Sumdog Impact Report September 2025

Pupils’ maths attainment scores showed a statistically significant improvement between Term 1 and Term 3. Teachers recognised that alongside high-quality teaching within schools, Sumdog supported improvements in pupils’ mathematical fluency, which helped consolidate their understanding and, in turn, freed up lesson time to focus on other areas of the maths curriculum.

It is also important to note that, as pupils are generally expected to show improvements in attainment over time due to teachers’ interventions, causation cannot be inferred without a comparison group. Investigating whether pupils with similar demographic characteristics who did not engage with Sumdog show similar or different progress would provide valuable context on the efficacy of Sumdog. Future evaluations could consider tracking the present cohort of pupils into Year group 6 and comparing their KS2 SATs results in maths to national averages.

Looking at the entire cohort of pupils, in Term 1, 38.9% of pupils were working below expected standard, 48.1% at expected standard and 13.0% above expected standard (Figure 6). In Term 3, 7.4% more pupils were working above expected standard compared to Term 1, and 6% fewer pupils were working below expected standard. This change is statistically significant (p=0.004).

Figure 6. Pupils’ maths attainment in Term 1 and Term 3 (n=499).

Interestingly, pupils both with and without SEN made statistically significant improvements in their maths attainment (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001, respectively; Figure 7). Among pupils with SEN, 71.8% were working below the expected standard in Term 1—a figure that fell to 41.4% by Term 3. The proportion working at the expected standard nearly doubled over the same period, while the percentage achieving above the expected standard rose from 1.8% to 9.3%.

Figure 7. Pupils’ maths attainment in Term 1 and Term 3 by SEN (n=388 pupils without SEN, n=110 pupils with SEN).

The Supply Year 5 teacher highlighted the benefits of Sumdog for pupils with SEN, noting that they particularly enjoyed the activities. While acknowledging that Sumdog may not directly improve attainment, they emphasised its role in motivating pupils to practise more regularly – something they felt contributed to better understanding and, ultimately, progress.

Only male pupils showed a statistically significant improvement in maths attainment, with a 10.8% increase in those working above the expected standard and a 7.4% decrease in those working below (p = 0.006; Figure 8).

Figure 8. Pupils’ maths attainment in Term 1 and Term 3 by gender (n=246 female pupils, n=253 male pupils).

Teachers emphasised that high-quality teaching is central to improving maths attainment, while recognising Sumdog as a supportive practice tool that helps consolidate knowledge and may indirectly improve attainment. They also noted that attainment is shaped by multiple factors, including teaching quality, wider school strategies, and individual pupil needs. Reflecting this interdependence, one teacher observed:

Others acknowledged improvements in areas like confidence and fluency, while still emphasising their own role in driving progress: "My role in that is very important as well, not just Sumdog" (Teacher 13, Year 4 teacher). A maths lead echoed this sentiment, describing Sumdog as “a tool that we can use to complement our teaching…a really good motivational tool,” but stressed that it should be seen as an addition to – not a replacement for – quality classroom instruction. He concluded that while the platform may support small gains, “it would be very, very difficult to prove or disprove the impact of Sumdog” on formal attainment outcomes (Teacher 12, Year 5 & 6).

Other teachers highlighted the positive impact of Sumdog on pupils’ mathematical fluency. Teacher 8 observed that regular exposure to visual representations – such as part-whole and bar models through Sumdog – appeared to strengthen pupils' conceptual understanding. Without Sumdog, such representations often had to be introduced from scratch in the past, whereas with Sumdog, pupils showed greater confidence in applying them to solve problems.

This suggests that Sumdog may help develop foundational, transferable mathematical skills that support wider curriculum learning.

