Meet Ysgol Bryn Aur
Ysgol Bryn Aur is a community primary school in a small market town in Carmarthenshire, serving a mixed catchment of families from both the town itself and the surrounding rural area. With around 180 pupils on roll, it’s a school where staff know every child by name and where relationships between teachers and families run deep.
Maths had always been a priority at Bryn Aur, the school consistently met its targets and attainment was broadly in line with national figures. But headteacher Mrs Sian Williams felt something was missing. “Our children could perform,” she says. “But ask them to explain why something worked, or apply it in a different context, and they struggled. They were following methods they didn’t really understand.”
Good results weren’t enough.
Ysgol Bryn Aur’s maths results looked healthy on paper. But Mrs Williams and her maths lead, Mr Rhodri Davies, knew that surface attainment was masking a deeper problem, children who could execute a method but couldn’t explain or adapt it.
- Pupils relied on memorised procedures and struggled when problems were presented in unfamiliar contexts
- Mathematical vocabulary and reasoning were weak children could get the answer but couldn’t explain how
- Inconsistent approaches across year groups made progression difficult, particularly at transition points
- Teachers felt under pressure to move on quickly, leaving less confident learners behind
How Ysgol Bryn Aur introduced think! Mathematics.
The school first heard about think! Mathematics through The Learning Partnership Wales, whose work with schools across Carmarthenshire had already reached their local authority maths lead. Mr Davies attended an initial session and came back, in his own words, “buzzing.” The school decided to pilot the resources in Year 2 in September 2024, with a view to expanding if it worked.
- Piloted in Year 2 — Autumn 2024
The Year 2 class teacher introduced think! Mathematics using the Teacher’s Guide 1A alongside the Pupil Textbooks. - Professional learning through Primed for Success
Two teachers at Bryn Aur joined a Primed for Success cluster cohort delivered by The Learning Partnership Wales, gaining seven days of professional learning over six months. - Expanded to Years 3 & 4 — Spring 2025
Encouraged by what they saw in Year 2, the school ordered Teacher’s Guides and Pupil Textbooks for Years 3 and 4, along with digital licences for the three teachers involved. - Leadership and whole school buy-in
Mrs Williams introduced think! Mathematics to the full staff team at the end-of-year INSET day, sharing what had changed in Years 2–4 and making the case for wider adoption.
What the school said.
think! Mathematics gave us more than a resource — it gave us a philosophy. It changed how we think about what maths teaching should look like, and that’s going to stay with us long after any particular book goes out of print.Mrs Sian Williams · Headteacher · Ysgol Bryn Aur
