Halifax teacher wins funding for ground-breaking idea to transform pupils’ maths skills at 10 schools in deprived areas

The project called ‘One Tool - All of the Facts’ uses a Dutch counting frame – known as a rekenrek –which is transforming whole-class teaching of times tables and number sense.

Children use the tool in a way which is already helping them to see number patterns and deepen their understanding of times tables.

Amy How, a Canadian-born teacher now based in Halifax was originally awarded a grant from the annual Let Teachers SHINE competition in 2021, allowing her to implement her project in five schools, helping 300 children.

This year, she has been chosen to receive further funding and has been able to introduce her idea into 10 schools across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, supporting 600 children.

Amy believes an important reason teachers have got on board is due to how easily incorporated it is into daily practice, meaning it doesn’t take up much time in an already very busy school day.

This, paired with the fact that they have been able to see how quickly children are improving their maths skills means it has been a huge hit.

Reflecting on her own time as a teacher, Amy said: “I have had years of experience watching children get frustrated, anxious, and unmotivated to recall times table facts through traditional methods.

“This is where the rekenrek is such a useful tool because it is unique in its simplicity but also in its ability to see what students are thinking.

“ALL children benefit, not only those who are struggling, but those who simply know the times table facts but don’t have any deeper understanding.

“It is really exciting for the teachers and the children. You get to see so much improvement.”

Amy is very ambitious for the future and is hoping to have a big outreach, putting the tool in the hands of children, telling people about the rekenrek and demonstrating its benefits and how to use it.

She added: “As I begin the next stages of my project with my second round of funding, I have started to work with more schools which have expressed a great interest and I hope to have a bigger impact.

“Further down the line, I want to be in as many schools as I can be, both in the UK and internationally. I feel like the opportunities are endless.

“It’s been life-changing, not just for me but also for the children who are using the rekenrek.

“For those children that have previously found these maths skills daunting, they have been able to understand and learn in new ways, which is really rewarding!”

SHINE CEO Fiona Spellman said: “At SHINE we’ve always believed in the power of inspirational teachers to change lives.

“We believe that with the right backing and support, teachers like Amy can achieve even more.

“We look forward to supporting Amy and learning more about the impact of rekenrek on the children who need it most.”