Essential Mental Arithmetic 1

Essential Mental Arithmetic provides rich and varied practice to develop students' essential maths skills and support Key Stage 3 recovery and consolidation. Designed for Year 7 intervention, the series helps students who have not met age-related expectations in maths at the end of Year 6 to build a solid understanding of Key Stage 2 fundamentals.

Tailored to cover the essential mental maths skills from the primary curriculum, each book contains 36 one-page tests designed to close the foundational knowledge gap for students starting Key Stage 3. Each test is presented in a unique three-part format comprising:

• Part A: questions where use of language is kept to a minimum
• Part B: questions using number vocabulary
• Part C: questions focusing on one- and two-step word problems.

Structured according to ability rather than age, the series allows students to work at their own pace, building confidence and fluency. Two Entry Tests are available as a free download on the Schofield & Sims website, enabling teachers to select the appropriate book for each student. All the books can be used flexibly for individual, paired, group or whole-class maths practice, as well as for homework and one-to-one intervention.

Essential Mental Arithmetic Book 1 covers the key subject areas of number, measurement, geometry and statistics, including place value, simple fractions, times tables, telling the time, giving change, and 2-D and 3-D shapes. Three Progress Charts are provided to monitor learning as students work through the book, while topic-based Check-up Tests at the back of the book identify any gaps in understanding.

A separate accompanying answer book, Essential Mental Arithmetic Book 1 Answers contains correct answers to all the questions, making marking quick and easy. Online answers are also available on the Schofield & Sims website.