A Year 5 teacher recognised improvements in pupil performance when using Sumdog but noted a disconnect between pupils' success on the platform and their outcomes in traditional, paper-based assessments. While digital activities may build confidence and fluency, the teacher highlighted the challenge of ensuring that this learning transfers effectively to formal test settings. This points to a broader issue around test technique and the need to support pupils in applying their knowledge across different formats – particularly those used in statutory assessments. It also reinforces the importance of a quality-first teaching approach as suggested by Teacher 12 above, where digital tools like Sumdog are used to complement, rather than replace, strong classroom instruction that helps pupils consolidate and apply their learning in a range of contexts.

Focus group discussions revealed that pupils with SEN, lower-attaining pupils and pupils with lower self-esteem were the ones mostly benefiting from the use of Sumdog. Often pupils had all three (SEN, lower grades and lower self-esteem). One feature of Sumdog was highlighted by teachers in helping improve pupil outcomes in maths: Sumdog matching the questions’ difficulty to the ability of pupils. This way, the lower-attaining pupils are able to participate and engage at the same level as the rest of the class without feeling inferior.

Teachers explained that because of Sumdog they were able to look at where the learning of pupils with SEN was and step it back if necessary. A teacher described that pupils who had been struggling in class would feel like they were not succeeding in lessons. Using Sumdog, the teacher was able to set the sessions at a level that would enable pupils to succeed and get rewarded as a result, improving their self-esteem. They gave an example of one of their pupils:

Another teacher expanded on this idea, highlighting that Sumdog provided opportunities for a wider range of pupils to succeed and build confidence through positive experiences. They noted that, when reviewing Sumdog scores, a pupil who typically performed less well in class was achieving high scores on the platform:

In addition to the confidence of getting rewarded for getting maths answers right, Teacher 3 explained the benefit of being able to participate in the class’s activities without feeling like their classmates’ exercises were different:

All of the teachers interviewed spoke positively about Sumdog’s ability to allow pupils to work at different levels within the same activity, without being aware of those differences (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Diagnostic results for pupils working at different levels on Sumdog

Another benefit of Sumdog’s platform is that it can be accessed from home or anywhere with an internet connection. This means that pupils who are unable to attend school – whether due to holidays or more serious reasons – can continue engaging with their learning and either keep up with their peers or catch up in their own time. Teacher 10 shared an example of this in practice:

Finally, teachers noted that the fun, game-based element of Sumdog helped re-engage pupils who might otherwise be reluctant to participate in maths. Teacher 6 shared that their SEN pupils were particularly enthusiastic, viewing it as a game rather than a traditional lesson —making them more eager to take part:

Similarly, Teacher 11 talked about a pupil with autism who found the time limits in teacher assessments stressful, leading him to avoid the tests. To reduce anxiety, the teacher encouraged him to focus only on Sumdog games, which offered a more manageable way to engage with maths. Despite some ongoing anxiety, the pupil still benefited from this flexible approach.

It is worth noting that timers can be turned off, giving teachers greater flexibility in how they use Sumdog with pupils.

Teacher 5 mentioned that, in their experience, specifically boys with low self-esteem benefited most from using Sumdog. They explained that this subgroup of pupils who had an external examination for the first time at the end of Year 4 and had had a low grade, entered Year 5 with lower self-esteem. Sumdog was a way of getting them engaged again with maths (Figure 10):

Figure 10. Example of a game on Sumdog

Despite pupils with SEN, lower-attaining pupils and those with lower self-esteem being those that seemed to benefit most from using Sumdog, Teacher 3 mentioned their concern about those pupils struggling to understand some of the questions because of the way in which they were worded and finding the existence of a timer during the exercise too stressful (e.g. “I don't know if there's a way to turn the times off for him or something. I haven't actually explored that yet”, Teacher 11, Year 5 Teacher).

It is important for Sumdog to remain mindful of the individual differences of pupils in these subgroups in order to keep serving them appropriately. It is noteworthy that Sumdog is already working to support children who find the timed nature of the games stressful by providing 21 games without this feature within the questions for children to choose.

