A P7 teacher at a primary school in Falkirk, Scotland supports numeracy by using digital tools to boost engagement and build confidence. She has been teaching for over 7 years.
About the school
The primary school in Falkirk, Scotland, has been using Sumdog for over six years to support numeracy accross upper primary classes. The school provides each P7 pupil with their own iPad, allowing for consistent digital access and personalised learning opportunities. Staff are committed to building pupil confidence in maths through engaging, accessible tools and use Sumdog as part of a wider strategy to support progression, consolidation and transition to secondary.
Supporting progress in a way pupils enjoy
Over the years, we've found Sumdog to be incredibly effective in helping pupils consolidate key maths skills. We often use it as a finishing task or during our consolidation weeks to revisit core contecpts like fractions, decimals and percentages. Because Sumdog ia game-based, pupils don't feel like they're being assessed - even when we're using it to gather really useful information about their progress.
Many of our pupils worry that maths will become harder in secondary school. Using Sumdog helps us calm those concerns. It allows them to practise tricky areas like number bonds, division or decimals in a familar and enjoyable format. It keeps them engaged and helps build confidencce before they make the move up.
We use Sumdog diagnostics regaularly and reset them around the holidays to get a fresh view of where the gaps are. From there, we set tasks that match the class's needs and it's great to be able to target that support to specifically. I'll often show my pupils their progress over time using the results graph, without revealing specific levels, which helps motivate them to keep improving.
Personalised and practical
I love how flexible Sumdog is. Whether I want to focus on accuracy, build fluency or just give them time to explore through free play, I can tailor it to fit the lesson. One of the recent updates has made it even easier to manage multiplayer options and track progress - especially for pupils who can be a bit 'click-happy' when they're rushing! The new accuracy feature is great for reinforcing that getting the right answer matters more than speed.
Every pupil in my class knows how to log in, and for those who struggle with spelling, we've created simple, memorable logins to help them stay independent. Our iPads are linked to the local authority's network, so even if the main internet connection goes down, we can usually carry on with Sumdog as planned. That reliability makes a big difference when you're trying to keep momentum going in a lesson.
Sumdog also seemlessly aligns with the Scottish curriculum, making it a valuable tool for support and reinforcing what we're covering in class. I work in a spiral structure, regularly revisiting the four operations every 4-6 weeks to consolidate learning, and Sumdog supports this by adapting to each pupil's level and ensuring they're practising the right concepts at the right time. It provides targeted, meaningful practice that complements our teaching approach and helps build both confidence and fluency in a way that's engaging and accessible for all learners.
"It (Sumdog) provides targeted, meaningful practice that complements our teaching approach and helps build both confidence and fluency in a way that's engaging and accessible for all learners."
Encouraging healthy competition and building confidence
My pupils love seeing their names on the leaderboard and aiming for rewards. The competitive element motivates them, especially when they realise that it improves their score. They often come in the next day talking about how many questions they got right or who's at the top of the class leaderboard. For me, that's exactly the kind of maths talk I want to hear in the classroom.
One of the best things about Sumdog is that it allows every learner to succeed. Whether a pupil is flying ahead or needs a bit more support, they can work at their own pace without comparison. That sense of personalised progress makes a real differecnce to their midnset. As a teacher, being able to see the impact in real time, without hours of marking, is invaluable.
