Back to School? 5 Quick Wins to Set Up a Successful Maths Routine
- Primary Resources Hub
- Sep 21, 2025
- 2 min read
The classroom is buzzing, new shoes are squeaking on the carpet, and the stationery trays are (for now!) fully stocked. It can only mean one thing — it's back to school.
While September brings excitement and opportunity, it also comes with the challenge of setting the tone for the year ahead — especially in maths. Get those successful Maths routines in place.
To help you hit the ground running, we’ve put together 5 quick wins you can implement straight away to build maths confidence, routine, and rhythm in your classroom — with no extra stress.
✅ 1. Start Each Day with a Maths Warm-Up
Kick off each morning with a short, structured maths activity. It could be a few arithmetic questions, a number of the day challenge, or a mini maths puzzle.
Why it works: Children settle quickly, revisit key concepts, and build fluency through repetition.
📥 Try this: Our Primary Arithmetic resource is perfect for this — a weekly set of questions designed to practise old skills while introducing new ones. No prep. Just print and go.
✅ 2. Establish Times Tables from Day One
Times tables underpin so many areas of the maths curriculum — fractions, division, problem solving, and more. Start as you mean to go on by introducing a routine for times tables right from the first week.
Quick win ideas:
Set a daily 3-minute challenge
Do a 'TT Rockstars-style' Friday test
Run a weekly tournament or leaderboard
🎯 Need a ready-made system? Our Times Tables: Close the Gap resource pinpoints which tables children struggle with and provides targeted, printable support.
✅ 3. Make Mistake-Making a Norm
Help your class embrace mistakes early on by modelling them yourself, celebrating effort, and encouraging discussion around different methods and answers.
Why it matters: Building a growth mindset early in the year makes children more willing to take risks and develop resilience in maths.
🗣 Tip: Use talk partners or “mini whiteboard mistakes” to get children used to checking and correcting with confidence.
✅ 4. Use Quick Checks to Spot Gaps
You don’t need to launch straight into formal assessments. Instead, use quick activities that show you what children remember — and where they need support.
Ideas include:
Post-it note plenaries
'Prove it' challenges
Verbal 'exit questions' at the door
💡 Want something ready-made? Try Primary Arithmetic or Times Tables: Close the Gap as informal tools for quickly identifying strengths and gaps.
✅ 5. Build in Celebration and Routine
Children thrive when they know what's coming. Have a “Fluency Friday,” a weekly challenge board, or a whole-class times tables chart. Small wins celebrated early can create momentum for the year.
🎉 Ideas that work:
Maths star of the week
Class target displays
Maths-themed prizes (stickers, badges, or even a “maths hero” cape)
🚀 Ready to Make This Year Count?
Back to school is the perfect time to get maths off to a flying start — and we’re here to help. At Primary Resources Hub, we’ve created downloadable resources that save you time, boost confidence, and build skills week by week.
Here’s to a brilliant start to the year — and a maths journey filled with confidence and curiosity!
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