Built on how pupils learn mathematics.
OnBoard Maths turns well-established classroom practice into quick routines a teacher can run in any lesson: retrieval practice, checking for understanding with every pupil, and responding to misconceptions while there is still time.
Nine principles, one board
Each principle is familiar from initial teacher training, CPD and department meetings. Here is how OnBoard Maths puts it into practice.
Daily, weekly and monthly review
Regular retrieval of earlier learning strengthens long-term memory and frees working memory for new content.
In OnBoard Maths: mixed-topic Quick Fire rounds make retrieval practice a two-minute starter, with fresh questions every time so pupils recall rather than recognise.
Checking for understanding with every pupil
Asking one or two volunteers tells you what they know, not what the class knows.
In OnBoard Maths: every pupil answers on a mini whiteboard or with A, B, C, D cards, and the name picker supports no-hands-up follow-up questions.
Diagnostic questions and misconceptions
A well-designed wrong answer shows exactly where thinking went wrong.
In OnBoard Maths: multiple-choice options are built from common misconceptions, such as taking a percentage of the new price in reverse percentage questions, so hinge questions become diagnostic.
Responsive teaching
Assessment matters most when it changes what happens next, ideally in the same lesson.
In OnBoard Maths: a one-tap class check after each question, an instant replay of the questions the class found hard, and a follow-up worksheet targeted at those gaps.
Adaptive teaching
All pupils should access the same ambitious content, with support adjusted to need.
In OnBoard Maths: Support, Warm-up, Core and Stretch levels, a different level for each side of the board, and differentiated questions on the way.
Representations and structure
Models such as bar models and number lines help pupils see the structure of a problem.
In OnBoard Maths: bar models on reverse percentage questions, fractions shown as pictures, number lines and sets, and diagrams for area and angles.
Fluency, reasoning and problem solving
Pupils need quick, accurate recall and the chance to reason and explain.
In OnBoard Maths: Tug of War and Quick Fire build fluency; Target Number asks pupils to find, explain and prove a method on the board.
Low stakes, high participation
Pupils try harder and take more risks when mistakes are not public failures.
In OnBoard Maths: team games, anonymous class checks and fresh questions every time keep practice frequent and low stakes.
Managing cognitive load
Clear, uncluttered presentation keeps attention on the mathematics.
In OnBoard Maths: one question at a time, large text readable from the back of the room, no device notifications, and screens that fit without scrolling.
What a lesson can look like
First 5 minutes
Retrieval starter
A mixed Quick Fire round on last week’s and last term’s topics, answered on mini whiteboards.
Mid-lesson
Hinge question
Two or three A, B, C, D questions on today’s idea. The class check decides whether to move on or reteach.
Final 10 minutes
Exit check and follow-up
A short check, then a worksheet built from the questions the class found hard, ready for DIRT next lesson.
The thinking we draw on
OnBoard Maths is informed by widely used guidance, including Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, the Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance on improving mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3, and Dylan Wiliam’s work on formative assessment. We describe how the tools support that practice; we don’t claim they guarantee results on their own. Good teaching does that, and OnBoard Maths makes it quicker to do every lesson.