About FunKey Maths

We are maths teachers who love teaching maths. For years we have been helping our students and other teachers enjoy maths.

Our resources and activity ideas come from the knowledge that

1. children learn best when they are relaxed and engaged (games help!)
2. children need repeated practice to embed skills and build confidence
3. small steps are easier to take

These principles underpin the development of our resources and our programmes of activities and ensure that we create enjoyable and rewarding pathways to success.

All our resources and games have been extensively tested in schools across the UK. We love the fact that our maths activities are also shared experiences and an opportunity to develop oracy and social and emotional skills.

Maths peer mentoring programme for schools

We are particularly proud of our FunKey Maths Peer Mentoring programme. This started eight years ago as an initiative in one school but with thanks to support from Nesta’s Maths Mission it is part of daily life in many schools across the UK.

There are so many benefits to FunKey maths peer mentoring. Young mentors deliver a structured programme of games and fun activities and time and again, the experience is transformative for mentor and mentee.

Children’s test scores improve significantly (see our evaluation report). But maths mentoring helps children in so many other ways too. When children have regular structured 1:1 sessions with another child, so many positive things happen. Children’s oracy skills improve. Their confidence and self-esteem improve. Mentors develop leadership skills, and they learn to organise themselves and their resources. They learn to think quickly on their feet.

Our evaluation report also notes that mentoring is good for shifting fixed mindsets to growth mindsets. When mentors see younger children making progress through practice, by making mistakes and trying again, they understand the process of learning so much better.

Schools are now using maths mentoring not just as a way to improve outcomes in maths, but also as a really effective way to tackle social and emotional difficulties and to shift mindsets.

Read more about the multi-faceted benefits of maths peer mentoring here.