Hallam Primary School grade five and six students have been announced as the official winners of an online maths competition held in Victoria last month.

Designed by Maths Circle, one of Australia’s leading maths education platforms, the ‘Melbourne Rocks’ maths competition challenged primary school students from 50 schools across Victoria to showcase their times table skills in a unique online competition.

According to Mr Bruno Reddy, Former maths teacher and CEO of Maths Circle, Hallam Primary was a standout performer from the beginning. “As the competition began to unfold, my team and I were fascinated by the outstanding performance of Hallam Primary; they led the field from the beginning and are to be congratulated for their excellent results”, he said.

As a competition designed to bring out the ‘joy factor’ in mathematics, the Melbourne Rocks initiative has encouraged a new generation of students to engage with times tables in a fun, safe environment. 
“Staff at Hallam Primary have told us they could hear the kids’ enthusiasm for the competition from other rooms. They could hear them pumping the music and screaming excitedly when competing. They’ve also told us that when they walked through the buildings, they could see everyone was engaged with what was taking place,” said Mr Reddy.

When asked about the benefits of participating in the Melbourne Rocks competition, Hallam Primary’s Grade five and six Team Leader Deb, was quick to say that the kids and the school have already benefitted from the experience. “The kids are still buzzing and excited to do it again next year! The bottom line is, that it’s great when kids are learning their tables. It’s not easy to get them into a routine of practising but the Times Tables Rock Stars really helped because it’s fun, they love being on devices and it works. It’s something we’ll do again,” she said.

Situated in an economically, linguistically, and culturally diverse part of Victoria, Hallam Primary is an outstanding example of how a school community can use technology and inclusivity to foster success.

“We have a very inclusive community here with 40 languages in the school. We cater to refugee families, very well-off families, and disadvantaged families. We’ve got them all. As a school community, we don’t see the kids as culturally different, and we hope the kids don’t either. Melbourne Rocks has helped us show this around mathematics and learning times tables. It made it really equitable and showed the community that we’re all the same,” Deb added.

Hallam Primary School students will now compete at a national ‘Oz Rocks’ maths competition, which will be held in October. Schools, families, and education providers that would like to learn more about the competition or the online learning platform, can visit http://ttrockstars.com.au


ABOUT MATHS CIRCLE
Times Tables Rock Stars is an app and online learning platform created by Maths Circle Australia Pty Ltd to engage children with learning of times tables and increase their confidence and proficiency in maths. The development resulted from a need identified by the company’s founder, Bruno Reddy, a maths teacher, who saw many pupils entering his school lacked basic skills in maths.
The system uses artificial intelligence to tailor the questioning and learning to the child, adapting to their progress and building their confidence. The animated rock theme and motivational reward system has captivated pupils, teachers and families alike, resulting in widespread success and a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation in 2020. During the current school year, more than 3 million children in over 100 countries play Times Tables Rock Stars


Media contact: Dr Leanne Downing | 0406 251 406 | info@affectmedia.com.au