Free diagnostic tools to find the gaps. Daily small-group sessions to close them. Built for pupils whose foundations need rebuilding properly.
A short clip from our September webinar, introducing Groundwork Maths and how you can use it to close gaps with the children that you work with.
Groundwork Maths is a small-group intervention programme for specific pupils whose progress is being held back by gaps in foundational understanding. It sits alongside your normal maths teaching for some pupils, and for others it may replace some maths lessons, depending on the depth of the gaps.
Groundwork Maths is one programme, designed to be delivered in two recommended formats. Schools choose the format that fits each pupil and the timetable, and pupils can move between them as their needs change.
A short, focused daily session in addition to the pupil's normal maths lesson, not instead of it.
A longer daily session for pupils who need to work at the right level for them.
Same diagnostic, same session cards, same teaching approach across both. The difference is the length of session and the depth of practice, not the content.
Either format can be delivered in the classroom or in a separate space, depending on what works best for your pupils and your setting.
The same shape every time, for every pupil on the programme.
Use the free diagnostic tools to identify the specific gaps each pupil has across strands and phases.
Group pupils whose results overlap. Small groups of 3 to 5 per adult. Groups can change between modules as pupils close different gaps.
Adults read the session card before each session. Cards are designed to be readable in 2 to 5 minutes. The first page is a two-minute briefing, with the session flow on the page that follows. The card does the planning, so the adult can focus on delivery.
Run the daily sessions. Each module is 10 sessions, and only a small part changes from one session to the next.
Adults assess in the moment throughout every session, watching what pupils are showing them and adjusting as they go. At the end of each module, an end-of-module check confirms whether the gaps the module addressed have closed, and informs what comes next.
To get the best from the programme, the school around it needs to set aside time to implement and oversee it properly. The sessions are designed so adults can deliver them without heavy planning, but the wider commitment matters. Before deciding whether Groundwork Maths is right for you, these are six things we believe a school will need to invest in.
Someone takes overall responsibility for running Groundwork Maths in the school. This might be your maths lead, SENDCO, or another staff member with the time and authority to oversee how the programme is set up and how it's going across the year.
Deciding who the programme is for, which adults will deliver it, when sessions will happen, and how groups will be organised. The decisions you make here shape how well everything that follows runs.
Building time in for adults to run the diagnostics with each pupil, in a way that feels low-stakes and produces a clear picture of the gaps.
Looking at what the diagnostics surface, working out which phases and modules each pupil needs, and grouping pupils whose results overlap.
A regular check-in, perhaps every two weeks, between the programme lead and the adults running the sessions. A chance to surface what's going well, what isn't, and what's coming next.
It is important that an adult delivering the programme is given time to prepare for the session. This does not have to take long, but it can really make the difference.
If yours isn't here, the form at the bottom of the page is usually the fastest way to get a clear answer.
No. The diagnostics identify which modules each pupil needs across the strands. Most pupils need a small number of modules rather than the full programme.
Yes, that's how Groundwork Maths is designed. Each session card is readable in 2 to 5 minutes and contains everything the adult needs. Some initial training on the session structure helps, but the cards do the planning.
It depends on the gaps the diagnostics identify. Pupils with targeted gaps may need a few weeks. Pupils with broader gaps may need a full school year. The diagnostics give a realistic picture based on the modules identified for each pupil.
Groundwork Maths runs alongside your existing class scheme, whatever you use. It supports the pupils who can't access the class teaching alone. Groundwork is not a class scheme itself, and isn't designed to replace one.
Groundwork Maths is organised into six strands: Number and Place Value, Number Facts, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Fractions, and Geometry. Each strand is split into sequential phases, and each phase into modules.
It depends on how many gaps the diagnostics surface, and on how each pupil is coping in class. Pupils who are most significantly behind in particular areas of maths often benefit from time with an adult on the more foundational work, rather than trying to follow a class lesson they cannot yet access. We can talk through your school's situation. See below.
Groundwork Maths is built on evidence-based principles for teaching pupils with gaps in their foundations: small steps, secure mental models, hands-on representations, and regular pupil talk. The visual representations and language used across the programme align with the common models and images pupils are likely to meet in their wider maths teaching. We're also building an evidence base of our own as schools use the programme over time.
Groundwork Maths is gap-led, not age-led. If the foundational gaps are there, the programme can help, whatever the pupil's year group. Schools use Groundwork across primary, and into secondary where pupils still have foundational gaps holding them back.
Yes. The diagnostics are free to use, with no purchase required. Most schools use them to identify gaps first, then decide which Phase Packs to buy based on what the results show.
If you're not sure whether Groundwork Maths is right for your school, or which format your pupils need, we're happy to talk it through. Email us a little about your pupils and we'll be in touch to arrange a conversation. We'd rather help you make the right decision than have schools buy a programme that doesn't fit their pupils.
Already decided Groundwork Maths is the right fit? You can buy directly from the Phase Packs page.
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