Publication: Thinking Mathematically Pilot Report

Thinking Mathematically aims to improve pupils' mathematical problem-solving skills by supporting Year 7 teachers to teach problem-solving more explicitly and consistently through approaches such as modelling their thinking through think-alouds.

28 schools from the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber participated in the pilot between September 2024 and April 2025, representing a diverse range of contexts, from small rural schools to large urban settings.

The evaluation found signs of promise. Teachers and pupils generally perceived the programme to be different from business-as-usual teaching, teachers reported increased confidence in teaching mathematical problem-solving, and there were indications that key practices could be sustained beyond the programme.

We also identified important implementation challenges. In particular, training was not always cascaded consistently to Year 7 teachers by lead teachers, and not all schools delivered the programme as intended. The findings suggest that the programme would benefit from further refinement and piloting before progressing to a full efficacy trial.

To learn more about the pilot evaluation and the report findings, read the report below.