1. COUNT ON US PRIMARY CHALLENGE 2017 PRIMARY CHALLENGE 2018
2.45 register
3.00 start
5.30 finish
PREPARING FOR THE PRIMARY CHALLENGE

2. WHY TAKE PART?
Engagement, excitement and excellence in maths
Confidence with problem solving
Links with other Count on Us programmes
Supports the aims of the Mayor’s Fund for London

3. WHAT DOES THE CHALLENGE INVOLVE?
A SUMMARY
Regional heats - qualifying round, in schools
Semi-Finals and Final at City Hall
Focus on three key areas:
Shape
Number
Code breaking
Teamwork and individual challenges
Preparation part 1: Pupil Workbook, maths clubs, in class
Preparation part 2: In school tournaments

4. WHAT SUPPORT DO WE OFFER?
Pupil workbook
Tasks designed to give practice
Designed for all pupils to use
Increasing levels of challenge
Ideas for additional activities
Tips from previous Challenges
Preparation for the events

5. PUPIL WORKBOOK

6. FROM THE HEATS TO THE FINAL AT CITY HALL
Stage 1 Regional Heats
8 heats in host schools
8 host teachers working in partnership with us
2 winning schools from each plus 10 next highest
Stage 2 Semi-Finals at City Hall
26 schools in two semi finals
4 winning schools from each plus 6 next
Stage 3 Final at City Hall
14 schools

7. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Tangrams
Put pieces together to make a matching picture
3 minutes
Team activity
Pentominoes
Put pieces together as challenges
ROUND 1 SHAPE

8. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Tangrams: getting started - exploring
Play with the shapes, getting used to the pieces
Find different shapes you can make - discuss
Practising Tangrams: more directed
Make a bigger shape from two smaller ones
How many different ways to make the large triangle
Choose two pieces. How many different shapes can you make?
ROUND 1 SHAPE

9. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Tangrams: developing key vocabulary
Find shapes with right angles
Take a piece and draw round it. How many lines
of symmetry?
Find shapes with parallel lines
Mystery Bag! Put a shape in a bag and describe properties
Practising Tangrams: almost ready!
Make pictures using all of the pieces
Useful resources: Tangram Channel / Activity Village
ROUND 1 SHAPE

10. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Pentominoes: developing familiarity
Make any square or rectangle
Make a shape the same size using different pieces
Make any rectangle using three pieces only
How many different ways can you do this?
ROUND 1 SHAPE

11. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising Pentominoes: getting harder
Make a 6 x 5 rectangle. Write the letter names down.
Use I, P, T, V, W to make another rectangle.
Find the T pentomino piece.
Can you use the I, P, V and Z
pieces to make a double sized
T pentomino?
ROUND 1 SHAPE

12. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND?
Practising 24® Game: getting started
How many ways can you make 24, using only two numbers?
Eg: 12 x 2, 6 x 4 …
ROUND NUMBER

13. 5 4 3 1 THE CHALLENGE: WHAT IS IN EACH ROUND? ROUND 2 NUMBER
Practising 24® Game: getting started
Use all four numbers – once only
Use any basic operation
ROUND NUMBER

14. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24® Game: getting started
x 4 = = 4
8 x = – 1 = 3
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER

15. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24® Game: finding pairs
How many pairs can you find to make 24?
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER

16. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24®Game: finding pairs
12 x x 2 = ÷ 4 = 2
32 – x 4 = = 8
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER

17. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising 24®Game: Tournament rules
Round Number
ROUND NUMBER
Claiming a card
Hand on card. Last stage announced first.
Remove a card if…
Longer than 3 seconds to start claim
Make a mistake
Two players agree to pass (3 times in a round)
Scoring
Players keep cards won for that round.
Points added up and scored at end of round (1 dot = 1 point etc)
Moving around
Teams of three players: A, B, and C
A moves clockwise, B stays put, C moves anticlockwise

18. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising code breaking: the task
Decode the names of London’s bridges (using a Caesar shift)
Use this information to work out the answer to a problem:
How long will it take to get from a to c?
The package has been hidden on the oldest bridge.
Where is it?
Team activity. Have to be able to work together at high speed to find solutions.
Scoring: points awarded for each correct destination and additional points for final answer to problem.
Round Code breaking
ROUND CODE BREAKING

19. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising code breaking: the Caesar Cipher
Example using a 3 letter shift forward (offset)
ROUND CODE BREAKING
Round Code breaking
Plain text
Cipher text

20. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising code breaking: the Caesar Cipher
Example using a 3 letter shift (offset)
Round Code breaking
ROUND CODE BREAKING
Plain text
Cipher text
F R G H E U H D N L Q J L V J U H D W
I X Q L I B R X S U D F W L V H

21. The Challenge: What is in each round?
Practising code breaking: the Caesar Cipher
Use Simon Singh’s: The Black Chamber
Scroll down to ‘Offset’ box and select shift – eg 3
Type in word to encript (eg name of a pupil the class)
Click ‘Encipher plaintext’
Getting started in class
Give out a blank code breaking chart.
Give the Caesar Shift (offset). E.g. 3
In pairs, fill in the chart.
Give class an enciphered name.
Who is it?
Who is this: NDWKHULQH MRKQVRQ
ROUND CODE BREAKING

22. THE CHALLENGE: WEBSITE

23. THE CHALLENGE: QUALIFYING HEATS
8 host schools and teachers
We will:
Organise the heats and schools
Bring / send the event kit
Run the heats
You will:
Provide a space to hold the event
Store any resources sent ahead
Organise premises officer and others to help set out space, including banners
Set out refreshments
Organise helpers to welcome and escort teams
Help to run the heats
WORKING WITH HOST SCHOOLS

24. THE CHALLENGE: WHAT NEXT?
Assign a lead person to take responsibility for the Challenge
Set up a Challenge Club or identify practise opportunities in class.
Practise with all pupils as much as possible! Use last year’s players.
Run an in-school tournament.
Select a mixed-gender team of three / all new to the Challenge.
Arrange for a lead person and support to attend the qualifier with pupils. Remember the lead person will be a table referee so they need to know these activities well!
Complete and return photo consent forms
Ensure that all parental consent forms for heat events are complete.
Arrange transport and staff supervision to the regional heats
(and finals, if successful).
A breakdown of what you need to do

25. THE CHALLENGE: FOR YOUR DIARY
Heats: Week beginning 19th March 2018
Semi-Finals: 7th June 2018
Final: 6th July 2018
KEY DATES AND RESOURCES
Count on Us Primary Challenge resource kits:
We have put together a fantastic resource pack consisting of:
3 x24 Game® Single Digits card sets.
1 x tub of Pentomino pieces
1 x tub of Tangram pieces
If you require further resources, these should be purchased from:
The Maths Zone:
Use discount code COU10 to get 10% off.