Schools play a key role in helping children meet activity targets, but opportunities to be active during the school day can be limited.
Embedding movement into maths significantly increases PA levels and allows children to access the subject in a new way. For children who feel anxious about maths, changing the environment to a game-based approach leads to less apprehension and boosted confidence.
To support the health of our children and drive confidence and academic attainment, MOTM uses PAL to enhance and complement traditional teaching.
MOTM is aligned to the National Curriculum and allows teachers to choose the most suitable 12-week course for the children taking part. Trained MOTM educators deliver weekly hour-long sessions in non-classroom environments. At the end of every programme, the school receives a report detailing the children’s achievements in lessons and perceived confidence levels.
Research conducted by Leeds Beckett University found MOTM increases PA levels and reduces inactive time when compared to classroom-based children. The study also found MOTM to have a significant impact on maths performance.
Teacher focus groups revealed wider benefits such as an increase in confidence, concentration and on-task behaviours in subsequent lessons. Children emphasised that the programme was fun and working collaboratively with their peers helped them progress.
To allow every school to be able to access Maths on the Move lessons, we have developed a nationwide network of qualified educators. The Aspire Active Partnerships network now has 43 likeminded organisations with over 200 trained Maths on the Move educators across England who can deliver the programme in schools.
As a result, last academic year 5,376 children accessed weekly Maths on the Move lessons in their school, across 448 groups. They covered 322,560 minutes of physically active learning and answered 645,120 maths questions in their lessons.
In addition to the direct delivery of Maths on the Move in schools, we have a catalogue of resources and videos that schools can access for free to start their physically active learning journey in their own setting.
If you are a school wishing to find out how MOTM could work in your setting, please visit www.aspire-sports.co.uk/programme/maths-move to learn more about the programme and book a trial to see the programme in action.
If you are wishing to deliver MOTM to schools in your region, please visit aspireactivepartnerships.co.uk to learn more about the nationwide partner network of organisations.
