WATCH: Wolverhampton youngsters learn maths using Lego
Pupils at a Wolverhampton school are the envy of their friends after they became the first in the world to take part in a new maths project using Lego.
Key Stage 1 pupils at Birchfield School have gone one better than the usual paper, pens and calculators.
Pupils at the preparatory school on Harriots Hayes Lane solve maths problems put to them by their teacher using hens made from Lego bricks, counting nests of Lego eggs and working with anything else they can make to figure out calculations.
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Lego Education officially launches its MoreToMaths range later this month after more than two years in development - and Birchfield have been the first to try it out.
Hugh Myott, headteacher at Birchfield, thinks that what the company has done so well is adapt its product to the national curriculum.
He said: "Lego has been used for educational purposes for years, but this is something different.
"The difference with the MoreToMaths work is that it is suited to the curriculum, making it much easier to see the direct effect it has on the children's progress.
"I walked into a class on the first day we used the new equipment and I have never a group of children so quiet.
"They are really enjoying using the Lego as an educational tool."
Lego Education already offers literacy, science and computing products, and its expansion into maths teaching comes at a critical time, as primary schools in England grapple with the introduction of a more demanding national curriculum for maths.
The school managed to get its hands on the Lego first due to Mr Myott's keen interest in the project and previous work he has done with the company.
He believes it will help his pupils with more than just their maths.
He said: "This will help the pupils approach problems logically, breaking a big question down into smaller pieces.
"It also increases their communication and team work skills, as well as making classes enjoyable.
"Teachers will love it I am sure, if it keeps the kids quiet and their grades go up, it will be a success all round."
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