The simple bead string is one of the most common classroom resources I see in primary maths classrooms. 

The basics

Bead strings commonly come in two different types. 

100 beads with bead colour alternating in units of ten

20 beads with bead colour alternating in units of five (most commonly used in Year 1)

Top tip: The quality of the string is important. 

Some bead strings are designed so that the beads will stay in place when held up. Even if the bead string is held vertically, the beads can be released by pulling the string tighter. This makes them much easier for both the teacher and the pupils to use, as the beads don't slide around.

Uses for a 0-100 bead string are wide and varied. This blog focuses on how to introduce it and familiarise pupils with it so they can get the most out of it.

Health and safety – how to introduce the bead string safely

It is important to set firm ground rules when introducing the 0-100 bead string to pupils. In my time, I have seen a few pupils behaving unsafely with them in the classroom.

Tips for introducing the 0-100 bead string

• Only introduce one new manipulative at a time
• Be clear with pupils that they are not to touch the bead strings unless they have been instructed to. If they find it hard not to fiddle, and the fiddling is distracting either their own or others' learning, ask the pupils to place the bead strings on the floor and not to pick them up until instructed to. 
• Be clear about what they are using the bead string for. It is to help them with their maths, not for skipping, swinging, or tying up their friends!
• Allow them time to explore and 'play' with the bead string, then lead them into guided discovery. 

Top tip: Depending on which end of the bead string you start with, the first unit of ten might be white, or it might be red. This is a potential problem for struggling pupils, as the bead string the teacher is modelling with can look very different from the bead string they are holding. 
 

Guided discovery

Help pupils get more familiar with bead strings by asking questions that support them to notice and make connections.

• Why are the beads different colours?
• Is there a pattern to the colour of the beads?
• How many beads are there on the bead string?
• How might this help with addition and subtraction?
• When else might the bead string help?

Regular exercises with the bead string

Problem: pupils count the beads one at a time to find a number

Pupils need to develop quick and efficient ways of finding numbers on the bead string. Fortunately, the unit pattern can help, but pupils need to be explicitly taught this and have regular practice.

Not only do these exercises help them find numbers quickly on the bead string, but they also impact their number magnitude development (including in rounding and estimating) and their mental calculation (moving from ‘counting all’ to ‘counting on’).

Solution: familiarisation with tens and ones

1. Count up and down the bead string in tens
2. Show me in one movement:
   … 10 (encourage showing the first unit of ten in one movement)
   … 20 (encourage showing the first two units of ten in one movement)
   … 100 (showing the whole bead string)
   …0 (showing the start of the bead string without any beads slid across)
   … 90 (encourage moving back one unit of ten from the 100)
   … 80 (encourage moving back two units of ten from the 100)

Once the pupils are confident with the unit blocks above, they can be extended to showing the other decade numbers (30, 40, 50, 60, 70). Pupils may not be able to find these immediately but should count the units of ten.

Teacher: Show me 40.

Pupil: 10, 20, 30, 40 (counting the units of ten) – here’s 40.

3. Show me in as few steps as possible:
   … 32 (encourage sliding three units of ten (separately or as a set) and then subitising the ones)

Pupil: one ten, two tens, three tens – that’s 30… and two more – that’s 32.
      … 47
       … 63

Once pupils are confident with the above exercises, we can move on to improving their efficiency and deepening understanding of numbers.

Examples of strategies pupils might use

Spend time discussing different strategies the pupils use in the classroom, encouraging them to think about which ones are more efficient, and then letting them practise.

Moving towards efficiency

Show me two ways to find (select numbers that are near to decade numbers):

… 9
Strategy 1: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine
Strategy 2: One ten… and one fewer – nine

… 18
Strategy 1: one ten… and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
Strategy 2: two tens (20)… and two fewer – 18

… 97
Strategy 1: one ten, two tens, three tens, four tens, five tens, six tens, seven tens, eight tens, nine tens – that’s 90… and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven
Strategy 2: one hundred… and three fewer – 97

… 72
Strategy 1: one ten, two tens, three tens, four tens, five tens, six tens, seven tens – that’s 70… and one, two
Strategy 2: one ten, two tens, three tens, four tens, five tens, six tens, seven tens, eight tens – that’s 80… and eight fewer – 72

This last example demonstrates to the pupils that it is not always most efficient to go to the next decade number and then adjust down. However, it is still very good mental agility practice for them.

Show me three ways to find 50.

Strategy 1: Count up in tens.
Strategy 2: Count back in tens.
Strategy 3: Fold the bead string in half.

Once pupils are confident with identifying 50, this can increase efficiency further. For the final example:

… 72
Five tens, six tens, seven tens – that’s 70… and two more

Extending the exercises through key stage 2

Regularly rehearsing finding numbers on a bead string is not restricted to Year 2 and Year 3. By renaming the beads' values, these exercises can be extended into other year groups.

Year 3

Rename the bead string 0 to 10.

• What is the value of each unit of colour now? (1)
• What is the value of each bead now? (one tenth, 0.1)
• Count up and down the bead string in tenths.

Examples for Year 3:

Year 4

Rename the bead string 0 to 1.

• What is the value of each unit of colour now? (one tenth, 0.1)
• What is the value of each bead now? (one hundredth, 0.01)
• Count up and down the bead string in hundredths.

Examples for Year 4:

Year 5 and Year 6

Rename the bead string 0 to 100%.

• What is the value of each unit of colour now? (ten percent, 10%)
• What is the value of each bead now? (one percent, 1%)
• Count up and down the bead string in percentages.

Examples for Year 5 and Year 6:

Are you looking to enhance the way your primary school pupils learn and engage with mathematics? Our dedicated primary maths teaching and learning advisory team is here for you.

The UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 found that 60% of secondary schools and 44% of primaries reported an incident in the past year alone. In today’s digital world, schools and trusts are prime targets for cyber-attacks. From phishing emails to ransomware, educational settings are dealing with a growing number of cyber threats. With schools handling large amounts of sensitive data, such as student records and staff information, a breach can be disastrous. It can lead to financial loss, damage to a school or trust’s reputation, and interruptions to teaching and learning. In fact, the education sector is now one of the most targeted industries for cyber-attacks in the UK. 

Due to this, the Department for Education (DfE) has introduced Cyber security standards for schools and colleges. Embedded into the overall Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges, these guidelines provide a cyber security framework designed to prevent data breaches and keep school systems safe and secure.

What are the DfE Cyber Security Standards?

To help schools stay secure, the DfE Cyber Security Standards guide your school or trust towards protecting sensitive data, meeting legal requirements, and reducing the risk of cyber-attacks. Here’s a quick look at some of the key areas in these standards:

1. Governance: It’s important that schools have leaders in place to oversee cybersecurity. This includes regular policy reviews and risk assessments to stay on top of any potential threats.
2. Security controls: Schools should have basic security measures like firewalls, strong passwords, and antivirus software to keep hackers out.
3. Incident management: Schools need to be prepared in case something goes wrong. A good incident response plan will help you react quickly to minimise damage from a breach or cyber-attack.
4. Data protection: Protecting student and staff data is a top priority. Schools must have strict rules in place to control who can access this information.
5. Patching and updates: Keeping your software up to date is crucial. Regular patches and updates fix known vulnerabilities and help prevent attacks.

Following these standards is vital for schools and trusts to stay secure and keep their systems running smoothly.

How can schools and trusts protect themselves?

Meeting the DfE cybersecurity standards is a key step in protecting your school or trust, but where do you start? Here are some practical tips and solutions to help you keep cyber threats at bay:

1. Firewalls and antivirus software: Installing a reliable firewall and antivirus solution is a must. A firewall helps monitor traffic and block suspicious activity, while antivirus software scans for and removes harmful programs like malware. In some cases, your broadband provider may be managing your firewall for you – if you are subscribed to our HFL Broadband service for example - then you will already be protected by a central firewall.
2. Data encryption: Encrypting sensitive data ensures that even if it gets intercepted, it can’t be read by anyone without the proper access. This is especially important for personal data like student records. This can include using tools such as BitLocker (Windows) to protect physical hard drives, or cloud storage encryption if you hold your school data online. Most cloud providers like Google and Microsoft do offer encryption services for data stored in their systems, but it’s worth checking this for any other systems you use which hold your school data – i.e. your school Management Information System (MIS).
3. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring more than just a password. For schools, MFA could be set up in various ways. Typically, a user would log in with their password and then complete a second verification step. This second factor could be:
   1. A code sent to a mobile device (via SMS or an authentication app like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator).
   2. A physical security key (like a USB device) that needs to be plugged into the computer to verify the user’s identity.
4. Staff training: Human error remains one of the biggest risks to cybersecurity in schools. Even with the best technical protections in place, staff and students need to be aware of the tactics cyber criminals use to target schools - like phishing emails, fake links, and social engineering. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers a free training video specifically designed for school staff, covering the most common threats and how to handle them.
5. Backup and recovery solutions: Make sure you have regular backups of your data – this should include both on-site AND cloud data. If a ransomware attack hits, having a backup means you won’t lose important information. Plus, it helps you get back up and running quickly. When it comes to backup and recovery solutions for schools, HFL offer a range of products and services to suit the needs of your school or trust. Please reach out if you would like to know more about these solutions and which is the best fit for your needs and setting.
6. Incident response plan: Schools and trusts should have a plan in place for dealing with cyber-attacks. Knowing what to do in the event of a breach can make all the difference in how quickly and effectively you recover.

By putting these tools and strategies in place, schools and trusts can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to a cyber-attack or data breach.

Conclusion

With the rise of cyber-attacks and data breaches in the UK, schools and trusts need to take cybersecurity seriously. The DfE cyber security standards provide essential guidance to help protect your school or trusts data and systems. By following these guidelines and implementing strong security measures, schools and trusts can keep their students and staff safe while minimising the impact of any potential attack.

To learn more about how your school or trust can improve its cybersecurity, check out our dedicated Technology in Schools page, for expert advice and solutions tailored to the education sector.

Cybersecurity is no longer just a concern for IT departments — it’s a core leadership responsibility. From safeguarding sensitive data to ensuring compliance and maintaining the trust of families, protecting your school’s digital environment is essential.

For school leaders, this added responsibility can feel overwhelming. You're already managing curriculum priorities, tight budgets, and staff wellbeing — and now cyber resilience is part of your remit. The good news? You don’t need to be a technical expert to lead effectively in this space.

What matters most is your mindset and approach: asking the right questions, setting clear expectations, and modelling safe digital behaviours. By doing so, you help create a culture of security that protects students, staff, and the wider school community.

Next steps

To support schools further, we now offer ongoing cybersecurity support packages — tailored to meet the unique challenges of educational environments. Whether you're looking to improve your current setup or build a more resilient digital foundation, we’re here to help.

Developed in line with guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), our cybersecurity audit service is designed to support both leadership teams and IT staff. It helps identify vulnerabilities, embed best practices, and ensure compliance with evolving expectations across the education sector.

To learn more about how your school or trust can improve its cybersecurity or register interest in our audit service and support options, please connect with me directly via my email address below. 

This blog was originally published 30/10/2024.