The Pirate’s Challenge! Pirate-Themed Whole-School Primary Maths Workshop

The Pirate's Challenge is one of our most popular maths workshops - allowing up to 60 pupils at a time to have some piratical fun with numbers and shapes!

"A huge, huge thank you for today! The children (and staff) were absolutely captivated by Captain Morgan! The challenges were challenging but accessible to all; it was really well thought out and the whole day was time to perfection!" Christ Church School

"Thanks very much for the pirate maths day with our children - which was thoroughly enjoyed!! They all came in wearing pirate bandanas today and we continued the pirate theme with both maths and literacy!" St Cecilia's Infant School

Piratical fun with numbers and shapes!

When Captain Richard Morgan arrives at school, they’ll be more than a little confused. Because just a few hours beforehand they’ll have been on tehir pirate vessel, The Good Ship Mathematics, in the middle of the Caribbean! Swept to your school by a Time Tornado, they’ll need the pupils’ help to get back to his own time and place. Are they up to the Challenge? And it’s a Challenge that will test their understanding of number, shape and direction to the max. Our Pirate visitors include Captain Richard Morgan and Captain Sally Morgan.

Exploring: both additive and multiplicative reasoning, fractions, number patterns, mental and written calculation, elimination, 2D and 3D shapes, measurement, interpreting data, positional language, co-ordinates.

"Captain Morgan character really engaged the children and provided a fun element to the day. The children gained a love of learning, resilience in problem solving, team work and an opportunity to ask questions. We had a great experience and would certainly be keen to book again!" Harvington First School

"Each year group loved their workshop and everyone was engaged at all times. Without knowing, the children in each year group worked mathematically and consolidated their previous maths knowledge. A lot of our shy children really surprised me with how much more confident they were in a different part of school and with a Captain!" Walton Primary Academy

Watch The Pirate's Challenge in Action!

What a fabulous start to our STEM week! Year 2 loved our maths workshop with Captain Morgan #WPAmaths pic.twitter.com/redT7zM4tv
— Walton Primary Academy (@AcademyWalton) April 4, 2022

Year 3 used #collaboration and #criticalthinking when taking part in their @AsCreatives Maths workshop pic.twitter.com/hp4UWXSERK
— Thomas's Clapham (@thomassclapham) February 5, 2020

Nursery had a great time with Captain Morgan helping him find his lost Pirate Ship. We used shapes and counting to help him find his ship! 🏴‍☠️ @AsCreatives #PirateMaths #EYFS pic.twitter.com/bGTLCDsRoL
— East Ward Primary School (@Eastwardprimary) February 4, 2020

Year 1 have had a fantastic maths adventure with Captain Morgan from @AsCreatives We put our fantastic problem solving skills into action and followed the clues to find all the answers! @Vision_M_A_T #handsonlearning #piratemaths #apirateslifeforme #problemsolving pic.twitter.com/nT7kwtRdpu
— East Ward Primary School (@Eastwardprimary) February 5, 2020

Nursery had a great time with Captain Morgan helping him find his lost Pirate Ship. We used shapes and counting to help him find his ship! 🏴‍☠️ @AsCreatives #PirateMaths #EYFS pic.twitter.com/bGTLCDsRoL
— East Ward Primary School (@Eastwardprimary) February 4, 2020

Captain Sally Morgan burst into Prep-Prep Assembly this morning. She had fallen out of her ship and needs help to complete some Pirate Maths challenges to find her way back! Can Transition and Year 1 help her? #findingthebrillianceineverychild #mathsweek #piratemaths @AsCreatives pic.twitter.com/vT7K1MgX81
— Aberdour School (@aberdourschool) January 27, 2020

Diwrnod llawn hwyl a cyffro heddiw yng nghwmni Capten Sally Morgan. Diolch Zoe.
We all enjoyed @AsCreatives ‘Pirate’s Challenge’Maths Day activities today. Thank you also to parents and governors for joining us this afternoon.#maths for families #problemsolving #reasoningskills pic.twitter.com/rc07iqkszH
— Ysgol Croesgoch (@YCroesgoch) January 13, 2020

How many pupils can take part?

The Pirate's Challenge day can accommodate up-to 60 pupils per workshop - that's the whole of a two-form entry school in just one day!

What is the format of the day?

The day starts with a whole-school assembly where pupils will meet Captain Morgan. We will work with you to plan a timetable for the workshops, to suit the number of classes you would like to include - and around the specific timings of your school day. A typical timetable looks like this:

09.00 – 09.20: Whole-school assembly, featuring a surprise appearance from your visitor – who will explain how they need the children’s help …

09.20 – 10.00: Year 1 stay in the hall for their workshop …

10.00 – 10.40: Year 2 come to the hall for their workshop …

10.40 – 11.20: Year 3 come to the hall for their workshop …

11.20 – 11.50: One Reception class have a visit, in their own setting …

LUNCH

1.00 – 1.30: The other Reception class have a visit, in their own setting …

1.30 – 2.10: Year 4 come to the hall for their workshop …

2.10 – 2.50: Year 5 come to the hall for their workshop …

2.50 – 3.30: Year 6 come to the hall for their workshop.

Are there any technical requirements?

There are no technical requirements for this day of activity.

Can we dress up as Pirates?

Yes! lots of the schools we work with choose to do this to really get into the theme of the day.

Are there any follow-up workshops?

Yes! For schools who have already had The Pirate's Challenge you can book "Captain Morgan and the Maths Monster" which sees Captain Morgan back with another mystery to solve – what exactly is the monster that’s been attacking the pirate village on Number Island? Find out more information about this workshop below.