SATs season can feel overwhelming — especially in Year 6. In this special interview-style episode, Jon is joined by Becky Brown to talk honestly and practically about how to prepare pupils for KS2 Maths SATs without turning the rest of the school year into one long revision session.

Recorded in January, this episode focuses on what really matters from now until May, and why SATs should be seen as a culmination of a key stage, not a last-minute scramble owned by Year 6 teachers alone.

• Why SATs are a Key Stage 2 assessment, not a Year 6 curriculum
• What to prioritise from January onwards (and what not to panic about)
• How to use arithmetic practice strategically without narrowing teaching
• When and how to use past papers effectively — and when to avoid them
• The importance of question-level analysis, not endless test practice
• Teaching test technique without undermining good maths habits
• How to support pupils currently working below expected standard
• Making intervention purposeful, human, and confidence-building
• Why “greater depth” in SATs isn’t about different content
• Supporting pupils’ wellbeing and confidence alongside preparation
• Common mistakes schools make — and what to do instead

Jon also shares reflections from over a decade of teaching Year 6, including what he would (and wouldn’t) do differently, while Becky brings the perspective of intervention, marking insight, and secondary readiness.

• Twinkl’s SATs Survival Hub
• Half-length and topic-specific maths practice papers
• Concept videos and structured intervention programmes
• Test technique guidance and revision planning tools

Have you found something that works particularly well in your school during the run-up to SATs?

Jon and Becky would love to share community wisdom in a future Aftermaths episode.

📩 Email: primarymathspodcast@twinkl.co.uk

💬 Or leave a comment on YouTube — tips welcome!

In the first Aftermaths episode of 2026, Jon and Becky reflect on New Year resolutions, why so many of them fail, and what this means for teachers specifically. Drawing on national data, Teacher Tap insights, and lived classroom experience, they explore wellbeing, workload, work–life boundaries, and the gap between good intentions and sustainable habits.

The episode also features a Maths of Life moment inspired by a freezing trip to Weston-super-Mare, leading into a fascinating discussion about tides, lunar days, and why the sea sometimes feels impossibly far away.

Finally, Jon and Becky debrief this week’s interview with secondary maths teacher Emma Lockhart, unpacking ideas about maths identity, gender, confidence, and how early classroom experiences shape long-term attitudes to maths.

• Why Quitter’s Day exists – and what the data tells us about resolutions
• How teachers’ resolutions differ from national trends
• Health, wellbeing, and boundaries in a profession under pressure
• Work–life balance: emails, notifications, and protecting time
• Maths of Life: tides, lunar days, and extreme tidal ranges
• Maths identity, confidence, and who feels “allowed” to be good at maths
• Why primary classrooms matter so much for long-term maths attitudes

A winter trip to the coast sparks a deep dive into:

• Tidal ranges and why Weston-super-Mare looks so different at low tide
• The concept of a lunar day (24 hours 50 minutes)
• Why tides don’t follow our neat 24-hour clock

• Reflections on the interview with Emma Lockhart
• Gender, confidence, and internalising mistakes in maths
• How classroom culture influences whether pupils persist with maths

Have you ever kept (or spectacularly abandoned) a New Year resolution?

We’d love to hear your stories.

📧 Email: primarymathspodcast@twinkl.co.uk

👍 Subscribe, rate, and review to help us reach more teachers

Why is maths one of the few subjects people feel completely comfortable saying they hated at school?

In this episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon is joined by Emma Lockhart, Head of Maths at Mill Hill School, to explore what really sits behind that narrative and why it disproportionately affects girls.

Together, they unpack how maths so quickly becomes framed as something you are either “good at” or “bad at”, and how confidence, belonging and belief often matter just as much as content knowledge or exam technique. The conversation looks at what happens to pupils who are capable but quietly opt out, how classroom language and expectations shape mathematical identity, and why maths anxiety is often rooted in culture rather than ability.

Although this is the Primary Maths Podcast, the discussion moves into the secondary classroom and beyond, offering insights that are just as relevant for Key Stage 2 teachers, maths leads and school leaders as they are for those working at GCSE level.

• Why maths attracts such strong negative identities compared to other subjects
• The idea of the “quiet opt-out” and how capable pupils disengage without being noticed
• Gender, confidence and why girls are more likely to internalise “I’m just not a maths person”
• How right-and-wrong classroom cultures can undermine belonging
• What primary teachers can take from secondary insights to protect confidence earlier
• Practical reflections on language, expectations and mathematical identity

This is a thoughtful, reflective conversation about maths as a social experience, not just an academic one.

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider liking, subscribing, and leaving a review. It really helps more teachers and leaders find the podcast.

Get in touch with the show. Email primarymathspodcast@twinkl.co.uk

Get in touch with Jon Cripwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncripwell/

Get in touch with Emma Lockhart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-lockhart-74755431b/