Essential Mental Arithmetic: what secondary maths leaders ask us most

If you have recently requested a sample of the Schofield & Sims Essential Mental Arithmetic series, you may still be weighing up whether it is the right fit for your department. Below, we answer the questions we hear most often from secondary maths leaders considering the programme.

What is Essential Mental Arithmetic, and who is it designed for?

Essential Mental Arithmetic is a structured, graded series from Schofield & Sims designed for use in secondary schools, primarily with Key Stage 3 students. It provides progressive practice in the core arithmetic and number skills that students need across all areas of secondary mathematics. The series is most commonly used in Years 7 and 8, though schools use it more or less widely depending on the ability profile of their students.

Why does mental arithmetic still matter at secondary level?

A student who cannot work fluently with numbers has less working memory available for the higher-level reasoning that secondary maths demands. Mental arithmetic fluency is not a skill students either have or do not have when they arrive in Year 7. It requires continued, deliberate practice to maintain and develop. Many secondary departments find that students arrive with significant gaps in this area and that those gaps, if unaddressed, compound as the curriculum becomes more demanding.

How is the Essential Mental Arithmetic series structured?

The series consists of six graded books. Each book is divided into three sections, each containing twelve one-page tests, one for each week of term. The tests become progressively more challenging within each book and across the series as a whole.

Each test is divided into three parts. Part A focuses on number and symbol recognition, with minimal use of language. Part B introduces mathematical language and terminology. Part C presents written questions involving one- or two-step problem solving. This progression within each test means that every session covers a range of difficulty, giving you a clear picture of where each student is confident and where gaps remain.

How do we know which Essential Mental Arithmetic book is right for our students?

The series includes two free entry tests — Entry Test A and Entry Test B — designed to help you place students in the right book from the start. Entry Test A is suitable for students working at the lower end of Key Stage 2 and Entry Test B is suitable for those at the upper end. Both tests are untimed and typically take up to an hour to complete. Each test maps scores directly to a recommended starting book, so placement is straightforward even at the beginning of Year 7 when you may not yet have reliable information about individual students' current attainment.

• Download our Essential Mental Arithmetic Entry Test Guide

How does Essential Mental Arithmetic fit into a typical lesson?

The most common approach is a short starter activity at the beginning of a lesson, typically 10 to 20 minutes. The self-contained format means students work through questions independently, and answers can be reviewed quickly as a class. Sessions require minimal preparation. The brevity is intentional: regular, focused practice is more effective for building arithmetic fluency than occasional extended sessions.

Can Essential Mental Arithmetic be used in other ways?

Yes. While the lesson starter model is the most widely used, the books work well for homework, individual study and targeted intervention. Because the format is consistent and self-explanatory, students can work independently without needing additional instruction. Essential Mental Arithmetic is also well suited to small group withdrawal sessions, where students working on the same book can move through questions at their own pace.

How does Essential Mental Arithmetic handle mixed-ability teaching?

Because the series is graded by difficulty rather than year group, students in the same class can work from different books simultaneously. The consistent format across all six books means managing multiple levels in one classroom is straightforward in practice. Each student works at the level that reflects their current attainment, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach that leaves some students lost and others unchallenged.

How do we track progress over time?

The pupil books themselves provide a cumulative record of each student's work. Regular weekly use, combined with the group marking model, where students mark their own answers as the class works through each question together, creates frequent low-stakes assessment without additional marking load for the teacher. This also gives students the opportunity to hear different methods for reaching the same answer, which supports wider mathematical reasoning.

What is the difference between Mental Arithmetic and Essential Mental Arithmetic?

Mental Arithmetic is Schofield & Sims' primary series, designed for Key Stages 1 and 2. Essential Mental Arithmetic is the secondary series, designed to bridge the gap between KS2 arithmetic and the demands of KS3 mathematics. Since both series are aimed at improving arithmetic and number skills at Key Stage 2 level, they share the same questions, so using both series consecutively is not recommended.

Find out more

If you would like to discuss whether the series is right for your teaching, a School Advisor will be happy to help. You can get in touch by email: post@schofieldandsims.co.uk or telephone: +44 (0) 1484 607080.