Executive Summary

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Magma Maths was piloted in schools across the Scottish Borders to tackle declining engagement in numeracy and support teachers in delivering differentiated, formative assessment. The results speak volumes: pupils became more confident and engaged, teachers saved time, and school leaders saw measurable improvements in maths learning.

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"Certainly one of the best apps we've been able to access here - quick to set up, intuitive, and easy for teachers to start using." - Head Teacher

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The Challenge

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Across Scotland, schools have observed a drop in numeracy confidence as pupils move from

primary to secondary school. 

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Teachers have struggled with: 

• Keeping pupils engaged 
• Delivering meaningful, formative feedback 
• Personalising lessons for diverse abilities

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This trend, also highlighted in the 2024 HMIE Thematic Inspection, showed an urgent need for

tools that support differentiation, digital engagement and live data-driven teaching. 

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Why Magma Maths?

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Magma Maths was selected for its innovative features:

• Handwritten answers that give teachers insight into pupil thinking
• Instant feedback to help pupils learn from mistakes
• Live heat-map analytics for real-time intervention
• Differentiated task setting from a bank of 15,000+ questions
• Text-to-speech and multilingual support for accessibility

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"The ability to differentiate easily allows children to feel relaxed about their levels due to the

privacy it offers." - Primary Teacher

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Implementation and Use

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Schools integrated Magma into daily numeracy rotations, interventions and formative assessments. The rollout was supported by teacher training sessions and a launch event with the Magma team. Teachers used Magma to:

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• Reinforce new learning
• Deliver retrieval practice
• Guide planning and differentiation

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Results

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Teacher Impact

• 90% of teachers said Magma improved students' confidence.
• 80% noted reduced marking time and easier differentiation.
• 70% used it daily.
• Teachers adapted their teaching to integrate Magma’s data tools.

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"I can now have 25 levels of differentiation happening in one class because it's easy to set up." - Head Teacher 2

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Pupil Impact

• 70%+ said Magma helped them understand maths better.
• Pupils enjoyed writing out their answers, receiving feedback instantly, and working at their own pace.
• Accessibility tools like text-to-speech helped pupils with literacy barriers.

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"It reads the questions for you." - Pupil

"I feel more confident trying harder questions now." - Pupil

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Overcoming Challenges

Curriculum alignment: Teachers requested tighter links with progression frameworks. Magma

committed to building bespoke resources tailored to the Breakthrough Curriculum.

Digital access: Concerns about stylus availability were resolved by Magma providing one non-

smart stylus per licence.

Support for younger pupils: Extra training and peer support helped teachers scaffold use in lower

primary.

Final Recommendation

Magma Maths delivered significant value in:

• Increasing pupil engagement and confidence
• Supporting differentiation and formative assessment
• Reducing teacher workload
• Aligning with national educational priorities

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"Magma Maths is a valuable tool in promoting a deeper understanding of maths concepts.

Feedback from staff and pupils has been overwhelmingly positive." - Head Teacher

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Recommendation: Roll out Magma Maths at scale across the local authority. Its ability to

personalise learning, streamline teaching, and boost outcomes makes it an essential tool in the

future of maths education.

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Want to bring Magma Maths to your schools?

Contact us today to learn how we can support your numeracy goals.

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