Learning Resources says it is proud to support the initiative by being the supplier of important learning aids to schools.

Educational professional buying organisation ESPO has collaborated with leading educational toys company Learning Resources to successfully deliver 360,000 maths learning rekenreks to UK primary schools.

A rekenrek is a hands-on maths learning aid and counting frame that helps students build a solid understanding of several early years maths concepts. The textured beads of the Learning Resources 20-Bead Sensory Rekenrek make it accessible to a wide range of students, including visually-impaired children.

The rekenreks support Mastering Number, a maths learning programme underway in primary schools in 2021/2022. ESPO supplied 360,000 units to over 6,000 schools across the UK that registered with the Mastering Number programme.

The procurement requirement was for an affordable, high-quality rekenrek that offers tactile and sensory benefits, and the 20-Bead Sensory Rekenrek from Learning Resources met the criteria. Working closely with Learning Resources’ strong supply chain network, the two companies completed the project in two phases over a five-month period. These were a first delivery of 1,260 units to 21 schools taking part in a pilot project. This was followed by the successful completion of the delivery of the rest of the 360,000 units to over 6,000 participating schools.

“Sourcing the very best products to support education is what we’ve been doing for over 40 years. It’s been a real pleasure to help bring this programme to life, directly benefitting the learning outcomes of the children,” commented Kristian Smith, ESPO chief officer.

“Learning Resources is proud to support this initiative by being the supplier of these important learning aids to our schools,” added Dennis Blackmore, Learning Resources MD.

The rekenreks were supplied free of charge to schools that participate in the Mastering Number programme.

For more information, visit the Learning Resources website or read about the NCETM Mastering Numbers programme here.