8.1 Easy platform to learn and use

Teachers mentioned that the platform was easy to learn and use. Teachers explained that after the initial induction and setting up they didn’t need further help. They also appreciated that the exercises on Sumdog were aligned with the national curriculum for maths and the White Rose Maths schemes of learning for Year 1-6 which made matching the Sumdog exercises with the lessons easier. Interestingly, teachers noted that pupils also understood how to use the platform with ease. 

Teachers gave a variety of examples describing features that made the learning and the use of the platform easy. Overall, they mentioned that post-training, they didn’t need further support and that it was easy to set up homework for the entire class but also to differentiate it for some pupils. They also found it easy to interrogate pupils’ level of understanding through the data on the platform. The comments can be summarised in the following statement:

A number of teachers mentioned the convenience of Sumdog exercises mapping onto the national curriculum and White Rose Maths schemes of learning (Figure 11). This enabled them to quickly and efficiently assign exercises to pupils based on the curriculum they are using in school, but also ensure that these exercises are in line with what the pupils had learned in class. The teacher below explains their experience of the two marrying up:

Figure 11. Sumdog mapping onto White Rose Maths and the National Curriculum

In addition to the convenience of similar terminology between the curriculum and Sumdog, Teacher 10 also appreciated the convenience of being able to use Sumdog’s digital assessments at the end of a unit. This not only reduced the need for printing but also provided a quick and engaging way to assess pupils' understanding, making it a useful complementary tool for staff.

Teachers also described the set-up of Sumdog as intuitive and the relief they have felt since other teachers within the school haven’t raised any issues about using Sumdog. They explained the importance of a new software not creating more issues for teachers. For example:

This was reflected, in the comparison Teacher 8 made between other programmes they had used in the past and Sumdog:

On a similar note to the quote above, teachers felt very positive about pupils learning quickly how to use Sumdog. They mentioned that once pupils had been shown how to do something on the platform, they wouldn’t need further support with it. Teachers’ thoughts can be summarised through the quote below:

8.2 A risk of some pupils being more focused on winning against their classmates than learning

The teachers talked about how the gamification of learning maths through Sumdog led to pupils’ higher engagement. They mentioned that through competitions among pupils from the same class or different classes, pupils would get motivated to complete the exercises and finish their homework.

A couple of teachers expressed a concern about pupils not always using their mathematical knowledge to get the answers right. They explained that pupils at times were trying to be as fast as they could as part of the game in order to try and beat their friends. For that reason, a teacher explained that at the moment their school was going through a process of getting pupils to settle with the change, and realise the importance of getting the answers right as a result of their mathematical knowledge and fluency. Teacher 6 explained their experience:

Teacher 4 alluded to the fact that a reason for pupils being prone to focusing more on getting answers right and quickly rather than learning is the multiple-choice format of answers. They explained that their pupils wouldn’t always give enough thought to the options and would select the answers again and again until they got to the right one:

To help children avoid rushing through to get to the gaming part, in May 2025 Sumdog launched new 'Don't rush' prompts along with collectible rewards and feedback on pupil accuracy (Figure 12). Indeed, one of the teachers observed this feature and noted that it was useful for slowing down especially some of their male pupils:

Figure 12. Sumdog’s anti-rush system

This was also observed by another teacher who mentioned the warning received on the teachers’ side if the pupils are answering a number of answers wrong in a short amount of time:

Since the study commenced, Sumdog has also given teachers the ability to turn off the multiplayer games and for children to be diverted to a non-game part of Sumdog if they continue to rush through answering questions.

On a positive note, Teacher 6 found that after explaining to pupils that they might perform better if they actually know the answers to the questions, they engaged more meaningfully with the exercises:

Sumdog is an adaptive learning platform for pupils aged 5 to 14 years old providing a range of tasks and low-stakes tests to help them practise maths. On Sumdog, children consolidate prior knowledge through answering curriculum-aligned questions integrated into fun gameplay. At the same time, pupils’ teachers can identify gaps through automated reports and demonstrate pupil progress.

