Built for all learners
Big Maths does not bolt on SEN/ASN support as an afterthought. The framework works especially well for learners who need clarity and consistency, where each small step is designed to build confidence and avoid stumbles.
The challenge for schools
Teaching maths to learners with additional needs is often where standard approaches run out of road.
Age-based approaches fail
Most maths schemes follow a strictly chronological approach, which is fundamentally flawed. For learners with SEN/ASN, having teachers recognise their reality is crucial. Working with resources that come from an earlier level or are designed for younger children creates anxiety, gaps, and the experience of daily failure rather than daily progress.
Wider maths before basics are secure
Introducing shape, data, and fractions before basic number skills are solid can be counterproductive, leading to frustration and a loss of confidence that compounds year on year. For learners with SEN/ASN, it is imperative that teachers focus on basic skills, building a solid foundation of number knowledge and calculation skills.
Gaps go unnoticed until it is too late
Without regular, formative assessment directly linked to learning steps, learners with additional needs often progress through primary school with gaps that widen year on year. The Big Maths framework of Progress Drives and steps allows teachers to provide a smooth learning journey that is considerate of pace and need for all learners.
“Mathematical learning difficulties are very prevalent and often devastating in their impact on schooling, further education and employment. Prevalence in the UK is at least 25%.”
— British Dyslexia Association
Why Big Maths works for learners with additional needs.
Big Maths was not retrofitted for SEN/ASN. Every learner’s journey begins with a Baseline Assessment. Once we know where they have learning gaps, we can identify the next steps. The same small-step approach that benefits all children is especially powerful for learners with additional support needs. Focusing on basic skills and Learn Its (number facts) allows teachers and support staff to encourage confidence for all learners as we celebrate their successes. In time, a model of readiness-based progression, building upon a solid foundation of numeracy, embracing our ‘What we know, What We are Learning, What we will Learn’ advice notes, spaced practice resources, and ‘Remember To’ scaffolds ensures all learners progress and develop confidence with maths.
“If pupils stumble or teachers have to guess, it is not the right Step.”
Every step is small enough that success is the expectation, not the exception. When a learner does not secure a step, that is important information for adults to recognise and respond to, not a judgement on the learner. We must explore prerequisite and complementary skills, look at previous steps on the Progress Drives to find a solid foundation from which to build. The detail of our framework is unique in allowing teachers to perform such accurate diagnostic evaluation and provide such precise support for all learners.
See how Big Maths worksSmall steps reduce cognitive load
Each step is deliberately small, sequenced, and pre-requisite-checked. No leaps. No surprises. Success is built in, not hoped for.
“It’s Nothing New” reduces anxiety
Strategies and techniques that allow learners to see and trust maths. Every new concept is explicitly connected to something the learner already knows. For learners with maths anxiety or processing difficulties, this reduces the fear of the unfamiliar.
Readiness-based, not age-based
When we know what a learner knows, we know what to teach next. All learners use the same framework, the same language, and the same celebration system as their classmates. No stigma. No separate provision needed.
Consistent language and structure
The same CLIC structure, characters, and phrases are used from EYFS to Year 6 / Primary 7. SEN/ASN pupils who need consistency and predictability thrive in this environment.
“Remember To” scaffolds
Visual prompts displayed on screen, on the spaced practice resources and available as laminated cards give learners a concrete reference during independent work, directly supporting working memory difficulties.
Weekly assessment catches gaps early
The weekly Beat That! challenges mean learning gaps are identified and can be addressed within days, allowing teachers and support staff to respond precisely where support is needed.
The gap to Age Related Expectations is never shared with the learner
In Big Maths, the gap between a learner’s current level and Age Related Expectations is important information for teachers, SENCOs, and senior leaders. It is never communicated to the learner. The child’s focus is entirely on their own progress and their next step. The gap to ARE is for adults to use as required, to plan provision, write EHCP targets, and inform conversations with parents, but never as a label, a comparison, or a source of anxiety for the child themselves.
Every celebration is equal, regardless of level
When Big Maths Online generates personalised certificates for Beat That!, there is no indication of challenge level on any certificate. A Year 4 child working at a Year 1 level who beats their personal best score receives exactly the same certificate and exactly the same classroom celebration as any other child. The focus is always on progress, not position. Every child gets to feel that success belongs to them.
What this looks like in practice
Three scenarios, and how Big Maths supports each one.
Year 2, maths anxiety
A child who freezes during number work and has developed strong avoidance behaviour. Big Maths’ 20 minute CLIC sessions and framework of progress drives allows teachers to start each lesson with something secure. Beat That! tracks personal bests, not comparisons. The consistent CLIC routine removes unpredictability from every session and allows all learners to build confidence at their pace.
Primary 5, working memory difficulties
A child who appears to understand concepts during the lesson but cannot retain them independently. In Big Maths resources, the “Remember To” prompts remain visible throughout. Steps are small enough to be revisited without feeling like going backwards. An ever strengthening foundation of number facts is established through Learn Its which then underpins calculation where the Repeat and Revisit structure systematically moves facts from effort to automaticity. As we transfer more facts to long-term memory, the working memory load is eased.
