BRAINMOVES FOR SCHOOLS

BrainMoves for Schools

For educators, BrainMoves for schools uses structured chess activities to practise concentration, working memory, planning and systematic thinking across subject areas.

Two children concentrate on a chess game together.

PRACTICAL FOR SCHOOLS

How BrainMoves for schools fits across subjects

BrainMoves is not tied to mathematics or another single curriculum area. For example, geography, language and science teachers can use the same material without waiting for a subject specialist.

This flexibility makes it possible to integrate cognitive training across existing schedules and classrooms.

Students concentrate on a chess game during a classroom learning activity.

A CLEAR SESSION RHYTHM

Structured sessions that train thinking.

Activities combine cognitive practice with explicit strategies that learners can use elsewhere.

Regular sessions

A common format is one or two sessions per week, each lasting around an hour. However, schools can adapt the timing to local capacity.

Purposeful puzzles

Chess-based scenarios train concentration and working memory while teaching planning and problem-solving.

Flexible placement

The material can sit across subject areas and be adapted to different school schedules.

EVIDENCE

Evidence from different learning contexts.

These studies vary in design and strength. Therefore, read their reported findings together with the stated limitations rather than as a guarantee of local outcomes.

In 76% of teacher responses, HPS was described as helping to shift pupils’ perception of what they could do. Teachers also reported stronger tolerance, mutual help and respectful interaction.

HPS works with children and young people in Danish special classes.

Participants recorded an average 5.4 percentile gain in reading proficiency. An increase was seen for 68% of participants, compared with 37% in the control group.

The study examined focus, visualisation, analytical ability, abstract thinking and planning. Results were based only on year one, and the independent study was not peer-reviewed.

A small study reported a 16.8% increase in critical-thinking scores, with increases in originality, flexibility and fluency.

The total sample was 94, with only 15 students in the chess group; predisposed ability may have affected the result.

DELIVERY QUESTIONS

Plan BrainMoves around your school context

First, compare BrainMoves with the other school programmes. Next, review the methodology. Finally, use our partner resources to plan training, delivery and local evaluation.

Who can deliver BrainMoves?

Subject teachers can use the programme after suitable introduction and training; advanced chess mastery is not the goal.

What schedule can schools use?

A common format is one or two sessions per week at around one hour each. However, the timetable should reflect local capacity and learner needs.

How should a school review progress?

Set local aims, track participation and teacher feedback, and compare progress with a clear baseline before expanding delivery.

Bring BrainMoves™ into your school.

Explore a flexible way to strengthen the cognitive capacities that support learning across subjects.