Tes Maths: Back-to-school activities

Feel prepared for the new academic year with these engaging back-to-school Maths activities recommended by Craig Barton and the Tes maths panel

Craig Barton

Maths Equipment Ready For Starting A New Year At Secondary School

Cover all bases and kick-start another year of teaching maths with this selection of stimulating activities

Happy new school year!

Hopefully you are feeling rested and recharged after a lovely summer, and ready to face the challenge and delights of another school year. If you want to get them off to a flying start, with fun and engaging activities, but crucially also ones that are productive, challenging and mathematically sound, then you have come to the right place!

The collection of resources below, all created and shared by the kind, generous and incredibly talented members of the Tes Maths community, should cover all bases and help make those first few lessons back fun and productive for all involved. 

I really hope you and your students enjoy them. And if not... well, it will be Christmas before we know it :-)

Craig Barton, Tes Maths Adviser

Planning for the year

Brockington College Maths homework booklets
Peter Mattock

Brockington College Maths homework booklets

FREE
(468)
All of the homework booklets I design for my Maths department, free and in one place. Obviously cannot post answers here, but happy for people to email me for them - a DM on twitter with your email address is the best way to get them. Note there are a few images borrowed from different pla...
GCSE 9-1 Exam Question Practice (Ratio)
Maths4Everyone

GCSE 9-1 Exam Question Practice (Ratio)

FREE
(57)
This carefully selected compilation of exam questions has fully-worked solutions designed for students to go through at home, saving valuable time in class. Click tes.com/../Exam Question Practice to download question compilations for more than 50 other topics. I usually print these question...

​First lessons

50 ideas for meeting your new class
tafkam

50 ideas for meeting your new class

FREE
(602)
Collated from various threads on the TES forums, this booklet gives 50 suggestions for activities to do when meeting your new class either on a transition day, or for the first day of term.
Back to School Math Activities
TeachMathJoy

Back to School Math Activities

£2.39
(1)
**5 great math-focused back to school activities for getting to know your students, and for them to get to know each other!** 1) Math Scavenger Hunt- hunt for students who know the answers to middle school math questions (answer key is included so that you can go over the math facts when the time r...

Mathematical routines

GCSE Problem Solving Questions of the Day - Compilation
White Rose Education

GCSE Problem Solving Questions of the Day - Compilation

FREE
(122)
This booklet contains over 50 problem solving questions suitable for KS3 and GCSE classes. These are the questions that we have been putting out each day in the run up to GCSE exams. The answers are also provided with each question. There are problems that are suitable for foundation and higher...
Puzzle of the Week
Owen134866

Puzzle of the Week

FREE
(20)
Each of these documents contains 30 puzzles which I have used over 3 academic years as 'puzzle of the week&'. I have a folder on the wall and pupils help themselves to printouts and they hand them into a box in my room, receiving merits for correct answers. Many of the puzzles are not necessaril...

A Level

Year 12 Maths Entry Assessment
Jo Morgan

Year 12 Maths Entry Assessment

FREE
(13)
This assessment tests basic pre-requisite maths skills on entry to A level. It's editable so if you like the format but don't like the questions, feel free to change them! The idea is to give this 15 minute test in the first maths lesson of Year 12 in order to identify any students who need imm...
A-level Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Owen134866

A-level Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS

FREE
(101)
This set of 14 powerpoints have been designed to match the Edexcel Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS textbook, and have largely been adapted from my previous Core 1 and Core 2 resources. Every chapter is covered, and within are explanations that could be used to teach lessons or be shared with students via...