How can I support working memory during mental maths?

Keep the calculation visible enough to explain

Ask which information became difficult to retain when the calculation was only spoken. Recording a step can preserve the reasoning demand without turning the task into a memory-span test.

When recall is itself the target, distinguish that practice from learning a new method. Compare a similar calculation with and without the temporary aid, checking explanation as well as the answer. Place-value understanding may need teaching if partitioning remains unclear.

Start by understanding the difficulty

Mental maths can become a test of holding intermediate information as well as mathematical understanding.

Working memory is the limited mental workspace used to hold and manipulate information for a short period. In school, demands increase when a pupil has to remember spoken information while also reading, calculating, writing, organising materials or deciding what to do next. Difficulties are therefore often most visible in complex tasks rather than in simple conversation.

When deciding what the task is meant to assess, avoid assuming that every lapse has the same cause. If the goal is calculation strategy rather than memory span, allow the pupil to record useful numbers and intermediate steps. Language comprehension, attention, prior knowledge, anxiety, fatigue and task familiarity can all affect what looks like memory performance. The most useful question is what information the pupil needs to keep in mind, and whether that demand is essential to the learning goal.

What to try in school

Model efficient partitioning, permit jotting, use number lines or part-whole representations and gradually reduce aids only when they no longer add value. The principle is to make important information available in the environment so that the pupil does not have to keep reconstructing it mentally. This is not about lowering expectations; it is about removing a memory bottleneck that can prevent a pupil showing what they understand.

Keep supports concise. A crowded worksheet, lengthy checklist or wall full of prompts can create a new search demand. Teach the pupil where the useful information is and how to refer back to it. Adults should model the strategy, prompt its use when necessary and then reduce prompts as the pupil becomes more independent.

Give new information in manageable chunks and connect it with what the pupil already knows. After explaining, allow the pupil to act on the first part rather than waiting until several instructions have accumulated. When remembering is itself part of the learning, use brief, successful retrieval with feedback and revisit the material after increasing gaps.

A worked example

A Year 5 pupil understands 47 + 36 but loses the tens total while calculating the ones. Jotting 70 and 13 allows accurate combination and clearer explanation. Staff keep the curriculum objective the same and alter only the memory demand. They note whether the pupil starts more readily, completes more accurately, asks for fewer repetitions and can explain the learning afterwards.

The adjustment is then tried in another appropriate lesson. If it helps only in one context, staff look at what is different rather than assuming the strategy has failed or that the pupil is choosing when to remember. The aim is to discover which demands are creating the barrier.

Build independence rather than dependence

External support is most useful when the pupil can increasingly use it without waiting for an adult. A checklist that only an adult points to every time may reduce errors but leave dependence unchanged. Teach a routine such as stop, look at the prompt, do the next step and check it off. Where a support becomes unnecessary, fade it gradually rather than removing it simply because the pupil has succeeded with it.

Ask the pupil what helps. Some pupils prefer a small card on the desk; others find this conspicuous and would rather use a page marker, planner or digital note. The form of support matters less than whether it is accessible, acceptable and linked to the actual difficulty.

Review what changes

Agree a small number of outcomes before reviewing support. Useful measures might include the proportion of instructions completed without repetition, number of adult prompts, accuracy on a multi-step task, amount of independently completed work, or retrieval of a small body of taught knowledge after a delay. Compare similar tasks rather than relying on a general impression that memory seems better.

If progress is limited, reconsider the explanation. The pupil may not understand the language, may lack prerequisite knowledge, may be distracted or anxious, or may need more explicit teaching rather than more reminders. Persistent barriers should be considered through the school’s assess–plan–do–review process, involving the SENCo and family as appropriate.

What does the evidence tell us?

Working memory is closely involved in classroom learning, but support should focus on educational functioning rather than treating memory as an isolated skill. EEF guidance on SEND, metacognition and literacy supports explicit instruction, scaffolding, careful assessment of barriers and opportunities for pupils to become increasingly independent. Retrieval practice is useful for strengthening access to taught knowledge, while scaffolds can reduce avoidable load during complex tasks.

Claims that a generic memory exercise will produce broad improvements in attainment should be treated cautiously. A practical school approach is to teach important knowledge well, reduce unnecessary demands on working memory, provide usable external supports and review whether these changes improve participation and learning.