Maths
At Brookvale Primary School, we understand that Maths is an extremely important subject area in life, both inside and outside of the classroom. We want our children to understand and appreciate that Maths is a universal language: critical to science, technology and engineering, but, also, a necessary life skill for everyone to master. It is our aim for children to grow up with a deep understanding of mathematics, developing into competent mathematicians who are able to demonstrate procedural fluency, proficiency and confidence in the application of mathematical concepts to their chosen career paths and everyday lives.
As such, we invest a significant amount of time dedicated to Mathematics and set Maths learning in high esteem from Reception through to Year 6.
Early Mathematics in the Early Years Foundation Stage
An engaging and encouraging climate for children’s early encounters with mathematics develops their confidence in their ability to understand and use maths.
At Brookvale Primary School, we are passionate about the teaching of early mathematics. We actively introduce mathematical concepts, methods, and language through a variety of engaging and stimulating practical experiences. We guide children to see connections of ideas within mathematics as well as with other subjects, developing their mathematical knowledge throughout the day and across the curriculum. We encourage children to communicate, explaining their thinking as they interact with mathematics in a deep and sustained way.
For the past two years, staff in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 have engaged with the NCETM’s ‘Mastery Number’ project. This project has aimed to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense so that, in time, children will leave KS1 with fluency in calculation and a confidence and flexibility with number. Significant attention has been given to developing key knowledge and understanding in number, specifically, numbers to 10.
We ensure that children have sufficient practise to be confident in using and understanding numbers, which provides a strong basis for more complex learning later on. Focus is placed on the use of concrete resources to develop deep structural knowledge and the ability to make connections, with the aim of ensuring that what is learnt is sustained over time.
Throughout EYFS, children will are provided with a mixture of direct teaching opportunities and are given frequent opportunities to apply their understanding through provision within the environment. As a result of the provision, 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.
Subitising is at the heart of EYFS Maths curriculum. By looking at numbers in lots of different contexts and structures, children develop rapid recall of key facts and have a fluid understanding of number. Strong verbal reasoning is encouraged through high-quality conversations and key vocabulary is used to ensure children are able to articulate their understanding.
Shape, space and measure is taught throughout the year through both direct teaching opportunities and links with the wider curriculum. We recognise the importance this has on pupil understanding and the role of maths within the wider world. Role play and imaginative play will strongly feature mathematical concepts (e.g. time, money, shape) to ensure children make links from their learning to real life experiences.
Mathematics in Years 1-6
We are committed to ensuring that all children are mathematically proficient and confident in the use of maths in their everyday lives. As such we teach for maths mastery designed to ensure all children develop a deep and sustainable understanding of age-appropriate mathematical concepts, which can be built upon in the future.
Building on relevant educational research, our maths curriculum has been responsive to the concepts of retrieval practice, interleaving learning and spaced retrieval. We understand that children need regular opportunities to revisit prior learning in order to commit mathematical understanding to long term memory. We follow the progressive programme of study outlined by White Rose Hub (aligned to the DfE ‘Ready-to-Progress’ statements) to ensure that children have regular opportunities to revisit and recall prior learning alongside acquiring new mathematical skills and knowledge through fluency, reasoning and problem solving. Curriculum overviews for White Rose Hub can be found using the following link: www.whiteroseeducation.com/
When we plan our lessons and sequences of lessons, we structure the learning so that all pupils work through new content together as a whole group. Although we do not differentiate the learning task by reducing the level of difficulty for certain groups, the questioning and scaffolding that individual children receive in class will differ. Teachers allow time for children to fully understand, explore and apply ideas, rather than accelerate through new topics. Pupils’ difficulties and misconceptions are identified through immediate formative assessment and addressed with rapid intervention. This approach enables pupils to truly grasp a concept.
All children are supported in lessons by having the opportunity to make use of a range of resources, ensuring concrete, pictorial and abstract methods are accessible to all.
Assessment in Mathematics
As well as ongoing formative assessment, teachers use ‘End of Block’ assessments from White Rose Hub to ascertain if children have mastered learning within a unit and this information is used to inform future retrieval/re-teaching of concepts. Termly assessments, also from White Rose Hub, are used to inform teacher judgements and interventions.
Multiplication Tables Check
Fluency comes from deep knowledge and practise. At early stages, explicit teaching of multiplication tables is important in the journey towards fluency and contributes to quick and efficient mental calculation. We teach multiplication both through progressive teaching sequences and through daily multiplication chanting and recall of the times tables appropriate for each year group. At Brookvale Primary School, we teach multiplication tables in the following year groups so that children are proficient in the rapid recall of all multiplication tables up to 12×12 by the end of Year 4.
– Year 2- 2s, 5s and 10s
– Year 3- 3s, 4s and 8s
– Year 4- 6s, 7s, 9s, 11s and 12s.
To further embed learning of Multiplication Tables, children regularly access the online platform, TT Rockstars.
The impact of our teaching of Multiplication Tables in 2022 resulted in 37% of pupils scoring full marks (25) in the MTC ‘v’ 27% Nationally.
Our mean score was 21.06 ‘v’ 19.8% Nationally in 2022.
70% of the cohort scored 20 or above (A score of 20/25 is 80% of the questions correct which is the same pass mark as the Y1 phonics and above the expected standards in Y2 and Y6 SATs).
