We report on the findings from the first year of a two-year study exploring how teachers and children experience and use Pearson Abacus resources, including perceptions of impact on (teacher and children’s) confidence. Abacus was designed to foster a confident learning environment for children to master mathematical concepts within the 2014 English National Curriculum. Data were collected from nine schools: from teachers and pupils in nine KS1 classes and nine KS2 classes, and from the schools’ Maths Coordinators. Teachers considered Abacus impacted positively on both their own and children's confidence to work mathematically. However, some teacher confidence may not be well-founded, and the learning potential of the resources is not being harnessed, if they do not use the support provided to enhance their subject (and subject pedagogical) knowledge for teaching a richly conceptual network
