Rift House Primary School
Mathematics
EYFS
Developing a strong grounding in number is essential so that all children develop the necessary building blocks to excel mathematically. Children should be able to count confidently, develop a deep understanding of the numbers to 10, the relationships between them and the patterns within those numbers. By providing frequent and varied opportunities to build and apply this understanding - such as using manipulatives, including small pebbles and tens frames for organising counting - children will develop a secure base of knowledge and vocabulary from which mastery of mathematics is built. In addition, it is important that the curriculum includes rich opportunities for children to develop their spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics including shape, space and measures. It is important that children develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics, look for patterns and relationships, spot connections, ‘have a go’, talk to adults and peers about what they notice and not be afraid to make mistakes.
KS1 and 2
Mathematics is a creative and highly interconnected discipline that has been developed over centuries, providing the solution to some of history’s most intriguing problems. It is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject.
Aims
The national curriculum for mathematics aims to ensure that all pupils:
- become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately
- reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
- can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions
Mathematics is an interconnected subject in which pupils need to be able to move fluently between representations of mathematical ideas. The programmes of study are, by necessity, organised into apparently distinct domains, but pupils should make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems. They should also apply their mathematical knowledge to science and other subjects.
The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.
Curriculum Summary
In the Early Years starting from our 2 year old provision through to reception, staff make use of the non-statutory guidance Birth to Five matters whilst ensuring the statutory framework for the EYFS is met. Reception children are assessed against the appropriate early learning goals for mathematics to contribute to them reaching a good level of development. Reception children also make use of the White Rose reception scheme to support learning and so that children are introduced and prepared for the knowledge, vocabulary and different models they will encounter in Y1 – this supports their transition into the NC2014 KS1 mathematics curriculum. Y1 – 6 make use of the White Rose scheme content as a solid starting point for teaching, as it carefully sequences knowledge, concepts and procedures to build mathematical knowledge and skills systematically and, over time, the curriculum draws connections across different ways of looking at mathematical ideas. School value the use of manipulatives in mathematics to develop abstract concepts which are catered for using both concrete and pictorial representations throughout the maths curriculum. School also recognise the importance of children developing a strong sense of number and the number system and recognise that for children to calculate efficiently they will need to develop a range of mental maths strategies to support their fluency.
School are currently in the early stages of the implementation of Mastering Number for our Reception - Y2 children.
Progression in Maths
Long Term Overview
Mathematics at Home
Non Negotiables - These are what we aim for children to know by the end of each year group.
Progression in Calculation Document - These assist your children to become confident in formal written methods.
Times Tables Rock Stars (KS1 and KS2)
A carefully sequenced programme of daily times tables practice.
Sumdog (KS1 and KS2)
Helps accelerate maths progress with personalised games.
NRICH (EYFS, KS1 and KS2)
Focuses on problem solving and on creating opportunities for students to learn mathematics through exploration and discussion.
White Rose (KS1 and KS2)
To support with fluency, reasoning and problem solving, White Rose has lots of free, bespoke resources.
Times Tables (KS1 and KS2)
https://www.timestables.co.uk/
This Multiplication Tables Check practice test gives a good example of the real test at the end of Year 4.
Parent Workshops:
We recently hosted maths parent workshops. Please find attached the shared powerpoints for your information.
Mastering Number: Reception - Y2 PPT.
Both events were really well attended and we would like to thank you again for all of your support. Please see our facebook page for photos and reminders of the workshops.
What we have been up to...
Year 3 have been using cubes and dominoes to help them understand the place value of a number. They then practised partitioning the 3-digit numbers and writing them out on their whiteboards.
Year 5 have been finding equivalent fractions by dividing and multiplying the numerator and denominator.
Year 2 have been using counters to partition numbers according to their value. This has helped the children with their place value, multiplication and division.
Year 4 have been very busy this year. They have been using base 10 to practise multiplying 2 digit numbers; practising fractions larger than one whole; and using cubes to practise the part-whole model.
Some children were even awarded medals for their super times table practise. Well done!
In Reception, we have been practising number bonds to 5.
In Nursery, we have been counting objects for Chinese New Year and recalling their totals.
