“It made me realise that all the things I have been doing in my head for years were actually maths. And I don’t like maths. Aka it was epic!”

Break 3: Numbers developed through a year of creative activities, training and art happenings in and around Frome, Somerset in 2011 / 12 aiming to inspire and support maths learning.

As parents, teachers and children we can all find it a struggle to grasp or communicate the basics of maths, let alone find the joy in it.

A big influence on us was “The Elephant in the Classroom”, by Jo Bolan, who recently featured on Radio 4’s The Educators . This led us to bring together mathematicians, educationalists, community and arts organisations, and professionals from outside education, to find ways to bring creativity back into maths, break myths and instill new enthusiasms for numbers.

Our particular focus so far, in response to local and national need, is Key Stage 2 children: the 8 – 11 year olds who begin to grapple with numbers as more abstract, the families who try to help them and the teachers who teach them.

We hope to extend this wider in the near future, with new loanable creative maths resources, and are interested to hear from potential partners for a new project exploring music and maths connections.

People we are collaborating with:

Linda Wynne Primary Maths Advisor, Wiltshire County Council

Rob Irving Artist

Steph Douglas Music