools

Synergy Multi-Academy Trust comprises fifteen Norfolk schools serving children between the ages of 2 and 18. Our schools work collaboratively together to raise standards and provide education of the highest possible standard, offering the best of opportunities for pupils. The Trust was initially established in 2015. We believe that all of our schools have strengths and areas to develop, and that all can improve through sharing expertise and wisdom. The Trust understands that there will be excellent practice in each school, and that every school will be able to contribute to the development of the Trust as a whole.

Our Schools

Synergy Multi-Academy Trust comprises fifteen Norfolk schools serving children between the ages of 2 and 18. Our schools work collaboratively together to raise standards and provide education of the highest possible standard, offering the best of opportunities for pupils. The Trust was initially established in 2015. We believe that all of our schools have strengths and areas to develop, and that all can improve through sharing expertise and wisdom. The Trust understands that there will be excellent practice in each school, and that every school will be able to contribute to the development of the Trust as a whole.