Supporting KS2 and KS3 with Dynamo Maths: A Guide for Teachers and SENCOs Based on EEF Recommendations

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) provides valuable recommendations to strengthen mathematics teaching at KS2 and KS3, helping educators establish a solid mathematical foundation for all pupils. Dynamo Maths is designed to support these goals, offering tools and resources that align with EEF strategies. This blog explores how Dynamo Maths addresses these EEF recommendations, supporting teachers and SENCos in creating effective and engaging maths interventions for young learners.

Key EEF Recommendations and Dynamo Maths' Approach

1. Use Assessment to Build Upon Pupils’ Existing Knowledge and Understanding

EEF stresses the importance of understanding where each pupil is starting from, using assessment to tailor instruction to their current knowledge and skill level (EEF, 2021).?

Dynamo Maths dyscalculia assessments are integral to the seamlessly linked assessment and intervention. It begins with a review of the pupils' current functioning through a Student Profile analysis that all stakeholders (teachers, parents, external providers) contribute to providing their perspective and observations of the pupils' maths difficulties.?

The online standardised Dynamo Maths assessment takes a multicomponent approach that allows the focus on individual differences across fourteen number strands and captures the pupil’s existing knowledge and understanding against;? current functioning history, interactions during the assessment and the observations by the stakeholders. As a result, the assessment provides a deeper insight and a broader profile of cognitive, inherent neurological challenges when processing numbers and delays in maths that may have arisen from external factors. The screener shortlisted by EEF builds upon existing knowledge and understanding and offers a targeted intervention through its data-driven approach. Integrated within the assessment is a Scheme of Work that identifies specific areas of difficulties and signposts to a targeted intervention.?

2. Use Manipulatives and Representations

Visual representations and manipulatives help to make abstract mathematical concepts more concrete and accessible, especially for younger pupils (EEF, 2021).

Dynamo Maths uses a range of digital manipulatives and concrete visual aids in the intervention to help scaffold pupils' understanding of the abstract representation of numbers and their relationships. The tools are used when the online activities and worksheets indicate that the understanding of particular number and maths concepts are not fully embedded. These tools are integrated into the intervention, providing an accessible and engaging approach for learners to articulate their learning and critical reasoning. The structured approach that Dynamo Maths has used means that the use of manipulatives as ‘scaffold’ is reduced over time and is predominantly used in Dynamo 1, 2 and 3. Once pupils have grasped the concept of the manipulatives. Dynamo Maths ensures that manipulatives and visual aids are used appropriately through guided activities and structured lessons. This approach ensures the tools are not just supplementary but integral to fostering an understanding of mathematical concepts.

Dynamo Maths includes within each module a variety of digital manipulatives, such as virtual counters, number lines, and interactive visual aids. They support active engagement and encourage critical thinking and reasoning whilst working with the manipulatives.

3. Teach Strategies for Solving Problems

Teaching pupils problem-solving strategies helps them confidently learn how to approach and break down complex questions (EEF, 2021).

Dynamo Maths includes graduated small-step, cumulative structured Lesson Plans introducing various problem-solving techniques to make sense of the word problem, the vocabulary and operational symbols. Various strategies such as drawing or creating pictorial representations of problems, like diagrams and sketches are introduced to help them "see" the maths and connect abstract concepts to visuals. Through this process, a range of methods and procedures are introduced through examples to demonstrate the skill and transition from applying their problem-solving knowledge from one-step problems to two-step problems across a variety of settings. The students are also introduced to techniques of reasoning and self-monitoring to inculcate a thinking process to ensure that their responses make sense mathematically.?

4. Enable Pupils to Develop a Rich Network of Mathematical Knowledge

A deep understanding of mathematics requires pupils to build connections across different subject areas, creating a rich network of knowledge (EEF, 2021).

Dynamo Maths is mapped to the curriculum and with its integrated Lesson Plans, Online Activities and Worksheets. It offers multiple contexts and perspectives to learn and apply numbers and maths. Dynamo Maths employs a multifaceted pedagogical approach, combining multi-sensory learning, scaffolded instruction, and contextual problem-solving to support diverse learning needs. Its methods focus on conceptual understanding, fluency, and adaptive learning, and its technology integration enhances mathematical proficiency and confidence. Through this integrated process of learning that is both teacher-led, student-centred and constructed around technology, the rich network helps learners process mathematical concepts through different pedagogical and sensory inputs.

5. Develop Pupils’ Independence and Motivation

Encouraging independence and motivation is vital for sustained engagement and long-term success in mathematics (EEF, 2021).?

Dynamo Maths incorporates interactive activities to inspire students to build a positive mindset towards learning through engagement in maths practice. Adaptive feedback enables students to follow their development, boosting self-esteem and experiencing a sense of accomplishment. Certificates to celebrate progress and performance.? For teachers and SENCOs, this creates a learning environment where students experience empowerment and take possession of their progress, thereby growing resilience and boosting self-confidence.

6. Use Tasks and Resources to Challenge and Support Pupils’ Mathematics

Using a variety of tasks that challenge and support students is critical for engaging them successfully at different levels in their learning journey (EEF, 2021).

?Dynamo Maths offers an extensive range of exercises that can be tailored to student's individual needs, providing scaffolded support where necessary and increasing complexity as students` skills grow. This flexibility allows teachers to maintain high expectations while giving the help needed for students to succeed, ensuring each child can experience both the challenge and success of their maths learning.

7. Use Structured Interventions to Provide Additional Support

Structured interventions are essential for pupils who need targeted help to overcome specific learning difficulties (EEF, 2021).?

Dynamo Maths is designed as a structured dyscalculia intervention tool, making it ideal for pupils with SEND or those struggling with mathematics. The program's standardised assessments and personalised learning pathways allow educators to address individual learning gaps, providing focused support that is both evidence-based and aligned with best practices in maths intervention.

8. Support Pupils to Make a Successful Transition Between Primary and Secondary School

The EEF highlights the importance of ensuring that children may successfully transfer from primary to secondary school with a strong mathematical foundation (EEF, 2021).

Dynamo Maths, when used as an early screening and intervention tool, helps students gain confidence and fluency in basic maths skills, easing the transition. The program's concentration on basic ideas provides students with the skills they need to excel in higher-level mathematics.

Dynamo Maths, when used as an early screening and intervention tool in primary school, is instrumental in identifying and addressing mathematical difficulties at an early stage. By pinpointing specific areas of weakness and providing targeted interventions, the program helps to prevent small gaps in understanding from developing into significant barriers to progress.

Additionally, regular progress tracking keeps teachers and parents informed, enabling collaborative efforts to support the pupil’s development. By addressing mathematical challenges early and effectively, Dynamo Maths eases the transition between primary and secondary school and sets students on a path toward long-term academic success.

References?

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). (2021). Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3: Summary of recommendations. Retrieved from https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/eef-guidance-reports/maths-ks-2-3/Maths_KS2_KS3_Recommendations_Poster_update.pdf?v=1730988717

Karima Esmail is the Co-founder of Dynamo Maths, an award-winning, research and evidence-based inclusive programme proven to support students with dyscalculia and those not meeting age-related expectations.

I have 15 years of experience as a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. More recently, I undertook research at University College London, which inspired the creation of Puffin Maths for the deaf and hard of hearing, which now provides access to the National Curriculum using British Sign Language (BSL). Puffin Maths was ‘Highly Commended’ at BETT 2022.

I have also co-authored Dynamo Post 16 Number Sense Profiler and Dyscalculia Self Perception Indicators Questionnaire.