Help and guidance
Understand the learning journey
A plain-English guide to what the app and portal show, what progress means, and how you can help without adding pressure.
The full guides
What is Big Maths?
Big Maths breaks primary maths into small, connected learning steps. It helps a child build secure foundations, practise fluently and move on when they are ready. The portal gives adults context while keeping attention on learning and support.
CLIC: Calculation
CLIC stands for Counting, Learn Its, It's Nothing New and Calculation. A CLIC challenge brings these strands together to check that calculation skills are secure. Children may repeat a level to consolidate learning; an attempt is not the same as mastering a level.
Learn Its
Learn Its are number facts a child learns to recall quickly and accurately, such as number bonds and multiplication facts. Children complete one numbered level at a time; each level represents one term of educational progress. The Portal expresses that as helpful elapsed-time wording for adults rather than as a count of attempts or events. Practice builds fluency over time and can be valuable even when it does not change a level or the Progress Tree.
The Baseline Assessment
The Baseline is the child's first check-in. It identifies a helpful starting point for CLIC and Learn Its; it is not a pass-or-fail test. Their starting levels reflect where practice will be most useful, including foundations that deserve more time.
How the Progress Tree grows
The Progress Tree combines the child's position in CLIC and Learn Its into one shared picture. Coloured sections represent learning progression across both pathways. They do not represent time spent, number of attempts, a score, age or a ranking against other children.
Progress does not always change the picture straight away
Repeating, practising and securing learning are important. A child can complete useful work or master learning without immediately gaining another coloured section. The same Progress Tree is shown to the child and the adults supporting them.
What the progress words mean
- Current or working on
- The level currently assigned for the child to practise. It is not necessarily a level they have already mastered.
- Mastered
- A challenge completed securely according to its mastery rules. This is different from simply making an attempt.
- Moved forward
- A genuine move through the learning progression after the Baseline. Practice with no level movement should not be described this way.
How parents, carers and tutors can help
- Keep it light: short, regular practice is more useful than pressure to move levels quickly.
- Ask about thinking: “How did you work that out?” reveals more than asking only for an answer.
- Use the weekly suggestion: it gives one manageable activity connected to the child's learning.
- Notice consolidation: repeated practice can be valuable even when the tree does not grow.
- Use recent activity carefully: scores and attempts provide context, but mastery and progression are distinct.
- Talk to the child: celebrate effort, confidence and strategies as well as new milestones.
More guidance from Big Maths
These links open the main Big Maths website in a new tab.
- For parents (opens in a new tab)Ways families can support maths learning with confidence.
- How Big Maths works (opens in a new tab)An introduction to the Big Maths approach.
- Progression and fluency (opens in a new tab)How secure foundations support the next learning step.
- Assessment and tracking (opens in a new tab)How assessment helps adults identify the right next steps.
- Characters and phrases (opens in a new tab)Meet the characters and language children may use.
Still need help?
Email support@bigmaths.com.