This friendly, online, inter-school competition gives teams of Year 3 children the opportunity to apply their mathematics knowledge and teamwork skills to solve problems and answer challenging questions, putting their reasoning skills to the test.
Teams from any school, within Hertfordshire, across the UK and overseas, are warmly welcomed to take part in this competition as all Heats and the Final will be held remotely.
Teams will be able to join the competition from their own classrooms or school.
The top 20 scoring teams from across the heats will be invited to take part in the Grand Final. Every finalist will receive a certificate and the winners will receive the trophy, engraved with their school name, to display proudly in school until the next year’s Year 3 Mathematics Challenge takes place.
The hour-long heats will comprise of a set of 4 equally-weighted rounds. These rounds will include:
- Questions with multiple parts
- Problems in context
- Visual estimation
There will also be a challenge for teams to complete in school in advance of their heat.
Each round relies on much more than mere mathematical calculation. Teams will be challenged with problem-solving, reasoning, estimation, visualisation and arithmetic from across the maths curriculum.
2025 Year 3 Maths Challenge – Get involved…
Schools can choose between four identical, live online heats in the summer term. Schools may enter as many teams as they wish at a cost of £35 per team.
To enter your Year 3 class teams into this year’s HFL Education Year 3 maths challenge, please book onto one of the following heats via the HFL Education Hub.
Choose a heat
HEAT 1: Tuesday 10th June 2025, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
HEAT 2: Tuesday 10th June 2025, 3:30 – 4:30pm
HEAT 3: Wednesday 18th June 2025, 1:30 – 2:30pm
HEAT 4: Wednesday 18th June 2025, 3:30 – 4:30pm
The Grand Final will take place on Wednesday 25th June 2025, 1.30 – 3:00pm and finalists will be invited to attend following the heats.
Download the HFL Education Year 3 Maths Challenge Event Guidance and Practice Questions for an explanation of structure of the event and a flavour of the types of questions and problems the Year 3 teams will work together to solve. There are hints and tips about how to solve different types of problem and about how to work well as a team. There are also free practice materials which can be downloaded.
Congratulations to our previous Year 3 Maths Challenge Winners
2024 Winners: Bushey Heath Primary School, Bushey, Hertfordshire
Feedback from the 2024 Year 3 finalists:
Our top tip for teamwork is that everyone does one part to help solve the question.
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary, Plumstead, London.
The most challenging questions were the estimation questions because the answers weren’t obvious and they needed us to think.
Sheredes Primary School, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
The Year 3 maths challenge was fun. We all love maths and want to be mathematicians when we are older.
St Michael’s CE VA Primary School, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire.
2023 Winners: Kingsway Junior School, Watford, Hertfordshire
Find out more about the Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 maths challenge events.
HFL Education Year 4 maths challenge
HFL Education Year 5 maths challenge
HFL Education Year 6 maths challenge
Sign up to our Primary Maths Newsletter for updates about the HFL Education Mathematics Challenge and from the wider world of primary maths.
For further information or for support with problem-solving and challenge in your school, contact the HFL Education Primary Maths Team at primarymaths@hfleducation.org.
