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Young mathematicians are rocking their times tables – literally.

Pupils at Roydon Primary Academy have spent the last year indulging in maths while having fun as part of the Times Tables Rock Stars scheme.

The programme gives children daily times tables practice to boost their recall speed.

They are encouraged to play the online app as often as possible, both in school and at home, to improve their multiplication tables knowledge.

Every week, the school holds battle of the bands competitions where classmates compete against each other to earn points.

There have also been boys versus girls competitions, pupils versus teachers contests, live battles in assembly and the school took part in a national competition for Maths Week in November.

Matt Girvan, maths co-ordinator, said: “The children earn coins with every correct answer they get and with these, they can purchase clothes and accessories for their avatar. This adds an element of fun to the platform, but ultimately their multiplication tables knowledge is improving massively as a result.

“Some children are now able to answer questions in less than a second and some are answering 10,000 answers correctly within a week - the impact has been incredible.

Children who were once anxious and lacked confidence in times tables are now showing a much more positive attitude towards maths in general which, as maths lead, is the perfect reward.”

Headteacher Michael Clark said: “The programme is incredible and is so much fun for the children, it has really ignited a fire in them for learning their times tables in a fun way.

“We have seen some amazing progress in the children and we all look forward to the results in assembly. Having our new computing suite has allowed us to ensure every chid can assess this and join in the fun. Maths can be, and is, fun!”