Year 6, working significantly below ARE
A learner reaching the end of primary without secure number foundations. The key is to perform a baseline assessment if there is any uncertainty regarding the learner’s lowest level learning gaps, including number facts. Big Maths’ framework begins well below nursery level, so the right starting point can always be found. The Baseline Assessment identifies exactly where to begin. Working from those lowest level learning gaps, a solid foundation of number knowledge allows the journey into calculation to become one of accelerated progress. Weekly challenges now build momentum and give visible evidence of progress for EHCP reviews.
An honest word about starting out
What senior leaders should expect when Big Maths is first introduced.
When teachers complete their first Baseline Assessment with a new class, it is normal to discover a larger spread of ability than expected. Learning gaps are often more significant than previous assessments suggested. The gap to Age Related Expectations across the class can feel daunting.
This is normal. It does not reflect badly on the school, the teachers, or the children. It simply reflects reality and knowing the reality is the first step to changing it.
We encourage senior leaders to prepare their staff for this moment and to frame it positively. One approach that works well is to ask every teacher to share their spread of ability, their largest learning gap, their furthest child from ARE. Making it a shared experience rather than an individual burden changes everything. When teachers see that the picture is the same across the school, the feeling of isolation lifts and the focus shifts to what comes next.
What comes next
For the first few weeks, the focus is squarely on Basic Skills. Identify the learning gaps, target them directly, and watch the spread of ability begin to narrow. Only when teachers are confident in the rate of progress and the spread of attainment in their class should they begin to consider a more standardised lesson approach. Big Maths supports this transition every step of the way.
How Big Maths supports SEN/ASN in practice
Six specific features that make a difference for learners with additional needs.
Start from the learner’s reality
Every learner completes a Baseline Assessment to identify exactly what they know and what comes next. No assumptions based on age, just clear, honest data.
Prioritise Basic Skills first
For learners with SEN/ASN, securing basic number skills is the priority. It gives learners the strongest possible foundation and the confidence that comes from genuine success.
Steps below nursery level
The framework begins well before nursery expectations, so there is always a secure and appropriate starting point, however significant the learning gap.
Teacher controls the pace
There is no pressure to move before a concept is secure. Teachers set the pace, spending the time needed on each step. Big Maths supports this, it does not fight it.
Content is always accessible
Because learners work at their own level, the content they encounter each day is accessible. This removes the daily experience of failure that can define maths for children with additional needs.
Weekly evidence of progress
Beat That! gives every learner a personal best to target and celebrate when they beat it. For EHCP reviews and SEN/ASN reporting, it provides a consistent record of progress that is always up to date.
What guidance says, and how Big Maths is designed to align
Evidence-aware framing, not over-claimed impact.
Ofsted Maths Research Review, 2021
“Maths anxiety is not inherent. It results from failure to acquire knowledge.”
Big Maths is designed to address this directly. “It’s Nothing New” ensures every new concept is framed as an extension of prior knowledge. No leaps. No surprises. Every step is pre-requisite-checked before teaching begins.
Ofsted School Inspection Handbook, 2023
“Provide pre-teaching, additional teaching and extra practice for most pupils with SEND.”
Big Maths’ small-step progression, weekly assessment cycle, and Repeat and Revisit resources are designed to support exactly this, without requiring separate provision or entirely different materials.
EEF Guidance Report: Special Educational Needs
“Use assessment to ensure teaching is matched to pupils’ needs.”
The weekly Beat That! cycle and Learning Gaps tool in Big Maths Online are designed to ensure teaching responds to each learner’s current position, not a generalised year group expectation.
Aligned with curriculum inclusion guidance
Big Maths is designed to support all three principles of the statutory inclusion statement.
Set suitable learning challenges
Every child works at the step that is right for them. Baseline assessment ensures the starting point is accurate and honest, not assumed from a year group label.
Respond to diverse learning needs
Small steps, consistent structure, visual scaffolds, and flexible pacing let teachers adapt to each learner, while maintaining the whole-school approach everyone else follows.
Overcome barriers to learning
By teaching from where the learner actually has gaps, not where the calendar says they should be, Big Maths removes the most common barrier: content that is too hard to access.
Increasingly used in SEN/ASN and intervention settings
What Big Maths provides for each person involved in a child’s learning.
For SENCOs
- Clear baseline data on every learner’s current level
- Weekly evidence of progress for EHCP reviews
- Framework that begins below nursery expectations
- Consistent whole-school approach, no separate provision needed
- Gap to ARE available for planning and never communicated to the learner
For Teachers & TAs
- Know exactly what to teach each learner, and what comes next
- Ready-made resources at the right level, no preparation needed
- Simple, consistent structure that builds trust and security
- Weekly celebration of every learner’s personal progress
- Certificates carry no level indicator so every child celebrates equally
For Families
- A clear picture of where their child is, not where they should be
- The same language and approach as school through Big Maths at Home
- Progress they can see and celebrate every week
- Big Maths at Home included at no extra cost
Every learner deserves the right starting point.
See how Big Maths can support your SEN/ASN and intervention provision, tailored to your setting.
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