A very significant part of our work focuses on developing and publishing inspiring, challenging and engaging mathematics education and public understanding resources. Our resources are freely accessible to all online (on our very successful NRICH website and Plus online maths magazine), and are used by hundreds of thousands of students, teachers and members of the public worldwide.

Image: Students working on NRICH activity. (c) University of Cambridge / Nadia Baker

NRICH - rich mathematics education for ages 3 to 18

Our NRICH website publishes free mathematics enrichment and education resources for ages 3 to 18 and teachers.

NRICH specialises in rich mathematical tasks which focus on problem-solving and take a low-threshold high-ceiling approach. The resources are designed to build students' confidence, mathematical reasoning, thinking skills and ability to take the initiative. The aim of NRICH is to enrich the mathematical experience of all students and develop confident, creative, resourceful problem-solvers.

The resources on the site cover all stages of Early Years (ages 3 to 5), primary (ages 5 to 11) and secondary (ages 11 to 18) school education, right through to resources supporting students' transition from A-level to the first year of university.

Tailored pathways on the NRICH website support students working independently and teachers looking for classroom resources. All the resources include detailed teacher support material. Curriculum mapping guides help teachers to promote rich mathematical thinking in the classroom.

NRICH was also closely involved with the DfE-funded Underground Mathematics project, which created online resources to support and enhance A-level mathematics education.

STEP Support Programme

STEP Support Programme - supporting access to university

Our free online STEP Support Programme is designed to help university applicants develop their advanced mathematical problem-solving skills and prepare for STEP mathematics exams. STEP is an additional mathematics examination, usually taken at the end of Year 13, which forms part of conditional offers to applicants for mathematics (and some related degrees) at Cambridge and some other universities.

Our online STEP Support Programme consists of a course of modules for individual study, and is particularly aimed at students whose schools can offer little help with STEP preparation. Each module includes a structured mathematical problem-solving assignment, leading to work on STEP questions, with support material and worked solutions to help you assess your progress. The programme is developed by NRICH and the Faculty of Mathematics, and the resources are free and open to everyone.

Plus postcard

Plus - public engagement with mathematics

Plus is a free online mathematics magazine aimed at the interested and intelligent general reader, including older students (16+). Plus articles and podcasts cover topics ranging from what string theory predicts about hidden dimensions, or whether parallel universes might exist, to climate change modelling and the applications of maths in medicine.

News items both uncover the hidden maths behind media headline and report news from the world of mathematical research, while interviews and podcasts present the human face of maths.

In July 2001 the site won the prestigious international Webby award for the best Science site on the Internet, joining winners in other categories including CNN, the BBC and National Geographic.


Image: iStockphoto.com

Wild Maths

Mathematics is a creative subject. It involves spotting patterns, making connections, finding new ways of looking at things and using what you already know in new contexts. Creative mathematicians play around with examples, draw pictures, have the courage to experiment and ask good questions.

The free mathematics education resources for ages 3 to 19 on our hugely successful NRICH site support teachers in engaging all learners with rich, rewarding mathematical activities encouraging curiosity, exploration, discussion and discovery, while our free online magazine Plus, for older readers, is packed with stories exploring the results of mathematical creativity and discovery.

Our Wild Maths project aimed to take this one step further, providing rich and open-ended resources - mathematical activities, games, investigations and further reading - designed to give opportunities to explore, imagine, experiment and create. The Wild Maths resources are aimed at ages 7 to 16, and designed for children and teenagers working individually, or with a parent.


Image: iStockphoto.com

Maths and Sport

To celebrate London 2012, we developed free online resources exploring maths and science through the Olympic and Paralympic Games for our Maths and Sport project.

Resources include rich mathematical activities for Key Stages 1 to 5, articles, and video maths challenges produced with input from us by BBC Two Learning Zone. We also developed a small collection of activities on Maths and Football in collaboration with Arsenal in the Community. The free Maths and Sport resources remain available online at sport.maths.org.

'Maths and Sport: Countdown to the Games' was a partner project in the London 2012 Get Set + education programme and was awarded the Inspire Mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme. The London 2012 Inspire Programme recognised exceptional and innovative projects that were directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Image: DNA

Motivate - free online multimedia resource packs

Our long-running Motivate programme created links between university researchers and schools for over a decade, initially via live video-conferences. While the live programme ended in 2010, we also developed free online multi-media resource packs for Key Stages 2 to 4, working with mathematicians from research and industry to explore maths in real and engaging contexts including medical research, healthcare and archaeology. The packs are based round video-clips of the expert speakers with accompanying investigative tasks, including worksheets and teachers' notes. Topics covered include Maths and our Health (KS3/4), Disease Dynamics (KS4) and Babylonian Maths (KS2/3).