St Robert's makes North East proud with national maths success

It all added up to one impressive result, when Maths whizzes at St Robert’s Catholic First School in Morpeth ranked among the top scorers in a prestigious national contest.

The school placed fourth in the North East for the England Rocks Competition, and also rated an impressive 50th out of the more than 4,300 UK schools who entered this year’s challenge.

The annual event was hosted by the Times Table Rock Stars platform, and saw children from more than 28,000 classes competing to give accurate answers to as many times-table questions as possible across a three-day period.

“A total of 62 children from Years 3 and 4 represented St Robert’s in the competition,” explained Headteacher David Sutcliffe.

“St Robert’s achieved exceptional results this year, finishing fourth in the North East for average score, 43rd nationally in the Primary Division, and 50th overall in the country.

“Excitingly, on Day One, St Robert’s briefly reached the Number One position in the entire North East, reflecting the determination and enthusiasm of the pupils.”

The school has taken part in England Rocks for the past three years.

“Each year, the school aims to secure a top-10 position in the North East – a challenge made greater by competing against Year 3 to 6 pupils from larger, two- and three-form entry schools,” Mr Sutcliffe continued.

“Despite this, the children continue to perform strongly and with great enthusiasm. The school’s long term ambition is clear – to one day secure the Number One spot in the North East for the full competition.”

Staff leading the event included St Robert’s Maths Lead, Riccardo Dunnigan, along with Deputy Headteacher Jen Sykes, and Year 4 Teaching Assistant Lesley Thorne.

“It’s a fantastic event that shows a true love for Maths from the children,” said Mr Dunnigan. “They get so into the analysis and the competitive side of the event, without even realising their skills and fluency are improving.

“Children jump up the certificates for each stage of the learning, and this really builds confidence in their abilities.”

The pupils’ achievements were celebrated at a special assembly, where Most Valuable Player prizes were presented for each participating class, as well as a Highest Scoring Class Award.

“Competitions like the England Rocks event are hugely important in building children’s fluency, confidence, and love of mathematics,” added Mr Sutcliffe.

“They give Year 3 pupils a strong and exciting start to learning their times tables, and act as a catalyst for Year 4 pupils, helping them become rapid, accurate and confident ahead of the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check in the summer term.”