This impact report draws on data collected during the 2024–25 academic year, including pupil surveys, maths attainment data, and insights from teacher interviews and focus groups. It explores how Sumdog was implemented in schools and examines its impact on pupils’ attitudes towards maths and their teacher-assessed attainment outcomes.

Overall, teachers found a variety of uses for the Sumdog platform. They used it as a practice tool for consolidating learning in class but also at home. Due to its element of gamified maths exercises, many teachers were also able to engage those pupils that would usually be less likely to engage. Finally, they were able to identify pupils’ gaps at a year group level, but also at an individual-level for classroom teachers engaging with the platform. 

The findings suggest that while participating pupils’ engagement with and enjoyment of maths through Sumdog increased, their broader attitudes toward maths as a subject were not necessarily shifted. More specifically, pupils’ confidence in maths, their motivation, and perceived capability did not significantly change according to the self-reported surveys. Interestingly, there was a statistically significant 5.5 percentage point decrease in maths anxiety among male pupils. This reduction may be partly explained by their tendency to engage more positively with competitive features in the learning environment. Teachers saw value in using Sumdog to keep all pupils, including those who struggle with or dislike maths, engaged in learning. They also expressed hope that sustained engagement over time could lead to more positive attitudes towards maths. 

Pupils saw statistically significant improvements in maths between Term 1 and Term 3, however teachers were cautious about attributing these gains solely to Sumdog. Findings suggest that pupils using Sumdog experienced statistically significant improvements in maths attainment between Term 1 and Term 3, particularly among pupils with and without SEN, and male pupils. Teachers emphasised the need to have a toolkit of strategies to drive pupil progress, of which Sumdog was a valuable component. While teachers generally recognised its value in motivating pupils and enhancing engagement, some also noted Sumdog’s positive impact on mathematical fluency. This suggests that Sumdog may contribute to the development of mathematical skills that complement classroom learning.

Pupils with SEN, lower-attaining pupils, and those with lower self-esteem – often overlapping groups – appeared to benefit most from using Sumdog. A key feature contributing to this was the platform’s ability to automatically adjust to each pupil’s level, while maintaining the appearance that all pupils were playing the same game. This helped reduce feelings of difference or stigma and allowed these pupils to engage meaningfully with maths exercises. 

Male pupils’ maths progress emerged as a notable trend across the findings. They showed a statistically significant decrease in maths anxiety, alongside a statistically significant improvement in attainment between Term 1 and Term 3. Several teachers also observed that lower-attaining boys appeared to benefit the most from using Sumdog. These findings suggest that gender may play a role in how pupils engage with and respond to the platform. Exploring these gender differences in both uptake and impact could be a valuable focus for future research.

Overall, teachers mentioned the ease of learning and use of the platform as one of the biggest strengths of Sumdog. A number of teachers also mentioned the convenience of Sumdog exercises mapping onto the national curriculum and White Rose Maths schemes of learning. While the gamified approach to maths boosted pupil engagement, some teachers noted that pupils tended to prioritise speed over accuracy, especially when competing against friends. However, a recent feature introduced by Sumdog – prompting pupils to slow down – appears to be effective in encouraging pupils to apply their mathematical understanding more carefully when answering questions.

9.1 Next steps for the evalutation

• Longer-term investigation of pupils’ attitudes alongside the introduction of a comparison group. Given teachers’ views that sustained engagement with Sumdog may lead to more positive attitudes towards maths, this assumption would benefit from further investigation over a longer period. Together with this, future evaluations could consider tracking participating pupils from this evaluation into Year group 6 and comparing their KS2 SATs results in maths to national averages.

• Exploration of gender differences. In light of male and not female pupils showing a statistically significant reduction in anxiety towards maths, it would also be interesting to explore potential gender differences in how pupils respond to Sumdog and how this may influence their attitudes towards maths.

• Including pupil interviews as a next step in the evaluation would be valuable to capture the perspectives of the direct beneficiaries – not only in terms of their experiences with Sumdog, but also how their attitudes toward maths may have progressed after using the platform over time.