A little bit everyday

In 2024, for the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), the national average attainment score was 20.6 (out of 25), with 34% of eligible pupils achieving full marks. This was a slight increase from 2023.

Boys outperformed girls, achieving higher average scores and a greater percentage of full marks, while disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND also showed year-on-year increases in their average scores, though a significant gap with their non-disadvantaged peers remained.  

• Key Statistics for the 2024 MTC 
  • Average Score: 20.6 out of 25.
  • Full Marks: 34% of eligible pupils achieved the maximum score of 25.
  • Comparison to 2023: The average attainment score increased by 0.5 points from 20.2 in 2023.
  Breakdown by Pupil Characteristics 
  • Gender: 

    Boys scored higher on average and had a higher rate of full marks (20.9 average score, 35% full marks) compared to girls (20.4 average score, 32% full marks).
  • Disadvantaged Pupils: 

    The average score for disadvantaged pupils was 18.9, an increase from previous years.
  • Special Educational Needs (SEND): 

    Pupils with SEND achieved an average score of 16.6, a rise from previous years.

One thing that maybe isn’t a surprise is the fact that asking children to ‘play’ online apps to recall multiplication facts as quickly as possible to be ‘top of the leaderboard’ is clearly not the way to support ALL children tackle the MTC … or more importantly, support ALL children seek a proper understanding of the mathematics to which they relate.

So what can be done to improve things for Year 4 children and teachers this year?

Well let’s start with ‘What are the issues Year 4 teachers are currently grappling with?’ …

• Will my Year children know all the facts especially the ones with greater weighting* on the MTC?

*see table below for the MTC facts with the greater weighting

• Will my Year 4 children be able to use the technology?
• How do I develop my children’s understanding of the multiplicative composition of numbers rather than just recalling isolated facts?

So let’s think about a different strategy to address these issues, such as …. a little bit everyday for the (roughly) 100 school days between the beginning of the Spring term and the MTC!! (yes that’s how long there is… all children can seriously improve during this time!). And when we say a ‘little bit’, we mean just five minutes.

So let’s pretend the MTC is our World Cup final, our Olympic Final, our London Marathon or the our World Champion Boxing Fight … yes I’m feeling all Rocky Balboa all of a sudden (cue Rocky theme music!!)

What if  …. we think of:

• Term 3 as our ‘working hard at training camp’ period to make sure we have the ‘foundation facts’ in place and belief that we can succeed
  • ALL improve recalling facts from the 2/5/10 tables and then 3/4/8 tables within 6 seconds and then 5 seconds
  • ALL check they security of facts from the multiplication tables
  • ALL improve their knowledge of 4 weighted MTC facts

• Term 4 ‘working harder’ to make sure we have more ‘foundation facts’ in place and belief that we can succeed
  • ALL improve recalling facts from the 6/7/8 tables and then 9/11/12 tables within 6 seconds and then 5 seconds
  • ALL check they security of facts from the multiplication tables
  • ALL improve their knowledge of 6 more weighted MTC facts 

• Term 5 we focus on ‘getting stronger’ ready for the big day in June
  • ALL improve recalling facts from the tables within 4 seconds
  • ALL check they security of facts from the multiplication tables
  • ALL improve their knowledge of 6 more weighted MTC facts

• Term 6 we’re ‘gonna fly’* and smash the MTC!

* yep these phrases are from the lyrics of the Rocky theme!!

But of course … the quality of what we do in those 5 minutes is key. We could let children just play on an ‘online’ app … but we know that clearly didn’t work for all children last year!

So here’s a strategic plan mapped out across those 100 days (using 2023 as an example), including a blended approach of 5 key online and paper based elements:  

Within any one week, the children engage with 5 key elements:  

In class:

Element 1: Quizzes (three each week)

Each quiz has 25 timed questions.

The quiz is aimed to improve three things:

- children’s recall of the targeted facts for that week

- children’s speed of recall of facts

- children’s resilience and belief

The children use a record sheet to celebrate which facts they know, which facts they don’t know YET … and crucially, which ones they need to work on!

Element 2: CheckItChuckItChangeIt Challenges (two each week)

Each challenge has 25 multiplication facts … some are correct, some are wrong.

This activity takes the focus off getting the correct answer and putting the spotlight on ‘the answer is only the beginning’. By correcting the incorrect facts, children develop and embed their understanding of the multiplicative composition of numbers rather than just isolated facts. 

In each challenge, children:

i) check the correct ones

ii) chuck the incorrect ones

iii) change and explain the incorrect ones

Element 3: Factor/Factor/Product (one each week)

Each week, a factor/factor/product mat puts the spotlight on one of the key MTC weighted facts. The mat is designed to immerse the child in that one fact and explore the multiplicative composition of numbers rather than just isolated facts

Children need to know all 21 by June!

Element 4: Chanting this week’s targeted multiplication table

Out of class

Element 5: Practise the use of technology, e.g https://urbrainy.com/mtc/test# 

Of course, we also need to talk about the BIG elephant in the room!

It is a simple concept, one teachers probably take for granted, but how much attention do we really pay to creating the type of climate for all pupils feel a sense of belonging, purpose and self-efficacy? Along with growth, these are three other academic mindsets that can affect how pupils learn. Knowing that your teacher believes you can achieve is so powerful for all pupils.

So 100 days to go to MTC … let’s do this!

More information about the resources mentioned can be found here:

CanDoMaths - Mastering the MTC: https://www.buzzardpublishing.com/product-page/mastering-the-multiplication-tables-check-mtc

CanDo21: https://www.buzzardpublishing.com/product-page/cando21-1

*Just to be clear, the blog author thinks the MTC is a nonsense. Of course, it’s important that all children know the multiplication bonds but, of course, it’s a nonsense to give all Year 4 children a timed test of 25 randomised questions to check this. The MTC doesn’t help the child continue to improve in Years 5 and 6 and it also doesn’t help the school evaluate provision to support all children to know and recall all multiplication bonds. It’s a nonsense assessment!