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On Tuesday 4 February, the first of six highly anticipated sessions of the Primary School Maths Masterclass kicked off with great excitement among Year 5 pupils from local primary schools – including St Matthew’s CE Primary School, St Barnabas’ CofE Primary School and St Peter’s Eaton Square CofE Primary School. The session, led by Westminster City School’s Maths Teacher, Mr Okyere and selected Year 7 assistants, introduced pupils to the intriguing world of codebreaking and cyphers.

Despite initial nerves, the pupils in attendance quickly became engaged in the fun and challenging activities designed to boost their logical and strategic thinking. The focus of the first session was on the basics of encryption and decryption, with particular attention given to transposition and substitution cyphers. Pupils learned how letters could be substituted or moved to create an encrypted message, forming the foundation of understanding how secret codes work.

As part of the hands-on learning experience, pupils were given the opportunity to create their own cyphers and, through teamwork, crack each other’s codes. The atmosphere was lively, with Year 5 pupils working collaboratively to decode messages and solve problems together, showcasing their growing problem-solving skills and creativity. One pupil stated that he “cannot wait to come again for the next session!”

Over the next five sessions, pupils will continue to explore the fascinating world of Maths, including magic numbers - while developing essential skills that will serve them in their mathematical journeys.